CleanTechies Podcast

🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.What do GHG Accounting platforms and NYC Rats have in common? There are substantially more of them than any of us would like. — Despite this sentiment, today’s guest is the founder of a GHG accounting co. that is truly built different—as GenZ would say. Let’s get into it 👇Today, we are talking to Saleh ElHattab, Founder & CEO of Gravity.Yeah I know, we’ve all had a lot of inbound from GHG Accounting firms trying to help us with our sustainability reporting. It gets old. But why? The only reason it gets old is—Zero Differentiation. Frankly, the same cannot be said of today’s guest (otherwise we wouldn’t have had them on)!There are a few core lessons in what they have done to stand out in a space as crowded as an NYC house party. * How to align all stakeholders in the sales process * Building a product so simple the user can be upskilled without specialized training * Building a culture of pragmatism* Speaking Return-on-Investment📺 Watch on YouTube | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify | 🗣️ Join the Slack Channel🚨Attention! 🚨 We interrupt your regular programming for an important message.ClimateTech founders are taking on a huge challenge. Building a climate startup is highly complex but also SO NECESSARY if we are going to save the climate. Founders not only you need to understand how to build a startup, but you also need to understand how to deal with hardware, have a strong handle on climate policy, know how to fundraise from diverse investors types, etc. etc. etc…It’s a lot.That’s why we make CleanTechies. The #1 Podcast for ClimateTech Entrepreneurs.In addition to our jobs, we devote ~20 hours a week to producing this podcast for you. This way, you can learn from others who have walked the path you’re on now, learn from their mistakes, and gain insights on navigating this complex world.If this mission resonates with you, we ask for your financial support of this project. It takes a lot of effort, and it’s not free. Your willingness to contribute on a monthly or yearly basis helps us keep this going.If you’re already a subscriber and want to contribute financially, click “Upgrade to Paid” at the top right of your screen.If not, follow the steps once you click “Subscribe Now” below to help us out. Thanks for helping us help all the climate entrepreneurs like you. 🙏 🌎The Guest: Saleh ElHattab* Raised in Indiana, it’s fitting that Saleh ended up building a company supporting the industrial sector. * What was a bit different than most of his peers was his fascination for the intersection of the digital and physical. * This is what led him to end up working in the IoT space with Samsara, where he led product for their industrial sector. If you’re unfamiliar with Samsara, they entered a crowded space and IPO’d in 6 years by wiping the floor with the competition. * After a short time in VC to figure out his next company step, he settled on carbon accounting for the underserved industrial sector. * And wow—it’s going well. Props to Saleh; they have been highly efficient with their capital (we all love a founder with foresight and restraint) The Company: GravityOne Liner: Helping Industrial Manufacturing companies understand thier carbon emissions to reduce them while also identifying cost saving opportunites so big even your mom is surprised. Started at a time when, frankly, there were already a good number of carbon accounting platforms, Gravity was set for an uphill battle. Through extreme rigor and testing of PMF, they quickly through out many buyer personas — all the while having a focus on helping manufacturing companies not only report their emissions but also use the data collected to find big areas for OpEx reduction. In addition, they made the platform so anyone can use it. That’s right you don’t have to be an Environmental Scientist just to understand how it works. Oh you thought two things were enough? They didn’t. On top of all this, they built a marketplace that goes along with their software. This helps their client’s procurement teams get better deals on products and services that will drastically help them improve their operating costs.Today they are scaling after having found a strong match between product and client persona. (They are hiring…drop us a message and we can link you up) Do you have suggestions on future guests or topics? Leave a comment!Unable to support financially but still want to help? Share this post w/ 3 ClimateTech entrepreneurs (or aspiring entrepreneurs). Sharing is super helpful to us, and it costs you nothing.📝 Show Notes:Topics* 02:27 Introduction and Background* 03:05 Problem Statement and Solution* 05:39 Global Emissions from Industry* 11:44 Ideation and Idea Validation* 13:37 Company Status and Growth* 14:56 Challenges and Milestones* 16:38 Testing and Pivoting* 18:16 Differentiation and Competitive Advantage* 22:53 Market Positioning and Challenges* 25:38 Culture Building and Talent (Pragmatism)* 30:38 Principles and Habits for Success* 32:38 Future Plans and Opportunities* 37:00 Entrepreneurial Ideas in the Climate Space* 37:48 Closing Remarks and Call to Action* 38:41 TakeawaysLinks* Saleh ElHattab | Gravity* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Asks 👋👉 Listeners Survey* We would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.👉 Fundraising for Founders* If founders are looking for funding in the ClimateTech space, reach out & schedule a chat here!👉 Early-Stage Founders Hiring* Silas just started his own recruitment consultancy tailor-made for early-stage ClimateTech startups. He does this by offering heavily discounted headhunting services for companies at Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A companies. If you need a hand finding the best talent on the market, and you don’t want to sell your kidney to pay for it, let’s chat. (booking here)👉 Meet Top Founders* Interested in getting in front of hundreds of ClimateTech VCs and Founders each month, reach out to info@cleantechiespod.com to learn more about becoming a sponsor.If you couldn’t already tell, we care a lot about ClimateTech founders 😂🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see y’all next episode! 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 the CleanTechies PodLetter, investor edition.Today, we are talking to Tom Ferguson from Burnt Island Ventures.What do you get when you put Chris Rock, Timothée Chalamet, Greta Thunberg, & Marc Andreessen together? You get Tom Ferguson! The King of Water VC!Tom is by far the funniest guest we have ever had, so maybe you’re not even into Water Tech; no worries, you can skip that comedy show you were going to attend and listen to this pod. As you’ll see, Tom is a fascinating textbook example of compounding your network. His focus on the water space allowed him to build Burnt Island Ventures, which is now THE leading global VC focused on Water. Some core topics discussed today include…* How staying focused on water compounded his network and allowed him to build BIV* The missing piece of the IRA: Investment Into Water * How long sales-cycles are okay as long as you plan for them because they have a large payoff AND create a time moat * Team building * Big opportunities to build in water: Water Testing * And how their network compounds daily to increase their own unfair advantage And more… 📺 Watch on YouTube | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify | 🗣️ Join the Slack Channel🚨Attention! 🚨 We interrupt your regular programming for an important message.ClimateTech founders are taking on a huge challenge. Building a climate startup is highly complex but also SO NECESSARY if we are going to save the climate. Founders not only you need to understand how to build a startup, but you also need to understand how to deal with hardware, have a strong handle on climate policy, know how to fundraise from diverse investors types, etc. etc. etc…It’s a lot.That’s why we make CleanTechies. The #1 Podcast for ClimateTech Entrepreneurs.In addition to our jobs, we devote ~20 hours a week to producing this podcast for you. This way, you can learn from others who have walked the path you’re on now, learn from their mistakes, and gain insights on navigating this complex world.If this mission resonates with you, we ask for your financial support of this project. It takes a lot of effort, and it’s not free. Your willingness to contribute on a monthly or yearly basis helps us keep this going.If you’re already a subscriber and want to contribute financially, click “Upgrade to Paid” at the top right of your screen.If not, follow the steps once you click “Subscribe” below to help us out. Thanks for helping us help all the climate entrepreneurs like you. 🙏 🌎The Guest: Tom FergusonToday, Tom is a Founding Partner of Burnt Island Ventures - the Leading Water VC Globally.His career is a great example of how a focused network compounds since he’s spent ALL of it in water. After graduating into the Financial Crisis, he took his first role in environmental consulting with ERM. There, he did a lot of work with water-related projects. He eventually decided to do a masters at Harvard and then landed at Imagine H20—the leading water accelerator globally. Having compounded a network of people innovating and funding project in the water space, allowed him to start Burnt Island Ventures in 2020. All of these things together have caused the gravitational pull he and the team has to compound—they are known. Being known leads to more people reaching out. A reputation is formed, and their moat increases. The Company: Burnt Island VenturesOne Liner: Funding the best water entrepreneurs in the world.After an entire career spent in supporting WaterTech founders, the team founded BIV with the intention of helping these founders. Their portfolio companies are called Islanders, of which they have 18. Some incredible names you’ve probably heard like ZwitterCo, FloodBase, Aclarity, daupler, and SewerAI. (Check out the full list 👉 meet The Islanders) Because they have built a name for themselves, they are the place to turn for any Water Entrepreneur. The network compounds by supporting each other constantly. In other words, if you’re a Water Entrepreneur, they are the one you want a check from! Do you have suggestions on future guests or topics? Leave a comment!Unable to support financially but still want to help? Share this post w/ 3 ClimateTech entrepreneurs (or aspiring entrepreneurs). Sharing is super helpful to us, and it costs you nothing.📝 Show Notes:Topics* 05:00 Introduction* 08:10 Why Sustainability* 10:34 Time with Imagine H2O* 16:13 Other Considerations for BIV* 19:27 Story behind the Name BIV* 20:55 MBA and Business School* 27:22 Focus on Building Team* 31:32 Pricing in Velocity of Sales Process* 38:35 Compounding Network as a VC’s Moat* 47:24 Biggest Problems in Water* 56:17 Companies that BIV work with* 1:00:42 Startup Opportunity; Water Testing Market* 1:04:19 TakeawaysLinks* Burnt Island Ventures | Tom Ferguson* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Asks 👋👉 Listeners Survey* We would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.👉 Fundraising for Founders* If founders are looking for funding in the ClimateTech space, reach out & schedule a chat here!👉 Early-Stage Founders Hiring* Silas just started his own recruitment consultancy tailor-made for early-stage ClimateTech startups. He does this by offering heavily discounted headhunting services for companies at Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A companies. If you need a hand finding the best talent on the market, and you don’t want to sell your kidney to pay for it, let’s chat. (booking here)👉 Meet Top Founders* Interested in getting in front of hundreds of ClimateTech VCs and Founders each month, reach out to info@cleantechiespod.com to learn more about becoming a sponsor.If you couldn’t already tell, we care a lot about ClimateTech founders 😂🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see y’all next episode! 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 the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.Today, we are talking to Allison Wolff from Vibrant Planet.I say wildfire prevention; you say FAANG technology…🤔 It sounds a bit silly, but that’s what Allison Wolff is doing at Vibrant Plant. When it comes to preventing wildfires, there is a LOT of land to manage. Through Vibrant Planet’s tech they are able to help prioritize which areas to focus restoration and monitoring on. This tech is what helps different groups apply for conservation finance (money from Uncle Sam to protect the wilderness).The story behind Vibrant Planet is super fascinating because Allison has worked with so many big names. Are you sitting down? * Google, Meta, Netflix, eBay, Project Drawdown… and a few others When you’ve got this experience, you naturally have (a) an enormous book of contacts + (b) a unique perspective on tech. This is a huge reason why they are crushing it at Vibrant Planet. As you can imagine with someone like Allison as a guest, we could talk about many things — here is what we discussed.* What she learned from her time at Netflix algorithm * What’s broken with wildfire prevention* Convincing Silicon Valley to become greener * The decision behind becoming Public Benefit Corp.* Working with an open-data nonprofit And more… 📺 Watch on YouTube | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify | 🗣️ Join the Slack Channel🚨Attention! 🚨 We interrupt your regular programming for an important message.ClimateTech founders are taking on a huge challenge. Building a climate startup is highly complex but also SO NECESSARY if we are going to save the climate. Founders not only you need to understand how to build a startup, but you also need to understand how to deal with hardware, have a strong handle on climate policy, know how to fundraise from diverse investors types, etc. etc. etc…It’s a lot.That’s why we make CleanTechies. The #1 Podcast for ClimateTech Entrepreneurs.In addition to our jobs, we devote ~20 hours a week to producing this podcast for you. This way, you can learn from others who have walked the path you’re on now, learn from their mistakes, and gain insights on navigating this complex world.If this mission resonates with you, we ask for your financial support of this project. It takes a lot of effort, and it’s not free. Your willingness to contribute on a monthly or yearly basis helps us keep this going.If you’re already a subscriber and want to contribute financially, click “Upgrade to Paid” at the top right of your screen.If not, follow the steps once you click “Subscribe” below to help us out. Thanks for helping us help all the climate entrepreneurs like you. 🙏 🌎The Guest: Allison Wolff* Allison Wolff is the CEO of Vibrant Planet.* Allison worked in Silicon Valley for 20 years on corporate strategy, product strategy, customer experience design, and marketing. * After overseeing the development of the Netflix brand and digital experience as their Director of Marketing, she advised corporate and nonprofit leadership teams on vision, strategy, and social and environmental innovation. Some of her clients included Drawdown, Google, eBay, Facebook, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Omidyar Network, Patagonia, Nike, HP, Conservation International, and GlobalGiving. (What a resume!) * With a passion for the role forests and soil can play in carbon drawdown, she fully focused on developing technology solutions that restore damaged ecosystems and, ultimately, build community and wildland resilience.The Company: Vibrant PlanetOne Liner: The common operating picture for achieving wildfire and climate resilienceThe Vibrant Planet cloud-based platform unlocks real-time, collaborative scenario planning at any scale. Built to support agile, informed, and urgent responses to current and future wildfire and climate threats. State-of-the-art wildfire hazard and risk modeling combines with Vibrant Planet’s decision support for strategically mitigating wildfire risk while enhancing ecological function to create enduring resilience.The VP Data Commons makes Vibrant Planet’s novel data products publicly available for scientific pursuits and develops informative data experiences that generate public demand for resilience building.Do you have suggestions on future guests or topics? Leave a comment!Unable to support financially but still want to help? Share this post w/ 3 ClimateTech entrepreneurs (or aspiring entrepreneurs). Sharing is super helpful to us, and it costs you nothing.📝 Show Notes:Topics* 02:52 "Common operating picture" for land management.* 04:17 Parallel between Netflix's recommendation system and land management* 06:51 Cloud-based technologies in ClimateTech* 12:25 Challenges in modern forest management* 24:46 Geospatial data* 36:17 Energy consumption concerns of AI/cloud technologies* 44:19  Future challenges* 48:35 TakeawaysLinks* Vibrant Planet | Allison Wolff* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Asks 👋👉 Listeners Survey* We would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.👉 Fundraising for Founders* If founders are looking for funding in the ClimateTech space, reach out & schedule a chat here!👉 Early-Stage Founders Hiring* Silas just started his own recruitment consultancy tailor-made for early-stage ClimateTech startups. He does this by offering heavily discounted headhunting services for companies at Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A companies. If you need a hand finding the best talent on the market, and you don’t want to sell your kidney to pay for it, let’s chat. (booking here)👉 Meet Top Founders* Interested in getting in front of hundreds of ClimateTech VCs and Founders each month, reach out to info@cleantechiespod.com to learn more about becoming a sponsor.If you couldn’t already tell, we care a lot about ClimateTech founders 😂🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see y’all next episode! 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

📺 Watch on YouTube | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | 🎧 Spotify | 🗣️ Join the Slack Channel🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, with Shaun Abrahamson of Third Sphere.Today, we’ve got a banger for you. Our guest is Shaun Abrahamson, Managing Partner from Third Sphere. If you recognize the name, it might be because he has appeared on the show before (Episode 136). There is a reason we had to do a pt II with Shaun — and no, it’s not just because of his good looks or how cool he is. Shaun is like a deep well of knowledge, especially when it comes to the shifting landscape of ClimateTech investing. In episode 136, he broke down how to finance your climate hardware products and the different parts of the climate capital stack . It’s an amazing episode, and we highly recommend checking it out, especially if you’re building ClimateTech hardware. (That episode was also one of our top episodes from all of last year).But on this episode, we dove into something a bit different…🚨Attention! 🚨 We interrupt your regular programming for an important message. ClimateTech founders are taking on a huge challenge. Building a climate startup is highly complex but also SO NECESSARY if we are going to save the climate. Founders not only you need to understand how to build a startup, but you also need to understand how to deal with hardware, have a strong handle on climate policy, know how to fundraise from diverse investors types, etc. etc. etc…It’s a lot. That’s why we make CleanTechies. The #1 Podcast for ClimateTech Entrepreneurs. In addition to our jobs, we devote ~20 hours a week to producing this podcast for you. This way, you can learn from others who have walked the path you’re on now, learn from their mistakes, and gain insights on navigating this complex world. If this mission resonates with you, we ask for your financial support of this project. It takes a lot of effort, and it’s not free. Your willingness to contribute on a monthly or yearly basis helps us keep this going. If you’re already a subscriber and want to contribute financially, click “Upgrade to Paid” at the top right of your screen. If not, follow the steps once you click “Subscribe” below to help us out. Thanks for helping us help all the climate entrepreneurs like you. 🙏 🌎Today’s episode covers two gargantuan topicsPartnering with Big Oil—AND—Repricing Climate RiskPartnering with Big Oil:* The backlash against partnering with Big Oil* What is the actual value of partnering with Big Oil* Will Big Oil maintain prominence for long, or will any partnership end up being a distraction and anchor * How EV demand increasing has the potential to send Big Oil into a tailspin sooner than we thinkRepricing Climate Risk:* The implications of insurance companies’ recent decisions to leave California and Florida (on certain lines) * How new models will help us understand the cost of no action in the face of climate calamities * Modeling lost revenues from climate disasters * How a ‘green premium’ will no longer be a consideration because of how expensive inaction will become* The blue ocean of opportunity for new model creation (warning: startup ideas💡)A bit about ShaunFor those not familiar with Shaun, he started his career in product management and ended up getting into VC circa 2013. Eventually, he and some partners founded Third Sphere (FKA Urban Us). Fast forward to Climate Week NYC 2023, he and the Third Sphere team put on one of the most important events of the year (IMHO). Their presentation on the “Escalator of Impact” and how to design for climate finance. It was a huge turning point in formalizing how founders can understand the milestones needed to get to scale. He’s also working on a sick EV conversion project with his brother (check out his LinkedIn content for more details). Do you have suggestions on future guests or topics? Leave a comment! Unable to support financially but still want to help? Share this post w/ 3 ClimateTech entrepreneurs (or aspiring entrepreneurs). Sharing is super helpful to us, and it costs you nothing. Topics* 4:33 ClimateTech Partnering With Big Oil* 8:16 Dynamics of ClimateTech and Big Oil* 13:57 Managing Government Spending into other Funds* 19:44 Funding / Sources of Capital for ClimateTech* 26:33 Finding Talent from O&G* 28:24 Re-pricing Climate Risk* 33:47 Revenue Lost Estimates* 35:43 The Idea of Green Premium* 47:55 Pitching Potential New Insurance Products* 53:33 Connecting with Shaun* 55:30 TakeawaysLinks* Shaun Abrahamson | Third Sphere* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Asks 👋👉 Listeners Survey* We would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.👉 Fundraising for Founders* If founders are looking for funding in the ClimateTech space, reach out & schedule a chat here!👉 Early-Stage Founders Hiring* Silas just started his own recruitment consultancy tailor-made for early-stage ClimateTech startups. He does this by offering heavily discounted headhunting services for companies at Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A companies. If you need a hand finding the best talent on the market, and you don’t want to sell your kidney to pay for it, let’s chat. (booking here)👉 Meet Top Founders* Interested in getting in front of hundreds of ClimateTech VCs and Founders each month, reach out to info@cleantechiespod.com to learn more about becoming a sponsor. If you couldn’t already tell, we care a lot about ClimateTech founders 😂🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode! 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 the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.Today, we are talking to Chinmay Malaviya and Charlie Depman from Ridepanda.Micromobility isn’t a topic we’ve chatted about recently, and with the new congestion pricing in NYC, what better time to get two industry VETERANS on the pod to chat with us about it.In this episode, we discuss…* Why micromobility DESERVES a better rep and demand is actually booming* How Chinmay’s experience at Lime and foodpanda and Charlie’s experience at Bird and Scoot Networks helps them design the optimal platform for micromobility* How they’re successfully creative with their business model to overcome adoption challenges& More. This one is a REAL treat.📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelSubscribe to get more episodes with leading climate entrepreneurs (and the detailed show notes) directly in your inboxIf you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work.The Guest: Chinmay Malaviya* Chinmay is the Co-founder & CEO of Ridepanda* Chinmay's first internship at the World Wildlife Fund ignited his passion for impactful work, leading to his role in the early Foodpanda team* Next, at Foodpanda, he founded the Singapore and Hong Kong regions, served as their Global VP of Business Development and transitioned the company from cash to online payments in Southeast Asia* Most recently at Lime, Chinmay was the Head of New Modalities and led experimentation into new form-factors as well as overseeing a 500 car-share pilot in Seattle* At Lime, he was also the Head of Strategy and Planning where he led market management, expansion and supply topicsThe Guest: Charlie Depman* Charlie is the Co-founder & CTO of Ridepanda* Charlie started off his career in China where he witnessed firsthand environmental degradation that emboldened him to work at environmental nonprofits* There, he also saw the mobility issues in big, unsustainable cities - when he was working at NYU Shanghai, he found programming and moved to SF to pursue it further* He joined Scoot Networks, the first to offer shared micro-mobility via smartphones, and rose to their Backend Technical Lead* When Scoot was acquired by Bird, he worked on their New Ventures Team exploring their first foray into multimodalityThe Company: One Liner: Offering employers a turnkey benefits platform for e-bike, pedal bike, and scooter subscriptions for their employeesRidepanda initially launched as a direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketplace for e-scooters and e-bikes but pivoted to focus on enterprise customers like Amazon, offering subscriptions and leasing for micro-mobility solutions. The pivot was driven by the need for predictable, recurring revenue and the realization that D2C was challenging due to supply chain issues and customer service complexities. Today, Ridepanda serves major companies like Google, Intuit, and Expedia, providing an end-to-end micro-mobility solution that includes a customized employee portal, vehicle servicing, and a robust data reporting dashboard. The company recently raised $7.5M from well-known VCs Blackhorn Ventures and Yamaha Motor Ventures to expand its operations and aims to get 100,000 employees on micro-mobility vehicles by 2026.Enjoying the CleanTechies PodLetter? Please show your support by subscribing! 📝 Show Notes:Topics* 03:23 Micromobility and its Reputation* 12:10 Employer Business Model* 20:43 Balancing Bike Production and Consumer Choice* 23:42 Accepting Seasonality* 28:55 Lessons from Foodpanda* 32:40 Transitioning to Lime and the Transportation Space* 35:21 Designing Software for Micro-Mobility* 46:23 Advice for FoundersLinks* Ridepanda | Chinmay Malaviya | Charlie Depman* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Asks 👋* We recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.* Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know. Here’s the thing: Somil and I both have day jobs, so if you’re in the helping mood, we both have an ask for you today.Somil: I’m currently seeking to connect with founders in the built environment space for a project I’m working on. If you’re in that space, schedule a chat here!Silas: As many of you know, my day job is solving people’s hiring headaches in climate - do you have a hiring headache? Well, let me be your Advil. (booking here)🚨🚨🚨 Early-stage founder looking for top-tier talent - reach out to Silas, and he’ll save you hundreds of hours (and tens of thousands of dollars) with your critical searches. 🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode! 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 the CleanTechies PodLetter, VC edition.Today, we are talking to Jessica Burley from Planet A.If you have not already heard about Planet A, you are in the right place because you’re about to be in the know (do people still say that? 🤔)Some of the core items we discuss are…* How their fund’s carry (the ‘success fee’ they make) is tied to the environmental impacts of the investments they make * How they use LCAs (you’ll hear more about it below) in their Due Diligence process* And perhaps most importantly to this audience, some stories of successful DeepTech founders We get into a lot more but those are the key topics covered - enjoy! (or if you’re actually really busy, skip to the relevant time stamps)📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelSubscribe to get more episodes with leading climate entrepreneurs (and the detailed show notes) directly in your inboxIf you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work.The Guest: Jessica Burley* Jessica Burley is an Investor at Planet A who got her start at the UN. Then she parlayed that into supporting a family office with impact investing. * From there she ended up at Planet A given her passion for the climate space and her focus on continuing to build network. * It’s worth pointing out that she doesn’t have an environmental studies education. Which, I hope will give confidence to all the folks worried they won’t be able to land a DeepTech VC role. It’s very possible and Jessica is proof. The VC: Planet AOne Liner: Investing in DeepTech ClimateTech startups and tying their carry to the environmental outcomes. Yes, you jsut read that right. They don’t make money unless they can actually invest in companies that remove carbon from the earth and help solve the climate problem. To achieve this, they perform life cycle analyais on how much carbon will be removed by the products their tentative portfolio companies. This is even more dificult when you consider that a lot of their investmetns are at the earliest stages where there is not a product to fully test. It’s a fascinating problem and one that needs solving since there are not enough early stage deeptech VCs investing in solving climate change. Enjoying the CleanTechies PodLetter? Please show your support by subscribing! 📝 Show Notes:Topics* 1:29 Introduction and Background* 2:22 The Role of Life Cycle Assessments in Investing* 8:44 Article 9 and the European Regulatory Landscape* 10:27 Interest in Climate Tech Investing Outside of Europe* 12:54 The Increasing Pace of Climate Tech Innovation* 13:33 Jess's Journey to Climate Tech Investing* 17:35 Transitioning from a Small Fund to a Larger Fund* 21:43 The Role of Brand and Value in Climate Tech Investing* 24:44 Sector Expertise and Operational Support in Investing* 26:23 Geothermal Drilling for Renewable Heating* 28:46 Investment Opportunities in Climate Tech* 30:45 The Hardware Playbook: Investing in Hardware Startups* 42:53 The German Climate Tech Ecosystem* 49:18 Building Genuine Relationships in the Climate Tech Ecosystem* 51:34 Takeaways* Evaluating Life Cycle Assessment in Investment Decisions* The Importance of the Hardware Playbook in the Investment Ecosystem* De-risking Talent in StartupsLinks* Planet A | Jessica Burley* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Asks 👋* We recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.* Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know. Here’s the thing: Somil and I both have day jobs, so if you’re in the helping mood, we both have an ask for you today.Somil: I’m currently seeking to connect with founders in the built environment space for a project I’m working on. If you’re in that space, schedule a chat here!Silas: As many of you know, my day job is solving people’s hiring headaches in climate - do you have a hiring headache? Well, let me be your Advil. (booking here)🚨🚨🚨 Early-stage founder looking for top-tier talent - reach out to Silas, and he’ll save you hundreds of hours (and tens of thousands of dollars) with your critical searches. 🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode! 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 the CleanTechies PodLetter, SPECIAL EP edition 🚨Today, we’re breaking down the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. 🔎To do that, we are talking to Franz Hochstrasser from S2 Strategies & Raise GreenThe Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) is a generational government program deploying $27B into clean energy projects across the US. But what is the bill really?Franz Hochstrasser is an expert in financing projects in low-income areas and has a wealth of experience working on climate for the government - both of which are KEY for GGRF. Franz started his career “giving his 20s” to the government, and with that doing some amazing work as the Special Advisor to the Special Envoy for Climate Change, Deputy Associate Director at the Council of Environmental Quality, and at the USDA.Since then, Franz founded Raise Green where he democratizes the ability to invest in climate solution projects. Through this, he is an expert in sustainable finance for inclusive growth and financing projects for low-income residents. He joined S2 Strategies to navigate GGRF and other landmark legislative movements. And it was an absolute blast to have him on. 📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelSubscribe to get these episodes and show notes directly in your inbox - if you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work. 📝 Show Notes:Topics* 01:55 Introduction and Background of Franz Hochstrasser  * 03:43 Understanding the GGRF* 06:39 The Structure of the GGRF* 08:54 Role of Green Banks in Climate Finance  * 13:32 Franz's Experience with the Obama Administration and the Paris Agreement  * 20:52 Community-Driven Financing and Raise Green  * 27:16 Impact of GGRF on Vulnerable and Low-Income Communities  * 31:06 Stories of Successful Community Solar and Green ProjectsLinks* Franz Hochstrasser | S2 Strategies | Raise Green* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Enjoy the content but unable to support financially? Share the episode with your network and mention your favorite aspect of the show. 🙏Asks 👋* We have recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear from you how we can improve the show and what you like most. Please take 7 minutes to help us with this. It’s 7 minutes for you, but it makes a huge impact on how we can serve you. * Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know. Here’s the thing: Somil and I both have day jobs, so if you’re in the helping mood, we both have an ask for you today.Somil: I’m currently seeking to connect with founders in the built environment space for a project I’m working on. If you’re in that space, schedule a chat here!Silas: As many of you know, my day job is solving people’s hiring headaches in climate - do you have a hiring headache? Well, let me be your Advil. (booking here)🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode! 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 the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.Today, we are talking to Vivas Kumar from Mitra ChemIn today’s conversation, we discuss… * How iron-based materials have a more sustainable and reliable future* What Vivas learned from negotiations at Tesla* How AI is 10x’ing their production process & More. Enjoy today’s episode, and let us know your thoughts in the comments Subscribe to get more episodes with leading climate entrepreneurs (and the detailed show notes) directly in your inboxIf you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work. 📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelThe Guest: Vivas KumarVivas Kumar is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mitra Chem, the first lithium-ion battery materials manufacturer focused on shortening the lab-to-production timeline by over 90%, addressing the largest barrier to innovation: R&D and scale-up speed.Previously, Vivas was a senior manager in Tesla's Battery Team, where he was the lead commercial negotiator for strategic contracts representing billions of dollars in aggregate multi-year spend along the battery materials supply chain (the company's largest BOM category). Throughout his career, he has conducted commercial negotiations and handled partnerships with executive and senior government counterparties in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific. Vivas earned degrees in engineering at Rice University, and an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is still actively involved at Rice University via mentoring students and, formerly through Board participation at the Rice Engineering Alumni and Association of Rice Alumni.The Startup: Mitra ChemIron-based Cathodes, Onshoring, AI, ProductionOne-liner: the first lithium-ion battery materials product company focused on shortening the lab-to-production timeline by over 90%, addressing the largest barrier to innovation: R&D and scale-up speedMitra Chem is a company focused on 3 problems:* Shifting the Western electric vehicle and energy storage industries' battery portfolio towards better, safer, cheaper iron-based battery cathodes* Building production capacity in the USA to offset production asset overconcentration in China* Accelerating by >90% the lab-to-market timeline for a portfolio of battery materials through a proprietary machine learning advantageEnjoy the content but unable to support financially? Share the episode with your network and mention your favorite aspect of the show. 🙏📝 Show Notes:Topics* 04:18 Starting as an Entrepreneur* 06:41 Near-Shoring* 10:18 Transitioning to Iron-Based Materials* 11:00 Trends and Challenges with Nickel, Cobalt, and Lithium* 14:49 Working at Benchmark's Mineral Intelligence Group* 24:50 Financing and Business Models in Climate Solutions* 27:32 Adapting Technology for Local Context* 31:31 Shifting from Innovation to Supply Chain* 35:13 Integration of AI and Automation in Production* 41:41 Longevity and Outlasting Competition* 44:08 Reducing Organizational Costs* 43:21 Finding the Right People* 45:23 The Importance of Curiosity and Motivation* 47:54 TakeawaysLinks* Vivas Kumar | Mitra Chem* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Asks 👋* We have recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear from you how we can improve the show and what you like most. Please take 7 minutes to help us with this. It’s 7 minutes for you, but it makes a huge impact on how we can serve you. * Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know. Here’s the thing: Somil and I both have day jobs, so if you’re in the helping mood, we both have an ask for you today.Somil: I’m currently seeking to connect with founders in the built environment space for a project I’m working on. If you’re in that space, schedule a chat here!Silas: As many of you know, my day job is solving people’s hiring headaches in climate - do you have a hiring headache? Well, let me be your Advil. (booking here)🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode! 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 the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.Today, we are talking to Josh Knauer from ReSeedIn today’s conversation, we discuss… * Why regenerative ag is the best form of carbon capture* How Josh is building both the technology and a global protocol to support their methodology* What’s worked with them collaborating with smallholder farmers & More. Enjoy today’s episode, and let us know your thoughts in the comments 📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelSubscribe to get these episodes and show notes directly in your inbox - if you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work. Already a subscriber? Join our Patreon to support the show by becoming a patron! 🙏The Guest: Josh KnauerJosh is the Co-Founder of ReSeed, creating premium carbon assets that directly compensate farmers globally for drawing down carbon.Josh has gone from deep in the Amazon rainforest and across the African Savanna to help indigenous tribes implement business strategies to protect their land and culture, to the board rooms of Fortune 100 companies, and startups, universities and non-profits in between. President Barack Obama asked him to join the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to help think through and implement open data initiatives throughout the federal government.He is also a serial tech entrepreneur, two companies of which were acquired by publicly traded companies.He has served on a wide range of local, national and international non-profit boards, including the Social Venture Network and WQED Multimedia. He also has been a frequent speaker at events like SXSW, AdWeek, the International Television Festival and many universities. The Startup: ReSeedCarbon Credits, Regenerative Agriculture, Smallholder FarmsOne-liner: creating carbon assets that directly compensate farmers globally for drawing down carbonReSeed brings carbon credits directly from farmers to the market. They are an end-to-end platform that incentivizes farmers to protect and remove carbon. Their unique business partnership with farmers helps combat climate change at scale. They believe that: * There is still a viable window of time to solve the climate crisis* Market forces can inspire billions of people and companies to participate in reversing climate change* An auditable, transparent and trustworthy data ecosystem is critical to make these changes happen Their vision is that soon, growing food will be recognized as essential to restoring the ecosystems that sustain us; farmers’ contributions to the health of the planet will be justly valued, and climate change can be stopped and reversed.Enjoy the content but unable to support financially? Share the episode with your network and mention your favorite aspect of the show. 🙏📝 Show Notes:Topics* 03:12 ReSeed* 06:35 Engaging with Farmers through Local NGOs* 08:03 Process of Onboarding Farmers and Issuing Credits* 11:23 Stabilizing Farmers on the Land* 30:07 Partnering with Farmers as Business Partners* 33:40 Photosynthesis as Carbon Capture* 35:42 The Trading Desk and Receipt Marketplace* 40:53 Maintaining the Highest Integrity Carbon Credits* 48:25 Announcing Partnership at COP28* 51:43 Investing in Nature-Based Solutions* 56:35 TakeawaysLinks* Josh Knauer | ReSeed* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Asks 👋* We have recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear from you how we can improve the show and what you like most. Please take 7 minutes to help us with this. It’s 7 minutes for you, but it makes a huge impact on how we can serve you. * Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know. Here’s the thing: Somil and I both have day jobs, so if you’re in the helping mood, we both have an ask for you today.Somil: I’m currently seeking to connect with founders in the built environment space for a project I’m working on. If you’re in that space, schedule a chat here!Silas: As many of you know, my day job is solving people’s hiring headaches in climate - do you have a hiring headache? Well, let me be your Advil. (booking here)🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode! 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 the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.Today, we are talking to Tom Gauthier from AgTechLogic.Heya! 👋 Welcome back to the pod — We’ve got a blooming episode to share with you today. We hope you’re eating something while you listen today. Here’s why… What AgTechLogic is doing has a massive impact on reducing the use of herbicides on crops. If you’re eating something, chances are it, or many of its ingredients had a hefty dose of herbicides. At the root of our discussion, we want to shine some light on three stems of thought. * The mind-boggling amount of chemicals used in food production today and how we have the ability to fix that today.* How this technology saves growers / farmers hundreds of hours per year, tons (literally) of water, and of course — will also save them a shed load of cash. * The importance of crafting an offer that your customer can implement. Enjoy the episode, and let us know in what ways you grow through listening (have we hit enough puns yet 🤣 🌱) 📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelSubscribe to get these episodes and show notes directly in your inbox - if you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work. Already a subscriber? Join our Patreon to support the show by becoming a patron! 🙏The Guest: Tom GauthierTom is the Founder and CEO at AgTechLogic where they are reducing herbicide use by up to 90%, saving farmers days of time each year, and substantially reducing waterusage by retrofitting farming equipment with precision sprayers powered by computer vision. After his time in the Army, Tom went on to have a long career in IT within CPG brands including P&G. Eventually he shifted into consulting and drifted towards the agricutlure space. Fast forward to 2018 and a chance conversation with an agronomist would set him on the path of founding AgTechLogic. The Startup: AgTechLogicAgTech, IoT, Retrofits, Water Efficiency One-liner: making produce healthier and saving farmers time, money, and water by retrofitting spraying equipment. In 2018, he connected with an agronomist who was a fellow boy scout parent, and their shared interest in the agriculture space would take root into a new mission for Tom—founding AgTechLogic. Through Tom’s expertise, and this Agronomist’s network, they soon had plenty of conversations to understand the problem—the first step in building a solution. Fast forward to present day (2024) they have completed a large scale demonstration with a grower in California. The results have demonstrated a savings of over $2,500 per day in chemical savings. This doesn’t even account for the dollar value of the time they save by taking fewer trips to the field or the cost of water. This is soley their savings from having to purchase fewer chemicals. Using computer vision, their sensors identify weeds and only spray them, reducing usage and ‘overspray’ onto the produce. This has an added affect of preventing mutation of plants to become more resistant to agri-chemicals. Nothing AgTechLogic is doing is dull—What is there not to love? Saving money. Saving water. Reducing harmful chemical usage. Saving time. And most importantly, saving the planet. 🌎Enjoy the content but unable to support financially? Share the episode with your network and mention your favorite aspect of the show. 🙏📝 Show Notes:TopicsBusy? Jump to the topic that stands out most! * 01:13 Introduction and Overview* 01:43 Reducing Chemical Overuse in Agriculture* 07:36 Validation and Early Discoveries* 11:11 Market Research and Initial Trials* 15:37 Concerns about Herbicide Usage* 20:34 Case Studies and Cost Savings* 24:04 Objections and Early Adoption* 24:57 Reducing Water Usage and Regrowth* 26:09 Building Trust and Landing the First Pilot* 28:54 Entrepreneurship Later in Career* 32:07 Collecting New Data* 35:40 IP and Moat* 37:38 Funding Journey* 41:03 Responsible Growth* 42:55 Future Plans and Getting the Message Out* 45:48 Reaching Out and Educating Farmers* 47:54 TakeawaysLinks* Tom Gauthier | AgTechLogic * Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.Asks 👋* Have you ever been asked to fill out a survey after getting dinner? Of course, you have—we all have been there. What a feeling—when the waiter did a great job, and you can tell this survey means a LOT to them… you can’t help but endure the inconvenience of filling it out when you get home. We might not be waiters, but we do really need your feedback. Of course, we are not asking you to rate our cooking skills but rather the experience of listening to this podcast. Over 8 hours go into producing each of these episodes across the two of us (yea… don’t ask us to hang out on a Saturday) — All the feedback you offer will help us ensure we spend those 8 hours in a way that is most valuable for you as a loyal listener. So, what do you say? Be a gem and fill out our listener survey. It takes ~7 min and means the world to us. * Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know. Here’s the thing: Somil and I both have day jobs, so if you’re in the helping mood, we both have an ask for you today.Somil: I’m currently seeking to connect with founders in the built environment space for a project I’m working on. If you’re in that space, schedule a chat here!Silas: If you’re a ClimateTech founder looking to hire top talent but don’t like the cost of headhunters… reach out. For a fraction of the cost of traditional headhunters, I’ll help you find top talent for your ClimateTech startup. (booking here)🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode! 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