Climate CEOs: Scaling Startups

Here are today’s five NEW topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:

1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA

Fungi: the overachievers of the climate crisis

2. 💡 CEO TO KNOW

Will Kain @ Avnos ($100M for DAC producing fresh water)

3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT

Dmitriy Antropov @ Partners Group ($8B for smart infrastructure)

4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT

Let AI try to embarrass you (before reality does)

5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT

Churchill’s guide...

Here are today’s five NEW topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:

1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA

Pollution tracker: 740 million emissions sources

2. 💡 CEO TO KNOW

Ben Parker @ Lightship

3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT

Micah Kotch @ Blackhorn Ventures

4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT

Dear ChatGPT, what do you know about me?

5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT

Everything is figure-out-able.

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Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:

1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA

50 million miles of transmission lines are needed by 2040 to achieve climate goals.

2. 💡 CEO TO KNOW

Cam Halliday @ Mantel ($32M for carbon capture)

3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT

Dave Kirkpatrick @ SJF Ventures ($435M for impact startups)

4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT

AI as speechwriter for critical moments (in a rush)

5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT

Misery or strength: same...

Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:

1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA

$7 trillion on data centers by 2030

2. 💡 CEO TO KNOW

Tod Hynes @ Maigent & MIT

3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT

Kareem Dabbagh & Joe Goodman @ VoLo Earth

4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT

AI as “Cognitive Reframing Coach”

5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT

“Despair is a failure of imagination.”

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Ex-Tesla engineers raise $60M for solar and battery-powered RVs, creating tomorrow's camping today and relevant for 1 in 10 Americans.🎧 Episode SummaryBen Parker is the Co-Founder of Lightship, an electric RV company that’s reimagining how we hit the road sustainably.

Lightship builds aerodynamic, all-electric travel trailers with onboard solar and battery systems that can provide 5-7 days of clean power.

Before founding Lightship in 2020, Ben was an EV engineer at Tesla. He and his co-founder Toby Kraus (also ex-Tesla) have raised over $60 million from investors like our friends at Prelude Ventures, Congruent Ventures, and Obvious Ventures.

...

Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:

1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA

Robots: Building a net-zero future (not just stealing jobs)

2. 👏 CEO TO KNOW

Bill Flederbach @ ClimeCo (45M tons of CO2e reduced, avoided, or removed)

3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT

Howard Fischer @ Gratitude Railroad (from hedge fund to impact investor)

4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT

People are OK with AI taking 58% of our jobs.

5. ⛰️ MIN...

Discover why Shell, Eni, and MCJ invested in this molten borate carbon capture tech led by an MIT PhD.

🎧 Episode Summary

Mantel Capture is a Boston-based climate technology company developing the first molten-salt (molten borate) carbon capture system designed to operate at the high temperatures found inside boilers, kilns, and furnaces.

Their technology cuts the energy penalty of carbon capture by recovering useful heat (steam or electricity) and can reduce costs by roughly half compared with conventional systems.

Mantel raised $30 million in Series A funding, led by Shell Ventures and Eni Nex...

Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:

1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA

$7 trillion on data centers by 2030

2. 💡 CEO TO KNOW

Tod Hynes @ Maigent & MIT

3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT

Kareem Dabbagh & Joe Goodman @ VoLo Earth

4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT

AI as “Cognitive Reframing Coach”

5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT

“Despair is a failure of imagination.”

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Learn from two climate tech VC investors sharing startup lessons in energy, buildings, mobility, and industry.

🎧 Episode Summary

VoLo Earth Ventures is an early-stage climate tech venture capital firm that invests in scalable innovations in clean energy, mobility, built environment, and industry.

They provide returns-first catalytic capital and hands-on leadership to help founders decarbonize global systems. They raised two funds and invested in 36+ companies.

Kareem Dabbagh and Joe Goodman are the co-founders and Managing Partners.

Kareem has over 15 years of experience in renewable energy and clean technology, spanning startups, pro...

Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:

1. CLIMATE DATA

Which cities have the most startup funding?

2. CEO TO KNOW

Toussaint Wattinne @ Upway — $60M for sustainable mobility

3. INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT

Tim Krysiek @ Climate Technology Fund of MassMutual Ventures

4. AI INSIGHT

Don’t be scared: “100 million jobs erased by AI in the USA in 10 years.”

5. MINDFUL MOMENT

“Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Only assholes do that.”

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Serial entrepreneurs, MIT professors, and climate tech experts share their blueprint for building startups in this new book.

🎧 Episode Summary

Tod Hynes is the Co-founder and CEO of Maigent, Board Chairman at Woodwell Climate Research Center, and Senior Lecturer at MIT.

He has co-founded several organizations and companies and has raised over $500 million. 

He has also helped hundreds of teams of students launch their own climate and energy companies through the MIT Climate & Energy Ventures (CEV) class and MIT Climate & Energy Prize.

Tod helped the Woodwell Climate Research Center rais...

Tackling superpollutants, carbon insetting, digital carbon, and ESG strategy consulting before climate tech was cool.

🎧 Episode Summary

ClimeCo is an award-winning leader in decarbonization and an Inc. Best Workplaces Company. Since 2009, they have evolved from a pioneer in nitrous oxide abatement projects to a global leader in the environmental commodities market.

Bill Flederbach is a Sustainability Hero Award Winner 2025, a former executive with MGM and AgCert, and an active member of the Rotary Club, implementing their four guiding principles across ClimeCo:

Learn 5 quick insights in climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership — straight from my Climate CEOs newsletter. Join 40,000 who get it. https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com

With 40 million electric bikes worldwide, we need Upway's marketplace to refurbish and resell them at scale.

🎧 Episode Summary

Upway is a marketplace for refurbished electric bikes in eight countries. Backed by $60M in VC funding, including household names like Sequoia, they’ve sold over 80,000 bikes across hundreds of OEMs at 40% discounts to new e-bikes.

Toussaint brings almost a decade of experience from Uber in the EU before starting Upway. And simply listening to his rich French accent may increase your cool factor by 20 points. I know it did for me.

...

Enjoy this brief primer on how to establish a board of advisors for your startup (or negotiate a seat on one). In our EFI climate CEO peer group, we have a growing library of these hot topic primers. To get more like this, join 40,000 who get my Climate CEOs newsletter. https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com

100,000 people joined 1,000 events in NYC last week for the Climate Week. In this 18-minute podcast, I summarize 16 highlights from my time there. If you like this, join 40,000 who get my Climate CEOs newsletter. https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com

Learn 5 quick insights in climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership — straight from my Climate CEOs newsletter. Join 40,000 who get it. https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com

(Shout out to Carbon Brief on the visual.)

Electric vehicles, charging, and support in one predictable monthly payment (4 million EV fleet vehicles by 2030).

🎧 Episode Summary

7Gen is a Vancouver-based company that helps commercial fleets transition to zero-emission vehicles by providing turnkey solutions for electrification.

Their services include financing, procurement, charging infrastructure, and long-term support to simplify the switch from diesel to electric.

By acting as both a technology integrator and capital partner, 7Gen accelerates adoption of clean transportation in North America.

Frans is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with a track record in scaling sustainable businesses.

H...

Learn 5 quick insights in climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership — straight from my Climate CEOs newsletter. Join 40,000 who get it. https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com

Mapping $1.9 Trillion in global climate finance. Who invests? Who gets the funding?

🎧 Episode Summary

The Climate Policy Initiative is a leading international nonprofit research organization focused on tracking and mobilizing climate finance.

Dr. Barbara Buchner is the lead author of the annual Global Landscape of Climate Finance reports—widely regarded as the standard for climate finance tracking—and directs CPI’s Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, which has helped mobilize multibillion‑dollar investment for sustainable development worldwide.

🌎 Join EFI’s Climate CEO Peer Group

Become an EFI Climate C...

Hear 5 themes from Sept. 10th EFI CEO & investor discussion on AI in climate tech in practice. Additionally, discover 7 ways AI is a climate champion, along with 14 example companies. (From my newsletter. Join 40,000 who get it. https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com)

Using robots and microfactories to build energy-efficient, affordable homes, resilient to natural disasters.

🎧 Episode Summary

Reframe Systems, led by CEO Vikas Enti, is a climate‑tech startup building compact, robotic micro‑factories that can construct climate‑resilient, net‑zero homes—specifically “missing‑middle” housing—significantly faster, cheaper, and with far lower carbon emissions than traditional methods.

Having previously led robotics innovation at Amazon Robotics (and before that, Kiva Systems), Enti’s Reframe was recently awarded LACI’s LA Resilient Rebuilding Cup, recognizing both his vision and progress toward scalable, resilient housing solutions.

🔑 Highlights

Learn 5 quick insights in climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership — straight from my newsletter. Join 40,000 who get it. https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com

AI-powered agtech infrastructure is growing climate-friendly crops while boosting farmer profitability—backed by horticultural expertise and data science.

🎧 Episode Summary

IUNU is a Seattle‑based ag‑tech startup using AI‑driven computer vision and autonomous sensors—via its LUNA platform—to monitor greenhouse crop growth in real time, optimize operations, and boost farm productivity across 100 facilities in 18 countries.

They've raised over $60 million to scale up, including a recent $20M round led by our friends at S2G Investments.

Adam Greenberg is the CEO and co-founder. As a servant leader, he believes that "true leader...

Learn 5 quick insights in climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI tips, and mindfulness in leadership — straight from my newsletter. Join 20,000 who get it. https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com

Learn how to dramatically lower HVAC energy use via metal organic frameworks with Sorin Grama, CEO of Transaera.

🎧 Episode Summary

Transaera is reimagining air-conditioning with solid desiccant materials that strip out moisture before cooling.

Translation: less energy, fewer emissions, and a planet that sweats less.

It’s a plug‑and‑play upgrade across residential and commercial HVAC systems.

Sorin is an MIT-trained engineer, inventor, and serial entrepreneur.

He’s also the co-founder of Greentown Labs, a lecturer at MIT, and a Climate CEO Fellow in our EFI peer group...

Learn 5 quick insights in climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI tips, and mindfulness in leadership — straight from my newsletter. Join 20,000 who get it. https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com

Legendary VC investor Brad Feld explains why “giving first” (his new book) is the key to building resilient founders, impactful startups, and thriving startup communities—especially in climate tech and turbulent times.

🎧 Episode Summary

Brad Feld, co-founder of Foundry Group and Techstars, joins Dr. Chris Wedding to discuss why his “Give First” philosophy—mentorship without expectation of immediate return—matters more than ever. Brad shares lessons from four decades as a VC investor, board member, and mentor. These include how startup founders can survive near-death experiences, embrace long time horizons, and create positive-sum relationships that outlast cycles of...

Learn these 5 quick insights in climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI tips, and mindfulness in leadership — straight from my newsletter. Join 20,000 who get it. https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com

Learn how Realta Fusion raised a giant Series A VC round to commercialize university tech for affordable fusion energy in industrial heating.

🎧 Episode Summary

Kieran Furlong, Co-Founder and CEO of Realta Fusion, joins host Dr. Chris Wedding to reveal how his team is commercializing a breakthrough approach to fusion energy, spinning out of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Realta’s “CosmoFusion”—compact, scalable, and modular—aims to bring affordable, zero-carbon energy to hard-to-abate sectors much sooner than the world expects.

Kieran shares why their recent funding round was oversubscribed, details the world record 17 Tesla magnetic...

Learn these 5 insights in climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI tips, and mindfulness leadership. Join 20,000 who get my newsletter: https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com

Discover how World Tree combines regenerative forestry, carbon sequestration, and impact investing to scale climate solutions across North America and Latin America.

🎧 Episode Summary

Doug Willmore, CEO of World Tree, shares how the company is commercializing the world’s fastest-growing hardwood, Paulownia, and how their EcoTree program enables retail investors to support regenerative forestry while earning returns.

Doug explains the unique regenerative qualities of Paulownia, why biodiversity matters in timber projects, and how World Tree is educating investors on the environmental and financial benefits of sustainable forestry.

🔑 Key Takeaways

World Tr...

Explore how Marilyn Waite and the Climate Finance Fund mobilize trillions in capital, proving each dollar delivers more climate impact in the Global South.

The Climate Finance Fund is a philanthropic platform that helps to mobilize capital for climate solutions. Supported by the Hewlett Foundation and hosted by the European Climate Foundation, they’re focused on China, the European Union, and the United States.–

Previously, Marilyn led energy and cleantech investments at Village Capital, managed nuclear and renewable energy projects at AREVA (now Orano), and served as a Senior Research Fellow at Proj...

Learn how Paul Gross and Remora retrofit trucks and trains to capture 90% of CO₂ while turning emissions into revenue.

Remora, founded in 2020 in Michigan, retrofits diesel locomotives and semi-trucks with onboard systems that capture, liquify, and purify up to 90% of CO₂ emissions – while also cutting soot, particulates, and NOₓ – then stores it for offloading and sale, sharing revenue with operators.

Backed by $117 M in venture funding and piloting with major players like Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, Ryder, Werner, and DHL, the company overcame early design issues (like waterlogging and backpressure) and is now scaling...

Discover how Jim McDermott, a 9x founder and private equity investor, is backing carbon capture, rethinking fund models, and keeping optimism alive in climate finance.

Rusheen Capital Management is a Santa Monica, CA-based private equity firm that invests in growth-stage companies in the carbon capture and utilization, low-carbon energy, and water sustainability sectors.

–

Prior to co-founding Rusheen, Jim started, invested in and run numerous companies. These include: US Renewables Group (Founder & Managing Partner), Stamps.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:STMP – Founder), Spoke Software, Inc. (Founder & CEO), Archive, Inc. (Founder & CEO – sold to Cyclon...

Hear how Dr. Liz Dennett and Endolith use biotech microbes to revolutionize copper recovery, cut chemicals, and power clean energy metals.

Endolith is a Denver-based biotech startup revolutionizing mining by leveraging microbes to sustainably extract copper and lithium from low-grade ores. 

Founded in 2023, the company employs custom-engineered microbial communities, adaptive biohatcheries, and real-time cloud-based monitoring to enhance mineral recovery while minimizing environmental impact. 

Endolith's innovations have demonstrated significant improvements in copper extraction, attracting partnerships with industry leaders like BHP and Rio Tinto. 

Their approach not only boosts efficiency but...

Discover how Joe Rodden & Lydian Labs convert CO₂ into jet fuel with renewable power, slashing aviation emissions by up to 95%.

Lydian Labs is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based startup founded in 2021, dedicated to decarbonizing the aviation industry by producing sustainable fuels from carbon dioxide, water, and renewable electricity. 

Their proprietary technology employs fully electrified, modular reactors to convert CO₂ into carbon-neutral fuels, achieving up to 95% lower lifecycle emissions compared to traditional jet fuel.

The company has successfully demonstrated a pilot system capable of producing 10,000 gallons of fuel per year, marking a significant step...

Explore how Ahmad Ghahreman & Cyclic Materials recycle rare earths from EVs & wind turbines, building a circular, low-water supply chain.

Cyclic Materials is a Canadian cleantech company, founded in 2021, specializing in the recycling of rare earth elements (REEs) from end-of-life products such as electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, and electronic waste. 

Their proprietary technologies, MagCycle℠ and REEPure℠, enable the efficient recovery and purification of critical materials, contributing to a circular economy and reducing reliance on traditional mining. 

In 2024, the company launched its first commercial demonstration facility in Kingston, Ontario, and announced plans...

Hear how Chuck Templeton (OpenTable founder & S2G Managing Partner) invests $2.5B in food, ag, oceans & energy while blending returns with impact.

Chuck Templeton is an ex-operator, including founding OpenTable and serving as lead investor and operating Chairman in companies such as Grubhub and Venmo (Braintree Payment Systems). 

He is focused on helping the S2G team, entrepreneurs, and executives take their ideas, validate them, institutionalize processes, and ultimately scale their business innovations to address today’s urgent environmental and societal problems.

S2G is a multi-stage investment firm with $2.5B und...

Jigar Shah (SunEdison founder & ex-DOE LPO Director) unpacks $107B in climate deals, why VC is broken, & how evergreen capital can scale cleantech.

Jigar Shah served as Director of the Loan Programs Office (LPO) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) from March 2021 to January 2025, where he oversaw a $400B budget.

Prior, Shah was co-founder and President at Generate Capital, where he focused on helping entrepreneurs accelerate decarbonization solutions through the use of low-cost infrastructure-as-a service financing. Generate has raised over $10 billion, investing in 50+ technology and development partnerships with more than 2,000 assets g...

Josh Felser (Climactic & Freestyle Capital) shares lessons from 5 unicorns, $395M in exits, & why climate investing needs fresh narratives.

Climactic is an early-stage venture fund investing in the energy, AI, automation, and robotics sectors to address climate change and its effects.

It is backed by folks like Chris Sacca, Reid Hoffman, Mio Partners, and StepStone.

Prior to Climactic, Josh co-founded Freestyle Capital, where he sourced or invested in the unicorns: Airtable, Patreon, Betterup, and Intercom.

He was a pioneer in the early days of the Internet where he co-founded...

Roman Teslyuk (Earth AI CEO) explains how machine learning + new drilling tech slash costs & speed up critical mineral discoveries to meet $10T demand.

Earth AI is discovering untapped critical metal deposits at half the cost in a fraction of the time.

They combine machine learning and new modular drilling technology to move from detecting a prospect to drilling in just three to six months.

They recently announced $20M in Series B funding in an oversubscribed round led by Tamarack Global and Cantos Ventures. Participating investors include Overmatch, Alpaca, Sparkwave Capital...

Discover how Presto is unifying EV fleet charging with a Stripe-like platform, dynamic pricing, & seamless API integration.

Presto Charging is like Stripe for EV charging, providing a marketplace for EV fleet owners and EV charging networks via an app and API.

They recently raised a $15 million seed round led by Union Square Ventures and included investments from Congruent Ventures, Jetstream, and Powerhouse Ventures.

Ashwin is also a “papa to two feisty girls, weekend road bike cruiser, and photographer in hibernation.”

Before Presto, he led the Vehicles and Electrification prog...

Cambium is reshaping global wood sourcing with Carbon Smart Wood™, streamlined supply chains, & scalable impact.

Cambium is on a mission to build better supply chains for the timber industry.

Through their operating system, Traece, they make it easy to source sustainable and local Carbon Smart Wood™ from fallen trees at large scales.

They’ve won awards, including Fast Company’s “Most Innovative” and TIME’s Best Invention 2024.

Before Cambium, Ben worked at Sandia National Laboratories and Global Hydrologic Solutions. He is also a Forbes 30 under 30 and NOLS-certified Wilderness First Responde...

Activate helps scientists and engineers bring their transformative technologies to life.

Through a two-year paid fellowship, these science entrepreneurs receive the support they need to turn their ideas into hard-tech startups. 

Fellows work on climate solutions, advanced manufacturing and robotics, new uses of chemistry and materials, reimagined food and agriculture, space innovations, and more. 

As a nonprofit organization, Activate partners with philanthropies, universities, government programs, the corporate sector, and VC investors to help fellows bridge the gap from lab to commercialization — all without taking any equity in their startups.

Cyrus Wadia is t...

Alsym Energy is developing low-cost, high-performance batteries for a zero-carbon future while scaling global energy access & industrial decarbonization.

Alsym is developing a new generation of high-performance, low-cost, non-flammable batteries to help enable a zero-carbon electrified future for all.

Using readily-available materials that are inherently non-toxic, Alsym’s breakthrough battery technology is an alternative to lithium-ion at less than half the cost, with the same performance and with no lithium or cobalt.

Mukesh Chatter is CEO, president and co-founder of Alsym Energy. Previously, he co-founded Nexabit Networks and was CEO until it...

Amperon uses AI-powered forecasting to help utilities, traders, & power producers predict demand, prices, and renewable generation for a more reliable, decarbonized grid.

Amperon is a Houston-based technology company specializing in AI-powered electricity forecasting and analytics solutions. Founded in 2018, Amperon provides high-precision demand, renewable generation, and price forecasts to enhance grid reliability, manage financial risk, and support decarbonization efforts.

Their platform serves a diverse clientele, including utilities, financial traders, and independent power producers, by leveraging advanced AI models and real-time analytics to navigate the complexities of modern energy markets. In October 2023, Amperon raised $20...

Ernst Sack of Blue Bear Capital shares how AI-driven energy startups are funded, what makes founders succeed, and the VC playbook for energy tech investing.

Blue Bear Capital is a venture and early-growth equity fund focused on digital technologies for the energy industry. On their third fund, their companies harness IoT, machine learning, and cyber security across solar, wind, and the broader energy infrastructure.

Ernst Sack is a founding partner at Blue Bear. Previously, he spent nine years at Riverstone, a leading energy private equity firm that has invested over $45B since 2000...

Bellwether uses AI to predict climate disasters, analyze Earth observation data, and help governments & organizations respond faster while building resilient systems.

Bellwether is a climate prediction tool that uses AI to analyze Earth observation data and anticipate changes to the planet. It's used by the public and private sectors to help with disaster preparation and recovery. 

How Bellwether works: 

Dr...

SolaREIT provides flexible capital for solar & battery projects, enabling large-scale development while fostering long-term partnerships and mindful leadership.

SolaREIT, established in 2020, specializes in providing flexible capital solutions for solar and battery energy storage real estate. By partnering with developers and landowners, SolaREIT facilitates the monetization of land assets through land purchases, lease prepayments, and land loans. Their streamlined approach and competitive pricing have enabled capital deployment for projects across 19 states, contributing to over $3.5 billion in solar and battery storage developments.

Laura Pagliarulo is the Co-founder and CEO of SolaREIT, bringing over 20 years...

Optera helps enterprises track & reduce Scope 3 emissions with SaaS + consulting, aligning supply chains with science-based targets and regulatory compliance.

Optera provides a SaaS platform and consulting services to help enterprises manage carbon emissions, focusing on Scope 3 emissions. Their platform integrates operational and supply chain data to calculate and track emissions, helping clients to align with science-based targets, comply with regulations, and improve sustainability strategies. Optera supports auto, tech, and retail industries in decarbonizing their value chains and meeting emerging climate disclosure requirements.

Tim Weiss, co-founder of Optera, has extensive experience in renewable...

Mark1 accelerates industrial climate tech commercialization with project development support, catalytic capital, and adoption readiness frameworks for early-stage startups.

Mark1 is a public benefit corporation focused on accelerating the commercialization of emerging industrial technologies and climate solutions. Being spun out of Deep Science Ventures and the Rocky Mountain Institute, Mark1 offers early-stage project development support, front-end planning, and catalytic capital for innovative companies. By bridging the gap between technology development and project development, they help startups navigate the complexities of project financing, off-take agreements, and regulatory processes.

Julian Ryba-White, Co-Founder and CEO...

Matt Eggers of Prelude Ventures shares how early-stage climate tech startups are funded, scaled, and supported while integrating biogenic carbon removal and mindful leadership.

Prelude Ventures is a climate tech investment firm focusing on early-stage startups. They invest primarily in seed and Series A rounds, supporting founders with innovative technologies addressing climate challenges. They began in 2009 and have about $2 billion under management.

Matt Eggers, Managing Director at Prelude Ventures, has a wealth of experience in climate tech investing and manufacturing. Plus, he serves on one of our boards at Duke University, the...

SparkMeter uses AI-powered solutions to help utilities worldwide manage grids efficiently, serve millions of customers, and advance climate-focused energy systems.

SparkMeter offers grid-management solutions that enable utilities worldwide to run profitable, efficient, and reliable systems. Their investors include mutual friends at Clean Energy Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and Elemental Impact.

Dan’s prior experience includes work at DNV GL and a PhD in engineering and public policy from Carnegie Mellon.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four important takeaways.

Aeroshield uses MIT- and NASA-backed aerogel technology to create ultra-efficient, lightweight windows that cut energy loss and accelerate payback for buildings.

Aeorshield is unlocking the next generation of energy-efficient windows. They do this by developing the world’s most transparent silica aerogel inserts for windows, reducing energy loss through windows by 50%.

Elise’s prior experience includes roles at Johnson Controls, Activate, and a PhD from MIT where the research on aerogels all began.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four important takeaways.

Skyven Technologies delivers zero CapEx industrial decarbonization with heat pumps, helping heavy industries cut emissions while scaling globally and maintaining founder sanity.

Skyven is an industrial decarbonization company that designs, funds, installs, and maintains a unique steam-generating heat pump with zero downtime and no CapEx cost to customers. They have hundreds of millions of dollars of financing available.

As the founder and CEO, Arun is a mission-driven PhD engineer-turned-entrepreneur with prior roles at Texas Instruments and Metronics.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four important takeaways.

Kita provides carbon insurance to safeguard voluntary carbon market projects, reducing financial exposure while enabling confident investment in climate solutions.

Kita is a carbon insurance specialist bridging the insurance and carbon markets. Their insurance products act as a stamp of confidence and safeguard against loss. Their insurance claims can be paid in cash or in replacement carbon credits, providing flexibility for clients' individual risk appetites and carbon strategies.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four important takeaways.

SER Capital Partners backs North American industrial sustainability companies with mid-market private equity, emphasizing strong teams, ESG value, and mindful leadership.

SER Capital Partners is a middle-market private equity investment firm dedicated to North American industrial sustainability. They manage $500M in equity, plus opportunities to harness debt for the right projects. Typical investments range from $50-$150M per company.

In addition to his role at SER, Rahul is a former private equity investor at Energy Capital Partners and a Board member at Sunnova, NextLight, FirsLlight, Sungevity, and growth-stage cleantech companies. 

I...

In 7 minutes, Chris shares science-backed gratitude practices to recharge, boost happiness, and sustain energy for long-term climate tech impact.

In this unusual episode, I do my best to go meta, above our normal climate tech challenges and opportunities, to the science and mindset of gratitude.

Does a greater appreciation for what we have mean nothing bad is happening out there?

Not at all.

But building climate tech solutions is not a spring. It's a marathon. Or maybe both.

As such, we need all the non-work tools...

e-Zinc develops zinc-based long-duration energy storage, combining resilience-as-a-service models with FOAK financing to scale in a $4T global market.

e-Zinc produces zinc-based long-duration energy storage technology with discharge durations between 10 and 100 hours. They have raised over $100M in funding and are building their first three commercial pilots.

In addition to his role at e-Zinc, James is a Board Director of the Long Duration Energy Storage Council (LDESC) and Energy Storage Canada (ESC), as well as a former Manager at Bain and MaRS.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four im...

Coreshell develops metallurgical silicon anodes that cut battery costs, extend EV range, and advance scalable, high-performance energy storage solutions.

Coreshell can reduce the cost of batteries by roughly 25% and improve drive range by about 40% by producing metallurgical silicon anodes to replace graphite. Their collaborators include some of the biggest names in the automotive industry and the largest merchant producer of silicon metal in the Western world.

Jonathan is a UC Berkeley graduate in chemical engineering with 12 years of prior experience at New Logic Research as well as Membrane Technolgy and Research. He’s...

Jason Scott backs food, water, energy, transportation, and waste projects with hybrid private equity, combining corporate and project finance while emphasizing relationships and mindful leadership.

Spring Lane Capital is a private equity firm specializing in providing hybrid project capital for sustainable infrastructure and energy projects.

DevEngine Partners partners with project developers by providing development capital and hands-on development support to de-risk sustainable infrastructure projects.

CREO is a "secret club for billionaires" that connects ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices to investment opportunities in sustainability and clean energy.

In addition...

Javelin Capital advises and finances renewable energy, storage, and green chemistry projects, helping companies scale while guiding founders on career and life design.

Javelin Capital is an investment and merchant banking firm focused on mergers, acquisitions, and capital raising in the renewable energy, energy storage, and green chemistry sectors.

Jason brings 15 years of experience in cleantech finance and entrepreneurship, plus prior executive roles at Goldman Sachs and Citi.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four important takeaways.

HData uses AI to streamline energy regulatory reporting, turning complex data into actionable insights while promoting transparency and mindful leadership.

HData provides software solutions that streamline regulatory reporting and data management for the energy industry, focusing on utilities and regulatory bodies. They are a Techstars startup with two rounds of VC funding.

Before HData, Hudson served as an attorney and advisor at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), advocating for data transparency in financial and regulatory disclosures. He also founded the Data Coalition, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing data...

Plentify uses smart water heaters and demand-side management to cut energy storage costs and create virtual power plants for affordable, clean electricity.

Plentify is a smart energy company that makes affordable, reliable, and clean electricity a reality for all. Their current focus is on the demand-side management of water heaters to create virtual power plants.

Jon is the former head of clean energy for Google across Africa and a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company and South Pole Carbon Asset Management.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four important takeaways an...

Atmos uses banking products to channel trillions into clean energy, turning everyday financial accounts into climate impact tools.

Atmos is a climate fintech company offering savings and checking accounts to help fund the clean energy transition.

Ravi is a 25-year veteran of the clean energy industry, material science engineer, and serial entrepreneur.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four important takeaways and much more.

G2 Venture Partners deploys $1B to scale climate tech, tackling funding gaps and supporting founders with long-term growth strategies.

G2 is a growth stage VC investor with $1B in assets under management and 30 portfolio companies. They invest $15-50M into companies at inflection points generating at least $10M in revenue. Their focus is the nexus of sustainable technology and traditional industries.

Brook has over two decades of experience as an entrepreneur, executive, and investor. Before G2, he spent ten years at Kleiner Perkins where he co-managed the $1B Green Growth Fund as...

Avalanche is building fusion microreactors with $45M in backing to cut scaleup risks, ease regulations, and unlock a new era of clean energy.

Avalanche is developing the world's first fusion microreactor, and it has $45M of investor backing from our friends at Congruent Ventures, Grantham, and Climate Capital.

Brian has one of the more entertaining bios in climate tech. Here are snippets and a link: https://avalanchefusion.com/about/team/brian-riordan.

He’s an engineer hardwired to be “all-in”; he no dimmer switch and always chooses the red pill; wine-making, leathe...

EnergyX is scaling direct lithium extraction with $100M in funding, boosting efficiency, building dual plants, and pioneering tech acquired for just $10,000.

EnergyX is a direct lithium extraction company with $100M of investment, including about $50M from retail investors. Its 100 team members are advancing its new membrane, solvent, and adsorbents to boost the efficiency of extracting lithium from underground salt water.

Teague is a serial entrepreneur whose first success was launching a record label at age 20 and taking an artist to #1 in the iTunes hip hop charts. (That’s a first for a gu...

WATTMORE helps optimize energy storage projects with software, backed by 200+ deployments, decade-long contracts, and insights from founder JW Postal’s decades in clean energy.

WATTMORE is an energy storage software company providing battery sizing, economic outcome forecasts, battery charging and discharging, and more.

JW is a serial founder and clean power executive (Because Solar, Main Street Power, Clean Energy Collective, SunShare), Vice Chair (Western Caucus) of the Democratic National Committee, Board member of Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association, and Board member of SELF (Solar Electric Light Fund).

In this episode, yo...

CleanChoice Energy scales 1 GW of solar while managing concentration risk and navigating deregulated power markets, with leadership insights from Zoe Gamble.

CleanChoice is a retail power provider and solar project developer and owner. Combined into one, they aim to be a 100% renewable gentailer.

Zoe has experience developing and selling hundreds of megawatts of solar as the former CEO of Pine Gate Renewables and General Counsel at FLS Energy.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four important takeaways and much more.

Carbon Equity has raised $275M from 900+ investors to back 120+ climate tech companies generating $1.8B in revenue across the EU and US.

Today’s podcast is a rebroadcast of one of our most popular episodes ever. Jaqueline van Ende is the CEO of Carbon Equity. They also have some big news...

They’ve raised another €60 million in 4 months for their third climate tech fund. The goal is to raise €125 million in all which will be invested through private equity and venture capital funds in the EU and the US and eventually into at least 15...

Montauk Climate uses a venture studio model to build startups in energy, mobility, and adaptation, tackling AI’s energy demands and innovating parametric climate insurance.

Montauk Climate is a venture studio that launches and grows startups in the mobility, adaptation, energy, decarbonization, and sustainability sectors.

Evan is a serial founder, power trader, board member, and investor with 20 years in the energy sector, including roles as Head of Venture Investing at Riverstone, a $40B energy investment and infrastructure firm.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four important takeaways and much more...

WeWard gamifies walking to drive 24% more activity for 20M users, generating multi-million-dollar revenue while applying behavioral psychology and charitable impact.

WeWard is an app that rewards users for walking more each day. To date, they have 20 million users walking an extra 24% than before having the app. They provide rewards from corporate partners for hitting certain walking goals, and they’ve generated eight figures in revenue while doing so.

Yves has over 10 years of experience in creating and scaling innovative solutions for physical retail, as well as a background in machine learning, big da...

Liminal combines ultrasound and AI to improve battery quality in manufacturing, turning a late-night YouTube spark into a $35M tech venture with multi-source revenue.

Liminal uses ultrasound and machine learning to create a new way to inspect battery manufacturing, elevate cell quality, and improve cost and safety. They’ve raised over $35M from investors such as our friends at ArcTern Ventures, EIF, and Northvolt, as well as the federal government, including ARPA-E and NSF.

Andrew brings a PhD and post-doc work at Princeton University to the creation of this venture. He’s also...

SolarKal is the U.S.’s largest commercial solar marketplace, helping clients manage 100M+ sq. ft. and streamline solar projects from bootstrap to private equity scale.

SolarKal is a curated marketplace and trusted advisor that makes solar installations easy for commercial real estate owners. Their clients represent 100 million square feet of real estate, and their 200 vetted solar installers have generated $1.6 billion in project bids to date. And over 80% of positive ROI solar projects get built.

Yaniv is a mechanical engineer, 2x founder, and MBA from Columbia with over a decade of experience in...

Avnos is developing next-gen direct air capture tech that cuts costs 50% while producing water, scaling globally with strategic partners across three continents.

Avnos provides a Hybrid Direct Air Capture (HDAC) solution that inverts the water paradigm in DAC, producing water (5 tons per ton of carbon captured), eliminating heat consumption, and reducing costs by 50% compared to other forms of DAC.

Will is a serial founder, investor, and board member in climate tech.

In this episode, you’ll learn these four important takeaways and much more.

Camus Energy provides advanced software for utilities to decarbonize the grid, cut sales cycles, and scale operations that handle massive load growth.

My guest today is Astrid Atkinson, Co-founder and CEO of Camus Energy.

Camus Energy is a VC-backed software company serving power utilities with analytics and forecasting, real-time monitoring, and advanced control for local resources to help decarbonize the grid.

Astrid was a technical writer who worked her way up to become an executive in engineering at Google. She’s also a board member at the Gridwise Alliance and an...

Invisible Urban Charging provides EV charging as a service, partnering with giants like CBRE to scale rapidly while avoiding capital risk and navigating the global energy market.

My guest today is Nigel Broomhall, Co-founder and CEO of Invisible Urban Charging.

Invisible Urban Charging provides electric vehicles as a service, which means they design, install, own, and maintain chargers for investors, fleet managers, and corporates eager to electrify transportation while avoiding the capital expense and uncertainty associated with being a novice in the sector. They’ve signed partnerships with giants like CBRE to in...

Sheeva.ai enables seamless in-car payments, turning a personal pain point into a global fintech solution backed by investors across four continents.

My guest today is Evgeny Klochikhin, Founder and CEO of Sheeva.ai.

Sheeva.ai is a software and fintech company that enables payments within vehicles, making it easy to “charge and walk.” They are backed by strategic investors in the US, India, Germany, and Japan.

Prior to Sheeva, Evgeny earned a PhD in innovation policy and technology and was a senior data scientist at the American Institutes for Rese...

Aether uses robotics and machine learning to extract lithium from untapped reserves, aiming to make the U.S. a global lithium powerhouse while scaling with nondilutive funding.

Aether is a molecular assembler platform that can extract lithium from previously inaccessible reserves. It uses robots and machine learning to search among trillions of enzymes for the right fit.

Pavle is a first-time founder and almost college dropout (there’s a story to that!) who’s spent almost seven years building Aether and raising $49M along the way.

In this episode, you’ll lea...

LiquiDonate matches unsold retail inventory with nonprofits, saving retailers millions, reducing waste, and optimizing donations with smart algorithms.

LiquiDonate is a VC-backed software platform that matches and moves reclaimable items (such as online returns and unsold inventory) into the hands of nonprofits who need them, thereby saving retailers millions of dollars and keeping tons of waste out of landfills.

Disney is a social impact innovator who started as employee number 15 at PostMates. She helped grow the company's customer service and Civic Labs divisions and won awards from TIME Magazine and FAST company...

Ample delivers full EV charges in minutes with modular battery swapping—15% cheaper than gas, 5x cheaper than fast charging, and scalable citywide in weeks.

Ample is a new energy delivery solution for electric vehicles. It uses Modular Battery Swapping to deliver 100% charge to any EV in a few minutes. They’re supported with $270M of investment from Shell, Moore Strategic Ventures, and strategic partners in Singapore and Thailand.

John is a serial founder and executive in health, tech, and energy with multiple exits to Fortune 500 companies.

In this episode, you’ll lea...

From Jim Collins on resilience to JFK’s “do hard things” speech, this episode spotlights 100 carbon removal startups, 26 climate communities, and timeless wisdom for climate leaders.

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Discover how the 2040 Fund is deploying all of its capital by 2040 to accelerate climate adaptation, resilience, and water innovation at scale.

The 2040 Fund manages philanthropic capital for the 2040 Foundation and its founder, Jay Faison. Investments include private and publicly listed securities focused on climate adaptation and resilience. The 2040 Fund The Fund focuses on water systems and technology, the future of food, and energy transition. They plan to spend down all of its assets by the year 2040 maximizing impact in the near term.

Mark is also a board member at PosiGen, investment committe...

Yotta Energy is scaling solar-integrated batteries & microinverters for commercial buildings while CEO Omeed Badkoobeh shares wisdom from Tesla, entrepreneurship, & spiritual practice.

Yotta Energy is a VC-backed distributed energy company based in Austin, Texas. They provide solar panel-level energy storage and microinverters for the commercial and industrial sectors. Yotta https://www.yottaenergy.com

Prior to Yotta, Omeed worked in sales and business development for Tesla, Evoke Electric Motorcycles, and Build NATiVE. Other fun experiences include organizing Lego robotics competitions for budding STEM youth in China. https://www.linkedin.com/in/omeed-badkoobeh

📈 JOI...

Discover how Earthshot Ventures backs early-stage founders tackling climate change with lessons from 200+ startup investments, $1.1B in follow-on funding, & why non-dilutive capital + DEI lead to stronger founder outcomes.

Earthshot is an early-stage venture capital firm backing entrepreneurs making a dent in climate change. Their team has collectively invested in 200+ startups over the last fourteen years. https://www.earthshot.vc

Mike is an investor, entrepreneur, board member, and advisor to companies in clean energy, food & agriculture, buildings, and mobility sectors. He is formerly an Investor in Residence at Elemental Excelerator and Developer in...

Discover how Sunstone Credit CEO Joshua Goldberg is financing C&I solar at scale with $1B in loan applications, 400+ solar partners, & fintech experience from founding multiple clean energy ventures.

⭐ My guest today is Joshua Goldberg, cofounder and CEO of Sunstone Credit.

Sunstone Credit provides flexible financing solutions for commercial solar loans with activity in 30 states and 400+ solar partners.

Joshua is also a former cofounder and executive at Sunlight Financial, Astrum Solar, and Legends of Learning.

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Discover how INERATEC CEO Tim Boeltken is scaling e-fuels with $129M raised, 1 GW of renewable energy conversion, & a $14T market opportunity across shipping, aviation, & transportation.

⭐ My guest today is Tim Boeltken, Founder and Managing Director of INERATEC.

INERATEC is an e-Fuel company based in Germany that recently raised $129M to transform 1 GW of renewable energy into 125 million gallons of sustainable e-Fuel by 2030.

Tim brings a PhD in chemical engineering and nine years of dedication to building INERATEC.

Hope you en...

SOSV’s Bill Liao shares lessons from managing $1B+ in climate & deep tech ventures, why he planted 100M trees before flying again, & his startup mantra: don’t die, don’t quit, don’t suck.

⭐ My guest today is Bill Liao, General Partner at SOSV and Chairman at Ki Tua Fund.

Bill is a rare kind of guy, in the best way. He’s a thoughtful and prolific investor, recognized as one of the Top 100 minority ethnic leaders in technology by the Financial Times, as well as the kind of person who refused to fly in an...

Discover how ZwitterCo is scaling the largest Series A in water tech with fouling-resistant membranes, industrial water efficiency, & solutions for the 75% of the world facing shortages.

⭐ My guest today is Alex Rappaport, CEO and Cofounder of ZwitterCo.

ZwitterCo is a VC-backed water tech company that uses zwitterionic chemistry (yes, that’s a real term) and extremely fouling-resistant membranes to reduce industrial water use, save energy, and reduce chemical inputs.

Alex turned a startup bootcamp during his M.S. at Tufts University into an award-winning business and the largest Series A inve...

Discover how Highland is scaling EV school buses with $250M in private equity, a simple turnkey adoption model, & lessons from Duncan McIntyre’s $100M exit in clean energy.

⭐ My guest today is Duncan McIntyre, CEO of Highland.

Highland brings a turnkey solution to make EV fleet adoption simple, reliable, and cost-effective for school buses and other fleets.

Duncan sold his previous company in energy and emissions management for $100M.

Hope you enjoy it!

Share this podcast with your people to give Duncan and Highland a shout-out on L...

Discover how Stable boosts EV charging profits through AI-based siting, dynamic pricing, & Rohan Puri’s hard-won lessons from MIT, Harvard, & TechStars.

⭐ My guest today is Rohan Puri, CEO of Stable.

Stable maximizes EV charging station ROI with strategic placement and pricing solutions.

Rohan brings experience from MIT, Harvard, and TechStars. Hope you enjoy it!

And give Rohan and Stable a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.

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🌐 LINKS:

Stable – https://stable.auto/Rohan – https://www.linkedin.com...

Anza CEO Mike Hall shares how smarter solar & battery procurement boosts project profits, backed by 20+ years of leadership across Borrego & the U.S. solar industry.

⭐ My guest today is Mike Hall, CEO of Anza Renewables.

Anza is a solar module and battery storage procurement platform that helps developers and project owners see more options in less time to increase project profits and productivity.

Mike is a long-time solar industry veteran with 20+ years of experience, including ex-CEO of Borrego and Board member of the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Hope yo...

Zordi CEO Gilwoo Lee shares how AI, robotics, & machine learning are transforming sustainable agriculture—backed by Khosla Ventures & powered by his PhD in AI.

⭐ My guest today is Dr. Gilwoo Lee, Founder and CEO of Zordi.

Zordi is a VC-backed agricultural platform blending Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and machine learning to reshape and enhance sustainable greenhouse farming.

Gilwoo is a PhD in AI with experience at Facebook, Dreamworks, and Michigan Venture Capital.

Hope you enjoy it!

And give Gilwoo and Zordi a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or T...

Aeroseal CEO Amit Gupta explains how patented sealing tech boosts heating & cooling efficiency, backed by $100M in investment and 40 years of lab testing.

⭐ My guest today is Amit Gupta, CEO of Aeroseal.

Aeroseal is a cleantech company – with $100M of investor capital raised to date – focused on increasing building efficiency by reducing HVAC losses in the duct system and leaks in the building envelope using patented technologies.

Amit is a mechanical engineer with experience at Tata Motors, Carrier, and 75F, as well as CEO of Aeroseal since its founding in 2010.

...

C-Zero CEO Zach Jones shares how $500M-scale plants, 45V incentives, and backing from Breakthrough Energy Ventures & Engie fuel their mission to decarbonize natural gas with hydrogen & solid carbon.

⭐ My guest today is Zach Jones, cofounder and CEO of C-Zero.

C-Zero converts natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon. The hydrogen provides clean, low-cost energy on demand, while the carbon can be permanently sequestered. Investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, SK Gas, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Engie.

Zach is biomedical engineer-turned-CEO with experience at The Economist, Beryllium Capital, EconoMEDics, and East Meets We...

Measurabl CEO Matt Ellis explains how $170M+ in funding, a FTSE partnership, and a global ESG platform covering $2T in assets & 17B sq ft are transforming real estate transparency.

⭐ My guest today is Matt Ellis, CEO of Measurabl.

Measurabl is the ESG platform built for real estate to measure, manage, disclose, and act on ESG data. Their 200+ employees serve clients representing 17 billion square feet of real estate and $2T of value in 93 countries.

Matt is the former Director of Sustainability Solutions at CBRE, a Fortune 500 company and global leader in co...

Discover how EnviroSpark, led by serial entrepreneur Aaron Luque, is scaling EV adoption through turnkey charging installations, creative financing, & a mission born from a 20-country travel adventure.

⭐ My guest today is Aaron Luque, Cofounder and CEO at EnviroSpark.

EnviroSpark is a leading installer of EV charging stations and delivers a fully customizable solution at little to no cost for property owners. With a team of over 130 people and thousands of stations installed, they are on a mission to raise awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles 

Aaron is a serial env...

Climate Robotics CEO Jason Aramburu shares how AI-powered robotics are scaling biochar for soil health, carbon sequestration, & affordable carbon removal backed by decades of research.

⭐ My guest today is Jason Aramburu, CEO of Climate Robotics.

Climate Robotics is a team of roboticists, soil scientists, and AI researchers developing advanced robotics to help sequester carbon via biochar, capitalizing on the fact that the Earth’s soils contain more than 14 times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere. 

Jason is a serial entrepreneur and investor interested in new applications of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learn...