Inevitable

Today's guest is Marcius Extavour, Chief Scientist, Executive Vice President Energy and Climate at XPRIZE.XPRIZE is a global future positive movement of over a million people and rising. They are a trusted, proven platform for impact that leverages the power of competition to catalyze innovation and accelerate a more hopeful future by incentivizing radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. The organization began supporting climate projects with a $20 million prize for breakthrough technologies to convert CO2 emissions into usable products. Now, they’re hosting their largest prize initiative in history funded by Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation, and awarding $100 million for Carbon Removal solutions.This episode covers XPRIZE’s mission, how they decide on and evaluate competitions, key takeaways from their climate prize experiences, and how they measure success. We also dig into some of the nuances of the carbon removal conversation, how Marcius deals with naysayers, and why he focuses on solving the climate crisis instead of punishing polluters. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22  (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 1, 2022.In today’s episode, we cover: An overview of XPRIZE and the organization came to beXPRIZE's model expansion over time Where XPRIZE's money comes from How the org's external partnerships help XPRIZE support an innovative ecosystemMarcius' climate journey and background in academia, utility, policy, and fundraisingAn overview of the AAAS Science & Technology Fellowship ProgramCharacteristics XPRIZE uses to determine where prizes can be helpful, including impact, an identifiable problem, public awareness, and a specific and measurable goal Differences between short and long-term impact The NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE and key takeaways from the competitionHow XPRIZE started to explore climate topics The moral hazard argument XPRIZE Carbon Removal, the org's largest incentive prize in history with Elon Musk and the Musk FoundationHow Marcius responds to critics XPRIZE's plans to improve CDR measurementsDifferences between measurement processes and tooling across solutions MRV 3 evaluation factors, including operational performance, cost, and scalability Marcius' predictions for how CDR can develop His thoughts on the role of voluntary and compliance markets Marcius' stance on whether we should punish polluters or focus on solving the climate problemHow people can get involved with XPRIZE and the org's new Carbon Removal cohortThe community's role in moving things forward, growing globally, and maintaining inclusivity Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Marcus Lehmann, CEO and Co-Founder of CalWave. Our planet’s surface is mostly covered by ocean, but harnessing the power of our ceaseless water world has not been a considerable part of the energy mix to date. CalWave is on a mission to provide reliable, cost-effective ocean wave technologies for sustainable energy access. The company’s award-winning technology transforms the motion of ocean waves into electricity to equip communities of scale with localized power.In this conversation with Marcus, we discuss the potential of wave energy and unpack some of the challenges to operating in dynamic and complex marine environments. We also cover Marcus’ background, CalWave’s origins, the company’s roadmap for getting to market, and how wave power and offshore wind power can be combined in the future. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @codysimms (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 5, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Kerry Bowie, Founder, President and Executive Director of Browning the Green Space.Browning the Green Space (BGS) is a voluntary coalition of leaders and organizations primarily in the New England region that share a passion to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in clean energy. The organization's goal is to increase the participation and leadership of people in underrepresented groups, including people of color and women in the clean energy space and beyond. In today’s episode, we cover: Origin story of Browning the Green Space (BGS) Overview of the nonprofit and its missionKerry's background in environmental engineering, environmental justice, and consultingBGS's focus on the 5 C's: careers, companies, capital, contracts, and communities The intersection between environmental, social, and economic justice issues The importance of cultural connections in community development The threat of climate change to underrepresented communities on a day to day level Differences of energy burden between urban centers and BIPOC communities vs wealthy neighborhoodsHow money and wealth are major contributors to environmental inequalityKerry's motivation in workforce developmentThe luxury of thinking about climate change as an existential threat Barriers to alleviating environmental issues faced by lower income communitiesRegulations that need to be upheld, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act Kerry's thoughts on government and its shortcomings Hopeful action from younger generations BGS's fundraising goals and who they want to hear fromEnjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 29, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Mohit Yadav, co-founder of BOLT. BOLT was founded in 2017 with the dream of making electric vehicles more accessible by easing and accelerating the transition of emerging markets to cleaner mobility. Currently, the company manages India’s largest EV charging network with over 10,000 charging points across 100 different cities.Although we haven't spent much time on the region here on the My Climate Journey podcast, this episode is particularly important given India's population and emerging economy. How the country’s economy evolves in the years to come will be critical to global emissions reduction as its population is unfortunately feeling the effects of climate change today in a major way.We have a great discussion about the state of the EV market in India, BOLT's business model, their future expansion plans, and how the company started in software and evolved to include a hardware component. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @codysimms (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 29, 2022.  Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guests are Craig Shapiro and Tomas Alvarez Belon from Collaborative Fund. Collaborative Fund is an investment firm focused on supporting and investing in the shared future. Their funds center around two macro themes, the growth of the creative class and the concept of the collaborative economy. Recently, Collaborative Fund announced their new Shared Future Fund which provides rapid funding and useful resources to early-stage entrepreneurs working to solve the global climate crisis. It's a programmatic fund and they aim to make 100 investments of $100,000 in 2022 alone, giving a decision within 10 days of application.Craig is the Founder and Managing Partner of Collaborative Fund. He currently holds a board seat or board observer seat in several pioneering climate focused companies, including: Brimstone Energy, Dandelion Energy, Kula Bio, and Quaise Energy. Tomás is a climate investor at Collaborative Fund focused on decarbonization and the Shared Future Fund initiative. Prior to joining Collab, Tomás co-founded Canopi, a Y Combinator-backed carbon accounting startup, and was a consultant at Bain & Company. He also advises Climate Tech VC, a 20,000+ subscriber newsletter focused on climate innovation.We cover a lot in this episode, including the origin story of the firm Collaborative, how their approach has evolved over the years, and what led them to get into climate investing. We also discuss the types of risk they're comfortable with, criteria they look for, and how they think about different sectors. And we cover the Shared Future Fund, what it is, how it works, Craig and Tomas’ vision for it, and how it fits in with the other things that they do as a firm. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 14, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Titiaan Palazzi, COO and Co-Founder at Myst. Myst is a machine learning platform that leverages AI technology to improve demand and supply forecasting for an increasingly renewable power grid. Their platform helps companies accelerate the deployment of expert forecasting solutions that not only increase profitability but also reduce risk. We have a great discussion about the different energy use cases that more accurate predictive modeling can help, the customer types that use Myst today, and the transition of data science talent into the climate space.Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @codysimms (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 28, 2022.  Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Jamie Alexander, Founding Director at Drawdown Labs. Drawdown Labs serves as Project Drawdown’s private sector testing ground for accelerating the scaling of climate solutions quickly, safely, and equitably. In her role, Jamie leverages the organization's world-class research and analysis—and the cross-industry capabilities of participating businesses and funders—to experiment with collaborative ways to address climate change at unprecedented scale, and offers the world a more expansive vision for private sector climate leadership.Jamie has been a very active member of the MCJ community, including contributing to our Community Voices newsletter and serving on the Advisory Board at Climate Changemakers. Prior to joining Project Drawdown, Jamie worked in corporate partnerships at Ceres, Inc. This discussion brings a new energy to the MCJ podcast as the conversation not only covers Jamie’s climate journey, but also highlights some of the double standards that manifest in people working in climate change, some of the infighting that occurs, some of the tensions, and the chicken and egg scenarios. At the end of the day, a little hearty debate is a good way to ignite progress. Enjoy the show!  You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 13, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Mike Phillips, Co-founder and CEO of Sense.Using machine learning and artificial intelligence, Sense provides homeowners with real-time insights that illustrate their home energy use. Users of Sense’s Home Energy Monitor are able to not only understand energy use on an appliance level, but also identify opportunities to both save money and consume energy when it's cheapest and cleanest. Sense is actively pursuing a broader and more ambitious vision. By deploying its technology as a software application and embedded intelligence for the growing landscape of smart meters, the company is positioning itself to expand its energy monitoring and management capabilities considerably. As investors in Sense via our MCJ collective venture capital fund, we were excited to talk with Mike in more detail about his climate journey and the company’s origin story and progress so far. We have a great discussion about the future of the home, electric panels, smart meters, the role utilities play in hardware deployment, and in what ways consumers want to be involved in home energy management. Enjoy the show!  You can find me on Twitter @codysimms, @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 14, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today’s guest is Rachel Slaybaugh, Principal at DCVC.In her role, Rachel is focused on climate, sustainability, and energy investments. Before joining DCVC, Rachel was an Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley where she held leadership roles in several data science and entrepreneurship efforts. Concurrent to being a professor, Rachel was a Division Director at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where she ran the Cyclotron Road Division. She served as a Program Director at the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, where she created the nuclear fission program and managed the agriculture portfolio as well as solar and virtual reality teams. Rachel co-founded the Good Energy Collective and currently serves as Chair of the Board. Rachel received a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Penn State, where she served as a licensed nuclear reactor operator, and a M.S. and Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin–Madison in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics. We have a wonderful discussion about Rachel's climate journey and how she has prioritized her professional pursuits. We also talk about what Rachel has learned working in academia, government, early-stage innovation, and now as a venture capitalist. Additionally, the conversation touches on where VC and equity capital fit into the climate problem as well as key learnings from the last cleantech wave, and so much more. Enjoy the show!  You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 7, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Jesse Forrester, Founder and CEO of Mazi Mobility.Mazi Mobility is a Kenyan Mobility as a Service (MaaS) company that is re-imaging mobility through the implementation of an electric vehicle ecosystem in Africa. Mazi assembles and sells electric two and three-wheelers while building and operating the EV charging infrastructure to support these vehicles. A Kenyan award-winning entrepreneur and visionary, Jesse believes in the confluence of impact and profit. He is a former Zayed Sustainability Prize winner and has been involved with social enterprises for the last 6 years, touching on the food, water, and energy nexus.We were excited for this one because while the MCJ podcast focus has primarily been in the Western world, developing nations are just as important. Transportation in countries like Kenya will be critical in terms of emissions and Mazi is trying to bring about positive change.  We learned a lot from this one and are so grateful that Jesse was willing to share his story. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me),  @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded May 12, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant