Another ClimateTech Podcast

Max Boykoff is a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado. His research focuses on the cultural dimensions of climate change, with a particular interest in how media and various stakeholders communicate about the issue. In this episode we talked about: ☯️ How firsthand experiences of climate events can contrast with media coverage 🎭 The power of comedy in connecting people...

Marissa Beatty is the co-founder and CEO of Turnover Labs , a startup developing technology to convert CO2 into valuable chemicals. With a background in chemical engineering and a Ph. D. from Columbia University, Marissa is tackling the challenge of carbon utilization in the petrochemical industry. In this episode we talked about: 🧪 Turnover Labs' approach to converting CO2 into useful chemi...

Jessica Burley is an investor at Planet A Ventures , a €160 million fund pioneering a science-based approach to venture capital. Jessica is passionate about impact measurement and, as she says: "If there's not a significant positive environmental impact, the deal is off.” In this episode we talked about: 🔬 Planet A Ventures' use of life cycle assessments to evaluate potential inves...

I spoke with WebMD co-founder and veteran VC Kittu Kolluri of Neotribe Ventures to talk about what he’s investing in, the importance of board governance, and what active investing actually means. We touched on: 🐉 The potential of technologies like hydrogen, ammonia synthesis, and cold fusion 💼 The role of boards in ensuring good governance and avoiding conflicts of interest 📈 What software VCs...

Aneta Londa is the founder of Moonshot Pirates , an organization that empowers young changemakers to tackle global challenges. In this episode, Aneta is joined by Annie Zountsa and Elanu Karakus , winners of the Shape the Future Challenge, to discuss their innovative project AEIFLORIA and the impact of youth-driven initiatives. We talked about: 🏴‍☠️ How Moonshot Pirates teaches Gen Z to fight cli...

I spoke with Alex Ivanenko , the founder of HyWatts , about building “power plants in a box” and about why, after selling a company for more than $100 million, he started another one right away. In this episode we talked about:  👉 Why traditional power generation philosophies don’t work for renewables  🔋 The high costs of transmission and distribution in the energy grid  💡 The potential for dis...

Marco Möller is a computer scientist, physicist, and serial entrepreneur. He’s passionate about electrical transportation and recently turned his attention to open sourcing the world of EV charging. In this episode we talked about: 🔋 The company Marco sold to Intel and its impact on climate change through drone technology 🚗 The current state of the EV market in Europe, including growth and price...

Sebastian Pohlmann is VP of Business Development at UpCatalyst , which makes carbon nanotubes and graphite from CO2. They are literally taking one of the world’s most problematic waste streams and turning it into one of the most desperately-needed materials. In this episode we talked about: 🔋 The carbon footprint of producing graphite for lithium-ion batteries 🌍 Innovative approaches to sourcing...

This is a topic I’ve wanted to talk about on the podcast for the whole last year. 🌟 Juraj Krivošík is the Executive Director at SEVEn, The Energy Efficiency Center , in Prague. He’s also in my opinion one of the leading voices on how energy and infrastructure have been affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its broader implications today and in the future. In this episode, we tal...

Who needs a cow to make leather when you've got beer? Brett Cotten is co-founder of London-based Arda Biomaterials and in this episode we talked about: 🐄 The problems of the traditional leather industry 👜 New Grain, Arda's sustainable leather alternative 🍺 Creating local supply chains by co-locating with breweries and distilleries around the world 🎡 The synthetic biology scene in Lon...

Lisett Luik is co-founder of Arbonics , an Estonian company that believes forests have been undervalued for far too long and is seeking to rememdy that. In this episode we talked about: 🌳 How Arbonics is making forests a climate asset rather than just a source of timber  🕵️ The detective work involved in ensuring carbon offsetting projects are the real deal 🌍 Lisett's journey into climate t...

To celebrate the launch of their new facility this week, I spoke with Yonatan Golan , co-founder of Brevel . Brevel makes possibly the most sustainable protein in the world through a process that speeds up microalgae production 100x. We talked about:  👻 The concept of 'ghost protein'  🚀 How fermentation x photosynthesis = efficiency revolution  🥛 Why dairy is a good starting place  🏗️...

Meet Maxime Meijers , co-founder of Estuaire , a company that is working across the aviation industry to reduce its climate effects. In this episode we talked about: 🛩️ The often overlooked impact of contrails on our climate and how their strategic mitigation can put a dent in aviation's climate footprint  💰 The power and influence of aviation finance in shaping the sector's environment...

Andreas Schwarzenbrunner always thought he's get into politics. But, as a partner leading the climate tech and industrial tech practices at Speedinvest , he's arguably playing an even bigger role in Europe's future this way. In this episode we talked about:   🌍 Why hardware is hard but absolutely critical in climatetech 🔬 How crucial de-risking with corporate customers is for star...

Meet Joe Hill , Co-founder of One Planet Pizza. Joe has dedicated his career to promoting plant-based eating through the medium of delicious pizza. In this episode we talked about: 🌿 The importance of making plant-based alternatives that deliver on taste, texture, and price  🍕 How One Planet Pizza is leading the charge in this delicious revolution  🔬 The emerging trend of healthier, whole-food...

Christian Rebernik is the mastermind behind Tomorrow University , an accredited online university using business education to drive impact and sustainability. In this interview we talked about: 👑 Christian’s royal pedigree in Berlin’s startup ecosystem 🎒 How a university dropout becomes a university Chancellor 🎯 Tomorrow University’s goal of reaching 1 million people #education #university #cli...

Robbie Lockie is co-founder of Plant-Based News and has just launched the Freedom Food Alliance , which fights misinformation and empowers people with the best science and expert alliances to create meaningful societal change. In this episode we talked about: 🌱 The deceptive tactics used by the meat and dairy industries to discredit plant-based alternatives 🎙️ Celebrity influence in promoting a p...

Joel Tasche is the founder of CleanHub , and is on a mission to clean up our oceans, all while empowering marginalized waste workers. And it all started with his passion for surfing. 🌊 And it all started with his passion for surfing. 🌊 Listen to this episode to learn how CleanHub: 🚛 implements tracking systems all the way from households to disposal sites, ensuring transparency and efficiency...

Deniz Ficicioglu loves tuna so much that she doesn't want them to be put in a can. 🐟 That's why she founded BettaF!sh , an alternative proteins company that  uses seaweed to create plant-based fish alternatives that replicate the taste, texture, and experience of traditional fish, minus the devastating effects of fishing. Check out this 30-minute episode to hear how: 🐟 Tuna are freakin...

Brian Sheng is a self-funded entrepreneur and co-founder of Aquaria , a company that seeks to create resilient water infrastructure by extracting water from the air. A former venture capitalist who started his own VC firm at 18, Brian transitioned to the operational side of startups with the onset of the pandemic. Here's what we talked about in our half-hour chat: 💦 Brian's company, Aqu...

Kidus Asfaw is the founder of Kubik , an Ethiopian company that upcycles plastic waste into construction material for low-carbon buildings. In this episode we talked about: 🏢 How Kubik aspires to be a technology platform for the materials industry, aiming to extend their reach beyond just plastic 🚀 The opportunities for climatetech companies in Sub-Saharan Africa 🌐 Kidus’s career, including tim...

Vivian Bertseka is co-founder of BlueLayer, the first end-to-end software platform for carbon project developers. In this episode we talked about how: 📈 The carbon credit market is growing but also experiencing growing pains, with issues around transparency and trust. 🔍 There is an urgent need for more transparency in the carbon credit market to improve data disclosure and data system organizati...

Viktoria Oseyko is CMO of Carbominer , a startup that uses direct air capture (DAC) to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere and use it for productive purposes, like growing our fruits and vegetables in greenhouses. We talked about how this technology works, how founder can attract public money for green interventions, and what the future of Ukrainian climatetech looks like. #ClimateTech #DAC #NetZero 🧑...

I found Jennifer O'Brien when reading some press about a new seaweed farm that had just been set up off the wild western coast of Ireland, in County Galloway. I've been intrigued by seaweed for a long time as a source of sustainable protein and material, as well as for its carbon sequestration power. It seems that seaweed is finally starting to get some of the limelight it deserves. Jenn...

Martin Stuchtey is the founder and co-CEO of The Landbanking Group , which aims to support the regeneration of nature and biodiversity through an asset class they call Nature Equity.  Martin talked about how we can protect nature by literally putting a value to it, as well as his own life and career which has ranged from soldier in the German army’s alpine group to management consultant, professor...