Built for Earth

Clean Ammonia Nanocatalysts | Lewis Jenkins - Co-Founder & CEO of Nium Nov 18, 2024

Nium is using novel nanotechnology to decarbonize and decentralize the most polluting chemical industrial process on the planet: ammonia production.

Lewis Jenkins is co-founder and CEO of Nium. He is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in launching and scaling businesses across more than 20 countries. In 2022, he joined Carbon 13, the venture builder for the climate emergency in Cambridge, where he co-founded Nium.

In this episode we cover...

[1:20] What even is Ammonia?

[4:15] The history of Ammonia and why we need clean production

[7:25] How Nium’s nanotechnology can change production

[11:00] Decentralization and flexibility of ammonia production

[18:40] How Nium's minions create ammonia

[22:25] What makes Nium cost competitive

[26:30] Bringing ammonia production to clean hydrogen sites

[32:00] What the future looks like for Nium

[33:40] Planeteer’s: A global team for climate action

[44:05] Why nothing will stop Nium

[45:00] A fun fact about Lewis Jenkins

As mentioned during the episode, if you were inspired by Nium's mission and would like to join the team, apply to the The Planeteers Project.

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This episode was recorded on October 11, 2024.

Tackling Climate Change and Setting World Records | Erin Sprague - CEO of Protect Our Winters Aug 06, 2024

Protect Our Winters (POW) is one of the world's largest communities of outdoor enthusiasts including professional athletes, scientists, and creatives, who all leverage their love for the outdoors to drive climate action.

Erin Sprague is CEO of Protect Our Winters. She has previously led major divisions at various outdoor fitness companies, started her own non-profit called In the Running, and still serves as an advisor to climate startups like Quilt and Mill. She is also a world record holder, as the youngest woman to run a marathon on all seven continents.

In this episode we cover...

[1:30] The outdoor community’s platform

[2:55] POW’s theory for driving cultural change

[5:15] The best messaging to drive action on climate

[11:15] The most important climate actions you can take today

[15:00] POW’s creative current initiatives

[18:55] Leading in the non-profit setting & movement building

[25:35] The future of POW and their work on the grid

[30:15] The mindset behind Erin’s world record

[33:30] The power of curiosity and combinations

[36:55] What gives Erin climate optimism

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This episode was recorded on July 30, 2024.

Battery-Equipped Appliances | Sam Calisch - Co-Founder and CEO of Copper Jul 17, 2024

Copper is developing battery-equipped appliances, where a battery and an appliance are coupled into one. Copper just released, Charlie, the world's first energy storage equipped induction range.

Sam Calisch is co-founder and CEO of Copper. Previously, Sam helped start Rewiring America, a nonprofit focused on electrification, where he was the head of Special Projects. He is a MIT PhD, a former Activate research fellow, and is one of the true experts in the electrification movement.

In this episode we cover...

[1:05] Deploying a billion machines

[4:30] The battery trojan horse

[7:05] How appliances make it easier to deploy batteries

[9:40] The magic of an induction stoves

[12:55] Why safety isn’t a concern with Copper’s batteries

[16:15] How you can keep cooking when the power is out

[17:35] IRA tax credits = $ in your pocket

[19:15] Where else Copper hopes to electrify your home

[22:00] The next 12 months and 5 years for Copper

[24:40] The biggest challenge facing Copper

[26:50] Copper’s strength is in the community

[29:55] Independence, Hunger, and Openness

[33:00] A fun fact about Sam

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This episode was recorded on July 9, 2024.

Super Sexy Heat Pumps | Paul Lambert - Co-Founder and CEO of Quilt Jun 24, 2024

Quilt is building a smaller, smarter, more efficient, and more beautiful heat pump system to drastically reduce emissions coming from the home.

Paul Lambert is co-founder and CEO of Quilt. Through his career he has taken mission-driven startups from 0 to 1 and led product development at some of the top companies in the world – most recently leading Area 120, Google’s in-house incubator.

In this episode, we covered...

[1:25] Why Paul saw HVAC as the biggest climate opportunity

[4:40] What truly is a heat pump

[10:10] What differentiates Quilt’s design

[15:00] A quick dive on mini-splits

[18:55] The efficiency gains of Quilt’s system

[21:45] Heat pump’s dirty secret and how Quilt is addressing it

[26:30] Where Quilt is at today and the vision for the future

[33:50] The opportunity in HVAC installation

[38:00] What Paul has learned as a software and hardware founder

[41:25] A fun story about Quilt

[43:35] Paul Lambert, the citrus tree king

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This episode was recorded on June 18, 2024.

Building an Aluminum-Powered Future | Peter Godart - Co-Founder & CEO of Found Energy Jun 10, 2024

Found Energy is decarbonizing heavy industry by extracting clean energy from aluminum metal. Found's aluminum-thermal power systems are compact and modular, allowing energy to be extracted at double the energy density of diesel and at a competitive cost.

Peter Godart, co-founder and CEO of Found Energy, is a former NASA scientist and MIT PhD whose background in developing aluminum-powered rocket landing systems positioned him to start Found Energy. Now, he is on a mission to address the climate crisis by turning waste materials into carbon-free, energy-dense replacements for fossil fuels.

In this episode we cover...

[1:10] The Found-ing story

[3:45] The energy density of aluminum

[5:10] How Found pulls energy from aluminum

[8:10] The different applications for Found’s platform technology

[10:50] A deeper dive into Found’s aluminum reaction

[13:00] The scale of Found’s technology today

[13:55] The response to Found’s technology from stakeholders and customers

[17:20] Found’s go-to-market strategy

[19:20] The positive climate impact of Found’s energy solution

[22:00] The useful byproducts of Found’s process

[24:25] The biggest challenges for Found

[27:25] What the next 12 months look like for Found

[29:00] What geographies Found is going after

[31:10] What Peter has learned starting Found

[35:15] Found is hiring! + Found’s humanitarian focus

[37:00] Peter, the jazz musician

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This episode was recorded on June 4, 2024.

Autonomous Solar-Powered Agricultural Robots | Kenny Lee - Co-Founder & CEO of Aigen Apr 15, 2024

Aigen is aiming to revolutionize agriculture with a pesticide-free, solar-powered robotics platform. Kenny alongside his co-founder, Richard Wurden, launched Aigen in late 2021 and since then have quickly become one of the hottest start-ups in ag and climate.

Kenny Lee is co-founder and CEO of Aigen. He is a multi-time founder with a previous successful exit of a cybersecurity startup. Most recently, his focus has been learning and investing in ESG, climate change, and technologies that can transform people’s lives for the better.

In this episode we cover...

[1:20] The inspiration for Aigen

[2:50] Why Kenny decided to focus on agriculture

[5:45] Why regenerative agriculture is the north star

[7:55] Farmers willingness to adopt new practices

[10:25] Introduction to the Aigen Element Robot

[12:10] How the Element removes weeds

[14:45] Why weeds cause such a big problem for growers

[15:45] Why Aigen is beginning with sugar beets

[18:50] The most challenging aspect of building the Aigen Element

[21:50] How Aigen will save farmers money

[25:15] How Aigen is enabling regenerative practices

[29:10] Kenny’s fun founding stories

[34:35] A fun fact about Kenny

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This episode was recorded on April 10, 2024.

Farms to Food Banks | Ben Collier - Co-Founder & CEO of Farmlink Mar 25, 2024

The Farmlink Project rescues surplus produce from farms and delivers it to communities around the country.

Alongside other college students around the country, Ben Collier started the Farmlink Project during the pandemic while he was studying applied mathematics at Brown. Now, Farmlink has moved over 165M lbs of food, preventing over 200,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions while also delivering over 137M meals.

In this episode we cover...

[1:45] The inspiration for Farmlink

[3:20] When Ben recognized the climate impact Farmlink could have

[5:00] What has made Ben stay at Farmlink

[7:45] What has surprised Ben the most about his interactions with farmers

[11:25] Going from Farmlink’s first farm to now

[14:30] The key to Farmlink’s agility and success

[18:20] How Farmlink has been able to build successful partnerships

[22:00] What Ben views as the biggest opportunities in food waste

[25:00] The deep need for persistent collaboration

[27:45] De-stigmatizing food assistance

[31:05] The biggest challenge of leading an organization straight out of school

[35:35] A fun fact about Ben

Learn about the FIELD fellowship HERE.

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Episode recorded on March 11, 2024

Putting Oil Back Underground | Harris Cohn - Head of Sales at Charm Industrial Mar 11, 2024

Charm Industrial is a leading carbon removal company that is leveraging earth’s natural carbon capture process to put gigatons of sequestered carbon back underground.

Harris Cohn is Head of Sales at Charm. Previously, he led business development and sales for leading climate technology companies including ClearTrace Technologies and Carbon Lighthouse. Earlier in his career, he spent time at Bloom Energy and led renewable investments at Pacific Gas and Electric.

In this episode we cover...

[1:15] Harris’s climate inspiration and journey to Charm

[4:38] How Charm is using nature to capture carbon

[7:41] How Charm’s pyrolyzers work to condense captured carbon

[11:46] What allows Charm’s pyrolyzers work with minimal fossil fuels

[15:30] The additionally and permanence of Charm’s carbon removal

[21:15] How Charm has earned trust with their partners and customers

[28:25] Charm’s wildfire risk reduction co-benefit

[31:10] The biggest challenges facing Charm currently

[34:20] Harris’ biggest takeaways from scaling Charm

[38:24] Two fun facts about Harris

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Episode recorded on February 21, 2024

High-Performance Materials for a Low-Carbon World | Bryan Hassin - CEO of DexMat Feb 26, 2024

DexMat is a climate tech moonshot company creating high-performance materials for a low-carbon world. Its flagship product, Galvorn, is carbon-negative at scale, 10x stronger than steel, half the weight of aluminum, and more conductive than copper.

Prior to DexMat, Bryan built the world’s largest climate tech acceleration venture, Third Derivative, in under two years as CEO, driving over $1.5 billion dollars worth of investment in over 150 companies. Bryan has also co-founded and led multiple other energy startups to successful exits.

In this episode we cover...

[1:37] Why Bryan chose to run DexMat

[4:55] What makes our current materials problematic

[9:33] Galvorn’s multifunctional properties

[15:26] What it looks like to produce Galvorn

[20:03] Galvorn’s pathway to cost-competitiveness

[22:10] How DexMat identifies the right investors

[23:49] What the future looks like for DexMat

[27:00] How DexMat is finding focus

[31:50] What Bryan has learned along his entrepreneurial journey

[34:54] Translations from the football field to the business world

[38:40] A fun fact about Bryan

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Episode recorded on February 22, 2024

Catalyzing World-Positive Innovation | Swati Mylavarapu - Founder and Managing Partner of Incite.org Feb 12, 2024

Swati Mylavarapu is founder and managing partner of Incite.org where she invests catalytic capital and provides guidance to start-ups and non-profits developing world-positive innovation across climate tech, health tech, and social impact.

Prior to founding Incite, Swati spent years working in the early stage technology industry as both an investor and an entrepreneur. She has been a Partner at Kleiner Perkins, served as National Investment Chair for Pete For America, and also co-founded Arena, which is building a new generation of leaders in American public service.

In this episode we cover...

[1:45] The inspiration for Incite

[4:15] How Swati has seen impact investing change

[6:44] How Incite’s flexible investment model has manifested

[10:36 ] What Incite is spending it’s time on now

[17:10] What Swati looks for in a founder

[20:30] What makes a good VC investor

[23:28] Advice for people looking to break into venture

[27:50] How Swati builds mission-oriented teams

[29:32] What drives Swati personally and professionally

[32:17] A fun fact about Swati

Roadmaps for Real Climate Progress | Kate Gordon - Former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy Jan 29, 2024

Kate Gordon most recently served as Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, where she led initiatives to help drive a more sustainable and inclusive energy transition.

Prior to her time in Washington, she served as Senior Climate Policy Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and helped develop some of the most forward looking policies at the state level. She is now a visiting scholar at the UC Berkeley’s HAAS School of Business, and is writing a book about place-based policy and investment approaches to the US energy transition.

In this episode we cover...

[1:20] Kate's unique regional development and why climate change is felt locally

[4:05] The importance of place-based initiatives and understanding communities

[8:14] Positive Feedback Loops

[10:00] Kate’s work at the state level on the Climate Catalyst Fund

[13:50] The Community Economic Resilience Fund

[16:24 ] The historic nature of the current federal climate funding

[18:55] How to turn historic funding into meaningful climate progress

[21:23] The Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm’s, key experiences

[23:25] The Community Benefits Plans Criteria

[28:45] CBP Success Stories

[32:45] The importance of repurposing America's current infrastructure

[34:35] Tangible examples of where we can repurpose energy infrastructure

[38:44] The biggest underinvested opportunities in climate

[42:10] A fun fact about Kate

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Episode recorded on January 19, 2024

Reducing Food Waste and Building Great Companies | Matt Rogers - Co-Founder & CEO of Mill Jan 15, 2024

Matt Rogers is the co-founder and CEO of Mill, a new way to keep food waste in the food system. Reducing food waste from households presents one of the greatest opportunities for individuals to reduce their climate impact.

Matt started his career at Apple where he was one of the first engineers on the iPhone. He then co-founded Nest, the first learning thermostat to help households reduce their energy usage, which was later acquired by Google. Matt is also a co-founder of Incite.org, which provides catalytic capital and guidance to start-ups and non-profits developing world-positive innovation.

In this episode we cover:

[1:15] Matt’s Inspiration for Mill

[2:56] How building Mill has differed from other products Matt has built

[6:15] Why Matt chose the home as the best place to reduce food waste

[8:35] Why Mill is turning food waste into chicken feed

[10:32] How Mill is emphasizing communities and local food loops

[12:50] Mill’s ambitions and the importance of focus

[14:52] Lessons from Nest that Matt is applying to Mill

[17:50] Matt’s perspective on effective program management and board meetings

[21:00] Matt’s lessons on fundraising

[22:08] What Matt looks for as an investor

[23:12] The differences between leading an early and growth stage company

[25:14] How Matt takes care of himself as a founder

[27:34] Matt’s advice to aspiring climate leaders

[29:18] A fun fact about Matt

Enabling Climate-Friendly EV Batteries | Virginia Irwin Klausmeier - President & CEO of Sylvatex Dec 12, 2023

Sylvatex is an advanced materials technology company that is innovating the active materials and processes for lithium-ion battery cathode production that drastically reduce the associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Virginia Irwin Klausmeier is President and CEO of Sylvatex (SVX). With her background in chemistry and engineering, Virginia launched the company in 2014 and has been leading the technical and business operations since. In this episode we cover...

Virginia's inspiration for SVX

SVX's pivot from sustainable fuels to batteries

The problems with current EV battery supply chains

How SVX's process improves on current processes

The role of the cathode in the battery

SVXs go-to-market strategy

Why "Being Kind" is Virginia's entrepreneurial advice

Translating athletic learnings to the business world Connect with us: ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠X⁠ Episode recorded on December 6, 2023

Modular Fusion Power Reactors | Brian Riordan - Co-founder & COO of Avalanche Energy Nov 13, 2023

Avalanche Energy is developing modular fusion micro-reactors to create scaleable carbon-free power.

Brian Riordan is co-founder and COO of Avalanche. Before launching Avalanche Energy in 2018, Brian was a leader in the aerospace industry as a lead launch System architect at Blue Origin. Before his time at Blue Origin, Brian focused his work on subsea mining.

In this episode we cover...

The differences between fission and fusion
Recent fusion progress
What makes Avalanche's approach to fusion different
How Brian addresses skeptics of fusion
How Avalanche is managing their fundraising
What Avalanche is currently working on
What Brian has learned since founding Avalanche
Brian, the spider-eater

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Episode recorded on October 17, 2023

Enabling Carbon-Negative Lithium | Steven Vassiloudis & Christiaan Jordaan - Co-founders of Novalith Oct 30, 2023

Novalith is creating carbon-negative lithium by using carbon dioxide to unlock the mineral from hard rock while sequestering the harmful greenhouse gas.

Steven Vassiloudis, CEO of Novalith, is an experienced chemical engineer who has led scaling efforts for numerous clean tech start-ups. He is also a director of Kemplant, a provider of equipment for lithium and battery chemical industries.

Christiaan, CBDO of Novalith, is also an experienced entrepreneur, most recently founding a battery anode technology company, Sicona.

In this episode we cover...

The need for lithium and the lithium market
Where lithium comes from
The current lithium-refining process
Novalith's novel refining process
Novalith's plan for scaling cost effectively
Challenges facing Novalith
The South African super team

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Episode Recorded on October 16, 2023

Using the Earth to Heat and Cool Buildings | Joselyn Lai - Co-Founder and CEO of Bedrock Energy Oct 16, 2023

Bedrock is transforming the heating and cooling of buildings, using geothermal energy to radically reduce costs for people and the environment.

Joselyn Lai is an experienced entrepreneur having spent nearly all of her career scaling purpose-driven start-ups. In early 2022, she launched Bedrock, one of the hottest companies in climate tech, having just announced a $8.5M seed fundraising round to accelerate manufacturing and deployment of their novel drilling technologies.

In this episode we cover...

Bedrock's latest fundraise
What made Joselyn choose geothermal energy
How geothermal energy fundamentally works
Bedrock's drilling technology and site due diligence
The amount of heat expected from a borehole
Why geothermal energy is so cost effective
What the next 12 months looks like for Bedrock
What Joselyn has learned starting Bedrock
The skills climate-focused students should develop
A fun fact about Joselyn

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Episode Recorded on October 13, 2023

Electric Vehicle Charging with Superpowers | Anurag Kamal - CEO of ElectricFish Sep 27, 2023

ElectricFish is building distributed energy storage powered by software to accelerate energy equity through extreme-fast electric vehicle charging and backup.
Anurag Kamal is a mechanical engineer, battery researcher turned energy entrepreneur. Before starting ElectricFish, he worked with the BMW Group technology office and Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he research lithium-ion battery cells. Anurag and his co-founder, Folasade Ayoola were also recognized as Forbes 30 under 30 leaders in Energy.

In this episode we cover...

What is community energy storage
What differentiates ElectricFish from the likes of ChargePoint and Tesla SuperChargers
The need for EV chargers across the country, quantified
ElectricFish's 350 squared and it's superpowers
The core values of ElectricFish
Recent partnerships and future business ambitions
Anurag's learnings as a founder
Anurag, the future stand-up comedian

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Episode Recorded on September 16, 2023

Bringing Renewable Energy to the Moon (Literally) | Ken Liang - Co-Founder of Orbital Mining Sep 18, 2023

Orbital Mining is bringing renewable energy to the moon in hopes to power lunar mining operations that would enable deep space exploration.

Orbital Mining launched just over a year ago and have quickly gained traction with the most respected space agencies. Orbital has already won $600,000 in funding from NASA in an on-going competition to bring power to the moon. Prior to launching Orbital, Ken studied Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech and worked for over 5 years in construction software management. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines.

In this episode we cover...

Orbital Mining's mission and vision
The implications of lunar mining for earth
Orbital Mining's microgrid technology
Challenges of the lunar environment
Orbital's first product and partnerships
What the future looks like for Orbital
Why a diverse founding team is so important
Jasper, the Huskeranian

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Episode Recorded on September 13, 2023

Coupling Carbon Capture with Chemical Upcycling | Dr. Laura Lammers - Founder and CEO of Travertine Technologies Aug 17, 2023

Travertine Technologies captures and permanently sequesters atmospheric carbon dioxide through mineralization, while simultaneously upcycling sulfuric waste for sustainable chemical production.

Dr. Laura Lammers launched Travertine in early 2022, with a vision to scale the company to achieve gigatons of carbon removal. Previously, she dedicated a significant portion of her career to leading-edge academic environmental research, including her most recent role as a Professor at UC Berkeley, where she headed a laboratory focused on carbon mineralization. What's even more remarkable is that she juggles all of this while being a devoted mother of three.

In this episode we cover...

The origination of Travertine
Travertine's carbon mineralization process
Why sulfuric acid is the world's most used inorganic chemical
Sulfuric acid's role in extractive industries
Travertine's engagement with customers
What the next 12 months and 5 years looks like for Travertine
What Dr. Lammers has learned in the founding process
Dr. Lammers, the sourdough baker

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Episode Recorded on August 11, 2023

Methane-Eating Microbes | Dr. Josh Silverman - Founder and CEO of Windfall Bio Aug 02, 2023

Windfall Bio is a nature-based agricultural technology company that harnesses methane-eating microbes to transform the harmful greenhouse gas into organic soil nutrients.

Dr. Josh Silverman is the Founder and CEO of Windfall. After having focused on methane for over 15 years, he founded the company in late 2022, and quickly raised $9 million to commercialize their methane-to-organic fertilizer solution. Josh Silverman holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Stanford and has founded and led numerous companies across biotechnology and sustainable agriculture over the past decade.

In this episode we cover...

What makes methane such a harmful GHG and why it's atmospheric concentration is increasing

Various sources of methane and how microbial systems can reduce concentrations
How Windfall converts methane into organic fertilizer
Why Windfall chose farmers are their first market
The biggest challenges facing Windfall and how the team will overcome them
What Dr. Silverman has learned as a serial entrepreneur
Why Dr. Silverman believes biology is the best technological tool to address climate change
A fun fact about Dr. Silverman

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Episode Recorded on July 11, 2023

Carbon-Removing Sand for Coastal Carbon Capture | Kelly Erhart - Co-Founder & President of Vesta Jul 17, 2023

Vesta is harnessing the power of the oceans to remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with olivine sand. Vesta has been featured across leading academic journals and media outlets as well as the Bill Gates-inspired documentary Solving for Zero.

Kelly Erhart is President and Co-founder of Vesta. She has focused much of her career on commercializing sustainable technologies including roles as a CEO of a waterless biofiltration toilet company, as a consultant, and as a steward of numerous projects focused on building a regenerative future.

In this episode...

How coastal carbon capture works
How olivine sand increases ocean alkalinity
What Vesta's projects look like in practice
Vesta's engagement with coastal community partners
Vesta's unique company structure
Vesta's platform for carbon removal measurement
What Vesta could achieve at scale
What inspired Vesta's name

The Global Energy Landscape | Dr. Morgan Bazilian - World-Renowned Energy + Policy Expert Jul 05, 2023

Dr. Morgan Bazilian is a world-renowned expert in energy-related international affairs, policy, and investments. Currently, he is the Director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. Previously, he was the lead energy specialist at the World Bank, a senior diplomat at the United Nations, and the European Union’s lead negotiator on low-carbon technology at the UN climate negotiations. To date, he has published more than 120 articles in journals including Nature, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

In this episode we cover...

The intersection of policy and climate technology
Driving energy access in the global south
Dr. Bazilian's work at the UN and World Bank
How to facilitate the energy transition in the US
The importance of community engagement
Research + Projects at the Payne Institute for Public Policy
What Dr. Morgan Bazilian has learned engaging with world leaders
Dr. Morgan Bazilian, the World Mountaineer

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Episode Recorded on June 28, 2023

Invaluable Wisdom | Highlights from B4E Season 1 Jun 13, 2023

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of Season 1 of Built for Earth. Whether you’re a student, investor, supporter, founder, or simply an earth-lover, we hope Built for Earth has been, and will continue to be, a worthwhile listening and learning experience. This episode is an opportunity to hear from all 12 of our innovators from Season 1 in a crash-course of business, climate, and life wisdom. Enjoy and see you in July for Season 2!

Check out our episodes:

*The number in parentheses following each episode reflects the order in which the speaker is featured in this episode*

Episode 1: Cache Energy - Arpit Dwivedi (6)

Episode 2: Last Energy - Bret Kugelmass (8)

Episode 3: Dimensional Energy - Brad Brennan (12)

Episode 4: NEXT Energy Technologies - Jeff Horowitz (5)

Episode 5: Renewell - Kemp Gregory (2)

Episode 6: OnePointOne - Samuel Bertram (1)

Episode 7: Biozen Batteries - Nate Kirchhofer (9)

Episode 8: Criaterra Earth Technologies - Adital Ela (3)

Episode 9: C-Motive Technologies - Matt Maroon (11)

Episode 10: Clew - Spencer Martin (10)

Episode 11: Gradient - Vince Romanin (7)

Episode 12:Epoch Biodesign - Jacob Nathan (4)

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Plastic-Eating Enzymes | Jacob Nathan - Co-founder & CEO of Epoch BioDesign May 29, 2023

Currently, the world makes over 460 million tons of plastic per year, a number that is set to grow as fossil fuels companies are increasingly turning to plastic production for profits. The problem is only 2% of plastics are ultimately recycled. Epoch BioDesign is looking to change that by using synthetic biology and AI to develop enzymes that eat plastic and can be turned into chemicals.

Jacob Nathan is the CEO of Epoch BioDesign. At age 18, he started the company alongside British biochemist, Professor Douglas Kell, when he discovered microbes capable of breaking down plastic waste during a senior research project. Since then, the company has grown tremendously, and in June 2022, Epoch announced an $11m seed fundraising round.

In this episode we cover...

What inspired Jacob to start Epoch
How enzymes fundamentally work
Machine learning and AI's role in Epoch's process
The chemicals that Epoch is looking to develop
The problems with our current recycling and chemical production processes
Epoch's path to monetization
Challenges facing Epoch as they scale
What Jacob has learned in the founding process
Jacob, the master scuba diver

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Episode Recorded on May 25, 2023

Good for the Planet HVAC | Vince Romanin - CEO of Gradient May 15, 2023

Currently, over 6 billion people do not have access to air conditioning. Gradient is on a mission to change that by developing an easy-to-install hybrid residential heating and cooling system that is good for the planet. Gradient’s system removes harmful refrigerants, and when compared to traditional HVAC units, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 75%.

Vince Romanin is the CEO of Gradient. After completing his Ph.D. in heat transfer and fluid mechanics at UC Berkeley, he spent nearly 5 years as a research and development engineer at Otherlab where he began his entrepreneurial journey to decarbonize building heating and cooling. Vince launched Treau in April of 2017, which ultimately became Gradient.

In this episode we cover...

What makes our current HVAC systems so bad for the environemnt
What is a heat pump and how they work
Gradient's climate-friendly refrigerant + smart system
How policy impacts heat pump deployment
Different mechanisms for fundraising
Vince's biggest learnings leading Gradient
Vince's advice for aspiring climate entrepreneur
Vince, the Sevillanas dancer

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Episode Recorded on May 10, 2023

Upcycling Food Waste | Spencer Martin - CEO & Co-Founder of Clew May 03, 2023

Over 100 billion pounds of food waste ends up in a United States landfill each year. To help change this, Clew is developing a countertop food waste upcycling appliance that processes nearly all of your residential food waste in under two hours. By keeping food waste out of the landfill, Clew will reduce one of the biggest contributors to methane emissions.

Spencer Martin, is the CEO and Co-Founder of Clew. He spent the early days of his career as an experiential brand producer managing million dollar projects for Target, Absolut, Peloton, Delta Air Lines, and more. Since then, he has spent much of his career learning how to operate a for profit business while also doing good in the world.

In this episode we cover...

Why food waste is such a big problem for the environment
How food decomposes in the landfill
What is compost
How Spencer went from brand marketing to climate founder
How Clew is inspiring a regenerative lifestyle
How the Clew operates and what it means to get a Clew
Spencer's journey founding Clew
Spencer's advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

Spencer also wrote these notes for more context and personal reactions to the episode! Have a look.

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Episode Recorded on April 25, 2023

Commercializing the World's First Electrostatic Motors | Matt Maroon - CEO of C-Motive Technologies Apr 14, 2023

Motors consume over 50% of the world's power. C-Motive is revolutionizing this fundamental technology by commercializing the world's first electrostatic motor. In comparison to traditional electromagnetic motors, the technology has improved operating efficiencies and reduced embodied emissions, while using sustainable materials.

Matt Maroon, is the CEO of C-Motive Technologies. He is a veteran cleantech entrepreneur, and has held product management and leadership roles across 6 startups in the next-generation energy storage space. In 2004, Matt earned his BS in mechanical engineering from Bradley University, and since his career has focused on bridging the gap between the lab and the market, to develop and sell new technologies in the cleantech marketplace.

In this episode we cover...

How an electrostatic motor works
Main components of the motor
Ideal applications for C-Motive's technology
What makes C-Motive's motors sustainable
C-Motive's go-to-market strategy
How C-Motive can transform renewable energy
What Matt has learned leading startups
Matt's advice for soon-to-be graduates
Matt, the ultra-marathoner

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Episode Recorded on April 10, 2023

Circular, Sustainable Building Products | Adital Ela - CEO & Founder of Criaterra Earth Technologies Apr 03, 2023

Criaterra Earth Technologies is developing construction products through a process that uses 90% less energy and emits 80% less carbon than traditional methods. The Israel-based company has developed manufacturing technologies which replace the conventional energy intensive kiln-firing processes. Criaterra’s products are as strong as concrete, have 6x the thermal insulation, and yet create a fraction of the environmental impact.

Adital Ela, an industrial designer and impact entrepreneur, is the CEO and Founder of Criaterra. Prior to founding the company, she studied the field of sustainability for over 20 years, was a senior design lecturer at the Holon Institute of Technology, and a TED fellow. She continues to serve on many expert panels in the world of sustainable development.

In this episode we cover...

What inspired Adital to found Criaterra
What makes cement so bad for the environment
Criaterra's 100% natural, recyclable, and biodegradable material
Criaterra's current operations and development
Challenges facing Criaterra as they scale
Adital's journey as a female entrepreneur
Adital's advice for the next generation of climate leaders
Adital Ela, the improvisational dancer

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Episode Recorded on March 22, 2023

Batteries that Mimic Plants | Nate Kirchhofer - Founder & CEO of Biozen Batteries Mar 29, 2023

*This is a re-published episode of an initial posting from 3/1/23 that was accidentally archived.*

Nate Kirchhofer, an experienced physical electrochemist, co-founded Biozen Batteries in 2019 where he is developing an organic electrolyte fluid for batteries intended to mimic the energy storage process of plants. Prior to starting Biozen, he received his PhD from UC Santa Barbara and was a part of two acquired start-ups. Now, the company is in the process of commercializing their technology to create bio-inspired grid-level energy storage.

In this episode we cover...

What it means to mimic the energy storage process of plants
What is a redox-flow battery
Differences and advantages over lithium-ion batteries
What Biozen is doing to innovate on traditional electrolyte fluids
Challenges facing Biozen as they commercialize
What Nate has learned in the founding process
Nate's strengths as an Ultimate Frisbee professional

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Episode Recorded on February 22, 2023

Sustainable Farms Powered by Robots & AI | Samuel Bertram - CEO & Co-Founder of OnePointOne Mar 27, 2023

OnePointOne (OPO) is developing a revolutionary approach to vertical farming by using robots and AI to produce 250x more plants per acre while utilizing 99% less water.

Samuel Bertram is CEO and Co-Founder of OnePointOne. With backgrounds in robotics and advanced engineering, Sam and his brother, John, were looking to use their education to make a difference in the world. Together, they founded the company in 2017 to “fundamentally rethink how plants are grown, utilized, and optimized” to help the 1.1 billion people who began this millennium malnourished. In 2022 was recognized as a member of Forbes 30 under 30, specifically for social impact.

In this episode we cover...

OPO's inspiration and mission
How the current agriculture system can be improved
What a vertical farm is and how it works
OPO's business model and trajectory for deployment
What it will take to achieve their mission
Challenges facing the business
Sam's learnings as a founder and advice
A fun fact about Sam

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Episode Recorded on March 16, 2023

Transforming Oil Wells into Energy Storage | Kemp Gregory - CEO & Co-Founder at Renewell Mar 21, 2023

Renewell is on a mission to develop Gravity Well’s across the country by repurposing inactive oil and gas wells into low-cost, green energy storage. With over 1,000,000 viable wells in the US, Renewell has the potential to transform these abandoned assets into a vast network of distributed clean energy storage.

Kemp began his journey at UT Austin where he studied mechanical engineering. After graduation, he went on to work for Shell where he coordinated large operations teams to lead projects across the Americas. Kemp then returned to the classroom to pursue his Master’s in Environmental Engineering at Stanford, where he founded Renewell in 2019.

In this episode, we cover...

What inspired Renewell
How a gravity well works
The stage of the company and plans for deployment
How Renewell will drive down the cost of energy storage
Biggest challenges facing Renewell
What Kemp has learned from the founding process
Where Kemp believes the future of energy lies
Kemp's love for ping-pong and Lord of the Rings

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Episode Recorded on March 17, 2023

Windows that Generate Renewable Energy | Jeff Horowitz - Next Energy Technologies Mar 13, 2023

NEXT Energy Technologies is developing transparent photovoltaic window technology that allows architects and building owners to transform windows and glass facades into producers of low-cost, on-site, renewable energy for buildings. NEXT's technology is enabled by proprietary organic semiconducting materials that are earth-abundant, low-cost, and are coated as an ink in a high-speed, low-cost, and low energy process. The Santa Barbara based company has grown to over 30 people and secured partnerships with industry giants including sustainable apparel manufacturer, Patagonia.

Jeff Horowitz has been with NEXT Energy Technologies for over 6 years, where he has led scaling the business and developing industry partnerships. Since completing his Master’s at UC San Diego in 2008, he has spent over a decade in the climate technology industry, most recently as the Director of Clean Technology Development at the US-China Clean Tech Center prior to joining Next Energy.

In this episode, we cover...

How NEXT has evolved in the last 6 years
How photovoltaics (PV) produce energy
What differentiates NEXT's technology from traditional PV
NEXT's recent installation at Patagonia's HQ
Where NEXT can have their biggest impact
Challenges facing NEXT
What inspired Jeff to work in renewable energy
NEXT's love for tacos

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Episode Recorded on March 8, 2023

Aviation Fuel Made From CO2 | Brad Brennan - Chief Science Officer at Dimensional Energy Mar 06, 2023

Dimensional Energy, founded out of Cornell University in 2016, turns captured carbon dioxide into sustainable aviation fuel by using renewable energy. The company is on a mission to decarbonize the aviation industry, which is responsible for over 10% of the United States’ transportation emissions and about 3% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr. Brad Brennan is leading strategic technology and development of proprietary chemical reactors and catalysts to produce Dimensional’s main product, Syngas. He has been with Dimensional since 2019, and previously spent time as a researcher at CalTech and Yale, as well as a leading chemist and consultant across various industries.

In this episode, we cover...

Why commercial aviation will be challenging to electrify
How Dimensional makes their main product, Syngas
Different forms of carbon capture technology
Dimensional's first technology center in Tucson, AZ
Challenges facing Dimensional
Dimensional's experience at the Carbon XPrize
What young people interested in slowing down climate change should do
A fun fact about Dr. Brad Brennan

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Episode Recorded on March 1, 2023

Next-Gen Small-Scale Nuclear Reactors | Bret Kugelmass - CEO & Founder of Last Energy Feb 24, 2023

Bret Kugelmass is the founder and CEO of Last Energy, the most commercially successful next-gen nuclear company in the world. The company has 55 projects under development across Europe, with their first commercial project anticipated to be completed by 2025. He also founded the Energy Impact Center, a Washington DC-based research institute that focuses on climate restoration with a nuclear power specialization. As part of his work at the Energy Impact Center, he started the Titans of Nuclear Podcast, where he has interviewed over 400 experts in the world of nuclear power.

In this episode we cover...

What led Bret into the nuclear industry
Misconceptions about nuclear fission and nuclear waste
How light-water nuclear reactors generate power
Last Energy's differentiated business model
Other technologies Bret believes are critical to slowing down climate change
Stories from the founding process
Bret's thoughts on nuclear fusion
What young people interested in slowing down climate change should do
Bret's favorite ice cream flavor

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Episode Recorded on February 23, 2023

Long Duration Energy Storage | Arpit Dwivedi - CEO & Founder of Cache Energy Feb 17, 2023

Arpit Dwivedi is the CEO & Founder of Cache Energy. Cache is developing a long-duration, non-flammable energy storage material that can be safely stored at room temperature and transported easily. Founded just last year, Cache has already raised funding from leading venture capitalists and accelerators including Third Derivative and Evergreen Climate Innovations.

In this episode we cover...

Arpit's journey to founding Cache
A high-level description of how thermo-chemical energy storage works
Why we need long term storage as alternative to lithium-ion batteries
What makes Cache unique and what they are currently working on
Biggest challenges facing the company
Stories from the founding process
What it will mean for the energy transition if Cache is able to achieve scale
What young people interested in slowing down climate change should do
A fun fact, not about Arpit the founder, but about Arpit the person

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Episode Recorded on February 16, 2023

Introduction to Built for Earth Jan 14, 2023

"We’re still putting 162 million tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere every single day and the accumulated amount is now trapping as much extra heat as would be released by 600,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding every single day on the earth." - Former Vice President, Al Gore January 23rd, 2023

The scale of the climate crisis is alarming. We have to act NOW to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and to suck greenhouse gasses out of the sky. On this podcast, hear from the people who are building game-changing climate technology companies that will enable us to do just that. Join us for the ride.

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