Entrepreneurs for Impact

Brad Hartwig, CEO of Arbor, discusses their carbon-negative power technology and the process of converting organic waste into clean energy. They explore topics like vegetarian rocket engines, eliminating smoke stacks, and monetizing revenue streams for zero-cost clean baseload power. They also touch on personal interests like surfing and the importance of finding balance in entrepreneurship.

This podcast discusses topics such as conscious greed in the hedge fund business, the influence of Buddhism on investment decisions, transformative journey after a financial crisis, career opportunities in sustainability and impact investing, different investments in climate investing, and the importance of establishing daily habits of reflection and meditation.

⭐ I’m not a ruthless person. Except when it comes to my calendar. 😃 And the climate tech startup CEOs in our peer group program at Entrepreneurs for Impact are always looking for ways to “schedule their priorities instead of prioritizing their schedule.” So, in this podcast, I talk through a resource I put together on the topic for my climate CEO members. Hopefully, it stimulates some new ideas for you and your teams. And... Here's a Google Slides version: "Experiment: 10 Ways to Create 10 Hours Per Week" https://tinyurl.com/2r6kyptr (Beware: Results may vary. Widely. 😏) Also... If you have other topics you’d like me to cover on a future AMA podcast, just DM me on LinkedIn or reply to my Entrepreneurs for Impact newsletter on Substack. --- 👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏 --- 🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ In this Ask Me Anything (AMA) podcast, I cover these five questions from listeners to the Entrepreneurs for Impact podcast and readers of the ⁠Entrepreneurs for Impact newsletter⁠ on Substack. “You always ask your guests what books they’re reading, but how about you? What books do you like to recommend?” – Thanks, Casey “What are some of the best non-financial resources that are available to entrepreneurs (aside from badass climate CEO peer groups at Entrepreneurs for Impact)?” – Thanks, Nick “If I want to have a bigger impact on climate change, should I work for a big firm or smaller one?” – Thanks, Tyler “I want to help female founders in climate tech succeed. I would love to start off by working pro bono and helping them raise funds and learn as I go. But where do I start?” – Thanks, Helena “If I’m raising VC capital for my startup, what do I need to create for investors, besides a pitch deck?” – Thanks, Brook If you have other questions you’d like me to cover on the next AMA podcast, just DM me on LinkedIn or reply to my ⁠Entrepreneurs for Impact newsletter⁠ on Substack. --- 👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏 --- 🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Amanda Hall, Founder and CEO of Summit Nanotech, which supports the electric vehicle revolution by capturing lithium ion in brine using nanotechnology.  In their unique process, they shorten the average industry rate of lithium production from 18 months to 1 day. They also dramatically reduce the amount of water, pressure, heat, and chemicals needed to responsibly mine this valuable input for battery storage. To date, they’ve raised $7M in grants and $65M from investors, such as Capricorn, Evok Innovations, Volta, and Grantham. --- 🎙️ In this episode, we talked about: How her training as a geophysicist in the oil and gas industry trained her for this job Why she felt compelled to travel to Tibet and why that led her to come back, quit her job, sell her home, sell her oil and gas stocks, and rethink her contributions to the world What the human kidney and biomimicry taught her about early designs for Summit’s technology Her advice on trusting her gut to make tough decisions earlier rather than later The importance of trusting and verifying the data you rely on for growing your company Why they are vertically integrating to own land and own lithium outputs What they look for when hiring new team members, such as humility, relentlessness, and a desire to do the impossible Her favorite quotes Book recommendations for CEOs to better manage their team’s growth And lots more --- 👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏 --- 🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guests today are Devin Whatley, Managing Partner, and cofounder, and Geoffrey Eisenberg, Partner, at Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF). EIF is a long-time VC investor in renewable energy, distributed energy, smart transportation, and sustainable agriculture. On their fifth fund, they invest in companies in seed, Series A, and Series B, with a focus on post-revenue companies with no tech risk that are looking to scale. They like to be the lead investor and write checks between $3M and $10M. --- 🎙️ In this episode, we talked about: What has helped them raise capital over 13 years across so many cycles in the sustainability, cleantech, and climate tech worlds Why they sometimes take 2-3 years getting to know a CEO before deciding to invest How they think about the total addressable market today vs. the distant future The benefits of disclosing the “skeletons in the close” of the company early…because they’ll definitely be discovered by the investor at some point Their focus on CEOs who are obsessed but not flashy (i.e., show, don’t tell) Some success stories in their portfolio, such as EV Connect and ZepSolar Book recommendations to help them maintain humility and perspective on how history shapes the present day And lots more --- 👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏 --- 🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Shawn Lesser, Cofounder of The Real (current role) and Cofounder of Big Path Capital (prior role). The Real is helping entrepreneurs deal with burnout and depression by connecting with others going through those same mental health challenges. Big Path Capital is, according to Barron’s, “The Impact Investment Bank.” Their network of 2,500+ limited partners (investors) and 200+ impact-focused private equity firms led to billions of dollars flowing into companies that prioritize both profit and positive environmental or social impacts. --- 🎙️ In this episode, we talked about: What triggered his depression The impacts of having too much of his identity tied up in his business Why a fish bowl being shaken up relates to where he was What he learned after spending three stints in centers to boost his mental health The speaking tour that he and his cofounder, Brent Herd, are on Why The Real is about finding purpose out of pain What an Uber driver and a post-exit entrepreneur with $800M in cash have in common And lots more --- 👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏 --- 🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ In today’s super short episode, I share parts of a white paper I recently wrote called “10 Lessons I’ve Learned from Coaching 100+ Climate CEOs.”  The rest of the white paper is available for free on my website at www.entrepreneursforimpact.com.  If you find something useful in it or have other lessons you think I should add to it, drop me a note at team@entrepreneursforimpact.com. 🙏

⭐ My guest today is Matt LeDucq, Cofounder and CEO of Forum Mobility. Forum Mobility is tackling greenhouse gas emissions at California’s largest ports as well as local air pollution causing asthma and cancer near these ports. They provide zero-emission trucks and electric charging for one monthly price. They recently signed a $400M JV with CBRE Investment Management and have raised over $22M in venture capital to date. In addition, Matt is the former: Executive Director at NextEra Energy Resources VP at Yingli Green Energy Holdings VP at Suntech --- 🎙️ In this episode, we talked about: How communities near ports suffer have twice the risk of cancer and asthma The billions of dollars to be invested in electrifying transportation within ports Policy drivers such as California’s Advanced Clean Fleets are influencing a massive vehicle turnover within 12 years How their “Trucks as a Service” model works like a solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) Lessons he’s bringing from giant energy companies to his fast-growing startup How they are convincing early adopters to sign up as customers Why investors love their business model and the power of derisking revenue streams The thrill of disorder and insanity within startups How we grow at the edges of our comfort zones And lots more --- 👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏 --- 🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Ryan Jeffery, the Senior Managing Director for gener8tor Sustainability, a leading accelerator investing and supporting startups at the forefront of our climate crisis. They invest $100k in startups in their 12-week programs. Over the last ten years, they’ve made investments in 1,000 startups, which have gone on to raise $1.4B. In addition, Ryan is the: Founder of Ignite, a diverse and dynamic leadership community in Chicago Founding Partner at Survival Ventures, which is investing, advising and growing ventures that preserve and protect our planet Mentor at Impact Engine And advisor to many more impact startups --- 🎙️ In this episode, we talked about: His delightfully provocative LinkedIn post that starts with this zinger: “If you're a climate tech investor sitting on your hands waiting for better market conditions before deploying more capital, then you're not a real climate tech investor. The climate doesn't care about market conditions.” How he views fiduciary duty in light of the urgency for tackling climate change Why they’re one of the world’s biggest startup accelerators that no one has ever heard of How they pick 5 out of 500 startups to join each accelerator cohort Lessons learned from his 3 prior ventures and investing in dozens of startups Why 93% of their investments take place outside of California, Massachusetts, and New York What the top founders do well – e.g., laser-focused on customer needs, sending out monthly update lists to “friends of the company” Why Brandi Carlil’s song “The Eye” is relevant to startups and parenting And lots more --- 👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏 --- 🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself. And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠