Future Optimist

Erick Went is the CTO of Genesis Systems, and he’s together Dr. Venkat Kode, a research scientist on the team.  I’m not going to lie, Genesis Systems is one of the most exciting product ideas I’ve ever become aware of yet. Genesis Systems manufacture the world's first and only sustainable air-to-water systems that can carbon (CO2) capture. That’s right, they are generating fresh-water from air using integrated technologies never before conceived.  They’ve received several grants from the US Air Force and Army, and they are partnered with Google, Siemens, and more. They’ve raised tens of millions to date, and this is something I personally can’t wait to buy. ➡️ http://genesissystems.global

Max Rye is the co-founder and chief strategist of TurtleTree, the world’s first sustainable lactoferrin made with precision fermentation.  Don’t know what any of that means? Great! Because I didn’t either! Essentially they’re able not just to emulate real milk but actually produce identical proteins—the ones that give cow and human milk its nutritional value.  We’ll learn how Max decided to embrace the kind of change he wanted to see by founding this futuristic company that has the potential to change so many industries around the world.  They just closed 30 million in Series A funding, so it’s game on time.

Anthony DiMare is the CEO & Co-founder of Bedrock Ocean Exploration, a vertically-integrated ocean exploration company that’s built proprietary robotics and software to explore the oceans quickly and cheaply. Basically, none of the world’s seafloor is mapped, and this knowledge has far-reaching implications for weather predictions, global shipping, and many other things vital to our survival. Learn the multiple businesses and models Anthony has pursued, how he’s gotten millions in funding, and how he was named to Forbes 30 Under 30. Bedrock has been featured in Fast Company, TechCrunch, CNN, CNBC and more, and when you hear this man speak, you’ll know why. ➡️ https://www.bedrockocean.com/ ➡️ Ep. Highlights: https://rosspalmer.com/anthony-dimare

Phoebe Gardner is the co-founder and CEO of Bardee, a truly novel solution to climate change. Well have ya heard of composting? It’s a neat idea to take food waste that would otherwise generate methane gas in landfills and repurpose it for fertilizer. The trouble is, it takes a long time to do it. Bardee has taken that process one step further. They use Black Solder Fly larvae to turn food waste into a usable product in just seven days, while actually being carbon positive. Honestly, it’s a remarkable solution to a huge problem, and her team has raised millions in funding so far. ➡️ https://www.bardee.com/

Andre Menezes is the Co-Founder & CEO of Next Gen Foods.  Andre broke a record for plant-based meat companies when his company TiNDLE raised $100 million in Series A funding.  Tindle makes a plant-based chicken alternative that’s sold around the world and championed by world-class chefs and fast-food chains alike.  But more importantly, Andre’s personal journey took him from working directly in the meat industry for many years to realizing the problems with that industry and why plant-based meat alternatives are the future of “meat”.  It doesn’t get more exciting and inspiring than this, so I apologize in advance for nerding out.  Highlights: https://rosspalmer.com/andre-menezes ➡️ https://tindle.com/

Kaylin Marcotte is the CEO and founder of JIGGY Puzzles—sustainable, artistic, bespoke jigsaw puzzles sweeping the world. Kaylin took her unlikely passion and turned it into a multi-million dollar business.  What was her brilliant idea, that got her 500k in funding from Mark Cuban on Shark Tank? If you guessed “boutique jigsaw puzzles”, you are correct!  We’ll learn how Kaylin made a series of super smart decisions at exactly the right time to catapult her business forward during the pandemic, a time that saw many businesses close their doors.  Her story represents everything that I love and value on this show, so buckle up for a great conversation full of inspiration and laughy-laughy good times.  ➡️ Watch this episode on YouTube ➡️ Episode Highlights: beattheoftenpath.com ➡️ https://jiggypuzzles.com/

Paul Evers is the Co-Founder & CEO of RIFF, America's first certified carbon-neutral energy drink. Paul did some research and discovered a massive problem, 70% of the fruit that surrounds our beloved, sacred coffee beans goes to waste. And this fruit? It’s a superfruit (if such a term exists) that also happens to be caffeinated. Paul discovered a way to make a carbon-neutral energy drink from this, helping out farmers, the planet, and consumers in the process. It’s the exact kind of idea that I love so much, and it’s hard to believe that no one has done it until now. His Oregon-based start-up has already raised several million in funding and has been featured on many of the world’s top media outlets.  ➡️ Episode Highlights ➡️ https://letsriff.com/

Hans de Neve is the CEO and founder of Carbyon—a groundbreaking company capturing excess CO2 from the air. Today we discuss how going against conventional wisdom and the advice of his peers in the science community led to a breakthrough technology that could help us pull carbon from the air and reverse climate change.  It’s no pipe dream, Hans has already received the prestigious XPRIZE Milestone Award with his company Carbyon, and his work towards helping us achieve negative emissions couldn’t be more important. ➡️ Watch this episode on YouTube ➡️ Episode Highlights: beattheoftenpath.com ➡️ https://carbyon.com

Naveen Sikka is the CEO of Terviva, an agtech company that’s transforming the food landscape. We rely on just a few crops for our survival, think corn, wheat, etc. But we know that there are many issues with modern agriculture as it's been performed. Naveen and his team have created a true win/win/win company by creating a regenerative food system based on the Pongamia tree, a tree that grows where many other crops can’t. In addition to reclaiming “bad” farmland, this tree produces both oil and protein with far-reaching positive implications for our health and the planet. Terviva has received somewhere in the ballpark of 100 million in funding, and they've been recognized as one of the 25 most innovative ag-tech startups by Forbes several years in a row. ➡️ https://www.terviva.com ➡️ Ep. Highlights: https://rosspalmer.com/naveen-sikka

Lizanne Falsetto is the CEO, Founder, and Chairman of betterland foods™, and the founder of thinkThin®.  Long before she became an entrepreneur, Lizanne Falsetto had a career as a model. She developed food for herself on the job, and quickly discovered that her peers were interested in what she was making. She went on to create thinkThin®, the gluten-free protein bars you’ve seen on the shelves of grocery stores since the 90s. She sold that company a few years ago, and now she’s building game-changing, cow-free dairy alternatives. Just as importantly, Lizanne's career has taken a series of unexpected twists and turns that are genuinely inspirational. She’s been decorated with an impressive array of awards and accolades, and she is well-known for her philanthropy. I'm deeply honored to have her here.