CleanTechies Podcast

Welcome back to another episode of the CleanTechies Podcast. This is episode 74 of the show and we are thrilled to have you joining us. If you're a ClimateTech Founder seeking introductions to capital or potential partnerships or are interested in sponsoring the show, please reach out: silasmahner@gmail.comToday we are joined by Aaron Fitzgerald the CEO and Co-Founder of Mars Materials. At Mars Materials they are creating a clean acrylonitrile (ACN) alternative that is used in materials that every person on the planet (nearly all) uses every year. Uses include carpet, carbon fiber products, waste treatment, and keyboards among other things. Conventionally, acrylonitrile is made from fossil fuels and their tech replaces the feedstock with other materials making it a much cleaner material. Their tech came out of NREL and is a way of sequestering carbon into these everyday materials helping reduce their carbon impacts of them. In addition to this being a conversation about incredible technology, Aaron's story is also very compelling so I'm glad to be able to share this discussion for that as well. Hopefully, it will inspire many. Without any further delay, please enjoy this conversation with Aaron Fitzgerald. Topics:9:31 - Types of Carbon Capture11:20 - The argument against Carbon Capture13:35 - What Mars does and who they sell to 25:08 - How they started the company out of NREL and that process for others interested34:30 - The fundraising process and journey47:40 - How he goes about educating himself51:33 - How others can get into this space 54:43 - Future of carbon spaceWe hope you enjoy today's episode - please reach out with any specific questions or discussion points. If you're interested in being a show sponsor you can reach me at silasmahner@gmail.comLINKS:Mars Materials WebsiteAaron on LinkedInCheck out our Sponsor, NextWave PartnersJoin the Slack ChannelFollow CleanTechies on LinkedInHMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to another episode of the CleanTechies Podcast. This is episode 73 of the show and we are thrilled to have you joining us. If you're a ClimateTech Founder seeking introductions to capital or potential partnerships or are interested in sponsoring the show, please reach out: silasmahner@gmail.comToday, we are joined by Bruce Usher. Currently a professor at Columbia, past CEO of EcoSecurities Group, and Author of Investing in the Era of Climate Change. Bruce spoke with us about a variety of things ranging from the change of sentiment among the investing community and the general public in the past 20 years since he's been in this space longer than most. We spent a lot of time talking about the different types of solutions that are currently there and what needs to be innovated. Finally, we spoke about what he saw at COP27 and the IRA. Generally a really insightful conversation from the perspective of someone who has been in this space for longer than most. Topics:3:47 - Intro to Bruce and how his brother was effectively the catalyst to get him into ClimateTech10:45 A summary of his book and the key topics covered17:11 - Why Bruce thinks it's realistic for us to solve climate change rather than optimistic20:37-  Summary of COP27 - the good & the disappointing + a discussion on flexibility to meet the needs of each country32:38 - Which industries have the tech to decarbonize and which are still working on the clear solutions to decarbonize fully42:24 - How the investment sector's and various others' outlook has changed over the past 20 years50:30 - What successful policy will look likeLINKS:Check out his book, Investing in the Era of Climate ChangeBruce on LinkedInOur Sponsor, NextWave PartnersJoin the Slack ChannelCleanTechies on LinkedInSilas on Twitter__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Hello everyone and welcome back to CleanTechies the Podcast. This is episode 72.If you are a climate tech founder with specific questions you'd like us to ask -- OR -- looking for capital and strategic partner introductions, please reach out to me via the Slack Channel or LinkedIn and we are glad to help in any way we can.  Today we are joined by Graham Stewart the founder of Fiber52 which has a method of dyeing cotton which is significantly more sustainable. Graham was born and raised in one of the world's (at the time) largest textile manufacturing towns in the UK. If I caught it correctly he was actually born in one of the factories/warehouses. He went on to spend his life in this industry. In today's conversation, he walks us through his background, entrance to sustainability, how he built Fiber52, and then into a lot about what they are doing and other things surrounding the sustainable textile industry. Overall, this was a fascinating conversation where I learned so much about an industry I have never explored before. Hopefully, they will grow this technology and make a strong impact on reversing climate change. Enjoy the episode and please share it with someone interested in sustainable fashion. Topics:[10:37 - 13:16] The process of how textiles are traditionally made[13:39 - 15:55] How sustainable textiles are made[16:37 - 18:59] The business model, transparency across the value chain, challenges, and benefits[33:18 - 37:35] Graham's thoughts and comments on Fast Fashion[40:16 - 44:19] Getting into the textile space for young professionals and the return of the apprenticeship modelWe hope you enjoy today's episode - please reach out with any specific questions or discussion points. If you're interested in being a show sponsor you can reach me at silasmahner@gmail.comLINKS:Fiber52 Website: https://www.fibre52.com/Connect with Graham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamrstewart/Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ HMU on Twitter: @silasmahnerWe are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Hello everyone and welcome back to CleanTechies the Podcast. This is episode 71.If you are a climate tech founder with specific questions you'd like us to ask -- OR -- looking for capital and strategic partner introductions, please reach out to me via the Slack Channel or LinkedIn and we are glad to help in any way we can.  If you're unfamiliar with Alternative Proteins, this episode should be a good place for you to start - especially if like me, you're not a white-coat scientist.Today Sharyn Murray from Good Food Institute (commonly referred to as GFI) joined us to speak about Alternative Proteins and what they are doing at GFI.Sharyn is highly knowledgeable in this space and was able to really shed light on a lot of things inside this space from how the proteins are grown (in a way understandable to a non-scientist), the infrastructure required to grow the industry, how local farmers will be affected, and many other things. An incredible episode that should be especially helpful for anyone interested in the Alternative Protein space. TOPICS:[3:20 - 5:40] - Intro to Sharyn & Effective Altruism[6:20 - 8:24] - moving to GFI & differentiating herself[9:30 - 13:34] - GFI & the Origin[14:10 - 18:01] - Terminology of Alt Protein Space[20:14 - 23:49] - Adoption, taste & price, regulatory issues, and cost parity[27:06 - 28:44] - Carbon impact of the space - 20% of Global GHG, & the alternative is 98% carbon emissions-free[30:01 - 32:42] Regenerative Farming or Alt-Protein[33:23 - 36:46] - How are alt proteins made (for non-science people)[37:23 - 39:54] - Missing infrastructure [40:17 - 44:19] - How farmers are affected by this shift / helping them / affects of climate change[49:20 - 52:26] - The Alt Protein ESG reporting framework from GFI / FAIRR[53:14 - 55:02] - Conventional and Disruptive orgs enter space[55:40 - 57:32] - The grant program: who can apply, how, and the target outcomes[57:57- 59:02] - How to get into Alt-Protein space - advice for early career individuals[59:15 - End] - ClosingWe hope you enjoy today's episode - please reach out with any specific questions or discussion points. If you're interested in being a show sponsor you can reach me at silasmahner@gmail.comLINKS:GFI Website: https://gfi.org/Connect with Sharyn:Bruce's TED Talk:Oxford Study:Nature study:Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners:Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ Support the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Hello everyone and welcome back to CleanTechies the Podcast. This is episode 70.If you are a climate tech founder with specific questions you'd like us to ask -- OR -- looking for capital and strategic partner introductions, please reach out to me via the Slack Channel or LinkedIn and we are glad to help in any way we can.  Today we are joined by Jan Skjoldhammer the founder and CEO of NoviOcean. NoviOcean is a wave energy technology company that is developing, what they believe to be, a technology that will truly crack the wave power industry. In the conversation we discuss...(5:50 - 7:02) How he went from being a pilot to founding a wave power company(10:26 - 12:47) How the technology works and how they combined the best of all wave power technology(23:30 - 27:40) The layout and siting of the projects and the benefits of co-locating the projects with Offshore Wind(32:51 - 34:33) How the tech can also help reduce damage from waves onshore(40:49 - 42:45) The importance of mobilizing regulators at a speed appropriate for the speed of climate changeWe hope you enjoy today's episode - please reach out with any specific questions or discussion points. If you're interested in being a show sponsor you can reach me at silasmahner@gmail.comNoviOcean Website: https://noviocean.energy/Connect with Jan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-g-skjoldhammer-8807996/Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Hello everyone and welcome back to CleanTechies the Podcast. This is episode 69.If you are a climate tech founder with specific questions you'd like us to ask -- OR -- looking for capital and strategic partner introductions, please reach out to me via the Slack Channel or LinkedIn and we are glad to help in any way we can.  Today we are joined by David Welch the Bureau Chief at Bloomberg News in Detroit to discuss his new book, Charging Ahead. The book is generally about how Mary Barra rose to become the CEO of GM and the first Female CEO in the Legacy Auto Industry. And then goes on to describe how she has led GM into the future by making the shift to Electric Vehicles. We talk about a lot of things but some of the key topics in this episode are...[6.12] GM's history. From the most respected company in the world to bankruptcy[11.11] How Mary Barra made her rise to CEO and her battles with Trump[31:35] The legacy automaker sentiment and the future for them[38.07] Tesla & Joe Biden[45.05] The benefits of EVs[51.17] The success of the EV regulatory frameworks[59.46]The challenges for the next 2-3 years for EVWe hope you enjoy today's episode - please reach out with any specific questions or discussion points. If you're interested in being a show sponsor you can reach me at silasmahner@gmail.comOrder the book, Charging Ahead: https://www.amazon.com/Charging-Ahead-Barra-Reinvention-American/dp/1400233593Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-welch-9031185/Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Hello everyone and welcome back to CleanTechies the Podcast. This is episode 68.If you are a climate tech founder with specific questions you'd like us to ask -- OR -- looking for capital and strategic partner introductions, please reach out to me via the Slack Channel or LinkedIn and we are glad to help in any way we can.  Today we are joined by Celyn Brown and Kristen Castell to discuss what ShareChange is doing in the Micro Finance space. This conversation spans broadly across what ShareChange is doing with Micro Lending to Entrepreneurs in unbanked regions but also more broadly about the importance of Micro Finance. Key topics: How big financial institutions can stand to change and how they originally were against Impact Finance How the unbanked populations are also more affected by Climate Change How, in many countries, women are unable to get loans without a man's signature How learning through doing is the best way to get into impact finance We hope you enjoy today's episode - please reach out with any specific questions or discussion points. If you're interested in being a show sponsor you can reach me at silasmahner@gmail.comShareChange Website: https://wesharechange.com/Connect with Kristen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kriscastell/Connect with Celyn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celynbrown/Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Hello everyone and welcome back to CleanTechies the Podcast. This is episode 67.If you are a climate tech founder with specific questions you'd like us to ask -- OR -- looking for capital and strategic partner introductions, please reach out to me via the Slack Channel or LinkedIn and we are glad to help in any way we can.  Today we speak with Tucker Perkins who is the President and CEO of the Propane Education & Research Council (aka PERC) and we discussed Renewable Propane. Broadly speaking, we covered the basics of the propane industry, how it's made, what the environmental impacts are, and how renewable propane is being made. This was our first time talking about this topic, and for me, it was the first time I really have ever heard the argument for Propane. This was a really fascinating topic as it appears Propane could serve as a really great interim fuel to make immediate impacts on reducing carbon emissions. We hope you enjoy today's episode - please reach out with any specific questions or discussion points. If you're interested in being a show sponsor you can reach me at silasmahner@gmail.comPropane Education & Research Council: https://propane.com/Connect with Tucker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tucker-perkins-8972a510/Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Hello everyone and welcome back to CleanTechies the Podcast. This is episode 66.If you are a climate tech founder with specific questions you'd like us to ask -- OR -- looking for capital and strategic partner introductions, please reach out to me via the Slack Channel or LinkedIn and we are glad to help in any way we can.  Today we are joined by Greg Fasullo from Elevation.  They are helping holistically transform residential energy usage. They do 3 things primarily. Help  visualize energy usage for homeowners in a very easy wayInstall solar to help reduce environmental impacts and save moneyHelp utilities manage demand response programsWe talk in detail about all these things along with some other things including...how their data tracking can offer feedback to appliance manufacturers how an energy-efficient home affects real estate valueshow his time at Berkeley shaped him virtual power plantsWe hope you enjoy today's episode - please reach out with any specific questions or discussion points. If you're interested in being a show sponsor you can reach me at silasmahner@gmail.comElevation Website: https://www.poweredbyelevation.com/Connect with Greg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregfasullo/Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Hello everyone and welcome back to CleanTechies the Podcast. This is episode 65.If you are a climate tech founder with specific questions you'd like us to ask -- OR -- looking for capital and strategic partner introductions, please reach out to me via the Slack Channel or LinkedIn and we are glad to help in any way we can.  Today we are speaking with Eddy Badrina the CEO of Eden Green Technologies. Eden is a vertical farming technology company that is, currently, focused on the growing of lettuce at a commodity scale. In today's episode, Eddy walks us through,the challenges of other vertical growers, compares some of the business models, discusses food insecurity due to climate change,of course how their tech works, what their future and the future of vertical growing looks like generally, as well as how they are not only farming lettuce but their own talent and bringing career growth to the farming industry in a way not previously seen. Really fascinating episode with Eddy. Super glad we can bring this to you. We hope you enjoy today's episode - please reach out with any specific questions or discussion points. If you're interested in being a show sponsor you can reach me at silasmahner@gmail.comEden Green Technology Website: https://www.edengreen.com/Connect with Eddy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddybadrina/Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe