Consensus in Conversation Zach Jones of C-Zero on Hydrogen 3.0, Decarbonizing Natural Gas, and The Innovation Economy
C-Zero and Zach Jones, its co-founder and CEO, are using innovative thermocatalysis technology to convert natural gas into zero-emission hydrogen, offering the tantalizing potential to decarbonize major industries while scaling the fuel of the future.
Hydrogen is one of the most promising sources of clean energy in existence, and a key component in alternative fuels capable of decarbonizing hard-to-electrify industries like heavy shipping. But there’s a catch: the current processes used to extract hydrogen from hydrocarbons like natural gas create a rather unsustainable byproduct – carbon dioxide.
Hard-tech firm C-Zero has the answer: a revolutionary method to convert natural gas into hydrogen and a solid carbon byproduct instead, which could have industry, or even world-changing, implications. And Zach, a biomedical engineer, multi-time founder, and venture capital investor with a lifelong passion for hydrogen, is perfectly positioned to take this technology to the next level, having spent his entire career in and around the innovation economy.
Hear Zach share how his interest in hydrogen led him to the idea that would become C-Zero, why “turquoise hydrogen” is the secret to Hydrogen 3.0, and why thermocatalysis could decarbonize the future of energy.
Episode Highlights:
- 00:00 Zach Jones on turquoise hydrogen
- 00:54 Conor Gaughan introduces Zach and C-Zero
- 06:05 Ranch life, interest in chemistry, and Duke University
- 10:39 Entrepreneurial bug, business school, and investing career
- 18:17 The hydrogen thesis, origin of C-Zero, and the TAM
- 25:42 Turquoise hydrogen, transport, and public private partnerships
- 34:32 Pitching investors, global markets, and the long-term horizon
- 44:19 Fighting climate change, future scale, and exciting innovations
- 50:16 Staying positive and leaving a legacy
- 52:29 Where to learn more
- 53:09 End credits
If you liked this, listen next to our episode with Dr. Seonghoon Woo of Amogy on Materials Science, Decarbonized Transport, and Alternative Fuels
More on C-Zero and Zach Jones:
Connect with Conor Gaughan on linkedin.com/in/ckgone and threads.net/@ckgone
Have questions, or a great idea for a potential guest? Email us at CiC@consensus-digital.com
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Consensus in Conversation is a podcast by Consensus Digital Media produced in association with Reasonable Volume.