Inevitable

Today’s guest is Gene Berdichevsky, Co-Founder & CEO of Sila Nanotechnologies. Prior to co-founding Sila, Gene was the seventh employee at Tesla Motors where he served as Principal Engineer on the Roadster battery, leading the development of the world’s first, safe, mass-produced, automotive lithium-ion battery system.Gene holds two degrees from Stanford University; an MS in Engineering with a focus on energy and materials, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He has co-authored 42 patents and 4 academic publications. Gene has been named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list, the MIT Technology Review 35 Under 35, and was a recipient of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Sila NanotechnologiesBattery industry overview, and the role of batteries in the climate fightWhere EVs are in their adoption curve, and how they will connect to the grid in the futureGene’s path to becoming a battery entrepreneur, including joining Tesla as employee #7Gene’s great story about how he got hired at Tesla!Origin story of Sila Nanotechnologies, including how it formed while he was an EIR at Sutter Hill VenturesThe importance of starting in high value markets in tough techGene’s views on the best ways for tough tech companies to get fundedThe importance of focusing on the process, not the resultSila’s progress to-date, and how the company has been capitalized along the wayThe potential impact it can have, if successfulWhat’s coming next, and what barriers and hurdles they face to adoptionThe most impactful things that could change in order to accelerate their pathWhat Gene would do with a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightHis advice for others looking to find their laneLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Sila Nanotechnologies: https://silanano.com/Tesla: https://www.tesla.com/J.B. Straubel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._B._StraubelPat Brown: https://impossiblefoods.com/company/ourteam/patbrown/Mike Speiser: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikespeiser/Sutter Hill Ventures: https://www.shv.com/Gleb Yushin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gleb-yushin-54780618/Cyclotron Road: https://www.cyclotronroad.org/Bessemer Venture Partners: https://www.bvp.com/California Air Resources Board: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/homepagYou can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Enjoy the show! 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 Shayle Kann, Managing Director for Energy Impact Partners.EIP is an investment firm that invests in companies shaping the energy landscape of the future. It's backed by a broad coalition of some of the world's largest and most innovative utilities that collectively span the globe, access millions of households, and spend more than 20 billion annually on new technologies and procurement. Shayle leads research & strategy at Energy Impact Partners.Previously, Shayle spent over eight years building and running GTM Research, the market intelligence arm of Greentech Media, where he led a 30-person team tracking and forecasting the evolution of the electricity sector. Shayle oversaw this business through and beyond GTM’s successful 2016 acquisition by Verisk Analytics.Shayle is a renowned expert on the energy transition. He has spoken at conferences around the world, testified in front of U.S. Congress, and is regularly cited in outlets including the New York Times, Wall St. Journal, Washington Post, Economist, and Bloomberg. His writing has been featured in publications such as Foreign Affairs, Nature Energy and Public Utilities Fortnightly.Shayle is also Senior Advisor to Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy. Prior to GTM, Shayle was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, researching renewable energy project finance in Australia. He also worked at Conservation Services Group (acquired by ClearResult) and the California Public Utilities Commission. He graduated cum laude, phi beta kappa from Pomona College.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Energy Impact PartnersAreas they invest inShayle’s role with the firmHow the utilities that are LPs engage, and what they are hoping to get out of their involvementShayle’s history, and what led him to EIPWhen and why he started caring about climate changeShayle’s throughs on the nature of the problem and the best ways to solveRole of policy vs innovationFuture of capitalismHow Shayle would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightShayle’s advice for how you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Energy Impact Partners: https://www.energyimpactpartners.com/Greentech Media: https://www.greentechmedia.com/The Interchange: https://www.greentechmedia.com/podcast/the-interchangeXcel Energy: https://www.xcelenergy.com/California Public Utilities Commission: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/Lazard’s levelized cost of energy: https://www.lazard.com/perspective/levelized-cost-of-energy-and-levelized-cost-of-storage-2018/You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Enjoy the show! 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 Jason Jacobs, host of this podcast!That's right. Enough people were asking me to do an episode where someone interviews me to summarize where I am on the journey, that I finally but the bullet and did it. And it wasn’t even planned! I was having coffee with an avid MCJ listener, Remy Evard, and he said “you should really do an episode where someone interviews you”, so, with about 5 minutes of prep, we grabbed the microphones and did an episode right on the spot!It is a brief discussion relative to the normal longform episodes, but it won’t be the last time you hear from me in  this way (like it or not, haha!).Let me know your feedback, in terms of whether this kind of episode is helpful, and how I can make them more helpful going forward.Enjoy the show! 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 Professor Sam Fankhauser, Director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and Director of the ESRC-funded Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, both at The London School of Economics and Political Science.He is also an Associate Director at economics consultancy Vivid Economics and a Non-Executive Director of CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution.Previously, Sam worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility. From 2008 to 2016 he was a member of the UK Committee on Climate Change.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Grantham Research InstituteNature of the research they do'When and why Sam came to care about the environment'How urgent Sam thinks the problem isHow settled is the science?'Some causes for optimismPublic perception in US vs EuropeCommittee on Climate Change (CCC)'Free markets vs regulation'Should we price carbon?The inequity of climate changeWhere Sam would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightSam’s advice for others looking to find their laneLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Grantham Institute: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/Committee on Climate Change: https://www.theccc.org.uk/Negative emissions technologies: https://qz.com/1416481/the-ultimate-guide-to-negative-emission-technologies/You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Enjoy the show! 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 Dr. Julio Friedmann, a Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.Dr. Friedmann recently served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy at the Department of Energy where he was responsible for DOE’s R&D program in advanced fossil energy systems, carbon capture, and storage (CCS), CO2 utilization, and clean coal deployment. His expertise includes Large-Scale Carbon Management, CO2 removal, CO2 recycling, Oil and Gas systems, international engagements in clean fossil energy, and inter-agency engagements within the US government. He has also held positions at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, including Senior Advisor for Energy Innovation and Chief Energy Technologist. He is also the CEO of Carbon Wrangler, LLC, is a Distinguished Associate at the Energy Futures Initiative, and serves as a special advisor to the Global CCS Institute. He was recently named as a Senior Fellow to the Breakthrough Institute and the Climate Leadership Council.Dr. Friedmann is one of the most widely known and authoritative experts in the U.S. on carbon removal (CO2 drawdown from the air and oceans), CO2 conversion and use (carbon-to-value), and carbon capture and sequestration. His expertise includes technology, policy, and operations. In addition to close partnerships with many private companies and NGOs, Julio has worked with the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Treasury.Dr. Friedmann received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), followed by a Ph.D. in Geology at the University of Southern California. He worked for five years as a senior research scientist at ExxonMobil, then as a research scientist at the University of Maryland. He serves as a formal and informal advisor to several clean energy and CarbonTech companies.In today’s episode, we cover:Julio’s current work at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, leading an initiative called the Carbon Mitigation Research Initiative, CAMRI.Julio’s prior work, including at places like Lawrence Livermore National Lab, DOE, and ExxonMobil.When Julio started caring about climate change, how that came about, and how his thinking on the problem has evolved over the years.What culpability the fossil fuel industry has, and their role in the climate fight looking forwards.Julio’s current work in emissions-heavy industries.The role of government.The role of carbon capture, and best ways to accelerate.The importance of prioritization, based on big levers but also on what’s doable.The role of consumers.How Julio would allocate a big pot of money to maximize its impact in the climate fightJulio’s advice for the most important things you and I can do to help.Links to topics discussed in this episode:Dr. Julio Friedmann bio: https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/dr-julio-friedmannColumbia Center on Global Energy Policy: https://energypolicy.columbia.edu/Mr. Peabody and Sherman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Peabody_%26_ShermanLee Raymond: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_RaymondStratigraphy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StratigraphyLawrence Livermore National Lab: https://www.llnl.gov/DOE: https://www.energy.gov/Ernie Moniz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_MonizOffice of Fossil Energy: https://www.energy.gov/fe/office-fossil-energyJonathan Pershing: https://hewlett.org/people/jonathan-pershing/Melanie Kenderdine: https://www.energy.gov/policy/contributors/melanie-kenderdineHoward Gruenspecht: https://www.csis.org/people/howard-gruenspechtHu Jintao: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu_JintaoXi Jinping: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_JinpingVaclav Smil: http://vaclavsmil.com/Pete Buttigieg: https://peteforamerica.com/meet-pete/Climeworks: https://www.climeworks.com/Geoengineering: http://www.geoengineering.ox.ac.uk/www.geoengineering.ox.ac.uk/what-is-geoengineering/what-is-geoengineering/Chemtrails conspiracy theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail_conspiracy_theoryYou can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Enjoy the show! 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 Ilan Gur, the CEO of Activate and the Founder of Cyclotron Road. Cyclotron Road is an entrepreneurial fellowship program that pairs PhD fellows working on promising scientific breakthroughs with grants that pay their salaries. Access to a bunch of expensive equipment and showers them with mentorship to try to bridge the gap between early academic research that shows great promise and actually turning the corner to become a company. Prior to founding Cyclotron Road, Ilan launched two science-based startups including Seeo, an advanced battery company that was acquired by Bosch in 2015. He was also a program director at ARPA-E. He holds a PhD in material science and engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview and origin story of Activate & Cyclotron RoadIlan’s time at ARPA-E and key learningsThe 3 components of Activate’s entrepreneurial fellowship programHow it works, application process, etcRelationships with corporate partners, government agencies, etcHow the organization is fundedKey learnings from initial cohortsExpansion plansWhat is missing that would help accelerate their effortsHow you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Activate website: https://www.activate.org/ARPA-E: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/Berkeley Lab: https://www.lbl.gov/Opus 12: https://www.opus-12.com/DARPA: https://www.darpa.mil/Nicole Systrom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleschuetz/Sanjay Wagle: https://lightsmithgp.com/team/sanjay-wagle/David Danielson: http://www.b-t.energy/ventures/team/dave-danielson/Raymond Weitekamp: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondweitekamp/Horst Simon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/horst-simon-6b3417/Cheryl Martin: https://arpa-e.energy.gov/?q=taxonomy/term/851/allMosaic Materials: https://mosaicmaterials.com/Bill McKibben: http://billmckibben.com/Al Gore: https://www.algore.com/You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Enjoy the show! 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

Lara Pierpoint, Director of Technical Strategy at Exelon, brings a wealth of knowledge in energy policy and systems analysis, with an impressive background that includes roles at the Department of Energy and a PhD from MIT. She discusses Exelon's innovative approaches to navigating the evolving utility landscape and the critical role of the technical strategy team in driving emissions reduction. Lara highlights the potential for nuclear plants to produce hydrogen and other applications, emphasizing the urgent need for sustainable solutions amidst climate challenges.

Today’s guest is Shawn Murphy, Founder & CEO of Titan Advanced Energy Solutions.Titan is an advanced battery management system technology company, which is revolutionizing the renewable space by lowering the cost of lithium ion batteries by at least 30 to 40%, and doubling their expected life.Titan's technology uses ultrasound to measure and determine the state of health, and state of charge real time and is about 100 times better than the current state of the art. This technology will eventually be implemented in electric vehicles, stationary storage and consumer electronics. Previously, Shawn was the founder and CEO of multiple successful startups, the former head of Space Science and Technology for Draper Labs, and was also the founder and former director of Shell's innovation center called Shell Tech Works.We have a wide ranging discussion in this episode, including Titan, where it fits in the broader battery landscape, how the battery landscape fits in terms of the grid, and the rise of things like solar and wind, and also how to think about all this in the context of climate change. We then come back around to have a great discussion on the proper sources of capital for this type of innovation, the role of startups versus incumbents, and of course, the underlying motivators that make Shawn get out of bed every day and give him purpose in his work.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of Titan Advanced Energy SolutionsShawn’s background leading up to starting the company, including at Draper Labs, Shell, and several startupsTitan founding story, long vision, traction to date, and next stepsHow Titan’s product fits into broader climate fight, and what success looks like at scaleWhat else can be high impact in climate fightShawn’s advice for how you and I can helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Titan’s website: https://www.titanaes.com/Greentown Labs: https://www.greentownlabs.com/Shell TechWorks: https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/innovating-together/shell-techworks.htmlSecond-life EV batteries: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/second-life-ev-batteries-the-newest-value-pool-in-energy-storageMassCEC: https://www.masscec.com/Energy Innovation Capital: http://energyinnovationcapital.com/Schneider Electric: https://www.se.com/us/en/You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Enjoy the show! 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 David Burt, the CEO and Founder of DeltaTerra Capital and the lead Portfolio Manager for DeltaTerra funds. DeltaTerra provides proprietary financial models, customized portfolio analysis, and unique hedging strategies that enable highly informed climate risk management for asset owners and investors.Before founding DeltaTerra, David was a Partner and Portfolio Manager at Wellington Management Company. Prior to Wellington, he built investment processes at BlueMountain Capital, AlderTree Capital (a 2006 startup he founded to bet against the mortgage credit bubble), BlackRock Financial Management, and State Street Research and Management. He began his career as a Real Estate Economist at Property & Portfolio Research, Inc. David has spent 22 years applying his imagination, synthesis talents, and quantitative skills to help institutional investors get the most out of their real estate and structured finance investments. David has been a CFA charter holder since 2002 and received a BS in Mathematics, with a minor in Economics, from MIT in 1997.In today’s episode, we cover:Overview of DeltaTerra CapitalDave’s background, and what led him to identifying this opportunity and pursuing itDave’s role in the mortgage backed securities market and The Big Short.How Dave thinks about purpose and where hedge funds fit inThe importance of investing in the clean energy transition, and Dave’s bet for what will accelerate that transition the mostHow much exposure asset owners and investors have to climate risk, and in what formsHow DeltaTerra will help, the business model, and the types of clients it will serveWhat else will help facilitate this transition, beyond DeltaTerra’s workLinks to topics discussed in this episode:DeltaTerra Capital: https://deltaterracapital.com/aboutThe Big Short: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Short_(film)mortgage backed securities: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mbs.aspBlackrock: https://www.blackrock.com/Wellington Management: https://www.wellington.com/en/Fannie Mae: https://www.fanniemae.com/portal/index.html'Freddie Mac: http://www.freddiemac.com/You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Enjoy the show! 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 Melinda Hanson, Head of Sustainability at Bird, a micromobility company based in Santa Monica, CA. Founded in September 2017, Bird operates shared electric scooters in over 100 cities in Europe, the Middle East, and North America, with 10 million rides in its first year of operation.Melinda joined Bird from the National Association of City Transportation Officials, where she served as deputy director of NACTO's international programs. Before that, Melinda was a consultant for the Asian Development Bank, helping design and implement public transit projects in Pakistan and the Philippines. Earlier in her career, she was a founding staff member of the ClimateWorks Foundation where she managed the sustainable transport portfolio.In today’s episode, we cover:An overview of BirdHow Melinda became interested in sustainability and micromobilityCar culture, and some of the challenges inhibiting cities from changingThe rise of e-scooters (and why)How Bird is different, relative to competitionMelinda’s charter as head of sustainabilityTheir progress to-date, and some examples of key learningsThe value prop Bird offers to cities, and how the cities tend to evaluate the decision'Some barriers inhibiting progress, and the most impactful things that could change to accelerate their effortsWhat success looks like at Bird, from a sustainability standpointWhat else matters in the climate fightMelinda’s advice for others trying to figure out how to helpLinks to topics discussed in this episode:Bird: https://www.bird.co/Melinda’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-hanson-6384912/ClimateWorks Foundation: https://www.climateworks.org/Barr Foundation: https://www.barrfoundation.org/Travis VanderZanden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis1/NYC’s Green Wave Plan: https://ny.curbed.com/2019/8/19/20812178/regional-planning-association-rpa-protected-bike-laneQuick Builds for Better Streets: https://b.3cdn.net/bikes/675cdae66d727f8833_kzm6ikutu.pdfYou can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Enjoy the show! 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