Inevitable

Today’s guest is Matt Rogers, the co-founder of Nest and now Incite.org. Incite turns big ideas to improve the world into big deals. They offer early money & support for changemakers through Incite Labs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that makes grants and program-related investments to further charitable, educational, and scientific purposes, Incite Ventures, an investment fund that supports mission-driven enterprises through investments in businesses with the potential to scale, inspire others, and make a difference, and Incite Politics, the name of the work of Incite’s founders, Matt and Swati, to personally organize and support initiatives to pass legislation and elect candidates who approach our country’s issues from a fresh perspective. Matt is a builder at heart. He started at Apple, building the software team for 10 generations of the iPod. He was one of the first engineers on the original iPhone and involved in the development of 5 iPhone generations, and the first iPad. As co-founder of Nest, Matt built the team that built the first machine learning thermostat. And by doing so, has built the leading connected home brand — Nest. Matt is a Star Wars enthusiast and can often be spotted playing with his Airedale terrier friend, Bingley. In this episode we discuss: Matt’s time at Apple where he worked on the iPod, iPhone, and iPad The aha moment that led to Matt leaving Apple and founding Nest with Tony Fadell How Matt blended product and mission at Nest, which helped lead to it’s 3.2B acquisition by Google Matt’s time post Google acquisition and what led him and his wife Swati to found Incite.org The work Matt and his wife Swati are doing at Incite in startups, government, philanthropy, and politics Matt’s personal views on climate change and his expectations of those who have achieved success Links for topics discussed in this episode: Matt Rogers LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattrogers2/ Matt Rogers Twitter: https://twitter.com/nestmatt Swati Mylavarapu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swatimylavarapu/ Incite.org: https://www.incite.org Yoky Matsuoka: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoky_Matsuoka Apple: https://www.apple.com/ Nest: https://nest.com/ Tony Fadell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyfadell/ Dan Yates: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/dan-yates Google acquires Nest: https://www.forbes.com/sites/aarontilley/2014/01/13/google-acquires-nest-for-3-2-billion/ Carbon180: https://carbon180.org/ Cyclotron Road: https://www.cyclotronroad.org/ Julio Friedmann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julio-friedmann-86a83a44/ ClearPath: https://clearpath.org/ UC Davis: https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/can-seaweed-cut-methane-emissions-dairy-farms/ New York Times article w/ Matt Rogers: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/07/business/carbon-removal-technology-start-ups.htm I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future topics or guests. One correction: In this episode Matt Rogers said Cyclotron Road will soon be called Activation Energy. In fact, Cyclotron Road is a program managed in partnership between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Activate (formerly called Activation Energy), an independent nonprofit organization. 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 Joshua Posamentier, Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Congruent Ventures. Congruent partners with entrepreneurs to build companies addressing sustainability challenges, investing early across hardware, software, enterprise, consumer, deep technology, fin-tech, and business model innovation. Joshua oversees Congruent’s investments in PolySpectra, Sense Photonics, Energetic Insurance, TeleSense, Bellwether Coffee, Xtelligent, ArcByt, Fox Robotics, and Emergy Labs. He has rich experience in venture (Prelude Ventures, Intel Capital) and operating roles (Intel, National Semi, TI), and entrepreneurship (CEO of Blipstream). He was an integral member of Intel’s first wireless chip team, started and ran National Semiconductor’s EV, Energy Storage and Smart Grid business units and initiated investment in several new business lines. Joshua has over 50 patents issued or pending, holds a BA in physics from the University California at Berkeley, and holds MBAs from the Columbia Business School and the Haas School of Business. Josh is an avid cyclist, skier, sailor, surfer, and photographer and lives with his family in the SF Bay Area. In this episode we discuss: Joshua’s background in both operating roles and ventures roles that gave him the conviction to start Congruent and focus on sustainability investing How Joshua balances generating returns vs making impact through his investments Examples of some of the companies Joshua and Congruent have invested in and the impact they are having on sustainability markets Joshua’s views on the climate issue and his advice to others who are struggling with the decision on where to spend their time in the climate fight I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and/or requests for topics/guests to cover on the show! Links for topics discussed in this episode: Joshua Posamentier's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/posamentier Joshua Posamentier's Twitter: https://twitter.com/posamentier Congruent Ventures Website: http://www.congruentvc.com/ Congruent Ventures Twitter: https://twitter.com/CongruentVC Abe Yokell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abe-yokell Daniel Hullah: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/daniel-hullah Prelude Ventures: https://www.preludeventures.com/ Amp Robotics: https://www.amprobotics.com/ Energetic Insurance: https://www.energeticinsurance.com/ James Bowen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbowen/ Jeff McAulay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlmcaulay/ 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 Adele Morris, a senior fellow and policy director for Climate and Energy Economics at the Brookings Institution. Her research informs critical decisions related to climate change, energy, and tax policy. She is a leading global expert on the design of carbon pricing policies. She joined Brookings in July 2008 from the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) of the U.S. Congress, where she advised members and staff on economic, energy, and environmental policy. Before her work in Congress, Morris was the lead natural resource economist for the U.S. Treasury Department for nine years. In that position, she informed and represented Treasury’s positions on agriculture, energy, climate, and radio spectrum policies. On assignment to the U.S. Department of State in 2000, she led negotiations on land use and forestry issues in the international climate change treaty process. Prior to joining the Treasury, she served as the senior economist for environmental affairs at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers during the development of the Kyoto Protocol. Morris began her career at the Office of Management and Budget, where she oversaw rulemaking by agriculture and natural resource agencies. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University, an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Utah, and a B.A. from Rice University. In this episode we discuss: Adele’s background and her climate focused work at the Brookings Institution The political make up of the Brookings Institute and how they work on both the left and right side of the aisle Some of the recent projects Adele has been working on including a deep dive into carbon taxes The no nonsense straightforward approach Adele takes to her work and how she hopes it is received in this current polarized political climate we find ourselves in Adele’s advice to others: vote and educate yourself, and talk to others I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share any feedback or requests for specific topics/guests to have on the show! Links for topics discussed in this episode: The event with the members of Congress on June 20: https://www.brookings.edu/events/leading-carbon-price-proposals-a-bipartisan-dialogue/ The paper on the policy insights from our big modeling study: https://www.brookings.edu/research/policy-insights-from-comparing-carbon-pricing-modeling-scenarios/ The book I mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/Implementing-Carbon-Tax-Explorations-Environmental/dp/1138825360 How to find your representative in Congress: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative Contact information for U.S. Senators: https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state 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

In this episode I interview Kiran Bhatraju the Founder and CEO of Arcadia Power. Arcadia Power connects customers to local community solar projects and purchases renewable energy certificates from wind farms on their behalf. To date, Arcadia Power has 250,000 customers that have produced 680,000 megawatt hours of clean energy. In this episode we discuss: How Arcadia Power is making it easy for customers to transition to clean energy. How Arcadia Power uses offsets and renewable energy certificates and the impact those have on energy markets and innovation by demonstrating demand. The pricing strategy and freemium model Arcadia Power is using to attract customers. Kiran’s fear about societies tendency to adapt to the “new normal” and the consequences of tendency. Why Kiran believes its important for policymakers to remember those most significantly impacted by the transition to clean energy. I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Kiran Bhatraju’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiran-bhatraju Kiran Bhatraju’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/KiranRaju Arcadia Power: https://www.arcadiapower.com Wealthfront: https://www.wealthfront.com/ Bettermint: https://www.betterment.com Runkeeper: https://runkeeper.com/ Solar Holler: https://www.solarholler.com/ 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

In this episode I interview Rich Powell, the Executive Director of ClearPath. Rich is the Executive Director at ClearPath and ClearPath Action, the DC-based organizations developing and advancing conservative policies that accelerate clean energy innovation. He educates policymakers on investing wisely in energy innovation, removing roadblocks to building and exporting American clean energy technology, and maintaining and promoting our baseload clean energy resources. Rich also leads ClearPath’s external advocacy and research partnerships with non profits, academia, and the private sector. Previously, Rich was with McKinsey & Company in the Energy and Sustainability practices. He focused on corporate clean energy strategy, government low carbon growth strategy, and clean tech market entry. ClearPath partners with in-house and external experts on nuclear, carbon capture, hydropower, natural gas, energy storage and energy innovation to advance their mission. In this episode, Rich and I discuss: Rich’s previous experience working at McKinsey and how that led to him meeting Jay Faison, the founder of ClearPath, and ultimately joining the company. How ClearPath prioritizes their efforts by evaluating impact vs likelihood of a particular policy passing. How ClearPath uses the conservative values of cost benefit analysis and performance technology in developing policy proposals. ClearPath’s non-dogmatic view on what it will take to solve the energy issues of climate change. How ClearPath hopes to achieve it’s long term goal of zero emissions by 2050. I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Rich Powell’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richpowell Rich Powell’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/powellrich ClearPath: http://clearpath.org/ Jay Faison: https://clearpath.org/about-us/jay-faison/ SnapAV: https://www.snapav.com McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/ NetPower: https://www.netpower.com Oxy: https://www.oxy.com 45Q: https://clearpath.org/jay-and-richs-take/why-45q-matters-and-why-its-not-enough/ 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

In this episode, I interviewed Susanne Brooks, Senior Director, U.S. Climate Policy & Analysis at Environmental Defense Fund. Susanne’s areas of expertise include climate change, U.S. climate and energy policy, and carbon pricing. Specifically, she works to develop and advocate environmentally responsible and economically sound policies aimed at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. Susanne’s areas of expertise include U.S. federal and state climate and energy policy, the economic impacts of climate change, and the design of carbon pricing programs. The Environmental Defense Fund is one of the world's largest environmental organizations, with more than two million members and a staff of 700 scientists, economists, policy experts, and other professionals around the world. EDF’s work focuses on four main areas including: Climate & Energy, Health, Oceans, and Ecosystems. In this episode, Susanne and I discussed: What sets EDF and their work apart from other NGO’s Where EDF’s work fits into the broader picture of climate change What Susanne does specifically for EDF which includes looking years ahead to make sure EDF is prepared for future legislation proposals How EDF has been helping legislators by providing suggestions for carbon tax proposals using EMIs How Susanne found her way into climate and climate policy related work I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Susanne Brooks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanne-brooks-28a0894/ Susanne Brookers Twitter: https://twitter.com/susannebrooks EDF’s Website: https://www.edf.org Nat Keohane: https://www.edf.org/people/nathaniel-keohane EIM’s: http://blogs.edf.org/markets/2016/11/03/ensuring-environmental-outcomes-from-a-carbon-tax/ Resources for the Future: https://www.rff.org/ CEO Climate Dialogue: https://www.ceoclimatedialogue.org/ Climate Leadership Council: https://www.clcouncil.org/ World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org/ IPCC: https://www.ipcc.ch/ Brookings: https://www.brookings.edu/ 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

In this episode, I interviewed Bret Kugelmass, the Managing Director of the Energy Impact Center. We covered a number of topics, including Bret’s background and what led him to focus so passionately on nuclear, his atypical entry point and tremendously successful podcast, the work he is doing at Energy Impact Center, and his ultimate vision for what Energy Impact Center can become and the mark he wants to leave on the world. Out of all of the people I’ve met so far in my journey, Bret is the closet to my spirit animal - recovering technology entrepreneur looking to work on something more purposeful, concerned about climate change, deep dive into climate brought him to nuclear, and had many discussions and started a podcast on his quest to enter this new field without a historical background in it. Bret put out some pretty bold, controversial viewpoints. Definitely thought provoking, and whether you find yourself agreeing or disagreeing, a worthwhile listen, for sure. I would love to hear your thoughts after listening to the episode. His bio here: Bret Kugelmass is an American technology entrepreneur who's turned his focus to climate and energy advocacy. One the early pioneers in commercializing drones (Airphrame - acq. 2017) for environmental surveys and emergency response he's experienced first-hand market growth within complex technical, regulatory, and public opinion framework. He received his Masters in robotics from Stanford and his earlier work includes designing a lunar rover controller for NASA, a concept electric car for Panasonic, and automating solar manufacturing processes for Nanosolar. Motivated by the climate crises he moved to DC to set up a research initiative (Energy Impact Center) focused on exploring nuclear power and its role in deep decarbonization. He also hosts a podcast (Titans of Nuclear) where he’s conducted hundreds of audio interviews with experts throughout the nuclear sector communicating to a tech savvy and environmentally concerned audience the unique complexities and benefits of the technology. In this episode, Bret and I discuss: Bret’s background and what caused him to join the climate fight His journey talking to scientists and experts and the three a-ha moments that led to his focus on nuclear Bret’s view on the single only solution to climate change A deep dive into the world of nuclear including a line by line rebuttal of all the common concerns with nuclear energy and reactors Bret’s ultimate goal and definition of success with his work I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Bret Kugelmass: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bkugelmass Titans of Nuclear: https://www.titansofnuclear.com/ Fukushima: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster Bret Kugelmass’s Lecture Series on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgTfjKxO_dTeFNOjWZXUCM0ghpDBVc2oO 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

In this episode, I interviewed Alex Flint, the Executive Director of The Alliance for Market Solutions. Alex joined AMS as executive director in May 2017. He previously served as staff director of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, senior vice president of governmental affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute, and as a member of President Trump’s transition team. The Alliance for Market Solutions (AMS) is an organization of conservative leaders addressing two of America’s most pressing challenges: the need to reduce carbon pollution and grow the economy. AMS respect’s climate change science and supports replacing regulations with a revenue-neutral carbon tax—a policy that would efficiently protect the environment and deregulate and grow the economy. AMS engages directly with influential conservatives, including policymakers, to cultivate support for a revenue-neutral carbon tax. We also conduct research on key aspects of carbon tax policies to provide policymakers insights into issues including the impact of a revenue-neutral carbon tax on economic growth, income, and innovation. In this episode, Alex and I discuss: Alex’s background and childhood that led to his awareness and appreciation for the environment The early days of The Alliance for Market Solutions and how it came to be Alex’s time working in nuclear and then on Trump’s transition team Alex’s case for why and how conservatives should address the issue of climate change The specific solution that AMS proposes to address climate change Why Alex does not think any solution is better than no solution when it comes to climate policy I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Alex Flint: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-flint-0a294574/ The Alliance for Market Solutions: https://amsresearch.org/ Alex's Op Ed from Dec of 2018: https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/419392-republicans-are-losing-on-climate-issues-we-can-change Article on the email Alex wrote about climate change deniers: https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060162805 Interview of Alex - Addressing Climate Change with a Carbon Tax | White House Chronicle: https://vimeo.com/278688768 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

In this episode, I interview Nathaniel Stinnett, the Founder and Executive Director of the Environmental Voter Project. Nathaniel Stinnett founded the Environmental Voter Project in 2015 after over a decade of experience as a senior advisor, consultant, and trainer for political campaigns and issue-advocacy nonprofits. Hailed as a "visionary" by The New York Times, and dubbed "The Voting Guru" by Grist magazine, Stinnett is a frequent expert speaker on cutting-edge campaign techniques and the behavioral science behind getting people to vote. He has held a variety of senior leadership and campaign manager positions on U.S. Senate, Congressional, state, and mayoral campaigns, and he sits on the Board of Advisors for MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative. Formerly an attorney at the international law firm DLA Piper LLP, Stinnett holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School. He lives in Boston, MA with his wife and two daughters. In this episode, we discuss: Nathaniel's background in law and politics which led to him founding the Environmental Voter Project What the Environmental Voter Project is and what kind of work they are doing Insights into voter behavior and how it factors into climate policy How voting records and your voting file factors into climate policy regardless of which candidate you support The results and progress Nathaniel and his team at the Environmental Voter Project have made to date along with their future plans Ways people can get involved with EVP and Nathaniel’s advice to those looking to join the climate fight I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Nathaniel’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/NCStinn Environmental Voter Project: https://www.environmentalvoter.org/leadership Environmental Voter Project: How Much Do People Lie About Voting?: https://www.environmentalvoter.org/sites/default/files/documents/how-much-do-people-lie-about-voting.pdf 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

In this episode, I interview Gustaf Alstromer, Partner at Y Combinator and former Product Lead of Growth at AirBnB. Prior to AirBnB, he led Growth at Voxer and was the Co-Founder and CEO of Heysan (YC W07), which was acquired by Good Technology in 2009. In October of 2018, YC published a Request for Startups that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere which YC President Sam Altman described as “the most elaborate RFS we have put out.” Gustaf is one of the partners at YC that spends a portion of their time working with these companies that are focused on addressing climate change. In this episode, we discuss: Gustaf’s background in consumer tech working at AirBnB and Voxer Where Gustaf spends most of his time at YC The background and reason for YC’s carbon removal focused Request for Startups (RFS) Why YC decided to focus specifically on carbon removal Gustaf’s view on the similarities and differences between “traditional” YC companies vs climate focused companies A few of the climate focused companies YC has invested in What YC looks for in climate focused companies I learned a lot about the YC model from talking with Gustaf and I hope you enjoy the show! You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and provide suggestions for future guests or topics you'd like to see covered on the show. Links for topics discussed in this episode: Gustafs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustafalstromer/ Gustaf’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/gustaf Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/ YC’s Carbon RFS: https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs/#carbon YC’s Carbon specific website: carbon.ycombinator.com Pachama: https://www.pachama.com/ Watsi: https://watsi.org/ ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/ Tarjimly: https://www.tarjim.ly/en Vote.Org: https://www.vote.org/ Good Food Institute: https://www.gfi.org/ 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