

#141 Winning Pilots, First Customers, Arena Electrification, & More w/ Chris Richardson (Uptake Alliance, ADL Ventures)
🌎 On this episode, Somil interviews Chris Richardson, Executive Director of Uptake Alliance and Partner at ADL Ventures where he leads their energy and transportation practices. Uptake Alliance is the newest rockstar member of the NYS entrepreneurial ecosystem that connects organizations with startups solving specific problems they face to tackle “piloting to death.”
We talk about the relationship between pilots and commercialization, specific opportunities in climate tech, and other pieces of guidance Chris has from his time as a founder.
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🌎 If you'd like to see the full PodLetter, go to our substack to see all the written content that supplements the audio interview.
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Topics:
- 00:00 Introduction and Background
- 08:07 EV Button and Electrifying Existing Infrastructure
- 17:28 Uptake Alliance and Venture Development
- 38:34 Clean Infrastructure and the Built Environment
- 44:48 Moonshot Technologies and Innovation
- 49:17 Incentivizing Domestic Economic Benefits
- 51:41 Investing in Urban vs Rural Technologies
- 59:33 Insights
- 59:33 IRA
- 01:02:13 Climate x XI
- 01:06:15 Success Story of a Hardware MVP
- 01:10:19 Challenges in Corporate Pilots
- 01:13:48 Starting a New Company in Climate
- 01:16:11 Advice for Applicants
Links:
- GUEST: Chris Richardson
- COMPANY: Uptake Alliance, ADL Ventures
- Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas
- For all your Climate, Renewables, and Sustainability recruitment needs, check out our sponsor NextWave
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