CleanTechies Podcast

Today we are joined by Nicola Rubini from the River Cleaning Project by Conai. You may not know, but 80% of plastics that end up in the ocean are deposited there by rivers. Today we speak with Nicola about how they are trying to fix this problem given that rivers are conveniently a focused path of water. The technology they have is pretty fascinating but what's more, is the nuances required to navigate the political issues and the difficulties of building this type of business. Really interesting challenges that hopefully are valuable to any founders listening. Enjoy the episode! 🌍Topics: * 1:03 Intro and Data Behind Plastic Pollution* 15:09 Dealing with Navigable Rivers* 23:44 Financing the Projects* 27:42 Plastic Credits* 39:49  Regulation: The Plastics Treaty* 48:04 Demonstrating the Impact to the PublicLinks: * Connect with Nicola:* Conai Website:* Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/* Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/email* Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ * HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Today we have a pretty interesting capital provider joining us. Ethan Goldsmith is an Investment Partner at Keyframe Capital and helped found TeraWatt Infrastructure (the fleet charging behemoth). We went through the usual stuff around his background, early career, what they are doing, how they source deals, and their unique points but the core of this conversation in my opinion is really in their model. Since their inception, they saw that ClimateTech would require more flexible capital structures given that the pure equity model wasn't going to work given how capital-intensive most of these technologies are. They set up their fund to include those flexibilities. As an example, they might find a firm that is in need of funding, they could write a check in return for equity, but then in a few months, they might issue a specific project finance product for that use case. If the portfolio company needed to raise that in the form of equity for dollars, they would quickly be eradicating their cap table space. This to me is the most important aspect of this entire conversation and I'm glad we had the chance to speak with Ethan to go through it. There are other interesting topics here but this is key for other fund builders to consider. Enjoy the episode! Topics: * 1:57 Intro* 7:35 What led them to recognize the infra -- VC Gap* 14:27 Getting into PE/VC* 19:13 Building TeraWatt* 24:47 Key Takeaways from starting TeraWatt* 26:47 Differentiating their model through flexible capital* 31:36 Their Verticals* 38:11 Managing deal flow* 40:58  They spend a lot of time in the market before investing because of their model* 42:32 How they help their portfolio co's* 45:45  Advice to hardware and capital-intensive startups in ClimateTech* 48:36 Obvious Prediction* 50:47 Final thoughts Links: * Connect with Ethan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-goldsmith-186b3627* Keyframe Capital Website: https://www.keyframecapital.com/* Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/* Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/email* Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ * HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com / info@next-wavepartners.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Today we are joined by Chris Gray, the CTO of RENU Communities. At it's simplest form, they are a PE Fund that is doing total retrofits on real estate to make it a sustainable building. The more interesting aspects of what they are doing are, they have an in-house set of experts that are able to help them integrate engineering knowledge with the financial modeling of the projects they take a very high-quality approach to how they manage the retrofits so that it doesn't impact tenant lifethey engage with their tenants to help them understand the benefits of the newly installed upgrades In the end, Chris also had some interesting insights to share on the IRA bill which directly contributes to the bottom line of real estate owners. So if you own real estate, you might want to check that out as well.Enjoy today's episode! Peace out! 🌎Topics: 3:42 Intro to Chris5:40 Seeing how buildings worked led him to an interest in sustainability8:55 Utilities and their incentives around energy efficiency10:26 40% of Emissions are from buildings12:03 Why energy efficiency is now becoming mainstream14:55 Their process28:31 Lifetime Savings33:07 Increased rent for green buildings35:50 Design & Energy Efficiency / Form Factor39:21  How they engage with and educate their tenants41:52 Personal health and green buildings43:57 Green buildings and insurance49:07 The IRA - Some thoughts52:17 Incentives contribute directly contributions to RE Owner's bottom line54:33 Outlook on the green building spaceLinks: Connect with Chris: RENU Communities Website: Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Today we are joined by the founder of Criaterra, Adital Ela. Adital is an industrial designer by education and profession who was seeking the potential to make fully circular building products. She was inspired to do this when visiting India she saw how clay Chai cups were used and then tossed to the ground to return to their original form. After 12 years she then decided to set out to build Criaterra. In essence, they are an R&D company that aims to license out their IP for the production of fully circular building products. For the time being, they have focused on their MVP, decorative, non-structural tiles. In this conversation, we speak about her journey and the challenges of building a company like Criaterra. Our biggest takeaway was that it takes a lot of grit and resiliency to persist on this path. Adital has seen many struggles in the journey of building this company but is keeping the faith and working towards the vision of fully-circular structural building products. Prepare to be inspired.Peace out! 🌎Topics: 4:40 Intro | Background in Industrial Design11:!7 - Living with respect to raw materials13:31 When she started on this journey18:22 Intricacies of Launching20:11 Misunderstanding of the Gap Between R&D & Production23:46 Their Products27:27 Strengths of Products37:27The Feedstock44:07 Their Business Model | IP46:05 Milestones to Building an IP Model55:06 Closing ThoughtsLinks: Connect with Adital: Criaterra Website: Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Super excited to share this with you. We've got someone who went to the same high school where Steve Jobs and Woz did back in the day. He then worked at Square on international expansion, went on to work with VC Legend Mike Maples, and eventually ended up as the Chief of Staff at Chris Sacca's, Lowercarbon Capital. We are talking about Shawn Xu. Shawn talked us through his journey to climate, what it takes to be a good VC, what they look for, the areas he's bullish on, and what he's working on now. I quite enjoyed this conversation (I say that a lot but I do mean it). Enjoy today's episode! Topics: 4:29 Intro to Shawn, his career journey, going to high school where Steve Jobs went and getting into VC11:37 Creating access and equity to the Silicon Valley mentality15:59 His climate journey24:38 The inside scoop on VCs - what skills do you need to developFinding 26:44Picking 27:54Winning 28:58Supporting 29:3131:54 Lowercarbon's Thesis34:29 The founders they look for36:49 Advice to Founders42:20 Areas he's bullish on44:42  His role at Lowercarbon Links: Connect with Shawn: The Lowercarbon Capital Website: Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: Join the Slack Channel:  Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

If you are a bit of a shipping nerd like me, this is going to be a great episode. We are joined by James Malley the co-founder of Paccurate where they are helping product shippers use smaller boxes so less air is shipped, resulting in fewer trucks to get the same products to your destination. This is a juggernaut of a business as they are able to service ginormous companies with a very light staff and it all came out of just being experts in solving annoying problems in the shipping space. This conversation talks all about...The shipping industry as a whole including packaging materials and incentivesHow the government is bringing regulation surrounding scope 3 emissionsAnd how they built their companyIf you are at all interested in shipping products, this should be a really fun episode for you. If not, then maybe skip to the second half where we start to talk about building the company. Peace out! 🌎Topics: 6:14 about the packaging space10:26 Innovation in packaging14:26 some novel tech, but not much, at scale16:02 How shippers can incentivize better packaging practicesTOPIC CLIP: 12 ish to about 20 ish where the discussion surrounds incentives (It's in he clips)25:11 positive impacts of fewer packages27:34 Starting the company31:22 getting shippers & Mfgs to work together35:27 Challenges and advice to other founders37:!7 The raising process & advice to founders on that process41:!2 Partnerships44:04 Hiring & Talent46:16 Outlook on the future Links: Connect with James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmalley/Paccurate Website: https://paccurate.io/Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/emailFollow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Today we spoke with Joe Bushnell. I had met Joe before he launched Azollo so it is a pretty cool guest to have on since I got to hear where he was at prior to launch. From Australia, he developed a certain attachment to the issue of climate change at a young age when wildfires destroyed his town and burned his school growing up. He went on to study sustainability in Uni. He then went into consulting and finance winding his way back to sustainable finance. Eventually, desiring to pursue a deeper connection directly to the space, he started his own company. In today's conversation, we talk about this journey and how he ended up founding Azollo to help corporates transition and up-skill their workforces. This is vital for corporates to achieve the sustainability targets they have set. It's a really interesting challenge. We also talked about his advice to other aspiring founders thinking of jumping ship. And then ended on the topic of mentoring and how much tech will be able to revolutionize the talent space. We also discussed where we think the boundaries of tech are. Overall, a great episode so let's get into it! Topics: 4:00 Intro8:14 ROI12:56 Why he started the company16:23 Advice to others jumping ship21:54 Winding journey to climate24:34 Industries struggling to find talent28:53  How tech can enable change31:16 Biggest objections33:06 The Jobs are not clear34:39 Foundations of educating workforce - the basics36:02  Diagnostics & workforce engagement37:43  AI & Changing employee workforce41:23 Mentorship & the workforce47:06  Raising Money51:16 Two Trends54:44 His "Obvious Predictions" Links: Connect with Joe: Azollo Website: Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: Join the Slack Channel:  Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Today's topic is how to raise money for your ClimateTech Startup with Tommy Leep. He is the founder of Jetstream. A ClimateTech VC focused on investing in pre-seed ClimateTech companies. Today's conversation focuses on three things. First, some of his background, how he got interested in ClimateTech, how he got into VC, and some of the challenges in his career. Second, we spoke about his advice to climate tech founders who are fundraising. He has a lot of incredible tips in this section. If you want to skip to that, it's around the 12 min mark. Third, he walked us through his thought process for investing. So, if you're trying to get a check from Tommy, definitely check that part out too. It starts at around the 30 min mark. Really fun conversation, wish we had more time, will have to bring him back on again in the future. Topics: 3:40 Intro8:27 Keeping head down versus plotting next move9:59 A very challenging time in his career11:32 How he became interested in ClimateTech13:13 5 Tips for fundraising14:58 Stay lean18:46 Find a strong lead investor21:25 His sequence for raising/pitching24:42 Optimize for the investment partner, not the price27:36 Bring deal to many great investors29:20 Build relationships for the next round, this round31:27 How he decides on investing32:23 Market: Predicting the Market39:34 Product: PMF40:18 Founders: It's a 10-year relationship41:10 Fit: Does he feel right about it42:36 Advice to potential foundersLinks: Follow Tommy on Twitter:Checkout his website, Jetstream.ioCheck out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: Join the Slack Channel: Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn:HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Today we have a dual guest episode with Husband & Wife duo, Steve & Beth McDaniel. They have a background in the paint and coatings industry where they have been finding ways to make paints and coatings do something other than just decorate and protect their surface. Their latest innovation is a way to create surfaces that act as carbon capture the same way Blue Algae does. The surfaces can be mass deployed to capture gigatons of carbon to remove carbon from the air permanently at scale. Their company is called Reactive solutions, they are the recent winners of a CarbonX Prize to help Bulgaria test out their solution. The conversation has two parts. First, we talk about the science - the tech it self - how they came across it and the R&D process Second, we go into the more commercial side of things. We talk about their business model, their tips for winning  pilot projects, some of their advice on focusing on the MVP, and the importance of leveraging existing network to get the intros you need. If you're an entrepreneur in the hardware or IP side of thing, this second half is going to be pretty valuable so you can go there if you're strapped for time. Overall, really fascinating conversation. We hope you enjoy! Topics: 4:46 Intro to them, their backgrounds, and how they got into CarbonTech17:29 The R&D Process19:22 - The ideal use case for their tech27:43 Their cost per ton of capture and how many don't count the sequestration costs33:24 How carbon capture projects make money37:00 The IP & Licensing Model44:39 Why pilots are required to secure further investment51:20 Tips to winning pilot projects57:00 Gov. grants, should you get them, & how toLinks: Beth on LinkedIn: Steve on LinkedIn: Reactive Surfaces Website: Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: Join the Slack Channel:  Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe

Interested in how we will have enough lithium over the next decades to support the energy and EV transition? Well, you can learn about a company solving this problem. Enter EnergyX founded and run by Teague Egan. Teague had no previous experience in mining or chemistry but after seeing a huge gap in the market and one particular problem faced by a lithium reserve in Bolivia, he set out to see how he could solve this problem. In this conversation we cover...His journey to finding this problem and how he built the company What their technology does and how it's an artificial intersecting of several proven technologiesThe detailed process of how he funded the company at the start and the milestones to achieve each subsequent fundraise And finally how they spent effort up-front building a world-class team in order to help them attract talent more broadly down the road It is really an amazing conversation especially because of how candid he was about the experience and the raising process. I think both existing and aspiring climate tech entrepreneurs will find this valuable. Topics: 00:40 Intro to Teague5:30 How, as a non-technical person he founded a highly technical ClimateTech company15:50 What their technology is and how it works20:22 Borrowing existing proven tech and applying it to new problems29:45 Who are their customers33:10 The detailed breakdown of their fundraising process and the key milestones to advance to the next stage successfully42:00 Importance of IP44:50 Mining & Recycling46:30 Building a talent attraction machine and moat through hard work up-frontLinks: Teague on LinkedIn: Teague on Twitter: EnergyX Website: Invest in EnergyX: Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: Join the Slack Channel:  Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn:HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner__________We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today. https://www.next-wavepartners.com/ / info@next-wavepartners.comSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe