Climate Tech Cocktails

“I like to say we’re not a mission driven company.  We’re not a company with a mission.  We’re a mission with a company.”  -Ryan Shearman, Co-founder and CEO of Aether Diamonds@RyanShearmanNYC, Co-founder and CEO of @AetherDiamonds, a startup creating the world’s first positive-impact diamonds.  Ryan Shearman is a mechanical engineer turned entrepreneur. Early in his career, Ryan joined David Yurman as one of the first hires on their new Men's team, where he was responsible for overseeing the development of some of the brand's most iconic and commercially successful collections at the time, shipping over $80M worth of product in under three years. In 2013 Ryan founded his first startup, Fusar, a direct-to-consumer brand that developed tech-enabled safety products for the motorcycle market. Ryan currently serves as the founder and CEO of Aether, where he combines his passions for technology and jewelry with his personal mission to help solve the climate crisis. In his free time, Ryan can be found riding his motorcycle, teaching his dog new tricks, and spending time with his family.   As always, HUGE shout out to Climate Tech Cocktails official sponsors ☀️Yotta Energy and 💎Aether DiamondsAlso a BIG shout out to Climate Tech Cocktails’ first official SUPER Climate Warrior patron supporter, Extreme Tech Challenge!  👀 Want to learn more and be listed here?!?  Visit https://www.patreon.com/ctc1Enjoy the show!🤝 This episode is brought to you by ☀️Yotta Energy !  We all know energy storage is key to deploying renewables at scale. I’ve seen many energy storage solutions for commercial buildings over my years in climate tech, but none as impressive as Yotta’s.  Yotta Energy’s unique "PV-Coupled" ecosystem of solar+storage solutions simply integrates within the standard solar installation process. Even better, their integrated storage technology can enable up to 60% more solar to be deployed on commercial buildings.  With commercial buildings consuming 35% of US electricity that means Yotta is making a serious dent in CO2 emissions. With the electrification of everything revolution underway, Yotta Energy is poised to meet the growing demands of electrification by sizing solar+storage resources to recharge electric vehicles as they future proof buildings into distributed energy sites powering the grid of the future. Find out more at YottaEnergy.com and follow Yotta on Twitter @YottaEnergy.🤝 This episode is also brought to you by 💎 Aether Diamonds.  If you’re planning to propose, or purchase a timeless gift for your partner, I couldn’t think of a better purchase than Aether Diamonds.  Aether Diamonds are the world’s most sustainable diamonds, and the only diamonds that are actually GOOD for the planet!  Aether creates the world's first positive-impact diamonds made from captured CO2.  In fact, every carat of Aether Diamonds offsets your personal carbon footprint for over a year.  These are 100% real diamonds with a real impact. They’re some of the highest quality diamonds you can buy, and are certified by IGI, the world's largest independent laboratory for testing and grading gemstones and fine jewelry. Now you’re no longer stuck having to choose between mined and regular lab-grown diamonds, both of which harm the environment.  Aether offers the only truly sustainable diamonds on the market, requiring no ethical or environmental trade-offs… in other words, they're the only guilt-free diamonds available in the world.  To learn more about these revolutionary diamonds from air, visit their website at aetherdiamonds.com and follow on Twitter @aetherdiamondsInterested in sponsoring Climate Tech Cocktails (CTC)?  Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.comFor show notes and past guests, please visit the CTC Substack.Follow CTC:TwitterInstagramFacebook

“How is everyone not working on climate change?...In my understanding of the science, I would say it will define the lives of people in my generation.”  -Kathy Hannun, Founder and President of Dandelion Energy@KathyHannun, Founder and President of @DandelionEnergy, the largest residential geothermal company in the United States.  Before founding Dandelion, Hannun was a Rapid Evaluator at X, Alphabet’s innovation lab, where she focused on finding “Moonshots”.  Kathy initiated Dandelion as an X project and then launched it into an independent startup company in May 2017.  Dandelion has since raised millions in funding from top VCs, set a new standard for geothermal quality and cost-effectiveness, and empowered homeowners to avoid over 100 million pounds of carbon emissions and counting.  In February 2021, Dandelion raised a $30MM Series B funding round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures.  As always, HUGE shout out to Climate Tech Cocktails official sponsors ☀️Yotta Energy and 💎Aether DiamondsAlso a BIG shout out to Climate Tech Cocktails’ first official SUPER Climate Warrior patron supporter, Extreme Tech Challenge!  👀 Want to learn more and be listed here?!?  Visit https://www.patreon.com/ctc1Enjoy the show!🤝 This episode is brought to you by ☀️Yotta Energy !  We all know energy storage is key to deploying renewables at scale. I’ve seen many energy storage solutions for commercial buildings over my years in climate tech, but none as impressive as Yotta’s.  Yotta Energy’s unique "PV-Coupled" ecosystem of solar+storage solutions simply integrates within the standard solar installation process. Even better, their integrated storage technology can enable up to 60% more solar to be deployed on commercial buildings.  With commercial buildings consuming 35% of US electricity that means Yotta is making a serious dent in CO2 emissions. With the electrification of everything revolution underway, Yotta Energy is poised to meet the growing demands of electrification by sizing solar+storage resources to recharge electric vehicles as they future proof buildings into distributed energy sites powering the grid of the future. Find out more at YottaEnergy.com and follow Yotta on Twitter @YottaEnergy.🤝 This episode is also brought to you by 💎 Aether Diamonds.  If you’re planning to propose, or purchase a timeless gift for your partner, I couldn’t think of a better purchase than Aether Diamonds.  Aether Diamonds are the world’s most sustainable diamonds, and the only diamonds that are actually GOOD for the planet!  Aether creates the world's first positive-impact diamonds made from captured CO2.  In fact, every carat of Aether Diamonds offsets your personal carbon footprint for over a year.  These are 100% real diamonds with a real impact. They’re some of the highest quality diamonds you can buy, and are certified by IGI, the world's largest independent laboratory for testing and grading gemstones and fine jewelry.Now you’re no longer stuck having to choose between mined and regular lab-grown diamonds, both of which harm the environment.  Aether offers the only truly sustainable diamonds on the market, requiring no ethical or environmental trade-offs… in other words, they're the only guilt-free diamonds available in the world. To learn more about these revolutionary diamonds from air, visit their website at aetherdiamonds.com and follow on Twitter @aetherdiamondsInterested in sponsoring Climate Tech Cocktails (CTC)?  Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.comFor show notes and past guests, please visit the CTC Substack.Follow CTC:TwitterInstagramFacebook

“If the next 4 billion ACs are all heat pumps, they can also decarbonize heating while we’re expanding access to AC. If they have low carbon refrigerants we can solve the refrigerant problem.  Lastly, if we make sure they’re all smart and WiFi connected we can help modernize the grid at the same time and have more solar and wind on the grid.”  -Vince Romanin, Co-founder and CEO of Gradient.  Vince Romanin is the CEO of Gradient (@GradientComfort), which is on a mission to cool the world sustainably.  Gradient plans to achieve this by increasing the efficiency of heating and cooling systems, removing harmful refrigerants, and electrifying the heating sector, all of which combined can offset about 2 GtCO2/year, or 7% of our total emissions today. Gradient’s first product is an easier-to-install and easier-to-use heat pump that is quiet and gives you your window back.As always, HUGE shout out to Climate Tech Cocktails official sponsors ☀️Yotta Energy and 💎Aether DiamondsAlso a BIG shout out to Climate Tech Cocktails’ first official SUPER Climate Warrior patron supporter, Extreme Tech Challenge!  👀 Want to learn more and be listed here?!?  Visit https://www.patreon.com/ctc1Enjoy the show!🤝 This episode is brought to you by ☀️Yotta Energy !  We all know energy storage is key to deploying renewables at scale. I’ve seen many energy storage solutions for commercial buildings over my years in climate tech, but none as impressive as Yotta’s.  Yotta Energy’s unique "PV-Coupled" ecosystem of solar+storage solutions simply integrates within the standard solar installation process. Even better, their integrated storage technology can enable up to 60% more solar to be deployed on commercial buildings.  With commercial buildings consuming 35% of US electricity that means Yotta is making a serious dent in CO2 emissions. With the electrification of everything revolution underway, Yotta Energy is poised to meet the growing demands of electrification by sizing solar+storage resources to recharge electric vehicles as they future proof buildings into distributed energy sites powering the grid of the future. Find out more at YottaEnergy.com and follow Yotta on Twitter @YottaEnergy.🤝 This episode is also brought to you by 💎 Aether Diamonds.  If you’re planning to propose, or purchase a timeless gift for your partner, I couldn’t think of a better purchase than Aether Diamonds.  Aether Diamonds are the world’s most sustainable diamonds, and the only diamonds that are actually GOOD for the planet!  Aether creates the world's first positive-impact diamonds made from captured CO2.  In fact, every carat of Aether Diamonds offsets your personal carbon footprint for over a year.  These are 100% real diamonds with a real impact. They’re some of the highest quality diamonds you can buy, and are certified by IGI, the world's largest independent laboratory for testing and grading gemstones and fine jewelry.Now you’re no longer stuck having to choose between mined and regular lab-grown diamonds, both of which harm the environment.  Aether offers the only truly sustainable diamonds on the market, requiring no ethical or environmental trade-offs… in other words, they're the only guilt-free diamonds available in the world. To learn more about these revolutionary diamonds from air, visit their website at aetherdiamonds.com and follow on Twitter @aetherdiamondsInterested in sponsoring Climate Tech Cocktails (CTC)?  Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.comFor show notes and past guests, please visit the CTC Substack.Follow CTC:TwitterInstagramFacebook

“Globally we’re emitting about 5 Gigatons of CO2 from Diesel engines every year...so you’re looking at about 15% total emissions coming from that fuel in particular.”  -BJ Johnson, Co-founder and CEO of ClearFlame Engines.  BJ Johnson (@bj_johnson87) is CEO and Co-founder of ClearFlame Engines (@ClearFlameEng), which is a startup taking the diesel fuel out of the diesel engine for heavy-duty industries. BJ leads business development, fundraising, and strategic planning operations at ClearFlame. BJ received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford in 2015 while developing the technology used by ClearFlame. At Stanford, BJ was supported by fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) program, and Stanford’s School of Engineering. BJ was also a member of the USA Swimming national team, representing the United States at world championships, and participating as a leader in USA Swimming diversity camps. Enjoy the show!🤝 This episode is brought to you by ☀️ Yotta Energy!  We all know energy storage is key to deploying renewables at scale. I’ve seen many energy storage solutions for commercial buildings over my years in climate tech, but none as impressive as Yotta’s.  Yotta Energy’s unique "PV-Coupled" ecosystem of solar+storage solutions simply integrates within the standard solar installation process. Even better, their integrated storage technology can enable up to 60% more solar to be deployed on commercial buildings.  With commercial buildings consuming 35% of US electricity that means Yotta is making a serious dent in CO2 emissions. With the electrification of everything revolution underway, Yotta Energy is poised to meet the growing demands of electrification by sizing solar+storage resources to recharge electric vehicles as they future proof buildings into distributed energy sites powering the grid of the future. Find out more at YottaEnergy.com and follow Yotta on Twitter @YottaEnergy.🤝 This episode is also brought to you by 💎 Aether Diamonds.  If you’re planning to propose, or purchase a timeless gift for your partner, I couldn’t think of a better purchase than Aether Diamonds.  Aether Diamonds are the world’s most sustainable diamonds, and the only diamonds that are actually GOOD for the planet!  Aether creates the world's first positive-impact diamonds made from captured CO2.  In fact, every carat of Aether Diamonds offsets your personal carbon footprint for over a year.  These are 100% real diamonds with a real impact. They’re some of the highest quality diamonds you can buy, and are certified by IGI, the world's largest independent laboratory for testing and grading gemstones and fine jewelry.Now you’re no longer stuck having to choose between mined and regular lab-grown diamonds, both of which harm the environment.  Aether offers the only truly sustainable diamonds on the market, requiring no ethical or environmental trade-offs… in other words, they're the only guilt-free diamonds available in the world. To learn more about these revolutionary diamonds from air, visit their website at aetherdiamonds.com and follow on Twitter @aetherdiamondsInterested in sponsoring Climate Tech Cocktails (CTC)?  Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.comFor show notes and past guests, please visit the CTC Substack.Follow CTC:TwitterInstagramFacebook

“(in 10 years) The grid is a decarbonized, decentralized, and digitized network taking full advantage of the network effects that we all enjoy in a modern technology stack.”  -Gregg Dixon, Co-founder and CEO of VoltusGregg Dixon (@gregg_dixon) is the Co-founder and CEO of Voltus (@voltusinc), connecting customers, investors, teammates, and the world with Voltus value, ensuring that the vision for the company, and its culture, is meeting their expectations.  Gregg is a world-renowned expert in commercial and industrial energy management and has pioneered many of today’s innovations that unlock the economic and environmental benefits of “intelligent energy.”  Prior to co-founding Voltus, Gregg was the Senior VP of Marketing and Sales and a founding executive at EnerNOC, a leading provider of demand response, energy procurement, and energy intelligence software.  Enjoy the show!Climate Tech Cocktails (CTC) is a bootstrapped project.  Interested in sponsoring?  Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.comFor show notes and past guests, please visit the CTC Substack.Follow CTC on Twitter

“The more I looked into it, the more broken the pet food industry was.  It accounts for 25-30% of meat consumed in the U.S...it just makes no sense because we can make protein out of yeast, out of fungi, out of plants...and so I’m like, somebody needs to start this company.”  -Ryan Bethencourt, Co-founder and CEO of Wild Earth.  Ryan Bethencourt (@ryanbethencourt) is a co-founder and CEO at Wild Earth (@wildearthpets), bringing years of experience in leading, building and advising high-growth food and biotechnology companies. Ryan is a biotech entrepreneur, investor, and one of the founders of the biohacker movement. He’s a co-founder, former Program Director, and Venture Partner at IndieBio (@indbio) and has invested in over 110 early stage biotech startups and served as the head of life sciences at the XPRIZE Foundation (@xprize). As an ethical vegan, Ryan is passionate about the future of biology as a technology, applied across all industries to solve some of humanity’s most intractable problems. Ryan fosters dogs for Rocket Dog Rescue and is passionate about mindfulness, meditation, and mentoring. Enjoy the show!Climate Tech Cocktails (CTC) is a bootstrapped project.  Interested in sponsoring?  Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.comFor show notes and past guests, please visit the CTC Substack.Follow CTC:TwitterInstagramFacebook

“We need to make poop the new gold.  We need to give new ways for poop to become the input, and for antibiotics to become the output...or for polymers or for bioplastics to become the output.  That just means cozying up with bacteria, because they can do it.”  -Sarah Richardson, Co-founder and CEO, MicroByreSarah is a computationally inclined microbiologist and science communicator: she speaks charmingly to computers, bacteria, and people. Sarah grew up in West Baltimore, and after completing a PhD in human genetics and molecular biology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a Postdoctoral fellowship at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sarah founded the biotech startup MicroByre (@MicroByre), where she leads a skilled and diverse team in the construction of genomic toolkits for non‐model prokaryotes.  Trained to straddle disciplines, Sarah has a very unique perspective on the emerging technologies made possible by synthetic biology.Enjoy the show!Climate Tech Cocktails (CTC) is a bootstrapped project.  Interested in sponsoring?  Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.com For show notes and past guests, please visit the CTC Substack.Follow CTC:TwitterInstagramFacebook

“The overview effect is an example of being exposed to something, perhaps one of the largest things  possible, which is the entirety of the Earth all at once.  It’s “awe” in one of the grandest scales imaginable.”  -Benjamin Grant, Founder, OverviewBenjamin Grant is Founder of Overview (@DOverview).  Overview uses satellite and aerial imagery to demonstrate how human activity and natural forces shape our Earth.  Ben’s newest book "Overview Timelapse" was released in October 2020 and named one of Barnes and Noble’s best books of the year.  Ben’s daily feature - Daily Overview - has attracted an Instagram following of more than 1 million followers, one of the largest for a brand with an environmental focus. And Ben’s first book "Overview: A New Perspective of Earth" has been critically-acclaimed by the New York Times, The Economist, Fast Company, CNN and was selected as one of the "Best Books of 2016" by Amazon, The Smithsonian, and the Los Angeles Times.Enjoy the show!Climate Tech Cocktails (CTC) is a bootstrapped project.  Interested in sponsoring?  Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.com For show notes and past guests, please visit the CTC Substack.Follow CTC:TwitterInstagramFacebook

“Right now the process is so inefficient to make a steak.  It takes two years to make a steak and the greenhouse gases from a cow is equivalent to a car.  So it’s hugely more inefficient than it needs to be.  It’s way past time to be redone, for us to figure out new ways to do it.  We’re focused at Air Protein on making meat in a matter of hours and not days.  Making it using the most sustainable processes on the planet.  Making it highly nutritious and of course still delivering the flavors that my husband, a meat eater, wants to experience when biting into a juicy steak.  ” -Lisa Dyson, Founder and CEO, Air ProteinLisa Dyson is Founder and CEO of Air Protein (@AirProtein).  Air Protein is a Bay Area based company that is working to reverse climate change and address food scarcity by making meat from elements of the air. Using a technology inspired by NASA, Air Protein makes the world's first air-based meat - using less land, water and other natural resources for the most sustainable meat on the planet. Lisa has a PhD in Physics from MIT, and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of London, where she received an MS in Physics with an emphasis in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces, and has degrees in Mathematics and Physics from Brandeis University. Enjoy the show!Climate Tech Cocktails (CTC) is a bootstrapped project.  Interested in sponsoring?  Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.com For show notes and past guests, please visit the CTC Substack. Follow CTC:TwitterInstagramFacebook

“Spotify tells you the music you’re gonna like, Amazon tells you stuff you’re gonna buy, Netflix tells you which movies you’re gonna watch.  All this is doing is saying ‘Hey, scientist, you tried these things and they didn’t work, you tried these things and they did work, here’s something you probably never would’ve thought of, but we think it’s gonna work.” -Austin Sendek, Founder and CEO, AionicsAustin Sendek (@BatteryCowboy) is the Founder and CEO of Aionics (@AionicsInc), a Silicon Valley startup that is leveraging the power of A.I. to accelerate the development of new materials for a zero carbon future. Austin is widely credited with leading the first successful demonstration of A.I. outperforming humans in the design of new battery materials, which he led while he was a doctoral student in Applied Physics at Stanford University. His research publications have been cited over 1,200 times, and he was included in Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 in Energy list in 2019. Enjoy the show!Climate Tech Cocktails (CTC) is a bootstrapped project.  Interested in sponsoring?  Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.com For show notes and past guests, please visit the CTC Substack. Follow CTC:TwitterInstagramFacebook