Inevitable

Today's guest is Naman Trivedi, Co-Founder & CEO of WattBuy.Naman Trivedi is the Co-Founder & CEO of WattBuy. He founded the company to help millions of Americas choose cheaper, greener electricity plans and advance the global transition to a clean energy economy. WattBuy provides transparent, intelligent insights for homeowners & renters, helping them save upwards of 40% on electricity bills, select renewable energy plans, and gain a deeper understanding of their home's energy use. Prior to co-founding WattBuy, Naman worked at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, pushing a policy initiative for Community Choice Aggregation. This system aggregates the buying power of individuals in a neighborhood to purchase renewable energy supply contracts. He also spent two years at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Obama Administration, working on federal renewable energy policy and grand prizes. In this episode, Naman gives me an overview of WattBuy, why their work addresses climate change, and what motivates consumers to use WattBuy. We also talk about how WattBuy builds trust amongst its customers, the barriers WattBuy faces as the startup looks to scale, and a discussion on how to increase home sustainability consulting. It was great to learn more about WattBuy and have Naman join me this week.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded August 11th, 2021To learn more about Wattbuy, visit: https://wattbuy.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/orbillion Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Cisco DeVries, CEO of OhmConnect.OhmConnect provides home energy management solutions via smart meter analytics and energy market integration. OhmConnect's platform enables residential users to sell their energy reductions directly into energy markets.Before OhmConnect, Cisco co-founded Renew Financial, which became one of the largest dedicated clean energy finance companies in the U.S. As CEO of Renew, he raised over $2 billion in private capital that financed energy efficiency and clean energy projects in nearly 100,000 homes. Previously, Cisco spent five years as the Chief of Staff to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. In 1996, President Clinton appointed him to serve as an aide to the U.S. Secretary of Energy, where he held roles at the White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Cisco has over 20 years of experience in public policy and energy efficiency. He also holds a B.A. in political science from UCSD and a Master's of Public Policy from UC Berkeley. In this episode, Cisco explains what OhmConnect does, how their platform works, and what led him to serve as CEO. He also touches on the relationship between OhmConnect and CA utilities and barriers to large-scale deployment. Plus, we have a lively discussion on pricing carbon and other policies that would address climate change. It was great to have Cisco join me this week, and I'm excited for listeners to learn more about OhmConnect.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded August 13th, 2021For more information about OhmConnect: https://www.ohmconnect.com/For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/cisco-devries Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Patricia Bubner, Co-Founder & CEO of Orbillion Bio, Inc.Patricia is a founder and the CEO of Orbillion Bio, Inc. The company is on a mission to accelerate the broad availability of a variety of healthy, nutritious, and flavorful cultivated meat products. Orbillion recently graduated from renowned Y Combinator's Winter 21 batch. Originally from Austria, Patricia is a scientist and engineer working to build a future of ethical and sustainable food. Before Orbillion, she co-founded an agriculture & food systems project, The Millet Project, that aimed at diversifying agriculture and our diet by cultivation and consumption of lesser-known grains such as millets. Patricia did her postdoc at the Energy Biosciences Institute at UC Berkeley, where she studied the expression of glycoproteins in filamentous fungi and plants.In this episode, Patricia walks me through Orbillion Bio Inc, the company's origins, and how the ethics of traditional meat production motivated her to co-found the startup. We dive into the key phases of bringing the company to market and how to scale the cell-based meat industry. Patricia also explains the impact food systems have on the environment and why wide-scale adoption of alternative meats is essential for addressing climate change. Patricia is a fantastic guest!Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded August 6th, 2021To learn more about Orbillion Bio Inc., visit: https://www.orbillion.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/orbillion Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Amy Duffuor, Principal at Prime Impact Fund.Prime Impact Fund, an investment initiative of Prime Coalition, is an early-stage VC fund dedicated to investing in technology companies with the potential for gigaton-scale climate impact.Prior to Prime Impact Fund, Amy was a renewables and power investment banker at Bank of America. There, she worked with CEOs of public and private companies to raise investment capital, including the IPO of Sunnova, a residential solar company initially valued at approximately $1 billion. Before her stint on Wall Street, Amy ran early-stage social venture accelerators around Southeast Asia for a Singapore-headquartered impact investing firm called Impact Investment Exchange. Earlier in her career, Amy was a management consultant at State of Flux, a London-based consulting firm specializing in supply chain and procurement. In addition, she serves as a board member for Prime Impact Fund portfolio companies Clean Crop Technologies and Noon Energy and is on the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC) board. I was looking forward to catching up with Amy because I've interviewed some of her colleagues early on in the My Climate Journey days. It was exciting to hear how Prime Impact Fund has grown since 2018 and learn about Amy's role at the company. She walks me through her climate journey, what led her to work at Prime Impact Fund and the firm's investment strategy. We also talk about the differences between catalytic capital and concessionary capital and the importance of climate impact-aligned investing.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded August 4th, 2021For more information about Prime Impact Fund: https://www.primeimpactfund.com/For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/amy-duffuor Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guests are Bessie Schwarz, Co-Founder & CEO, and Beth Tellman, Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer, at Cloud to Street.Bessie and Beth met as Master's students at Yale University's School of Environmental Sciences and Forestry, where Cloud to Street started as their thesis research. The company is the world's leading remote flood mapping platform. Cloud to Street uses global satellites and remote sensing AI to monitor flood risk and detect worldwide floods in real-time. Its unique technology requires zero ground equipment and provides governments and communities with accurate and trustworthy flood monitoring. Seeded by Google, Cloud to Street provides disaster relief support and data to governments in almost 20 countries worldwide. Partnering with top insurers, the startup is launching the first commercial parametric flood insurance product to protect climate-vulnerable communities better. Bessie and Beth are great guests, and I was looking forward to having them on the show. The two co-founders explain how Cloud to Street came to be, what sets the company apart from other flood monitoring businesses, and how their product works. We also discuss how natural hazards, blue lining, and climate change negatively affect frontline communities and how Cloud to Street can help. Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded August 2nd, 2021To learn more about Cloud to Street, visit: https://www.cloudtostreet.ai/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/cloud-to-street Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Dominic Falcão, Founding Director of Deep Science Ventures.Deep Science Ventures is a venture studio and a fund that pioneers a new model for synthesizing knowledge, talent, and capital into optimal outcome-centric scientific ventures. DSV focuses on building high-growth, high-impact companies in "tough" sectors from energy and agriculture to pharmaceuticals and computing.With a decade's knowledge and experience in company building, Dom serves as Founding Director of Deep Science Ventures, where he focuses on energy and the net-zero transition. He co-founded Deep Science Ventures in 2016 at the age of 25. Before DSV, Dom led Imperial College London's science startup program. He worked with over 200 student companies and supported a fraction of these to raise over £25m in funding within three years. He grew the community 375% to 3000 scientists in 1 year. In 2021, Dom was named one of Forbes Finance Under 30. I was looking forward to sitting down with Dom because Deep Science Ventures' approach to company building is unique. He walks me through that approach and their go-to-market strategy. Dom explains his climate journey and what led him to found DSV. We also discuss why the current path from academic research to commercialization is difficult and compare DSV with a traditional fund. Dom and I's conversation is a must-listen.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 28th, 2021For more information about Deep Science Ventures: https://deepscienceventures.com/ For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/dominic-falcao Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Amanda Li, Co-Founder & COO at Banyan Infrastructure, discusses how they use financial and technological innovation to accelerate the development of sustainable energy systems. They employ blockchain-based contract technology to streamline project management and decrease costs for lenders. Topics include the challenges in project finance, their pricing model, and the intersection of climate tech and FinTech.

Today's guest is Lila Preston, Head of the Growth Equity Strategy for Generation Investment Management.Lila joined Generation in 2004 and serves as Head of the Growth Equity Strategy. Prior to joining Generation, Lila was a Director in Development & Finance at VolunteerMatch and a Fulbright Fellow in Chile, where she worked on forestry and conservation projects. Lila currently serves as a Board Director at Nature's Fynd as well as a Board Observer at Toast and CiBO Technologies. In addition, she is a member of the Social Mission Board at Seventh Generation, is on the Board of Advisors at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. Lila received a BA in English Language and Literature from Stanford University and an MBA from London Business School.I was looking forward to sitting down with Lila and learning more about Generation Investment Management. In this episode, Lila walks me through Generation's mission, her climate journey, and how Generation evaluates companies to invest in. We also have a lively discussion about ESG investing, greenwashing, and the ethics of partnering with fossil fuel companies as we head towards a clean future. Lila is a great guest, and this episode is a must-listen.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 23rd, 2021For more information about Generation Investment Management: https://www.generationim.com/For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/lila-preston Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Dan White, Co-Founder & CEO of Clean Crop Technologies.Clean Crop Technologies provides a solution for solid food supply chains, which currently choose between killing pathogens and maintaining the health of crops. Eliminating this trade-off, Clean Crop's product treats pathogens while leaving the food intact. Utilizing groundbreaking research, the startup reduces molds, toxins, and pests in commercial-scale services for the global grain and nut sectors. In June 2020, Clean Crop Technologies raised $3M in a Seed round led by Prime Impact Fund. Before co-founding Clean Crop Technologies, Dan served as the Technical Director at ACDI/VOCA. Dan began his career in the US horticulture industry and spend the past decade in agri-business development and agro-input markets in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. He has over 16 years of experience in horticulture, nut, and grain value chains as an Agtech Entrepreneur. In the episode, Dan explains how Clean Crop Technologies was founded, its solution, and the technology they use. Dan outlines their market strategy and how to evaluate potential customers. We also dive into a broader discussion about the current agriculture systems and how they impact our future. Dan is a great guest, and it was exciting to learn more about Clean Crop Technologies.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 26th, 2021To learn more about Clean Crop Technologies, visit: https://cleancroptech.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/clean-crop-technologies Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guest is Thomas Jonas, Co-Founder & CEO of Nature's Fynd.Nature’s Fynd is a Chi­ca­­go-based food com­pa­ny cre­at­ing ver­sa­tile alterna­tive pro­teins to nour­ish the world’s grow­ing pop­u­la­tion while nur­tur­ing the plan­et. Born out of research con­duct­ed for NASA on microbes in Yellowstone Nation­al Park, the company’s break­through tech­nol­o­gy pro­duces Fy™. Before Nature's Fynd, Thomas was President of Beauty & Personal Care and Home & Garden at MeadWestvaco, a packaging corporation based in Virginia, and General Manager of Alcan Beauty Solutions, a French packaging company. Thomas has an MBA from HEC Paris. While taking a sabbatical in Hawai'i, Thomas met his co-founder, Mark Kozubal. Mark was working for NASA, researching ways to find life on other planets which led him to explore Yellowstone, where he discovered the Fy™ protein. Since founding the company, Thomas has served as CEO of Nature's Fynd.In this episode, Thomas and I explore the unique solution that Nature's Fynd is providing, the problem the company is working to solve, and the startup's market strategy. He also gives advice to entrepreneurs looking to raise capital, an overview of their most recent $350M raise, and how to influence customers at the shelves. Thomas is a great guest and it was fascinating to learn more about Nature's Fynd. Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 16th, 2021For more information about Nature's Fynd, visit: https://www.naturesfynd.com/For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/thomas-jonas Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.Connect with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant