Inevitable

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 137: Josh Felser, Angel investor and Co-Founder of Freestyle VC Dec 28, 2020

Show notes

Today's guest is Josh Felser, Angel investor and Co-Founder of Freestyle VC.

I was excited for this episode, as Josh is among a growing group of very successful people coming from other industries who are looking to get serious about addressing climate change. Josh is a several time entrepreneur, (founded Spinner, acquired by AOL Time Warner and Grouper, acquired by Sony), and went on to co-found Freestyle Capital, a venture capital firm focused on backing early stage internet and mobile startups.

After working with Bill Trenchard from First Round Capital on a California task force to connect startups with the government to help in the COVID-19 crisis, Josh realized that he wanted to do something more to help with these huge societal problems. He’s been working in and around climate for a long time. He started an organization called #Climate.org, and he’s donated to nonprofits and been on different committees at the Sierra Club and tried to effect change through the nonprofit path. Josh found the nonprofit path to be challenging, at least for him, to leverage his background into impact, and his experience working with Bill gave him the conviction to try to forge a professional path combining investing with tackling the climate crisis. A great article on Josh’s transition is here.

If you can’t tell, Josh’s story is pretty similar to yours truly! So I was especially excited to hear how Josh’s process is going and compare notes. It is a great discussion, and I hope you enjoy! I didn’t know Josh before we both transitioned from tech into working on climate change, but I am glad to know him and hope we do more together in the future!

Enjoy the show!

If you want to learn more about this episode, visit www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/josh-felser

Episode recorded December 7th, 2020

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Startup Series: unspun Dec 24, 2020

Show notes

unspun co-founder and CTO Kevin Martin walks me through what motivated him and his co-founders to tackle this massive challenge within the fashion industry. We also discuss the future of apparel in a COVID world, how unspun's core robotics technology fits with their consumer-facing brand, and Kevin's vision for the future of automated and localized manufacturing. Kevin was a great guest, and I learned a lot about the climate impact of the apparel industry.

To learn more about unspun check out their website: https://unspun.io/

This episode is available wherever you get your podcasts. The pitch presentation and slides are exclusively available to My Climate Journey Members. If you’re interested in watching this episode, you can learn about becoming an MCJ Member: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/become-a-member

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep. 136: Nili Gilbert, Investment Committee Chair of The David Rockefeller Fund and Synergos Dec 21, 2020

Show notes

Today's guest is Nili Gilbert, Investment Committee Chair of the David Rockefeller Fund and Synergos.

Nili and I have a really enjoyable discussion in this episode about her personal journey to find meaning in her work, and the dual tracks that took along the way, with a high profile finance career where she injected her values at every step, and through her philanthropic efforts. We also have a bigger picture discussion about these thorny systems problems, and the best ways for us to address them as a society.

If you want to learn more about this episode, visit:

www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/nili-gilbert

You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded November 20th, 2020

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Startup Series: ISeeChange Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

Founder and CEO, Julia Kumari Drapkin, walks me through her background as a climate journalist, why she started ISeeChange, what the company has accomplished so far and where it is heading.

To learn more about ISeeChange, visit their website: https://www.iseechange.org/

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep. 135: Rob Niven, CEO & Founder of CarbonCure Technologies Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

Today's guest is Rob Niven, Founder and CEO of CarbonCure Technologies.

Rob and I have a fascinating discussion about concrete versus cement, how he got started working in concrete, and what drew him to help solve this problem. We also talk about his experience in public policy in regards to clean cement legislation. I learned a lot from Rob about the concrete market and the future of CarbonCure Technologies.

If you want to learn more about this episode, visit www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/rob-niven

CarbonCure Technologies focuses on making concrete a climate solution. By using carbon removal technologies and reducing embodied carbon in the built environment, they are creating economic and climate benefits for concrete producers. To learn more about CarbonCure visit their website: https://www.carboncure.com/

Episode recorded November 18th, 2020

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Startup Series: DroneSeed (Now Mast Reforestation) Dec 10, 2020

Show notes

Founder and CEO Grant Canary walks me through how DroneSeed (Now Mast Reforestation) works and how he got involved in wildfire restoration. We also discuss the problem we are facing with wildfires across the western U.S., the main problems with forest restoration as it stands now, the market, and where carbon credits are heading in the future in respect to reforestation.

To learn more about DroneSeed, visit their website: https://www.droneseed.com/

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep. 134: Nathaniel Stinnett Returns! Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

Back by popular demand, today's guest is Nathaniel Stinnett, Founder and Executive Director of the Environmental Voter Project, a non-profit that aims to significantly increase voter demand for environmental leadership by identifying inactive environmentalists and then turning them into consistent activists and voters.

Nathaniel explains the Environmental Voter Project's work, how they identify environmental non-voters, and what they do to get them to the polls. He also explains WHY it is so important to get them to the polls, and what the EVP theory of change is. And finally, he fills me in on the general election, the Georgia runoffs, the state of our democracy, and some of EVPs most recent results. I learn tons every time I speak with Nathaniel, and it was great to have him back on the show!

If you want to learn more about this episode, visit www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/nathaniel-stinnett-returns

The Environmental Voter Project is a non-partisan nonprofit that uses big data analytics and cutting-edge behavioral science to identify non-voting environmentalists and gets them to vote in every election. Their goal is to bring voter turnout to a tipping point of overwhelming demand for environmental leadership. To volunteer in the Georgia Senate runoff elections or to learn more about the Environmental Voter Project, check out their website at https://www.environmentalvoter.org/

This episode was recorded on December 2nd, 2020.

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Startup Series: AMP Robotics Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

Founder, Matanya Horowitz, and I discuss his background and how AMP Robotics started. We dive into the controversies of recycling, the inefficiencies that AMP is solving and where the future of recycling is going. I really enjoyed talking with Matanya and learning about the problem AMP Robotics is trying to solve, their momentum and progress, and future plans.

To learn more about AMP Robotics, visit their website: https://www.amprobotics.com/

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep. 133: Amy Francetic, Managing Director of Buoyant Ventures Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

Today's guest is Amy Francetic, Managing Director of Buoyant Ventures. Buoyant Ventures is an early stage fund investing in digital solutions to climate risk based in Chicago, IL.

Amy and I have a lively discussion where she tells me about her origin story and how she first got involved in the climate fight. We talk about how climate has evolved since she started working in this space and the future of climate investing. Amy also tells me about Buoyant Ventures and digital climate solutions.

In today’s episode, we cover:

Amy's origin story, and what led her to focusing on addressing climate change
Returns vs impact-focused investing
Future of climate investing
Most impactful climate innovations
Digital climate solutions Amy is excited about
Clean Energy Trust
Buoyant Ventures
Blind spots of Silicon Valley in terms of climate investing
Ratings & risk assessment
Digital Solutions vs. Digital Climate Solutions
How far can renewables get us
Diversity in climate investing

Links to topics discussed in this episode:

Buoyant Ventures: https://www.buoyant.vc/
Clean Energy Trust: https://www.cleanenergytrust.org/
The Fed is Set the Take on a New Challenge: Climate Change: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/12/the-fed-is-set-to-take-on-a-new-challenge-climate-change.html

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Ep. 132: Dr. Melissa Lott, Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

Today's guest is Dr. Melissa Lott, Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University.

Melissa and I have a great discussion, in which we dive into her background and origin story, what brought her to working in energy, how she sees the energy transition playing out, how we can successfully decarbonize power, and how energy and environmental justice can’t be decoupled. We also discuss how her team decides which projects to take on, and goes about doing their modeling and research.

In today’s episode, we cover: