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On Financing the “Missing Middle” to Scale Energy Breakthroughs
04 September 2026

On Financing the “Missing Middle” to Scale Energy Breakthroughs

CFR On the Record

About

In this episode, panelists from CFR’s Climate Realism Initiative discuss Financing the Missing Middle, a collection of policies and strategies to help bridge the gap in private funding that inhibits energy innovation in the United States. This “missing middle” slows or blocks technologies that could help the energy system become more secure, affordable, and sustainable, and weakens U.S. firms relative to Chinese and other international competitors.


 


Host: Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Incoming Philip D. Reed Senior Fellow and Director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program, Council on Foreign Relations


 


Guests: David M. Hart, Senior Fellow for Climate and Energy, Council on Foreign Relations


 


Vanessa Z. Chan, Jonathan and Linda Brassington Practice Professor, Materials Science and Engineering and Inaugural Vice-Dean of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Pennsylvania


 


Josh Prueher, Chief Executive Officer, XGS Energy


 


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To keep tabs on all CFR events, visit cfr.org/event. To watch this event, please visit it on our YouTube channel: Filling the "Missing Middle" to Scale Energy Breakthroughs