Climate CEOs: Scaling Startups

Discover how Obvious Ventures reimagines industrial & consumer sectors through sustainable systems, venture capital, & impact-driven investing.PODCAST GUEST BIO:Co-led by Managing Director, Andrew Beebe, Obvious invests in world positive early-stage startups like Beyond Meat, Proterra, and Diamond Foundry, and brings perspectives as prior product designers and company operators.Andrew brings to Obvious Ventures a lifelong passion for building companies around sustainable systems and people power.For nearly two decades, Andrew has focused on clean technology and clean energy solutions. He started down the clean tech path with Energy Innovations in 2003, which he grew from a business plan to a major solar developer serving customers like Google, Disney, Sony Pictures, and British Telecom. After selling the company to Suntech in 2008, Andrew served as Chief Commercial Officer at Suntech as well as Vice President of Global Product Strategy. During his tenure, Suntech became the largest solar company in the world. After leaving Suntech, Andrew spent two years as Vice President of Distributed Generation for Nextera Energy, the largest clean energy developer in the U.S.Before his cleantech career, Andrew spent a decade building companies in the early days of “Web 1.0.” In 1998, Andrew co-founded Bigstep.com, an e-commerce platform designed to serve the needs of small businesses entering the Internet age.-------Here's the transcript of the podcast.-------QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED:BusinessWhat is your investment focus — e.g., sector, stage, geography, check size? What makes you unique versus the competition?Give us some examples of recent investments that you’re excited about.Outside of your current business, what other 1-2 climate or sustainability sectors seem like promising areas in which to start a business? What might those solutions look like?PersonalTell us about 1-2 tips you’d give your “younger” self in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact.What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks?What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools?What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you — outside of your own family?ClosingDo you have any requests, announcements, or final advice for our listeners?-------PODCAST HOST:Entrepreneurs for Impact is the only private mastermind community for growth-stage CEOs and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $4B in market value and are influencing corporate priorities and infrastructure much larger than that. Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.comMembership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12GygSample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehSRequest more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM

Learn how The Clean Fight accelerates energy efficiency & occupant health in non-luxury buildings using scalable climate solutions & tech-driven programs.PODCAST GUEST BIO:Led by Managing Director and Cofounder, Kate Frucher, The Clean Fight is a flagship not-for-profit accelerator, that identifies and scales the top growth-stage climate tech companies from around the world that are looking to expand into New York. The current focus is easy-to-adopt solutions that bring the environmental, economic, and health benefits of deep decarbonization to non-luxury buildings.Kate Frucher is an experienced executive who's launched, operated, and scaled technology and services businesses from startup to $100 million+ multiple times. Adept at diving into new industries and driving innovation and rapid growth, her track record includes having built and led product, design, engineering, innovation, operations, business development, enterprise sales, account management, marketing, people/HR, legal, finance, and other functions. In addition, she brings to her startup cohorts experience in crafting business and product strategies, growing high-performing teams and cultures, developing new organizational capabilities, fundraising, and building boards. She's a life-long social entrepreneur who’s driven innovation and reform in government and nonprofits.-------QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED:BusinessWhat is your investment focus — e.g., sector, stage, geography, check size? What makes you unique versus the competition?Give us some examples of recent investments that you’re excited about. Outside of your current business, what other 1-2 climate or sustainability sectors seem like promising areas in which to start a business? What might those solutions look like?PersonalTell us about 1-2 tips you’d give your “younger” self in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact.What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks?What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools?What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you — outside of your own family?ClosingDo you have any requests, announcements, or final advice for our listeners?-------PODCAST HOST:Entrepreneurs for Impact is the only private mastermind community for growth-stage CEOs and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $4B in market cap or assets under management, and are influencing corporate priorities and infrastructure much bigger than that.Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.comMembership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12GygSample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehSRequest more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM

Discover how Urban Electric Power delivers safe, sustainable energy with zinc-manganese batteries, long-duration storage, & practical deployment solutions.PODCAST GUEST BIO:Led by Founder, Executive Chairman, and CEO Sanjoy Banerjee, Urban Electric Power (UEP) develops non-toxic, thermally safe, long-duration batteries made of plentiful elements such as zinc and manganese, and has the backing of university, government, strategic, and financial investors.Dr. Sanjoy Benerjee is also a Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering City College of New York and Director of the City University of New York (CUNY) Energy Institute. Banerjee was recruited from UC Santa Barbara, where he had been Department Chair and previously taught at Berkeley, McMaster University, and worked at Atomic Energy of Canada, as Director of the Applied Science Division. In addition, he has served as Mitsubishi Professor at the University of Tokyo, the Burgers Professor at TU Delft, and at ETH Zurich. He has also served on several advisory boards: NASA Fluid Physics, the oil- industry Flow Assurance Consortium, and the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, congressionally mandated to advise on nuclear facilities.-------QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED:BusinessWhat does your company do? What makes you unique versus the competition?How are you funding your growth — e.g., revenue, VC, CVC, government grants, M&A? What are 1-2 lessons you’ve learned along the way?Outside of your current business, what other 1-2 climate or sustainability sectors seem like promising areas in which to start a business? What might those solutions look like?PersonalIf you had to start over, what are 1-2 tips you’d give yourself in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact?What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks?What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools?What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you — outside of your own family?ClosingDo you have any requests, announcements, or final advice for our listeners?-------PODCAST HOST:Entrepreneurs for Impact is the only private mastermind community for growth-stage CEOs and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $4B in market cap or assets under management, and are influencing corporate priorities and infrastructure much bigger than that.Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.comMembership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12GygSample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehSRequest more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM

Learn how Encore develops impact-driven solar & storage projects, promoting inclusion, sustainability, & scalable energy solutions.PODCAST GUEST BIO:Led by President Blake Sturcke, Encore Renewable Energy is a community-scale solar and energy storage development company, as well as a B Corps showing leadership on diversity in the energy sector.Blake serves as the President for Encore Renewable Energy, where he spearheads all of the Company’s project and corporate finance activities. In addition, Blake leads the Company’s corporate development and M&A activities and oversees a number of general management functions. Prior to joining Encore, Blake co-founded Turning Earth, a leading clean energy company within the organics recycling and waste-to-energy sector. Earlier in his career, Blake worked for 15 years for leading global investment banks as a capital markets and corporate finance banker to high-growth companies in the U.S., Asia and Latin America. Blake began his career at Morgan Stanley where he held a succession of positions, including leadership roles in the firm’s Investment Banking Division in New York, Hong Kong and India.Blake is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School, a community-based charter middle school governed by the New York State of Education Department which was founded to provide interdisciplinary education to adolescents of all abilities and backgrounds, with a focus on environmental sustainability. In addition, Blake is a member of the Advisory Board of 118 Capital, a New York-based impact investing organization catalyzing economic, social and environmental impact in the Americas. Blake received his MBA from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business, where he graduated as a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society, and earned his BA in Economics from Bucknell University. He later co-founded the Bucknell Finance Network. Blake regularly guest lectures on topics including clean energy, financing green technologies, and corporate development, at academic institutions including Bucknell, Columbia, Yale, UVM and Villanova.-------PODCAST HOST:Entrepreneurs for Impact is the only private mastermind community for growth-stage CEOs and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $4B in market cap or assets under management, and are influencing corporate priorities and infrastructure much bigger than that.Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.comMembership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12GygSample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehSRequest more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM

Discover how Octopus Energy delivers fully renewable electricity at scale using technology, customer-centric strategies, & sustainable operations.PODCAST GUEST BIO:Led by Michael Lee, Octopus Energy is a technology-driven, renewable energy retailer, directly supplying over 3 million customers globally with 100% green electricity at a cheaper price and with a focus on incredible customer service. Founded five years ago as a global energy retailer, Octopus Energy entered the U.S. market in 2020, forming Octopus Energy U.S. and fueling the company’s global expansion. Octopus Energy is valued at over $4.6 billion and is one of energy-tech’s fastest-growing private companies.Michael is an entrepreneur who believes technology can unlock cleaner and cheaper electricity all while delighting the customer. His background is nearly a decade in renewable energy, including working on some of the first battery storage projects and developing solar solutions for Fortune 500's internationally. Michael is the co-founder of Evolve Energy, which was acquired by Octopus Energy in 2020. He has a background in finance and holds an MBA from Harvard.-------QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED:BusinessWhat does your company do? What makes you unique versus the competition?How are you funding your growth — e.g., revenue, VC, CVC, government grants, M&A? What are 1-2 lessons you’ve learned along the way?Outside of your current business, what other 1-2 climate or sustainability sectors seem like promising areas in which to start a business? What might those solutions look like?PersonalIf you had to start over, what are 1-2 tips you’d give yourself in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact?What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks?What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools?What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you — outside of your own family?ClosingDo you have any requests, announcements, or final advice for our listeners?-------PODCAST HOST:Entrepreneurs for Impact is the only private mastermind community for growth-stage CEOs and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $4B in market cap or assets under management, and are influencing corporate priorities and infrastructure much bigger than that.Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 60,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.comMembership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12GygSample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehSRequest more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM

Explore how Bill Nussey disrupts global energy with decentralized solar & batteries, innovative business models, & clean energy entrepreneurship.PODCAST GUEST BIO:Bill Nussey is the founder of the Freeing Energy Project, whose mission is to accelerate the shift to cleaner, cheaper energy.His new book is: Freeing Energy: How innovators are using local-scale solar and batteries to disrupt the global energy industry from the outside in.https://www.freeingenergy.comPrior to Freeing Energy, Bill spent most of his career as a tech CEO. His first company, which he co-founded in high school, provided graphics software for early, text-based personal computers. His second company, Da Vinci Systems, was started out of his college dorm room and grew to serve millions of users across 45 countries. Later, he spent several years as a venture capitalist with Greylock. In 1998, he left the firm to run a portfolio company, iXL, which went public and grew to almost $500 million in revenue. After iXL, he joined Silverpop as CEO. Silverpop grew to nearly $100 million and became a global leader in cloud-based marketing. In 2014, IBM acquired the company and made it the foundation of the IBM Marketing Cloud. Shortly after the acquisition, Bill was promoted to VP Corporate Strategy out of IBM’s world headquarters in New York. Bill’s companies have created thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in value.Bill’s journey into clean energy began with a TED Talk, which grew into 100+ articles and, most recently, a top ten energy podcast called The Freeing Energy Podcast. All of this supported and ultimately led to his upcoming book called Freeing Energy. Supported by 320 interviews across the world, the book’s mission is to help readers understand a powerful new approach to accelerating the shift to clean energy. The core ideas focus on decentralized (or local) energy, novel business models, and new approaches to ownership and finance.-------PODCAST HOST:The parent company of the Climate Torch podcast is Entrepreneurs for Impact.We are the only private mastermind community for investor-backed CEOs, founders, and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help “scale up” climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our invite-only cohorts of 11 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $4B in market cap or assets under management, and are influencing corporate priorities and infrastructure much bigger than that.Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 50,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.comMembership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12GygSample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehSRequest more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM

Learn how REsurety uses data-driven analytics & risk management to optimize renewable energy investments & secure smarter project outcomes.REsurety delivers data-driven solutions for the clean energy economy and the tools to identify value and manage risks from clean energy investments.Lee Taylor is the Co-Founder and CEO of REsurety. Since founding REsurety in 2012 to commercialize research he conducted at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, Mr. Taylor has built a rapidly growing company, gained institutional financing, and attracted top-notch talent, advisors, and directors. Today, REsurety’s products are not only award-winning, but are redefining the way clean energy buyers and sellers are thinking about and managing risk. Under Mr. Taylor’s stewardship, REsurety has amassed contracts supporting more than 5,000 MW of renewable energy generation capacity and counts many of the U.S. — if not the world’s — largest companies as customers and partners, including Microsoft, Invenergy, Capital Power, Southern Company, Nephila Climate, and Allianz.Mr. Taylor holds an MBA from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he was named an Edward Tuck Scholar (awarded for academic achievement) and recipient of the Lt. Walter Jacobs Memorial Prize (awarded for intellectual leadership). He also holds Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Biology from the University of Virginia.-------QUESTIONS THAT WE COVERED:BusinessWhat does your company do? What makes you unique versus the competition?How are you funding your growth — e.g., revenue, VC, CVC, government grants, M&A? What are 1-2 lessons you’ve learned along the way?Outside of your current business, what other 1-2 climate or sustainability sectors seem like promising areas in which to start a business? What might those solutions look like?PersonalIf you had to start over, what are 1-2 tips you’d give yourself in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact?What are some habits and routines that keep you focused, healthy, and sane — e.g., meditations, exercise, productivity hacks?What recommendations do you have for our audience — books, podcasts, quotes, tools?What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you — outside of your own family?ClosingDo you have any requests, announcements, or final advice for our listeners?-------PODCAST HOST:The parent company of the Climate Torch podcast is Entrepreneurs for Impact.We are the only private mastermind community for investor-backed CEOs, founders, and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help “scale up” climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our invite-only cohorts of 11 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $4B in market cap or assets under management, and are influencing corporate priorities and infrastructure much bigger than that.Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 50,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.comMembership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12GygSample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehSRequest more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM

Discover how Partners Group is scaling low-carbon infrastructure with massive capital deployment, climate-focused strategies, & long-term impact.Co-led by Dr. Dmitriy Antropov, the private infrastructure integrated investment team at Partners Group ($119B+ in AUM) focuses on: (1) telecommunication infrastructure, in particular datacenters, (2) energy and mobility transformation, and (3) next-generation healthcare services. He has been with Partners Group since 2008 and has 17 years of industry experience. He has originated, led, and executed over USD 1.5B in investments generating 20%+ IRR. Prior to joining Partners Group, he worked at UniCredit Group, L.E.K. Consulting and Apax Partners. He holds a PhD in world economics from Financial University under the Government of Russian Federation, Moscow. He is also a Financial Risk Manager. -------Entrepreneurs for Impact is the only private mastermind community for investor-backed CEOs, founders, and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help “scale up” climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our invite-only cohorts of 11 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 50,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.comMembership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12GygSample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehSRequest more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM

Learn how Persefoni helps companies track, report, & reduce emissions with enterprise-grade climate accounting & SaaS analytics.Led by CEO and Co-founder Kentaro Kawamori, Persefoni is a SaaS platform that enables companies and financial institutions to measure, disclose, and reduce their carbon footprint, thereby meeting stakeholder and regulatory climate disclosure needs with the highest degrees of trust, transparency, and ease. They recently announced a $101M in Series B and the launch of free carbon accounting product. Prelude Ventures and TPG’s The Rise Fund led the round — the largest-ever investment round in any Climate Tech SaaS company.Prior to founding Persefoni, Kentaro was an early-stage venture investor and Chief Digital Officer at a Fortune 500 energy firm. In 2020, Kentaro was recognized by Forbes on its 30 Under 30 and in 2021 by SXSW in its startup pitch event.  -------Entrepreneurs for Impact is the only private mastermind community for investor-backed CEOs, founders, and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help “scale up” climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our invite-only cohorts of 11 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 50,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.comMembership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12GygSample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehSRequest more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM

Discover how Zero delivers plastic-free online groceries with seamless logistics, customer engagement, & eco-conscious supply chains.Led by Zuleyka Strasner, Zero is an online marketplace for sustainable groceries, home goods, personal items, and more, on its way to becoming the largest sustainability platform for consumers in the country.Below are two excerpts from the podcast."If you had to start over, what are 1-2 tips you’d give yourself in order to be faster, more effective, and higher impact?First, you have to trust in yourself. In a startup, you’re always dealing with some new problem or setback, but we have always, and without fail, found our way through them, as scary as it may have been at the time. The second tip is to be quick about what stays and what goes, whether it’s ideas, processes, or people. Holding on for too long doesn’t work.""Do you have any requests, announcements, or final advice for our listeners?Being a founder/CEO requires you to be many things to many people. Sometimes it’s the most rewarding thing in the world, and sometimes it’s the most difficult. The only path is to trust in yourself, and to listen to those around you — the people you hired (because they’re experts after all), your customers, and the people who support you, such as mentors and advisors."-------Entrepreneurs for Impact is the only private mastermind community for investor-backed CEOs, founders, and investors fighting climate change. We’re on a mission to help “scale up” climate leaders supercharge their impacts, share best practices, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our invite-only cohorts of 11 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, a member-only Climate Investor Database, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls.Peer groups are led by Dr. Chris Wedding who brings $1B+ of investment experience, 50,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.Website: www.entrepreneursforimpact.comMembership benefits: https://bit.ly/3l12GygSample Mastermind members: https://bit.ly/3ipSehSRequest more information on membership: https://bit.ly/3mj48eM