Leaders on a Mission

Hey Climate Tech enthusiasts!  Searching for new podcasts on sustainability?  Check out the Leaders on a Mission podcast, where I interview climate tech leaders who are shaking up the industry and bringing us the next big thing in sustainable solutions.  Join me for a deep dive into the future of green innovation exploring the highs, lows, and everything in between of pioneering new technologies....

Harshal Chokhawala, the CEO of ZymoChem, breaks down their exciting solutions to microplastics. In this episode, we explore ZymoChem’s groundbreaking efforts to decarbonize the production of everyday materials, providing real solutions to microplastics in the ocean, our bodies and the earth.   🧪 Harshal takes us on his journey from a young chemist fascinated by the magic of chemistry to a pioneer...

Imagine turning everyday trash into a sustainable alternative to plastic. In this episode, I sit down with Albert Douer, CEO of UBQ Materials, to explore how his company is revolutionizing waste management and tackling the global plastic crisis. Albert shares the journey behind UBQ’s innovative approach, from overcoming skepticism to building trust in new technologies. Learn how UBQ is transformin...

Ever wondered what it takes to scale a battery manufacturing company from one gigawatt to five in just five years? In this episode of Leaders on a Mission, I sit down with Priyadarshi Panda, CEO of the International Battery Company, to explore the transformative power of energy storage technology. Priyadarshi shares his vision of leading the global energy transition through manufacturing excellenc...

Is 3D-printed meat the future of our food? In this episode of Leaders on a Mission, I sit down with Arik Kaufman, CEO and Founder of Steakholder Foods, to delve into the fascinating world of cultured meat. Arik shares his insights on the industry's rapid evolution, from its nonexistence just a few years ago to the cutting-edge technology driving it today. We explore the significant hurdles fa...

How can technology solve the wildfire crisis and save our forests? In this episode of Leaders on a Mission, I talk with Allison Wolff, CEO of Vibrant Planet, about leveraging technology to tackle the wildfire crisis and preserve our forests. Allison shares insights into her team's innovative strategies, from AI-driven wildfire management to conserving biodiversity and water sources. We also e...

How is AI and innovation transforming the mining industry? In this episode of Leaders on a Mission, I'm joined by Corrado De Gasperis, CEO of Comstock, a trailblazer in the mining industry who is leveraging AI and cutting-edge technologies to drive sustainability and efficiency. Corrado shares his insights on pioneering breakthrough innovations that have the potential to make a global impact....

Hydrogen's potential is vast, but so are the hurdles. Baruch Halpert, CEO of Electriq Global, joins me on this week’s Leaders on a Mission to dive into their cutting-edge innovative hydrogen carrier, which acts like coffee powder for a coffee machine. This groundbreaking solution simplifies the storage, transport, and use of hydrogen in off-grid applications, making green hydrogen more access...

How can we tackle the urgent challenge of global food waste, where every minute, we waste enough food to feed over one million people.  Tune in to this episode of Leaders on a Mission  with Moody Soliman, CEO of Ryp Labs for an inspiring conversation on innovation and sustainability in the fight against food waste. Moody explains how Ryp Labs is addressing this colossal issue with a simple yet pow...

Have you ever imagined that bacteria could revolutionize the protein in your next burger? This may soon be a reality thanks to one pioneering start-up. In this episode, meet Bryan Tracy – the CEO of Superbrewed Food and an entrepreneur developing the world's first commercial bacterial food ingredient. Through fermentation, his company cultivates microbes into a protein-packed biomass.  Throug...

The cement industry is responsible for a staggering 8% of global CO2 emissions, heavily relying on coal furnaces for production. Most see this as a daunting problem, but Carbon Upcycling views it as a groundbreaking opportunity. This innovative climate startup is turning emissions into the raw materials of the future. In this episode, we sit down with Apoorv Sinha, CEO of Carbon Upcycling, to delv...

Nigel Sharp, a serial entrepreneur with a social conscience created Aquagga to solve a great contamination issue. PFAS ( (Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) are highly toxic man-made “forever” chemicals that have migrated into the air, soil, and water.  Today, nearly all Americans have PFAS in their blood, with over 200 million people potentially drinking PFAS-impacted water   Nigel’s small tea...

Through a pioneering process of microbial fermentation, David Henstrom and Unibio are harnessing the power of nature's alchemists - microbes - to produce protein. No land needed, their breakthrough technology utilizes methane in a novel "gas-liquid brewing" approach.   But scaling challenges loom large. Hear how David overcame the valley of death after 27 years as a biotech intrapre...

Marc Washington, a health entrepreneur, was inspired by his sister's tragic passing to help others live healthier. Now, his startup Supergut is riding the wave of interest in appetite control to promote natural solutions. You'll discover how Supergut has evolved its vision from gut health to leveraging the "Ozempic conversation". Learn how the founder reinvented operations to b...

Our guest today is Scott May, the Head of MISTA, a unique innovation platform bringing food companies and the startup ecosystem together. Scott has seen the challenges in our food system up close and is on a mission to transform how we eat and farm. After discovering his passion for food science, he has dedicated his career to innovating sustainable solutions as a food tech pioneer. Hear Scott&apo...

Cambrium CEO Mitchell Duffy is on a mission to reduce our dependence on petrochemicals and animal-derived products through the power of biology. In this episode, Mitchell discusses his journey from PhD researcher to entrepreneur, and his vision to create sustainable innovation by creating biobased  high performance molecules  Learn how Cambrium produces sustainable vegan collagen at scale to repla...

In this episode, we have an interesting conversation with Johan Cardoen, a Biotech executive who started his career in 1988, with Plant Genetic Systems which was the first biotech company in Belgium. Since then, he played a very important role in the growth and the evolution of the Belgium biotech ecosystem. Johan Cardoen shares how he grew Crop Design into an acquisition target through strategic...

Today, I sit down with the one and only Henrietta Moon, CEO and Co-founder of Carbo Culture, a climate technology company pioneering for scalable biochar carbon removal solution. Henrietta’s passion for the environment was ignited during her time as a scout and sailing trips, witnessing the deterioration of natural environments. Originally on track for international relations, she found herself dr...

Summary: In this episode of Leaders on a Mission, CEO Shely Aronov discusses how her company InnerPlant is revolutionizing agriculture through real-time plant stress detection. By giving crops a way to optically signal when under attack from fungi and other threats, Inner Plant is transforming farming from an industry of guesses into one powered by data. Tune in to hear how their technology means...

Ever wonder what happens to all the leftover corncobs and wheat stalks after harvest? For most farms, it's waste. But for The Supplant Company, it's the key ingredient in a revolution. Founded by scientist Tom Simmons, this food tech startup is developing sustainable sugar replacements from agricultural byproducts. Hear how their unique process creates healthier ingredients that mimic su...

 In this episode, AgroSpheres CEO Payam Pourtaheri discusses how he tackled pesticide issues using RNA technology for crop protection. He shares challenges, including target specificity and scale-up. Payam learned to voice disagreements and focused on encapsulation for potent biomolecules, differentiating from microbial approaches. Transitioning from a student project to a startup, Payam stresses...

From a KTH student to a visionary in green technology, Karim is changing the game to revolutionize eco-friendly chemical engineering for mass production.  I n this episode, Karim Englemark Cassimjee, CEO and co-founder of EnginZyme. A Swedish startup with the vision to make the chemical industry green by unlocking the potential in enzymes. Karim opens up about the growing opportunities in the biot...

Episode 76:In this episode, Rob van Straten, CEO of Skytree, a cutting-edge climate technology company revolutionizes carbon capture using solid-state sorbent materials. Rob discusses the challenges Skytree addresses, emphasizing the urgency of carbon capture in combating climate change. He details the company's two innovative products: Cumulus, and Stratus. Skytree's vision includes the...

When Barbara Mazur, finished her Ph. D. in Molecular Genetics, Agricultural Biotech did not exist. Barbara was working in a central research group at Dupont, before the opportunity of developing a research and application group for biotechnologies in the commercial crop space.  Barbara loved working with science and was initially reluctant to assume management and leadership responsibility for the...

When Aether Bio raised USD 49 mio in a Series A a few months ago, it provided much-needed good news across the synbio sector. I was so curious about the technology and the differentials between companies like Gingko. I wanted to understand how they built a novel material that could theoretically improve lithium production in the US by 30 times. Thanks so much to Pavle Jeremić, CEO and Founder of A...