After months of diving into later-stage investment logic, we shift gears and go straight to the very beginning of the water innovation curve. In this episode, I sit down with Tom Ferguson, Managing Partner at Burnt Island Ventures (BIV)—one of the world’s leading early-stage Water Tech investors—to unpack what it really takes to build and back early-stage water startups.

Tom shares:
• Why seed-stage water investing is both brutally hard and uniquely rewarding
• How BIV evaluates companies when very little evidence exists
• Why founders must master the argument, not outsource it
• The major marketing & sales gaps in the water sector
• Why “being early is the same as being wrong” when it comes to regulation
• How to think about flywheels, moats, and decision-making to grow as a professional

I also asked Tom something personal: If I wanted to work at a firm like BIV in New York in 5–10 years, what should I do today?
His answer shaped the very foundations of The Water MBA back in 2022—especially the way we learn, write, and compound insights over time.

In this video you’ll hear about:
• Tom’s journey (IH2O, BIV, and 15+ years in water)
• The architecture of good and bad decisions
• The real logic behind startup growth in water
• The books and resources he recommends
• How the flywheel mindset became a central part of The Water MBA

If you’re building in water, working in water, or simply curious about how early-stage innovation actually works, this conversation will challenge how you think.

See you inside.