Climate CEOs

Discover how Trevor Best and Syzygy Plasmonics are using LED-powered photocatalysis to electrify chemical production, slash emissions, and reimagine a $5T industry. ⭐ My guest today is Trevor Best , Cofounder and CEO of Syzygy Plasmonics . He's also a member of our Climate CEO Mastermind peer group community at Entrepreneurs for Impact! Syzygy is commercializing a deep-decarbonization platfor...

Maria Fujihara and Sinai Technologies are turning sustainability into a value driver with enterprise software that measures, prices, and reduces GHGs for the planet’s heaviest polluters. My guest today is Maria Fujihara , Founder and CEO of Sinai Technologies . Sinai Technologies is a VC-backed enterprise software company that measures, analyzes, prices, and reduces GHG emissions for large compani...

Kelcy Pegler, CEO of FlexGen, shares how they’re scaling grid batteries with $275M raised, a 420MWh California project, and a 10GW agreement with the world’s largest battery maker. My guest today is Kelcy Pegler , CEO of FlexGen , an energy storage software provider with $275M in investor capital raised to date. In addition, Kelcy is the: Founding Partner at Charles Joy Ventures Former President o...

Bret Kugelmass, CEO of Last Energy, reveals how his team is cutting nuclear build costs, landing contracts in the UK, Poland & Romania, and scaling a $200M-per-unit model to decarbonize global power. My guest today is Bret Kugelmass , Founder and CEO of Last Energy. In addition, Bret is… The podcast host at Titans of Nuclear Managing Director at The Energy Impact Center Former CEO of Airphrame...

From unicorn counts to fusion funding, EV myths, and mindset hacks like pronoia and PQ, this newsletter-turned-podcast dishes out rapid-fire insights for climate founders and investors. In this newsletter-turned-podcast episode from Entrepreneurs for Impact, I cover the following: Climate Startups & Investment 🦄 How many climate tech unicorns are there? 🙋‍♂️ How do I transition to a job in c...

Discover how Dollaride is transforming city transit deserts with EV retrofits, asset-financing for drivers, and a $10M award powering 15K+ riders toward cleaner, more equitable mobility. My guest today is Su Sanni , Founder of Dollaride , a mobility company for communities underserved by public transit. In addition, Su is also: Venture Partner with Republic Fellow with Visible Hands Former Cofound...

Discover how Electra is decarbonizing ironmaking with $85M raised, partnerships with Nucor, and a breakthrough process that produces green steel at 60°C instead of 1,600°C — all with zero cost premium. My guest today is Sandeep Nijhawan , the Cofounder and CEO of Electra . Electra is decarbonizing ironmaking for green steel production using intermittent renewable energy and low-grade iron ores, an...

Discover what a $1.1B climate tech VC looks for in startups — plus trends from $64B in new funding, carbon markets, & the mindsets shaping future founders. In this newsletter-turned-podcast episode from Entrepreneurs for Impact, I cover the following: 💰 $64B of new cash for climate in 2022 📰 New carbon removal buyer's guide ☁️ TPG invests $300M into carbon credit platform 🤔 Pain + refle...

Discover how Ambient Fuels is building green hydrogen projects for heavy industry — and how CEO Jake Susman blends cleantech VC chops, perfect timing, & startup grit to scale the sector. My guest today is Jake Susman , Cofounder and CEO of Ambient Fuels . Ambient Fuels is a pure-play developer of green hydrogen projects, guiding heavy industry through the great green upgrade. In addition, he i...

Discover how Atlas Organics turns food & yard waste into profitable compost — leveraging public-private partnerships, strategic investors, & founder grit to scale nationwide. My guest today is Joseph McMillin , Cofounder and CEO of Atlas Organics . Atlas Organics is a national leader in organic waste recycling. Their key partner is Generate Capital, a multi-billion-dollar sustainable infra...

Discover how Alex Roetter is reshaping carbon removal financing with Terraset — combining advanced market commitments, donor-friendly transparency, & climate tech VC experience. My guest is Alex Roetter , General Partner at Moxxie Ventures , Founder of Terraset , and former Head of Engineering at Twitter. In addition, he came up with this great idea around which we teamed up together to launch...

Discover fresh tools, mindset shifts, & fundraising insights — from a new climate finance tracker to pitch decks that helped raise millions for carbon tech startups. In this newsletter-turned-podcast episode from Entrepreneurs for Impact, I cover the following: 💵 New “Climate Finance Tracker” 🤬 To all the carbon tech haters 😮 A new tablet to kill your pen and paper 👂 We have 2 ears and 1 m...

Discover how Howard Fischer went from hedge fund titan to climate impact evangelist — moving capital from spreadsheets to soul to fund game-changing climate solutions. My guest today is Howard Fischer , the Chief Evangelist at Gratitude Railroad and CEO of Basso Capital Management. Gratitude Railroad's mission is to support investors in moving capital from traditional finance to impact investm...

Discover how Taj Eldridge is reshaping climate investing — blending alpha returns, social equity, & place-based innovation to power the next wave of green jobs. My guest today is Taj Ahmad Eldridge . Taj is the Director of Climate Innovation at Jobs for the Future , and Cofounder of Include Ventures , a fund of funds investor focused on emerging managers at the intersection of “Alpha + Inclusi...

Discover how Collaborative Fund backs for-profit & for-good startups — from $200M growth bets to 100 micro-investments fueling the next wave of climate innovation. My guests in this episode are Sophie Bakalar and Tomás Álvarez Belón from Collaborative Fund . Collaborative Fund is a 10-year-old VC firm investing at the intersection of for-profit and for-good, with a long-time focus on climate....

Discover how 8 Rivers is building billion-dollar net-zero energy projects & licensing game-changing tech to accelerate the global clean energy transition. My guest for his episode is Damian Beauchamp , the President and Chief Development Officer of 8 Rivers . In addition, he is also: An advisor to the Carbon XPrize A Board member at NET Power 8 Rivers is a platform company developing the susta...

Explore how Cloud to Street uses satellites, balloons, and big data to protect climate-vulnerable communities and unlock smarter flood insurance. My guest today is Bessie Schwartz , the Co-founder & CEO of Cloud to Street . Cloud to Street is the leading flood mapping platform designed to protect the world’s most climate-vulnerable communities. By harnessing global satellites, advanced science...

Explore how Electric Hydrogen combines advanced electrolyzer tech, ultra-low-cost green power, and industrial-scale design to slash clean hydrogen costs. PODCAST GUEST BIO: Electric Hydrogen is a hardtech startup making hydrogen from 100% clean energy to decarbonize industrial sectors by creating a new generation of electrolyzer technologies. They recently raised $198 million from leading climate...

Unpack how Fifth Wall combines strategic LPs, deep proptech expertise, and massive real estate reach to accelerate climate innovation across the built world. PODCAST GUEST BIO: Fifth Wall is a $3B VC fund with a new $500M climate tech fund. Their focus is the built environment. Strategic investors include over 90 of the biggest corporate players in real estate, such as Hines, Prologis, and CBRE. G...

See how Baruch Future Ventures combines early-stage capital, technical due diligence, and founder empathy to accelerate resource tech breakthroughs. PODCAST GUEST BIO: Baruch Future Ventures is a VC investor that works with entrepreneurs to shorten the time and reduce the cost to commercialization of resource technology innovations. They invest in the early stages of companies in these impact area...

Discover how Enduring Planet combines revenue-based financing, speedy approvals, and zero-dilution terms to fuel climate founders at scale. PODCAST GUEST BIO: Enduring Planet is a fast and founder-friendly non-dilutive capital source for climate entrepreneurs. Apply in 10 mins. Get funded in 30 days. No collateral, no personal guarantees. Their goal is to fund $2.5B in these capital solutions in t...

Explore how Cleartrace merges real-time grid data, emissions analytics, and automated auditing to help companies prove true carbon-free power use. PODCAST GUEST BIO: Cleartrace is a decarbonization SaaS platform that provides the actionable data companies need to meet their renewable energy goals. They function as an  "anti-greenwashing" tool that helps corporations prove they are carbon...

Discover how Heirloom fuses accelerated mineralization, modular DAC systems, and heavyweight investors to pull gigatons of CO₂ from thin air. PODCAST GUEST BIO: Heirloom aims to accelerate our planet's transition to a carbon-negative society by removing 1B tons of CO2 from the air by 2035 by engineering the most cost-effective, scalable direct air capture system. Their technology enhances a na...

Unpack how this week’s wild climate news mixes startup surges, anti-ESG backlash, and rare humility from the ultra-wealthy. In this newsletter-turned-podcast episode from Entrepreneurs for Impact, I cover the following: 🚫 Texas “bans” 348 ESG funds 🗺️ 350+ climate startups on a map ☠️ We’re all dying right now 💰 Billionaire VC investor — “We made a mistake.” 🏳️ Investing in climate adaptation is...

Discover how Sealed blends energy-efficiency tech, creative financing, and behavioral economics to slash home emissions risk-free. PODCAST GUEST BIO: Sealed is a VC-backed startup that modernizes single-family houses with the latest HVAC, weatherproofing, and smart home technology. They also cover the upfront costs of these upgrades, so if they don’t reduce customer energy use, then they don’t get...