Electric Power
November 05, 2026
The Illusion of Crowds: In conversation with S2G
Featuring Samantha Humphreys and Hill Vaden
HIGHLIGHTS
Capital concentration limits energy scaling
Missing middle companies face funding gaps
Investors crowd into narrow market segments
What happens when plenty of capital enters the energy transition, but not enough of it reaches the companies best positioned to scale? In this episode of EnergyCents, Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys speak with Francis O'Sullivan, Managing Director of Energy Investment at S2G, about "The Illusion of Crowds," a paper that challenges the idea that more investors automatically create a smarter, more effective market.
They discuss how capital has become highly concentrated, why this matters for the "missing middle" — companies beyond venture stage but not yet ready for traditional infrastructure finance — and what LPs and GPs can do to better support practical, scalable energy innovation.
Find out more about the paper and S2G here: https://www.s2ginvestments.com/insights/report-illusion-of-crowds
Learn more about S&P Global Energy here: Learn more about S&P Global Energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en
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