Entrepreneurs for Impact (EFI): Climate Tech CEOs & VCs

Using Excess Renewable Energy to Power Smarter, Smaller Data Centers — John Belizaire, CEO of Soluna Computing

Jun 24, 2022

John Belizaire, CEO of Soluna Computing, talks about their mission to make renewable energy dominant. They discuss building flexible data centers, solving challenges of renewable energy projects, and funding strategy. They also explore the benefits of journaling and enhancing leadership skills through reading books and listening to podcasts.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Building Flexible Data Centers to Utilize Wasted Renewable Energy

01:37 • 17min

Solving Challenges of Renewable Energy Projects

18:45 • 9min

Energy Access Challenge and Funding Strategy

27:24 • 9min

The Benefits of Journaling and Writing on Paper

36:44 • 2min

Enhancing Leadership Skills and Knowledge

38:27 • 8min

PODCAST GUEST BIO:

Soluna Computing is a NASDAQ-listed public company that builds smarter, small-footprint data centers to buy and use excess renewable power.

John Belizaire is the CEO of Soluna Computing and a serial entrepreneur who sold his first company at age 28 for $150 million.

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QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED:

Business

What does your company do? What makes you unique versus the competition?
What is one mistake that you see many CEOs making?
What are 1-2 lessons you’ve learned about funding your growth with outside investors?

Personal

If you had to start over, what are 1-2 tips you’d give yourself in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact?
What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks?
What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools?

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PODCAST HOST:

Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate innovators grow faster with new investment capital, share best practices among peers, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.

Our three offerings include:

Climate CEO Mastermind Peer Groups — Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls. Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management.
Online course on "Funding Your Climate Tech Startup" — Two-week boot camp offering 500+ climate investor list (with emails), a 5-step process for raising capital, the top 10 startup funding mistakes, and much more.
Newsletter — A 3-minute weekly summary of climate tech, startups, better habits, and deep work.

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 3x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.