Rooted in Change

Keeping barnacles and algae off of ship hulls without poisoning the water remains a massive challenge for the maritime industry, often requiring polluting chemicals. The industry continues to rely on these toxic paints. BioHalo replaces these outdated coatings by using biotechnology to create safe, eco-friendly alternatives. By rethinking the chemistry from the ground up, BioHalo produces a highly...

Aligning solar energy production with actual grid demand remains one of the hardest challenges in the energy transition, often resulting in peak generation when we need it the least. The industry continues to rely on traditional, tilted rooftop arrays. Over Easy Solar replaces these conventional setups by introducing vertical, double-sided solar panels. By optimizing these arrays for east-west ins...

When we think about climate change, we most of the time think about CO2. But neutralizing methane, a gas with an even higher global warming potential, when it is too spread out to simply catch and burn remains a massive challenge for global climate efforts. The industry continues to rely on traditional methods like flaring that only work on highly concentrated leaks. Sixteen44 replaces these limit...

Managing extraneous water and optimizing sewer networks remains one of the hardest challenges in the water industry, requiring costly and labor-intensive monitoring. Utilities continue to rely on these inefficient traditional methods. Pluvion changes that by introducing intelligent, AI-driven software to the wastewater sector. By analyzing data from existing level sensors to efficiently detect and...

Storing and transporting renewable hydrogen remains one of the hardest challenges of the energy transition, requiring complex and expensive high-pressure tanks. The industry continues to rely on these inefficient methods. Iron Energy replaces traditional tanks by turning hydrogen into a stable, solid energy carrier. By reacting hydrogen with iron oxide to safely lock the energy into metallic iron,...

Global climate goals require massive amounts of carbon removal. Therefore, we need to find scalable, permanent solutions. Many efforts continue to rely solely on land-based technologies. Planeteers unlocks the planet's largest natural carbon sink by enhancing the ocean's ability to safely absorb and store CO2. By operating at the intersection of ocean science and entrepreneurship, Planeteers provi...

The traditional cement industry relies on proven chemistry and typically looks for minor process improvements rather than fundamental change. This has contributed to the fact that, until now, the industry has produced high CO2 emissions. Cemvision reinvents the process from the ground up by replacing virgin limestone with recycled industrial residues. But creating green cement is only part of the...

Data centers generate immense heat and require constant, energy-intensive cooling to run their servers. Those facilities typically vent that excess energy as waste, until now. NeoCarbon turns data centers into carbon capture machines by integrating Direct Air Capture technology directly into their infrastructure. By utilizing the servers' waste heat to power the process, NeoCarbon acts as a therma...

Heavy industries need high temperatures to run their processes, making certain processes hard to electrify. Those companies continue to rely on fossil gas, until now. Meva Energy replaces fossil gas by building gasification plants directly on-site at the factory. By converting local biomass residue into clean, renewable gas, Meva provides the intense heat needed for industrial processes, cutting c...

Reaching Net Zero is one of the defining challenges of our time, but reducing emissions alone won't be enough - we also need to actively remove carbon from the atmosphere. That’s exactly where Carbo Culture comes in. Their team has developed a proprietary technology that converts waste biomass into stable biochar. In this episode, I talk with Hanna about how their technology works, the critical ro...

Clean water is one of the defining challenges of our time and even its own Sustainable Development Goal. One essential piece of the puzzle is wastewater purification. That’s exactly where Stockholm Water Technology comes in. Their team has developed a chemical- and membrane-free purification technology that uses only electricity to remove contaminants and even recover valuable nutrients. In this e...

As the heating season kicks off, energy use and energy bills start climbing fast. In this episode, I talk with Felix, co-founder and CEO at viboo, who are tackling this challenge head-on. Their platform uses AI-driven heating control to help light commercial buildings save energy, cut costs, and reduce CO₂ emissions. We dive into how their solution works, why it’s particularly effective for light...

Unbound Potential is rethinking batteries. By removing costly membranes and complex cell stacks, their membrane-free redox flow technology stores energy in two liquids with minimal hardware, lasting over 20,000 cycles. I chat with the company's CFO Emilio Dal Re about how it works, why it matters for the energy transition, and the recent pre-seed funding plus early pilots with companies like Amazo...

Waste streams are often overlooked, but they hold enormous potential. TreaTech has developed a technology that captures the full value of a broad range of end products - from renewable gas to clean water, salts and minerals - turning waste into valuable resources. In this episode, I chat with Frederic, co-founder of TreaTech, about how the technology works, why it’s a game-changer for the waste tr...

Supercapacitors aren’t as well-known as batteries, but they play an important role in the energy storage landscape. Unlike batteries, they can charge and discharge almost instantly, making them ideal for applications that require short, powerful bursts of energy. In this episode, I chat with Lars Stegmann, CEO at CAP-XX, the company behind the world’s thinnest supercapacitors. We explore how the t...

What if we could build without cement? In this episode, one of the world’s most used, yet climate-damaging materials makes an appearance: cement. Gnanli Landrou, co-founder of Oxara, explains how the ETH Zurich spin-off turns demolition waste and clay into clean, circular building materials. With cement-free binders that cut emissions and reduce construction waste, Oxara opens the door to affordab...

Enhanced weathering uses finely ground minerals spread on farmland to speed up a natural process: rocks reacting with CO2 to form stable carbon compounds. This process not only captures and stores C02 for thousands of years but also improves soil health and crop yields. Hannes, COO and co-founder at ZeroEx, explains how the company closes the loop in the enhanced weathering space. To issue the rig...

What if materials could (almost) magically repair themselves? When I witnessed it firsthand, I thought it was magic - it's "just" science in action. We cover how CompPair is revolutionizing composites with their self-healing technology. CEO Amaël shares how their materials extend the lifetime of composite parts, reduce waste, and unlock new economic opportunities. From aerospace to sporting goods,...

What if carbon removal started with the oceans? In this episode, we dive into how Pronoe is restoring the ocean’s power to capture and store CO₂. Founder and CEO Nicolas explains how their automated water treatment systems, placed downstream from industrial sites, reduce ocean acidification and enhance the natural carbon sink—all while using existing infrastructure. By turning return flows into cl...

What if heat could be stored in a compact form? In this episode, we dive into how Cowa is revolutionizing energy storage through cutting-edge phase change materials. The Swiss company enables homes to transition to sustainable storage solutions, making the most out of often limited space. In this conversation with the company's CRO, we dive into the business model, their traction and award-winning...

What if comfort could be climate-friendly? This is the question that Florina Mînzat posed. And she found an answer. As the founder of EcothermiQ, a company bringing passive, low-carbon thermal comfort into our homes, she works to launch smart, easy-to-integrate solutions. EcothermiQ makes it possible to feel good indoors while reducing emissions. Flo also shares the unconventional path that led he...

What if new materials power the energy transition? In this episode, we explore the cutting edge of chemical energy storage with breakthrough materials that make storing and releasing energy more efficient, scalable, and sustainable. Maryam dives into her personal journey of becoming a founder and continuously striving for excellence. She shares the science behind Planck, their customers, and how a...

What if we could unearth natural hydrogen? In this episode, Emmanuel from Mantle8 shares how they are pioneering the search for the Earth’s naturally occurring hydrogen reservoirs. As a new generation of geologists, Mantle8 uses bottom-up exploration and decades of expertise to unlock this untapped energy source. We discuss the science behind natural hydrogen and why it matters, how Mantle8’s appr...

What if designing district heating networks became simple? In this episode, I sit down with Stefano, founder and CEO of Planeto, to explore how their technology transforms how energy planners develop district heating and cooling systems. Those networks are crucial for the energy transition, yet often overlooked. Planeto makes creating efficient, future-proof networks that accelerate the energy tra...

What if melting and freezing powered the world? In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of phase-change materials and their game-changing role in energy storage. By leveraging the unique properties of those materials, Cartesian has developed a solution that efficiently stores and releases energy as materials transition between solid and liquid states. Co-founder and CTO Alexis shares h...