🌎 Today we are joined by Pawel Ciesielski, the Co-Founder and CEO of MaaS Loop, a Poland-based company building reverse vending machines to help collect various recyclables. He has a background in marketing, branding, and trend projection where he specifically helped demonstrate what the world could look like in 10 or 20 years from a climate perspective. Due to the high cost of talent and the EU's regulations around bottle deposit costs, smaller businesses require a solution to help them cost-effectively collect customer deposits. Listen to the episode to learn more about their tech, journey, and Pawel's advice to others. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎---🌎 If you'd like to see the full PodLetter, go to our substack to see all the written content that supplements the audio interview.  ---📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5----- Topics: **3:20 Intro to Paweł & MaaS Loop**4:20 What part of the waste supply chain they are working in **5:30 What reverse vending machines do**7:15 Founding MaaS Loop**10:00 How they differentiate from the rest of the circular economy **13:40 Explaining the cost savings**18:40 How the technology works**19:35 Creating their MVP**23:50 Defining traction**26:45 How they determined PMF**30:00 Advice on raising $$$**32:35 Overcoming the production scaling-up challenge ----- Links: **Connect with Pawel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pawel-ciesielski**MaaS Loop Website: https://www.maasloop.com/ **Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on Twitter / X Support the showEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

🌎 In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks with John Fazzolari (@fazz), the co-CEO and co-founder of Revivn, a hardware lifecycle management company that helps corporates repurpose their used electronic devices. John has a fascinating story of building this company and despite us only recording for about 30 min, we covered a lot of ground. From why they bootstrapped the company, to his Rigatoni list for hiring purposes, to using operational complexity as a moat, to ensuring your 3rd party contractors care as much as you do about customer success, it's a great episode. Let us know your favorite part by reaching out. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎---🌎 If you'd like to see the full PodLetter, go to our substack to see all the written content that supplements the audio interview.  ---📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5----- Topics: **2:20 Intro to John**3:00 Why the un-used hardware space**4:05 Creating the Category **6:05 The Story of How They Built**7:35 How they work**9:10 Cost Savings **12:20 Logistics - Their Moat is Complex Coordination**14:45 How to scale logistics company business **16:10 How to control customer quality experience **18:45 Examples of their impact**22:00 Why they bootstrapped **23:55 Advice on Fundraising **27:10 Advice on Hiring | The Rigatoni List **30:00 How to understand if someone has potential **31:58 Advice to Young Entrepreneurs in Climate**34:38 Other Ideas ----- Links: **Connect with John **Revivn **Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: **HMU on Twitter: @silasmahnerSupport the showEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

🌎 NYCW was a pivotal moment for many of us current or aspiring climate professionals. It brought together large swaths of diverse talent, all working in different assets to solve the climate crisis. Many of these gatherings were headlined by some of the smartest minds in climate and climate tech. An implicit goal we’ve had at the CleanTechies Podcast since then is to have as many speakers from the week as we can.I’m excited to introduce the speaker of one of the most popular talks at NYCW and the Managing Partner of Third Sphere VC, Shaun Abrahamson. ---🌎 If you'd like to see the full PodLetter, go to our substack to see all the written content that supplements the audio interview.  ---🚨🚨🚨 Shoutout to our sponsor Net Zero Insights — Net Zero Insights is the leading market intelligence platform on climate information with all the latest you need on funding rounds, VCs, and the climate tech ecosystem. Use this link to schedule your demo and get a 10% discount!! 🚨🚨🚨---Shaun is an early-stage investor in the climate sector with a background in engineering and over a decade of focus on early-stage climate investments. Shaun’s engineering mindset involves constructing narratives with numbers and employing simple models to assess the viability of proposed ideas but combines that with the perspectives of advertising professionals, emphasizing the importance of understanding human behavior — a facet engineers might overlook. --Topics4:10 Intro8:10 Balancing returns vs. impact11:36 Bad investment signals in climate20:59 What is Third Sphere27:47 Mistakes hardware founders make31:39 Design for Finance49:46 Which climate capital stack segments are underutilized 1:00:51 Insights1:03:45 IRA59:24 Climate x AI1:08:39 Hardware MVP1:14:15 Building a company right now1:17:47 Advice to founders1:23:25 Advice to VCs--Links**Connect with Shaun | Third Sphere VC**For all your Climate, Renewables, and Sustainability recruitment needs, check out our sponsor NextWave Partners.**This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.**Connect with Somil | Connect with SilasSupport the showEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

🌎 In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) & Somil Aggarwal (@somil_agg) speak with Diz Petit the Founder & CEO of LiquiDonate. They have an amazing solution to help manage corporate waste in a way that get's it into the hands of non-profits who need the materials. In doing this, they are also reducing their reverse supply chain costs by about ~50%. Diz was a great guest and had a lot of great insights to share. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎---🌎 If you'd like to see the full PodLetter, go to our substack to see all the written content that supplements the audio interview.  ---Main Takeaways: (read the full version on Substack) Spend a lot of time talking to the marketSet the right metricsMatch Supply & DemandRealistic TAMConsider non-climate-VCsTopics:2:33 Diz & Her Story6:25 Why Entrepreneurship?8:02 How to Identify the End User16:25 Why Would Someone Use Their Software?18:25 What CSOs Think About This21:45 Metrics25:36 Things that Surprised Her28:49 Their Fundraise Experience32:54 Advice to Founders Links:Connect with Diz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/disneypetit LiquiDonate: https://liquidonate.com/For all your Climate, Renewables, and Sustainability recruitment needs, check out our sponsor NextWave Partners.Connect with Somil | Connect with SilasSupport the showEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

🌎 Today's episode is the first of our new founder show format, where we are keeping it a bit shorter and focusing on what they are doing rather than too many of the broader trends. Our guinea pig is Will Wiseman, Founder & CEO of Climatize. A revolutionary platform that is empowering community solar projects to scale effectively by getting them financed where PE is not doing the deals due to smaller sizes. Main Takeaways: (read the full version on Substack) Make it easy to use.Calculate the ROI of your fundraising process for a morale boost.Hire "ready" talent early on.Co-founders SHOULD think differently.---🌎 If you'd like to see the full PodLetter, go to our substack to see all the written content that supplements the audio interview.  ---Topics:2:26 His Career Journey6:42 How He Looks at Impact Work 8:04 FInTech Founding as an Engineer13:13 Why PE Isn't Filling the Need16:40 How they "Pitch" to Consumers20:12 Hiring & Talent 26:08 Building the Product28:26 Advice to Founders32:29 Future Challenges34:59 On Making it "Real" to Climate Deniers Links:Connect with Will Climatize.Earth For all your Climate, Renewables, and Sustainability recruitment needs, check out our sponsor NextWave Partners. This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast. Connect with Somil | Connect with SilasSupport the showEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

In this episode, Somil Aggarwal (@somilagg) interviews Iris Ten Have about her journey into VC from a science background, what ie means to be a Head of Science in VC, how to successfully build in hardware, and more.   Enjoy the Episode! 🌎  📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube. 📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5 ----- Topics: **6:25 Academia to venture**15:46 What helped her prepare for VC**18:42 How Extantia started**25:33 What makes a successful hardware investment**30:16 How to get your pre-orders for your MVP**36:05 Evaluating decarbonization potential**44:38 Advice to founders**48:36 What VCs can learn from scientists**51:11 Biggest challenges for funds-----  Links: **Connect with Iris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iris-ten-have/ **Extantia: https://extantia.com/ **Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ **HMU on Twitter: @somilagg ----- Other episodes you might enjoy: **Most Recent Episode: #131 Selling to Utilities, The Disruptor Mistake, Clean Your Camp, Carrot vs Stick Regs, & More w/ Michael Jung (ICF Climate Center)**Similar Topic: #117 Early Stage Hiring Decisions, Heeding the Lessons from CleanTech 1.0, Energize's $300m Growth Fund Close, & More w/ Eileen Waris (Energize Capital)**Something Totally Different: From 30% to 90% Li Recovery, Founding a ClimateTech Co, & Talent Moat w/ Teague Egan (EnergyX)Support the showEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks with Mike Jung from the ICF Climate Center. Given Mike's work across a wide variety of clients currently + his experience in the utility space, we had a lot of interesting things to talk about. Of all the things, perhaps the most interesting, were his insights on selling to utilities. So, if you're selling to utilities, listen up this one is for you. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5 Topics: Links: **Connect with Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikejung/ **ICF Climate Center: https://www.icf.com/climate-center **Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahnerYou might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: #130 Financing Emerging Clean Technologies, The Incentive of Repeat Transactions, Hiring a Founding Team, & More w/ Kevin Kyer (Pyrpose.io)**Similar Topic: Helping Utilities Utilize Wasted Data with Sean Murphy of PingThings**Something Totally Different: #116 Consultative VC, Understanding Customers (as a VC), Developing Industry Networks for Your PortCos, & More w/ Rick Zullo (Equal Ventures)Support the showEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Why you should listen:Learn how to hire a founding teamFind out the secret to properly structured incentives to achieve repeat transactions when working in emerging marketsLearn how to communicate your offering to non-climate-nerdsNot already a subscriber…subscribe today and support us either financially or through sharing the post.In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) & Somil Aggarwal (@somil_agg) speak with Kevin Kyer, the Co-Founder, and CEO of Pyrpose - a direct lending platform that, using the crowdfunding laws, allows individuals to lend to companies creating clean solutions in order to deploy their technology, the user is also getting a return on their money. They specifically focus on emerging markets because of how high the cost of capital is and the unwillingness of large lending institutions to operate in those markets currently. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5 Topics: 1:59 Intro8:48 What is Pyrpose?15:22 Marketplace Approach18:04 Consumers and sellers25:59 GTM29:01 Raising on this model32:26 Crypto and climate35:49 Picking a founding team42:41 Finding talent45:46 Advice to Founders49:16 Climate-specific PMF advice52:23 Ideas Links:**Connect with Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmkyer/**pyrpose.io**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: **Twitter: @silasmahner / @somil_aggOther episodes you might enjoy:**Similar Topic: How Microfinance Helps Unbanked & The Climate Vulnerable w/ Celyn & Kristen (ShareChange)**Something Different: CleanTechies, the Podcast #25 - Edi Demaj (KODE Labs)Thank you for listening! Support the showEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Jason Blumberg, a seasoned ClimateTech and energy investor, discusses building a company, expanding thesis and launching new fund, and the future ClimateTech industries. The podcast explores Earth Foundry's expansion into other areas of climate tech and Jason's wide array of knowledge in the energy space.

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) & Somil Aggarwal (@somil_agg) speak with Anna Konstantinova about her advice to climate tech companies in relation to marketing and branding. Really helpful episode for our listeners from someone who has spent a lot of time helping founders and climate brands make their work digestible to the correct target audience. Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter. Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5Topics: **3:10 Intro & Career**12:53 Why a Brand Matters**17:54  How to Position Brand to People Uninterested in Climate Change**26:36 Are There General Archetypes**28:42 When to "Set" Brand**31:32 Tips on Branding During Fundraise**36:39 Personal Branding for Founder is Also Important**43:03 When to Get Help to Pass the Plateau**49:20 Hiring & Brand Links: **Connect with Anna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaknova/ **AnnaKo.co**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahnerOther episodes you might enjoy:**Most Recent Episode: #127 Scalable Carbon Capture, Building as a Non-Deeptech Founder, Creative Business Models, & Navigating Funding Challenges w/ Luke Shors (Capture6)**Similar Topic: #76 Endings, Endineering, Circular Economy, & the Customer Experience w/ Joe Macleod**Something Totally #65 Different: Decentralizing Agriculture & Societal Resilience with Eddy from Eden Green TechnologiesSupport the showEvery ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)