The Tech 4 Climate Podcast

From politics to publishing, and now venture capital, Itamar Weizman provides a fascinating look at the climate tech landscape in Israel and beyond. Ep.#51 Itamar Weizman @ Firstime VC - Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup basecampPART 1: Meet the investorIn today’s episode, we are speaking with Itamar Weizman, Partner and Head of Climate Investments @ Firstime VC, one of the key players of the climate tech landscape in Israel. Itamar’s career began in non-profit activism with Greenpeace and political campaigning, but a few years ago, he made the shift toward climate and came in to lead climate tech at Firstime VC. He now also runs a non-profit publishing company to promote sustainable thinking in Hebrew. I was excited to have Itamar on the show and to learn from his extensive knowledge of the climate tech ecosystem in Israel. It was particularly interesting to learn what advantages he thinks Israel brings to the table in terms of the global ecosystem, and why Israel is such a leader in foodtech, transportation, and mobility. Above all, Itamar provided an interesting glimpse of how he arrived at leading climate tech at Firstime VC, and what his journey looked like along the way, peppered with book recommendations and the seminal studies he learned from that informed his thinking. In this episode, Itamar explains his drive to protect humanity from itself. In doing so, he explains how he joined Firstime VC, how he partners with founders, and how he measures impact versus greenwashing, to ensure that his fund truly contributes to climate efforts. Most importantly, he explains how he maintains his optimism on how we can solve climate change, despite the challenges, and how he avoids feeling demoralized about the challenging times ahead.. Part 2: My secret sauce:In the second part of the show, Itamar gives a run-through of what he looks for in the companies he invests in. Itamar is a self-professed podcast and book enthusiast, so he also gives an extensive list of the podcasts and books that have been useful to him in understanding the climate tech space. 🚨 OUR COMMITMENT🚨When we reach 1000 subscribers we will plant 1000 trees with our partners.🌱Help us to reach this 1st goal.Share 1 episode with a friend.❤️ 🌎Access to exclusive contents & learn more about Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp 👉 https://startupbasecamp.org/the-tech-4-climate-podcast/

Noah understands that DAC is not only necessary to counteract climate change, but is an important tool for carbon-producing countries to take responsibility for their emissions. Ep.#50 Noah McQueen, Co-Founder and Head of Research at Heirloom Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup BasecampPART 1: Meet the founder: Noah McQueen, Co-Founder and Head of Research at HeirloomDuring this new episode of our Founder Series, we are sitting down with Noah McQueen, Co-Founder and Head of Research at Heirloom. The DAC technology developed by Heirloom enhances a natural process called carbon mineralization, which helps minerals absorb CO2 from the ambient air in days rather than years. By combining the best of engineering and nature, Heirloom can offer the most cost-effective and scalable Direct Air Capture solution in the world.I was very much looking forward to speaking with Noah, whose academic background in chemical engineering provided valuable insight into the Direct Air Capture landscape. Noah has long been an activist and is primarily motivated by advocacy through a social justice lens, beginning with working for several years with LGBTQ+ students in STEM. During their PhD studies, Noah concentrated on DAC technology but realized the huge gap between the science on an academic level and the need to commercialize these technologies, a realization that coincided with meeting their co-founder and starting Heirloom. In this episode, Noah helps us visualize Heirloom’s direct air capture process, what minerals they use, and how they plan to scale their technology to reach 1 billion tons of CO2 captured by 2035. Not only that, but Noah explains the regulatory landscape and how we need to create a sustainable global carbon market, so that we grow compliance markets to match voluntary markets. Above all, Noah provides a detailed explanation not only of how to implement direct air capture, but also why it is critical for climate equity and justice. PART 2: My secret sauce: (AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS ONLY - More info on our site)During the second part of the talk, Noah offers a few tips for fundraising, specific for non-software companies, and how they have successfully onboarded big names like Stripe or Wise. Noah also explains how they manage a work-life balance as co-founder, and what they read, and do to take time off. 🚨 OUR COMMITMENT🚨When we reach 1000 subscribers we will plant 1000 trees with our Partners.🌱Help us to reach this 1st goal.Share 1 episode with a friend.❤️ 🌎Access to exclusive content & learn more about Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp 👉 https://startupbasecamp.org/the-tech-4-climate-podcast/

 Natan believes in the power and potential of humanity; that’s why he is doing his part to protect it. Ep.#49   Natan Shahar, Founder and CEO of Standard Carbon - Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup BasecampPART 1: Meet the founder: Natan Shahar, Founder & CEO at Standard CarbonDuring this new episode of our Founder Series, we are sitting down with Natan Shahar, Founder and CEO of Standard Carbon. Natan’s vision is that every fossil-fuel facility can be retrofitted to become carbon neutral. He built Standard Carbon so that current CO2 emissions from any-source can be turned back into fuel with renewable energy. I was excited to speak with Natan, whose powerful belief in the human potential has propelled him in his career. As a father of eight children, he believes that every human has tremendous capacity to innovate, create and bring value to the world. Armed with this belief, he embarked on a journey that led him to found Standard Carbon as a solution to humanity’s biggest challenge. Specifically, Natan understands the importance of creating technology that is accessible to the world’s poor, as only when we fight poverty, can we fight climate change.  In this episode, we will learn the ins and outs of the carbon sequestration market and process, how it works for non-scientists, and how captured GHG compares to the carbon market price. Natan also walks us through his solution to carbon sequestration, its scalability, market value, and how it compares to other solutions on the market. As a player in the GHG sequestration market, Natan offers a thorough run-through of the key challenges of the sector, and a clear explanation of the viability and significance of his solution to climate change PART 2: My secret sauce: (AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS ONLY - More info on our site)During the second part of the talk,  Natan offers a few tips for fundraising and gaining traction for your startup. He also explains how he has managed a work-life balance as the CEO of a tech startup and father of 8 children, and what advice he has for other founders. 🚨 OUR COMMITMENT🚨When we reach 1000 subscribers we will plant 1000 trees with our Partners.🌱Help us to reach this 1st goal.Share 1 episode with a friend.❤️  🌎Access to exclusive content & learn more about Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp        👉  https://startupbasecamp.org/the-tech-4-climate-podcast/

Zach has always worked as a sustainability entrepreneur; from a worm farm to Carbon Collective, Zach understands the scale of investing required to counteract climate change. Ep.#48   Zach Stein, Co-founder of Carbon Collective - Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup BasecampPART 1: Meet the founder:During this new episode of our Founder Series, we are sitting down with  Zach Stein Co-founder of Carbon Collective, the first online investment advisor 100% focused on climate change. When Zach founded the company, he understood that a lot of workers in the sustainability sector were not offered retirement plans that matched their values and their work. Furthermore, he saw a clear gap in the market for investment that was not just greenwashing but provided transparent investments in climate change.  Through Carbon Collective, he works with customers to allow them to align their investment goals with their values and life’s work. I was excited to speak with Zach, who has worked as an entrepreneur in the Bay Area for his entire career beginning with building a worm farm immediately after finishing university. After a few other start-up ventures, Zach built Carbon Collective as a way to accelerate divesting in fossil fuels and promoting investing in sustainability in a way that is more transparent for users and promises investment in real climate change solutions, not just greenwashing.  In this episode, we will learn more about the green or Climate  investing landscape. Zach walks us through the main challenges of current investing strategies and how most ESG funding is a step in the right direction, but still needs to be realigned with realisting climate change investing goals. Zach also explains the details of his business model, how he onboards customers, what stocks he chooses, and the market opportunity of Carbon Collective. Throughout this discussion, Zach provides an insightful perspective of how to invest in climate action in a way that truly allows us to not only to divest in fossil fuels, but fuel the 20-fold investment in sustainability needed to fight climate change. PART 2: My secret sauce: (AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS ONLY=> More info on our site)During the second part of the talk,  Zach provides insights on fundraising for young Climate Tech entrepreneurs, and how he has managed the work-life balance of being a CEO and a dad. Finally he will share some of the books he has read that have been useful along the way. 🚨 OUR COMMITMENT🚨When we reach 1000 subscribers we will plant 1000 trees with our Partners.🌱Help us to reach this 1st goal.Share 1 episode with a friend.❤️  🌎Access to exclusive content & learn more about Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp        👉  https://startupbasecamp.org/the-tech-4-climate-podcast/

Based in the Bay Area and with investments reaching across the pond, Paul Straub explains why focusing on the environment and human health are a multi-decade need and trend that he has capitalized on to ensure his investments make a significant impact. Ep.#47 Paul Straub @ Wireframe Ventures - Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup basecampPART 1: Meet the investorIn today’s episode, we are speaking with Paul Straub, Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Wireframe Ventures, a seed & early-stage VC firm backing missionary founders attacking hard problems with a focus on climate and human health. With the firm, they look for founding teams who can build a compelling product/service that can one day re-define a market or create an entirely new one. Their capital is early, active and patient, leading up to series A. I was excited to have Paul on the show and get his perspective on the climate tech landscape today. Prior launching the firm back in 2016, Paul spent 10 years+ as a VC actively investing in and supporting founders with Claremont Creek Ventures based in Silicon Valley. During that period, Paul and his co-founder identified that there was a clear gap in the market for investing in businesses that had an environmental or human health focus and saw a multi-decade need and trend in becoming capital partners with these kinds of businesses. In this episode, Paul will share his view of the headwinds and bumps of the climate/clean tech ecosystem and what impact government policies can have on the market. Paul also speaks specifically to the genesis of Wireframe Ventures, how he developed it, and where he finds the amazing founders they partner with. Together, we also explore some of his previous investments and discuss which sectors of the Climate Tech space he considers promising in terms of return and potential for impact.Part 2: My secret sauce:In the second part of the show, Paul will give his secret sauce for founders looking to pitch to investors successfully and the main criteria that he, as an investor, looks at when basing his investment decisions. He also explains which climate tech founders he is particularly interested in hearing from. Lastly, Paul gives 3 bits of advice to founders on how to build a successful fundraising strategy.🚨 OUR COMMITMENT🚨When we reach 1000 subscribers we will plant 1000 trees with our Partners.🌱Help us to reach this 1st goal.Share 1 episode with a friend.❤️ 🌎Access to exclusive contents & learn more about Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp 👉 https://startupbasecamp.org/the-tech-4-climate-podcast/

Looking for solutions to climate change can often be in the overlooked process we use to build our societyEp.#46 Cody Finke, co-founder and CEO of Brimstone EnergyPART 1: Meet the founder:During this new episode of our Founder Series, we are sitting down with Cody Finke, Co-founder and CEO of Brimstone Energy. Brimstone Energy creates the world's first carbon negative Portland cement without changing the product or the price. Brimstone has developed a cement formula that has successfully removed cement-making process emissions and yet is scalable and cost-effective. I was excited to speak with Cody, a lover of the outdoors, who began his career as a chemist working developing wastewater treatment technology at Caltech before realizing that if he wanted to make impactful change, he needed to start a business to sell new technologies able to tackle environmental problems. He therefore went in pursuit of finding a solution to the lesser-known environmental pollutants and settled on cement, currently A BIG challenge with great potential climate impacts, since Cement production currently contributes to 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In this episode, we will learn more about the often-overlooked cement industry, who the big players are, what gaps Cody discovered in the market, and how tackling the carbon emissions from cement-production can have a big impact on climate goals. Cody then goes into the details of cement production and how he plans to scale his cement process and promote his solution as the only one that tackles cement process emissions. Cody then gives us an overview of the biggest challenges in the market and what the main opportunities and risks of his business model are. PART 2: My secret sauce: (AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS ONLY -More info on our site)During the second part of our discussion, Cody will give his secret sauce for early-stage founders looking to fundraise by giving his tips based on his last funding round of 55M USD. Finally, he will share how he has managed to maintain a good work-life balance as a busy CEO and some of the books he found useful. 🚨 OUR COMMITMENT🚨When we reach 1000 subscribers we will plant 1000 trees with our Partners.🌱Help us to reach this 1st goal.Share 1 episode with a friend.❤️ 🌎Access to exclusive content & learn more about Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp 👉 https://startupbasecamp.org/the-tech-4-climate-podcast/

From political tech to frontier tech, Michael found you don’t need a science background to make a big impact in climate tech. Ep.#45 Michael Luciani, founder of Exponential Impact  - Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup basecampPART 1: Meet the investorIn today’s episode, we are speaking with Michael Luciani, founding partner at Exponential Impact Rolling Fund.  Exponential Impact is a pre-seed and seed stage fund that backs frontier-tech founders developing technologies largely in the field of synthetic biology tech, deeptech or hardtech startups in order to provide radically effective solutions for  the Climate crisis . I was excited to speak with Michael whose varied career path began with his domestic policy work in the White House to then join the Hilary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign. He then transitioned into the Tech sector when he founded Tuesday, a political-tech startup for advocacy organizations and nonprofits which has been backed by well-known Tech investors such as ​​Reid Hoffman or Chris Sacca, prior to being acquired in 2020. Despite not having a background in science, Michael found that he could still make a valuable contribution to the climate tech sector and founded Exponential Impact to support companies that have the potential to save the world (literally). With Michael’s interesting background, I was looking forward to getting his non-scientist  view on synthetic biology and its huge potential impact on the economy and the climate tech sector. During the show, Micheal gives an interesting overview of the synthetic bio landscape and who he sees are the major players, the regulatory challenges and opportunities, and the most exciting synbio tech applications that are currently cooking in the labs. He also shares more about his approach to climate tech funding, how he built Exponential impact, how he sources founders, what he offers them and how he measures their potential impact. Part 2: My secret sauce:In the second part of the show, Michael gives his secret sauce for founders looking to pitch to investors and the criteria he uses to base his investment decisions along with a few examples of what works, what doesnt, and the red flags he notices when hearing pitches. Lastly, Michael gives us his main book recommendations for Entrepreneurs in Climate Tech. 🚨 OUR COMMITMENT🚨When we reach 1000 subscribers we will plant 1000 trees with our Partners.🌱Help us to reach this 1st goal.Share 1 episode with a friend.❤️  🌎Access to exclusive contents & learn more about Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp        👉  https://startupbasecamp.org/the-tech-4-climate-podcast/

Starting his career as an environmental engineer, William found that one of the best ways of protecting the planet was with climate tech. Ep.#44 William Loopesko, Founder and CTO of Aclymate - Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup BasecampPART 1: Meet the founder:During this new episode of our Founder Series, we are sitting down with William Loopesko, Co-founder and CTO of Aclymate. Aclymate (a Techstars-backed company), is a free and easy carbon accounting software solution specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses who want to address their climate footprint, but don't have time to become climate experts.I was excited to speak with William, who has always been passionate about protecting the environment. Growing up in Colorado, William spent a lot of his time enjoying the outdoors and wanted to do his part to protect the natural environment. William began his career as a hydrologist before realizing that environmental engineering was not the best way of protecting the planet. After a previous experience as a solo founder, William co-founded Aclymate in 2021, with the vision to make it easy and affordable for small businesses to achieve carbon neutrality by providing an automated carbon footprint calculator and offering high-quality carbon offsets. In this episode, we will learn more about the main players and needs in the carbon-accounting landscape today, the challenges and opportunities of current carbon-accounting regulations, and how to incentivize businesses to offset their footprint. We will look at the ins and outs of carbon accounting, how to find carbon projects, how to calculate footprints, and how to create a platform that is easy to use for customers. Finally, we will look at his founder's journey, the challenges he had to overcome, and the next steps necessary to achieve his visions. We will conclude the interview with William’s thoughts on how we can tackle the climate crisis and how you can get involved in the process.PART 2: My secret sauce: (AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS ONLY - More info on our site)During the second part of the talk, William will give his secret sauce for early-stage founders looking to fundraise by giving his tips after graduating from Techstars Sustainability for increasing the odds of success. Finally, he will share how he has managed to maintain a good work-life balance as a busy CEO and what he has learned to spend his energy on to re-energize. 🚨 OUR COMMITMENT🚨When we reach 1000 subscribers we will plant 1000 trees with our Partners.🌱Help us to reach this 1st goal.Share 1 episode with a friend.❤️ 🌎Access to exclusive content & learn more about Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp 👉 https://startupbasecamp.org/the-tech-4-climate-podcast/

From living in rural Honduras to Facebook and now funding climate tech, meet Dimitry Gershenson, Founder and CEO of Enduring PlanetEp.#43 Dimitry Gershenson, Founder and CEO of Enduring Planet - Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup BasecampPART 1: Meet the founder:During this new episode of our Founder Series, we are sitting down with Dimitry Gershenson, Co-founder and CEO of Enduring Planet. Dimitry built Enduring Planet to be a fintech lender focused exclusively on the new climate economy in order to provide fast and simple, founder-friendly capital to climate entrepreneurs, both big and small. His company lends to startups and SMBs through a product called revenue-based financing which requires no collateral, no personal guarantees, and no dilution. Above all, it was designed to be easy and fast for entrepreneurs so they can apply in ten minutes, get a term sheet in a week, and get funded in 30 days.I was excited to speak with Dimitry, who discovered his passion for sustainability while working in Honduras. Realizing the possibility of improving livelihoods while meeting climate and environmental goals, Dimitry got a master's in Energy and Resources at Berkeley University before working at Facebook to build a program improving access to energy in emerging markets helping get people electricity for the first time and helped get access for credit to women entrepreneurs that were building ecommerce businesses on the platform. He then transitioned to Enduring Planet, a smallholding company with a variety of portfolios, where he eventually pitched the idea to create Enduring Planet to specifically fund climate-focused companies. In this episode, we will learn more about the main players and needs in the climate finance landscape today, the global amount needed to reach net-zero versus how much is currently deployed, and the main challenges and opportunities in the market to accelerate the capital deployment. Together we will cover how Enduring Planet was created, what gaps Dimitry found in the market that inspired him to focus on revenue-based financing, and how his solution compares to others in the market. Finally, Dimitry will share his founder's journey in building Enduring Planet, what keeps him up at night and how you can get involved. PART 2: My secret sauce: (AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS ONLY - More info on our site)During the second part of the talk, Dimitry will give his secret sauce for early-stage founders looking to fundraise by giving his tips for increasing the odds of success. Finally, he will share how he has managed to maintain a good work-life balance as a busy CEO and some of the books he has learned from. 🚨 OUR COMMITMENT🚨When we reach 1000 subscribers we will plant 1000 trees with our Partners.🌱Help us to reach this 1st goal. Share 1 episode with a friend.❤️ 🌎Access to exclusive content & learn more about Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp 👉 https://startupbasecamp.org/the-tech-4-climate-podcast/

From Goldman to Kleiner and the launch of G2VP, this Aussie has been at the forefront of support for entrepreneurs at the growth stage who are unlocking new paths to environmentally and socially responsible economic growth. Meet Ben Kortlang, Partner @ G2VP Ep.#42  Ben Kortlang, Partner @ G2 Venture Partners (G2VP) - Tech4Climate Podcast by Startup basecampPART 1: Meet the investorIn today’s episode, we are speaking with  Ben Kortlang, Partner at G2VP. G2 Venture Partners is a venture and growth firm focused on emerging technologies driving sustainable transformation across traditional industries. The firm focuses on supporting entrepreneurs at the growth stage who are unlocking new paths to environmentally and socially responsible economic growth.I was excited to have Ben on the show, a self-described “aussie, forced environmentalist” who grew up surrounded by nature and no electricity in the Australian bush, has spent his last 20 years proving that companies could be profitable and sustainable in business to win big. Prior to starting G2VP, Ben spent 7 years at Goldman Sachs and then joined the Silicon Valley VC ecosystem in 2008 with Kleiner Perkins where he started the Green Growth Fund focused on growth-stage sustainable industrial technology companies until 2020. In this episode, Ben will share his view of the US climate tech ecosystem, the fundamentals that drive the market today compared to the early days of the Cleantech era 1.0, and the US advantages/weaknesses compared to the EU and rest of the world. Then, he will discuss the framework G2VP developed to back winning growth stage companies in sustainable industrial tech and how they support their growth with their “G2VP Growth toolkit” .Together, we will go on to explore the climate tech sectors with promising impact/cash returns and the areas he believes have exciting potential for investment, growth, and impact. Afterward, Ben will share his view on the climate crisis today, why all the nature-based and tech solutions are important to solve the climate crisis, and how you can be involved with G2VP today.Part 2: My secret sauce:In the second part of the show, Ben will give his secret sauce for founders looking to pitch to investors successfully and share the key metrics investors are looking for when making their investment decisions. Lastly, Ben will cover how he tackles challenges to maintain a healthy work-life balance and share a few inspiring reads for climate tech founders. 🚨 OUR COMMITMENT🚨When we reach 1000 subscribers we will plant 1000 trees with our Partners.🌱Help us to reach this 1st goal.Share 1 episode with a friend.❤️  🌎Access to exclusive contents & learn more about Tech 4 Climate Podcast by Startup Basecamp        👉  https://startupbasecamp.org/the-tech-4-climate-podcast/