Universe Partners

About Universe Partners

Down-to-Earth talks on investing and building resilience, tech and beyond.

Publisher

Shani Zanescu

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Jul 2024

Latest episode

30 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

8 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Mar 2026

   How Hormuz Exposed (again) the Gap Between Knowing Risk and Building Resilience - and What Comes Next?

   Join Shani Zanescu, Founder & General Partner of Universe Partners (www.universe-partners.com)and board members Cameron Geiger (former SVP Supply Chains, Walmart and COO at SMEs) and Laura Segafredo (former Blackrock and a Senior Economist) for a discussion on what does the current panic around Harmuz actually reveals. It’s no longer about a systemic shift. We are the systemic shift. This episode starts with a familiar flashpoint, Strait of Hormuz- but quickly reframes the narrative. This isn’t just about oil. It’s about food, fertilizers, and the fragile architecture of the systems we’ve built around both. Because the real issue isn’t supply chains. It’s decision-making. We’ve engineered a world of choke points - whether it’s Hormuz, the Suez Canal, or the Strait of Malacca. Different geographies, same pattern: too many eggs in too few baskets. And every time disruption hits, we act surprised - like the system didn’t behave exactly as designed. But this isn’t just geopolitics. It’s portfolio theory applied poorly to the real world. We’ve spent decades optimizing financial systems for diversification: indexing, risk distribution, redundancy. Yet when it comes to physical systems - food, energy, logistics - we’ve done the opposite. Hyper-efficiency. Maximum concentration. Minimum resilience. And now we’re paying for it. BIG TIME. From a venture lens, the signal is clear: what do we prioritise? Seem as if at least over 50% of bottlenecks sit in maritime and physical infrastructure. At the same time, capital and attention have been disproportionately captured by digital and AI - while the material world, the one that actually feeds and fuels us, remains under-innovated. Take food systems. Entire global supply chains depend on fossil-fuel-based fertilizers. One input. One dependency. One point of failure. We wouldn’t build a portfolio like that -so why did we build a civilization that way? And then there’s insurance - the silent engine of the global economy. When war risk premiums spike 500% overnight, it doesn’t just reflect risk -it creates it. Decisions made by insurers ripple across trade, pricing, and access. Suddenly, the cost of moving physical goods isn’t just higher—it’s structurally unstable. Which raises a bigger question: If resilience reduces risk, why isn’t it priced that way? What’s missing is a new decision architecture. Not more data! We’re drowning in dashboards - but the ability, incentives, and authority to act on it in real time. Decision rights exist. What’s lacking is the system around them. And that’s where the opportunity is. Because every gap - every bottleneck, every mispriced risk, every outdated policy is an entry point for innovation. Not just technological, but systemic: incentives, governance, and the rules of the game itself. At Universe Partners, the thesis is simple: don’t just play the game better, change the game entirely. Build for diversification. Price resilience properly. Align incentives with long-term stability. This isn’t a future problem. It’s a present design flaw. And the question isn’t whether disruption is coming. It’s whether we’ll finally build systems that can absorb it.

2. 

   26 Nov 2025

   When the Internet Went Dark & the ‘Silicon’ in Silicon Valley: Resilience as a Commodity

   From internet blackouts to supply chain risks, the future belongs to systems built to endure. Resilience is no longer optional — it’s a measurable, strategic commodity powering investment, growth, and thriving at the intersection of physical and digital risks and solutions. This is a part of the new Colliding Galaxies series also published on Medium (https://medium.com/colliding-galaxies) by Shani Zanescu ( https://il.linkedin.com/in/shanizanescu)and Universe Partners (wwww.universe-partners.com) - brining curated insights from the frontlines where systems, markets & technology collide. From economic shocks and extreme weather to geopolitical shifts, tech breakthroughs and society, highlighting solutions & the multi-trillion-dollar opportunity: Resilience Tech.

3. 

   18 Nov 2025

   The Market Value of Resilience: When the Future Becomes a Commodity

   In this episode, we dive into why resilience is becoming a global commodity: something measurable, investable, and increasingly essential for financial markets. Laura explains that markets are ultimately emotional human systems, and those emotions are driving a new wave of products designed for a world shaped by shocks: resilience bonds, KPI-linked loans, and tools that turn future stability into real market value. We look at how extreme weather is already influencing portfolios, businesses, and communities - not as a distant issue, but as daily lived experience. From wildfire smoke drifting into New York to the question of whether a company will survive the next 20 years, resilience is quickly moving from “fuzzy concept” to hard financial necessity. We also touch on the massive data challenge behind all of this, from security analytics to power- and water-strained data centers that make the case for resilience even stronger. Add in the coming generational wealth transfer, and you get new motivations and new emotional drivers reshaping how people participate in markets. Finally, we explore where the opportunities lie—for insurers, tech startups, municipalities, and homeowners—and how AI may accelerate the ability to measure, price, and trade resilience at scale. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Resilience and Its Economic Perspective 02:46 Laura's Journey Economics 05:42 The Role of Capital in Transitions 08:32 Understanding Risks and Market Reactions 11:10 The Importance of Resilience in Business 14:17 Resilience as a Commodity 17:05 The Future of Insurance and Resilience Bonds 19:56 The Impact of AI on Resilience and Investment 22:52 Generational Wealth Transfer and 25:40 Opportunities in Resilience Technologies 28:32 Conclusion: Embracing Change and Innovation

4. 

   21 May 2025

   From Tariffs to Talent: The 3 Forces of American Resilience

   Industry experts analyze the three forces—supply chain resilience, energy infrastructure, and talent—that shape America's ability to withstand geopolitical shifts and global disruptions.

5. 

   10 Feb 2025

   Weathering the Storm: Building Resilient Businesses & Communities for Today

   Wildfires. Hurricanes. Supply chains in chaos. Communities at risk. "Any time we're talking about reducing risks and improving productivity and efficiency we're talking in business terms across all different subjects, not just climate tech" - Cam The escalating reality of extreme weather isn’t just about disaster response—it’s aboutpreparedness, resilience, and building smarter systems that can withstand the storm. So, what doesde-risking actually look like? How do we rethink everything fromsupply chains todisaster response,finance, and thebuilt environment? In this episode, I, Shani Zanescu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanizanescu/), Founder & Managing Partner ofUniverse Partners, sat down withCameron Geiger (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-geiger-23a4956/), former SVP of Supply Chain atWalmartand a current Universe Partner, to discuss bold ideas and real-world case studies that highlight how businesses, communities, and systems can adapt to today’s extreme weather challenges and beyond. In this episode we discuss: 🔥Lessons from disaster zones – Insights from LA wildfires, Hurricanes Katrina, Helen, Milton, and more. 🏢Corporate crisis response – Centralized vs. distributed networks, disaster centers, and optimizing available resources. 🌍Insurance, finance & the unbanked – critical areas to consider as well as who gets to rebuild and how, who doesn’t, and why it matters. 📡Telecom & critical infrastructures – Keeping authorities and communities connected when it matters most. 🏗️The built world – Designing for resilience with new developments and retrofits. 🤝Public-private partnerships – Why collaboration is non-negotiable. ⚡From climate tech to resilience tech – shifting investments in climate tech to focusing on adaptation and resilience. Plus, for founders, we spotted at least20 venture-worthy ideas during our chat in this episode. So, if you’re building something, let us know! #GlobalResilience #DeriskingTheFuture #UniversePartners #Wildfires #ExtremeWeatherEvents *** Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Cam Geiger's Journey 04:18 Understanding Supply Chain Resilience 08:41 Case Studies of Disaster Response 13:39 The Role of Distributed Networks in Crisis 18:23 Technological Innovations for Disaster Management 21:32 Insurance and Financial Challenges Post-Disaster 26:04 Involuntary Migration and Rebuilding Efforts 28:03 Building Resilience in Communities 28:57 Infrastructure and Climate Adaptation 32:14 The Importance of Climate Resilience 33:23 Investment Opportunities & trends in Climate Tech 36:03 Managing Supply Chains During Disasters 40:36 Empowering Frontline Responders 43:12 Optimism Amidst Chaos 45:08 Wishes & ideas for a Resilient Future

6. 

   11 Nov 2024

   Digital Climate: The Convergence Era & Software Acceleration

   In this episode, we dive into the powerful convergence of climate technologies, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation—shaping the future of industries and accelerating the growth of climate tech. We explore how software is empowering the abundance of the already existing hardware solutions to be more efficient, scalable, and adaptable. We also discuss the critical shift from asking "why" to asking "how," urging companies to invest in technology that offers flexibility and resilience. Early engagement with customers, especially large corporations and utilities, is key to developing climate tech solutions that solve real problems and prove their worth. From financing options like debt and subsidies to AI’s role in creating scalable solutions, we unpack how convergence across sectors is fueling innovation. We highlight how technology is tackling business model challenges while generating financial returns, and why the urgency of climate action makes now the time to invest in sustainable solutions. The episode wraps with a look at how future unicorns may emerge from climate tech and the human elements driving the transition to a low-carbon world. Join Jan Lozek (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lozekjan/), Founder & Managing Partner @ Future Energy Ventures (https://fev.vc/), and myself, Shani Zanescu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanizanescu/), Founder & Managing Partner @ Universe Partners (www.universe-partners.com) - for this conversation on how digital innovation and climate tech are paving the way for a more sustainable and economically viable future.

7. 

   30 Oct 2024

   Beyond $300M: Tackling the Climate Finance Gap and Sparking Economic Change

   In this episode, we explore why even $300M, the largest climate tech fund in Europe, isn’t considered a large enough fund for decarbonizing the economy? We also delve into the investment strategies and tools that World Fund (https://www.worldfund.vc/) uses to identify and support innovative minds in the climate tech sector. We examine Europe’s leadership in climate regulations and how it contrasts with the US approach. Furthermore, we address the critical role of climate tech investments in mitigating the projected 19% annual loss in global GDP due to climate change, reminding us that the world is interconnected, especially in the realm of climate innovation and investment. Some remarkable examples of such innovation mentioned in this episodes are Planet A Foods (https://planet-a-foods.com/) (sustainable, future-oriented products free from any highly-limited resources such as cocoa or palm oil), and Cylib (www.cylib.de)(recovers most raw materials during the recycling process, delivering a lithium-ion battery recycling efficiency of 90%). Join us as we, Danjiel Visevic (https://www.linkedin.com/in/visevic/) (General Partner & Co-Founder @ World Fund) and Shani Zanescu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanizanescu/) (Founder & Managing Partner @ Universe Partners (www.universe-partners.com)) share valuable insights and best practices for founders, investors, and anyone curious about the climate tech landscape and of course - the climate tech capital stack.

8. 

   21 Jul 2024

   Turning points: Mastering Market Shifts, Crucible Moments, and the Capital Stack

   In this episode, I’m thrilled to be joined by Shaun Abrahamson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunabe/), Co-founder & Managing Partner of Third Sphere (https://thirdsphere.com/), one of the top climate VC firms, proudly investing since 2013 in the ‘bad logo, bad demo’ stages of incredible companies. In our conversation, we explore various turning points in financial markets and in companies’ journeys, providing concrete tools for mastering those crucible moments and of course - the capital stack. This episode is packed with takeaways for anyone navigating the complex (yet fun!) world of climate tech and deep-tech, and covering things like Financing is overlooked at the very early days of the companies, how can it be carefully thought out from the beginning (as it should) ? Climate tech founders aren’t only facing the “usual” founders’ challenges but also deal with an array of unique challenges that require diverse funding forms beyond traditional venture capital. What are they? How can we solve these challenges? Lessons learned from the first wave of Cleantech 1.0 (and its hangover phase), highlighting the importance of incorporating non-dilutive and non-equity funding. Intentionally choosing investors Why cap tables are far from borin Customer discovery for hardware done right (with some insights taken from Tesla and Apple’s cases) Using LLM's as cheat sheets along the journey And so much more Anyways, join us. *** Welcome to Universe Partners: (www.universe-partners.com) The Podcast, where we transition from the ‘why’ to the ‘how', and discuss the ways financing, innovation, and collaboration can accelerate deep-tech and first-of-a-kind technologies for global resilience amidst the rapid changes in our economy, climate, technology, geopolitics, and society. I’m ⁠Shani Zanescu⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanizanescu/), a climate tech investor and a founder at heart (and of a few ventures, spanning both for-profit and non-profit sectors). I invite you to join this episode, follow for more, share with a friend, and become...a Universe Partner (https://airtable.com/appKs9swRKkIxYH0x/pagr2kFECqJjZCKSV/form). *** Thank you for listening to Universe Partners. The content of this podcast, including all audio, text, images, and other material, is the property of Shani Zanescu and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of this material is prohibited. For permissions and inquiries, please contact hello@universe-partners.com (mailto:hello@universe-partners.com).

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

1,112,605,293

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

16

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.