Inevitable

Today’s guest is Moji Karimi, CEO and Co-Founder of Cemvita Factory. Cemvita Factory’s mission is to deploy nature-inspired economical technology to empower the energy transition and create a brighter future. This is done by a portfolio of industrial biotechnology solutions across Cemvita’s three verticals: CO2-based biomanufacturing, biomining, and subsurface biomanufacturing. On the surface, it sounds like the company is tackling an impossible number of initiatives for an early stage startup, but that’s part of the excitement of what's happening in synthetic biology right now. Cemvita’s de-siloed and deverticalized approach to innovation requires cross-functional expertise and problem solving. Moji and Cody have a great discussion about biomining for lithium and copper, subsurface biochemical production, including gold hydrogen, and biomanufacturing of waste carbon dioxide into other end products. Plus they talk about the different use cases as businesses, and Cemvita Factory's cross-disciplinary approach to innovation. Solving climate change requires new ways of thinking, and Moji’s background and work at Cemvita is an excellent example of this. In today’s episode, we cover: [5:35] An overview of Cemvita Factory and the company's origin[8:35] How Moji transitioned from deep space exploration into working on energy [10:32] Meaning of biomimicry [12:28] Cemvita's go-to-market applications [17:26] Use cases for biomining and issues with lithium extraction today [19:27] An overview of leaching [24:17] Risky byproducts associated with using microbes and biomaterials for extraction[27:28] An overview of subsurface biomanufacturing and gold hydrogen [34:05] An overview of carbon biomanufacturing and how it can generate sustainable aviation fuel [41:54] An overview of renewable natural gas[45:24] How Cemvita's different pathways are interconnected [50:50] How Cemvita is sourcing solutions Get connected: Cody's TwitterMCJ Podcast TwitterMCJ Collective Twitter*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on August 8, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Rebecca Dell, Senior Program Director, Industry at ClimateWorks Foundation.ClimateWorks is on a mission to end the climate crisis by amplifying the power of philanthropy. Since 2008, ClimateWorks has granted over $1.3 billion to more than 600 grantees in over 50 countries. Now, Rebecca leads the industry program, which is dedicated to reducing and eliminating the one-third of greenhouse gas emissions that come from the material economy. Previously, she worked at the U.S. Department of Energy in the Obama Administration, where she coordinated implementation of President Obama's Climate Action Plan and was a lead analyst and author of the U.S. Quadrennial Energy Review. Before her federal service, Rebecca was a scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, studying the interaction between the ocean and land-based ice sheets like those in Greenland and Antarctica. Industries are a huge source of emissions and many people say that they are notoriously "hard to decarbonize," but this conversation with Rebecca sheds light on additional context for why that may be the case (or not). What aspects make them hard to decarbonize? How can we accelerate decarbonization and philosophically, what should we do in the meantime? This is a great discussion and we hope you enjoy it! In today’s episode, we cover: [3:57] An overview of ClimateWorks Foundation[6:02] Rebecca's unusual entry into climate from physics[11:37] Gap in resources and funding for solutions in the industrial sector[13:53] Why the industrial sector is considered "hard to decarbonize"[16:21] Activities that are mainly responsible for GHG emissions, including steel, cement and chemicals[21:56] Costs associated with green production and who covers it[28:56] Examples of how Rebecca creates demand for low GHG commodities[32:34] ClimateWorks' model for looking at potential grantees[37:15] Biggest levers for decarbonizing industrials faster[39:28] Voestalpine steel company example of the infrastructure planning, local politics, and social issues tied to decarbonizing certain industrials[44:44] Types of capital needed[48:36] Why a carbon tax is unappealing[52:52] Carbon capture and the cement industry[58:41] How people can make an impact in climate working in the industry sectorGet connected: Jason's TwitterRebecca’s TwitterMCJ Podcast TwitterMCJ Collective Twitter*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on August 5, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guests are Mary Yap, Co-Founder and CEO at Lithos Carbon, and Adam Wolf, Co-Founder and CEO at Eion Carbon.Both Lithos and Eion work in the space of enhanced rock weathering, a subset of carbon removal that seeks to speed up the planet's natural carbon cycle. In this process, rain absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere, falls onto and weathers rocks and in doing so creates a bicarbonate solution that eventually finds its way into the ocean for permanent carbon sequestration. For all the talk of engineered carbon capture solutions, rock weathering is about as natural as you can get. It's the foundation of the earth's long carbon cycle, and it also takes place over millions of years, so a bit longer than we need right now.In this episode, we seek to understand what it means to speed up this natural process and apply it to agriculture such that it can be a viable carbon sink in the decade-scale timeframe we need to address climate change. We have a great discussion about the long carbon cycle itself, the different types of rocks found on earth, how agriculture uses mineral inputs today, and some of the underlying economics of this method as a carbon removal technology. We also learn more about Lithos and Eion, plus Mary and Adam’s personal climate journeys. In today’s episode, we cover: Broad overview of the long carbon cycleThe power of acid rain in removing CO2 from the atmosphereEarth as a habitable planet compared to VenusAn overview of bicarbonatesHow enhanced rock weathering speeds up this carbon capture solutionDifferent types of rocks used for enhanced rock weatheringBenefits and drawbacks of using limestoneEnergy demands of creating the Lithos and Eion productsTransportation challengesMary and Adam's MRV methodsTheir company's business modelsGet connected: Cody's TwitterMCJ Podcast TwitterMCJ Collective Twitter*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on July 29, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Timothée Parrique, a researcher in ecological economics at Lund University in Sweden. Degrowth is one school of thought in the path towards decarbonization, but the topic is rife with controversy. Proponents argue against growing economies and instead shrinking production and consumption while favoring sustainability, social justice, democracy, and well-being. In other words, instead of measuring GDP as a monetary or market value, those who advocate for degrowth measure health and happiness. Skeptics aren’t convinced. Can degrowth be a powerful lever for change and is it realistic given the way some societies are structured today? Jason posed this question on Twitter and Timothée kindly offered to share his expertise. Titled “The political economy of degrowth” (2019), Timothée’s PhD dissertation explores the economic implications of degrowth. And while we don’t get to cover everything in this episode, the conversation is another example of the importance of spending time to discuss debated concepts and tease out some of the nuances that can’t be found in 280 characters on Twitter. In today’s episode, we cover: [8:23] Timothée's background in ecological economics or the interaction between economy and nature [14:29] Having a holistic perspective of climate change [17:51] The 1.5 degree threshold [27:07] How production and consumption contribute to climate change [28:52] The carbon budget [33:32] Government integrating climate mitigation into politics and environmental awareness among youth [35:27] Finland's climate neutrality announcement [40:37] The concept of degrowth and its origin[43:17] A culture of low-carbon mobility seen in European countries [46:04] Positive dividends of reducing our ecological footprint [51:24] The Rebound Effect [55:21] Capitalism and the impact of removing drivers for growth [1:02:47] Technological innovation and the "avoid, shift, and improve" approach Episode recorded on August 4, 2022.Get connected: Jason’s TwitterTimothée’s TwitterMCJ Podcast TwitterMCJ Collective Twitter*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Kip Pastor, Founder and CEO of Pique Action.When most people think of climate change, they picture stories about wildfires, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and a myriad of other ways we’re all just generally screwed. It can feel pretty hopeless, but those of us who have been leaning into solutions know that not all is lost. There are incredible innovations that have the potential to change so much of what we take for granted today, and it's not far-fetched to believe that these innovations can scale to unlock improvements for our future. Pique Action is a new media company on a mission to fight climate change with viral storytelling. It's the opposite of doomscrolling. Since their launch in Fall of 2021, Pique has produced 32 micro-documentaries on big climate solutions, amassed more than 7 million views across platforms and gained over 100,000 TikTok followers. In this conversation, we talk to Kip about the type of climate storytelling that resonates with audiences today and how Pique plans to scale its impact as it grows. We all have a role to play as climate communicators, even in one-on-one conversations, and hearing what's working for Pique Action can also inspire us to think about our own climate voices. In today’s episode, we cover: An overview of Pique ActionHow Pique intends to change the conversation around climate and drive actionBalancing realism and optimism in climate storytellingDifferent audiences and levels of engagement across platformsNature Based Solutions with Alaina WoodHow the company finds content creatorsClimate TikTokKip's background in film/video production and his movement into climateDifferences between climate communication and other forms of storytellingGaps in climate communication in various forms of media todayLack of representation of climate solutions in major movies and televisionPique's partnerships and business modelKip's learnings from watching next-gen media companiesGet connected: Cody on TwitterMCJ Pod TwitterMCJ Collective Twitter*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 25, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 John Dees, Senior Science Analyst at Carbon Direct.Carbon Direct is a science-first carbon management firm that enables organizations around the world to reduce, remove, and monitor their carbon emissions. They combine science, technology, and market expertise to help these organizations take action and reach their climate goals. They’re an incredible organization with clients and portfolio companies spanning 28 countries. Now, if you've been a longtime listener of the show, Carbon Direct might be a familiar name. The CEO, Jon Goldberg, and the Chief Scientist, Julio Friedmann, have been guests in the past. We’ve also talked to Nili Gilbert who's the current Vice Chairwoman even before she worked at Carbon Direct. This episode is great because John Dees comes from a different background. He's in the trenches, living in excel, and working on the life cycle assessments (LCAs) for carbon emissions. In today's episode, we cover:An overview of Carbon Direct and where John sits in their portfolio of servicesProjects that require life cycle assessments (LCAs)How he thinks about climate and how his perspective has evolvedHow John got involved with carbon removalScaling carbon removal to a level that mattersCharacteristics to consider when selecting CDR technologiesBarries holding CDR backThe process behind developing LCAs for different projectsTypes of clients and business drivers for Carbon Direct's LCA servicesThe need for LCA standardization and challenges in doing soTooling for LCAs and blind spotsDifferences in LCAs between small vs. big companies and across sectorsIncentives for a company to care about LCA accuracyFor-profit LCA work vs. non-profit approachesWhen companies should start thinking about tracking LCAsGet connected: Jason JacobsMCJ PodcastMCJ Collective*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded August 1, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Allison Wolff, Founder and CEO at Vibrant Planet. This year, wildfires have raged across the Western US, the Mediterranean, Australia, and parts of Canada. While many worry that the intensity and frequency of these blazes are going to get worse, Vibrant Planet is on a mission to create a cloud-based planning and monitoring tool for agile, adaptive land management at scale. The company harnesses data-driven science and cloud-based technology to help community stakeholders create resiliency plans for forests that take multiple factors into account. Their goal is to help planners and policy makers save lives, avoid trillions of dollars in infrastructure loss, and restore the ability of natural systems to store carbon, deliver clean water, and support biodiversity, local economies, and recreational habits.If you're curious about wildfires and their relationship to climate change, both in terms of how climate change is resulting in increased wildfire severity and how increased wildfire activity is creating feedback loops that reinforce global warming, you'll appreciate this conversation. And lastly, even in the face of some pretty dire numbers, we appreciate Allison’s optimism about what our forests could look like in the coming centuries, given proper care and maintenance today. In today’s episode, we cover: The state of forests in the US and across the globeWhy wildfires are increasingIntersection between land management and climate changeHow some forests need fires to regenerate themselvesEffective forest management by Indigenous PeoplesWhat we can learn from tribesHow state and federal governments are approaching the issueRoadblocks that have slowed progress on forest managementAllison's background in tech and transition to climateRole of software and tech in unlocking collaborationStakeholders involved in planning projectsCarbon methodology for fire adapted forestsEnjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @codysimms (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 20, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Benji Backer, Founder and President of the American Conservation Coalition (ACC). ACC is focused on building grassroots environmental movement amongst the right-of-center space for climate action, with 150 chapters across the country. Benji is a passionate environmentalist and out to change the minds of people who think conservative and climate change advocate don't belong in the same sentence. In today’s episode, we cover: An overview of the American Conservation Coalition and the work they doBenji's background and his passion for the environmentHis transition from conservative activist to climate activist How he reconciles his passions and conservative viewpointsThe two-party system and its shortcomings Increasing polarization in the US Who controls the narrative in Washington vs. who gets bills passedThe Build Back Better Bill The Republican party's shift away from conservation in the early 2000sIssues with the climate narrative leaving people outBenji's views on how to balance self-interest and taking action on climate solutionsThe role of government in addressing the climate crisis Consumer behavior changes The intersection between of climate change and environmental justice in cities and rural communities Benji's key priorities over the next 12-24 months ACC's Climate Commitment plan Who he wants to hear fromEnjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 15, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Jacob Nathan, CEO and Co-Founder of Epoch Biodesign.Plastics are among the most visible and ubiquitous environmental issues plaguing Earth today. Hundreds of millions of tons of plastics are produced every year, but they weren't mass produced until after World War II (that's just one human lifetime ago). As a byproduct of the fossil fuel industry, plastics contribute significantly to the value of a barrel of oil, they create considerable emissions when produced, and they release carbon into the atmosphere when they are incinerated at the end of their lifecycle. So while plastics are a key building block of our modern world, they're also very problematic. Epoch Biodesign is on a mission to scale and industrialize biology to solve the world's biggest climate challenges, starting with an enzyme that eats plastic and converts it to industrial chemicals. The company is currently working with unrecyclable plastics that would otherwise go to landfill or incineration. The resulting molecules from their unique biological process can be used to create new products like adhesives, cleaning products, and fertilizers. In today’s episode, we cover: An overview of plastics, their origin, widespread uses, and impacts on the environmentPlastics and the fossil fuel industryProblems associated with recycling End of life pathways most plastics take Epoch Biodesign's solution to addressing the plastic problem How enzymes can break down plastics and convert them into useful chemicals with a reduced carbon footprint The company's cell-free fermentation process and target outputs CO2 emissions associated with producing and incinerating plastic chemicals The origin of Epoch Biodesign Jacob's background and how he met his Co-Founder, Douglas Kell Douglas Kell's extensive background in systems biology, machine learning, etc. How Epoch Biodesign uses machine learning and tooling to design a computing platform for plastic-eating enzymes Future applications of the company's proprietary methods of designing biology How Epoch Biodesign's software enables them to scale and solve climate problems fasterThe company's business model Adjacent opportunities including textiles Epoch Biodesign's seed round and future financing Who Jacob wants to hear from and open positions at Epoch BiodesignEnjoy the show!You can find Cody on Twitter @codysimms, @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 15, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Ketan Joshi, a writer, data analyst and communications consultant working on climate and energy. Ketan Joshi has been at the forefront of clean energy for eight years, starting out as a data analyst working in wind energy, and expanding his knowledge base to community engagement, climate science and new energy technology. He’s written for the Guardian, The Monthly, ABC News and has penned several hundred blog posts digging into climate and energy issues, building a position as a respected and analytical energy commentator in Australia. Ketan is also the author of Windfall: Unlocking a Fossil Free Future, and has a large following on social media. Before coming on the show, Ketan and Jason had a few heated exchanges on Twitter. Despite what appeared to be opposing views around climate, this conversation shed light on an important lesson about the polarization of social media platforms. When we actually take the time to meet and discuss these topics live, we might find out that we’re in agreement more than we think. In today’s episode, we cover: Ketan's background and personal climate journeyHis experience working in data science, communications, community engagement, and climate policy within organizationsHow his feelings about climate and theory of change have evolved over timeThe level of urgency of the climate crisis and the level of disruption we should expect in order to adequately address itOur dependence on fossil fuelsThe rate of change in emissions reductions and some of the impacts associated with itBenefits of engaging community members in climate solutionsThe role of corporate decision making in heavily fossil reliant companiesHow society impacts individual decision makingBenefits of reducing carbon emissions and examples where it's not easy to doThe role of natural gas in the clean energy transitionKetan's thoughts about carbon removal and its role in the transitionTransforming carbon offsetsKetan's thoughts on nuclear and if we should be deploying it at scaleWho he'd like to hear fromEnjoy the show!You can find Jason on Twitter @jjacobs22, @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 7, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Jeff Nobbs, CEO and Co-Founder of Zero Acre Farms.It turns out 20% of our daily caloric intake is made of vegetable oils that are not only harmful to human health, but also have a massive impact on the environment and deforestation. So when thinking about systems problems that impact climate change, how we produce oils for food consumption is a big lever that's yet to be pulled. Zero Acre Farms is on a mission to change that. The company is developing a new category of healthy oils and fats made by fermentation. In today’s episode, we cover: Broad overview of vegetable oil Environmental impacts of different vegetable oils The shift away from animal toward trans fats in the 1980s & 1990s Drivers of vegetable oil growth, including consumer advocacy groups and large fast-food restaurants An overview of Zero Acre Farms How the startup is solving the problem of vegetable oils using fermentation An overview of the fermentation process for foodThe company's direct-to-consumer launch and future plans to scale to restaurants and packaged foods Jeff's background in food, health, and nutrition Zero Acre Farm's externalities How the company creates its cultured oilTheir seed round, series A, and future funding sources Zero Acre Farms as a Public Benefits Corporation (PBC) their initial product has just become available on their website, you can try cultured oil for yourself and see what you think.Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @codysimms (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 14, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Cris Stainbrook, President of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF). ILTF is a national community-based organization serving Indian nations and Indian people in the recovery and control of their rightful homelands. They work to promote education, increase cultural awareness, create economic opportunity, and reform the legal and administrative systems that prevent Indian people from owning and controlling reservation lands. The organization has provided over $98 million of grants, loans and services over the past 20 years. In today’s episode, we cover: An overview of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF)How the organization came to be and its mission to restore rightful land ownership of 90 million acresCris' personal climate journeyHis background in fisheries biology and transition to Indian landThe role of the federal government in Indian land ownershipThe Dawes General Allotment ActILTF's tactics at the beginning and how they've changed over timeImportance of education for Indian history and land issuesThe organization's theory of change and how they measure progressChanges on tribal land related to climateHow climate impacts day-to-day life of tribal membersHow the tribes became interested in carbon markets and some of the issues they're working to overcomeThe Indian Land Capital Company, a CDFI subsidiary of ILTFBuyer incentives for the tribe's carbon creditsThe National Indian Carbon Coalition and its assessment of additionality credits, setting prices, finding buyers, etc.What Cris sees as the biggest barriers to moving forward on climate changeHis thoughts on government's role in solving certain issuesCris' message to listeners both in terms of the problem of climate change and Indian landsEnjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 30, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Mujeeb Ijaz, Founder and CEO of ONE. Widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) not only face technical challenges, but also psychological barriers that consumers need to overcome. ONE has the audacious goal to design a battery that can double the range of EVs while using sustainable and safe materials, avoiding nickel and cobalt in particular. The company is also working to develop and localize raw material supply chains to bring down costs associated with this clean energy solution. In today’s episode, we cover: Mujeeb's background in EVs and battery innovation at Ford, A123 Systems, and AppleBattery range anxiety and its impact on widespread adoptionONE's solution to double the range of EV batteries to 600 milesDensity of charger networks and the implications for EV driversPredictions for the used market for EVsImpact of local driving conditions on EV range and comparisons to ICE vehiclesImpacts of location and climate on battery rangeONE's latest accomplishments, including their partnership with BMWThe company's two types of batteries: Gemini and AriesDifferences between battery chemistries like lithium ion, manganese, and nickel cobaltHow ONE avoids nickel and cobalt in their batteriesThe predictability of commercial fleets like package delivery trucks and busesCost structures associated with different battery chemistriesONE's go-to-market roadmap and funding to dateGaps in talent and training for battery manufacturingONE's focus on sourcing the right talent and workforce development effortsEnjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @codysimms (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 11, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Marcius Extavour, Chief Scientist, Executive Vice President Energy and Climate at XPRIZE.XPRIZE is a global future positive movement of over a million people and rising. They are a trusted, proven platform for impact that leverages the power of competition to catalyze innovation and accelerate a more hopeful future by incentivizing radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. The organization began supporting climate projects with a $20 million prize for breakthrough technologies to convert CO2 emissions into usable products. Now, they’re hosting their largest prize initiative in history funded by Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation, and awarding $100 million for Carbon Removal solutions.This episode covers XPRIZE’s mission, how they decide on and evaluate competitions, key takeaways from their climate prize experiences, and how they measure success. We also dig into some of the nuances of the carbon removal conversation, how Marcius deals with naysayers, and why he focuses on solving the climate crisis instead of punishing polluters. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 1, 2022.In today’s episode, we cover: An overview of XPRIZE and the organization came to beXPRIZE's model expansion over time Where XPRIZE's money comes from How the org's external partnerships help XPRIZE support an innovative ecosystemMarcius' climate journey and background in academia, utility, policy, and fundraisingAn overview of the AAAS Science & Technology Fellowship ProgramCharacteristics XPRIZE uses to determine where prizes can be helpful, including impact, an identifiable problem, public awareness, and a specific and measurable goal Differences between short and long-term impact The NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE and key takeaways from the competitionHow XPRIZE started to explore climate topics The moral hazard argument XPRIZE Carbon Removal, the org's largest incentive prize in history with Elon Musk and the Musk FoundationHow Marcius responds to critics XPRIZE's plans to improve CDR measurementsDifferences between measurement processes and tooling across solutions MRV 3 evaluation factors, including operational performance, cost, and scalability Marcius' predictions for how CDR can develop His thoughts on the role of voluntary and compliance markets Marcius' stance on whether we should punish polluters or focus on solving the climate problemHow people can get involved with XPRIZE and the org's new Carbon Removal cohortThe community's role in moving things forward, growing globally, and maintaining inclusivity Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Marcus Lehmann, CEO and Co-Founder of CalWave. Our planet’s surface is mostly covered by ocean, but harnessing the power of our ceaseless water world has not been a considerable part of the energy mix to date. CalWave is on a mission to provide reliable, cost-effective ocean wave technologies for sustainable energy access. The company’s award-winning technology transforms the motion of ocean waves into electricity to equip communities of scale with localized power.In this conversation with Marcus, we discuss the potential of wave energy and unpack some of the challenges to operating in dynamic and complex marine environments. We also cover Marcus’ background, CalWave’s origins, the company’s roadmap for getting to market, and how wave power and offshore wind power can be combined in the future. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @codysimms (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded July 5, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Kerry Bowie, Founder, President and Executive Director of Browning the Green Space.Browning the Green Space (BGS) is a voluntary coalition of leaders and organizations primarily in the New England region that share a passion to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in clean energy. The organization's goal is to increase the participation and leadership of people in underrepresented groups, including people of color and women in the clean energy space and beyond. In today’s episode, we cover: Origin story of Browning the Green Space (BGS) Overview of the nonprofit and its missionKerry's background in environmental engineering, environmental justice, and consultingBGS's focus on the 5 C's: careers, companies, capital, contracts, and communities The intersection between environmental, social, and economic justice issues The importance of cultural connections in community development The threat of climate change to underrepresented communities on a day to day level Differences of energy burden between urban centers and BIPOC communities vs wealthy neighborhoodsHow money and wealth are major contributors to environmental inequalityKerry's motivation in workforce developmentThe luxury of thinking about climate change as an existential threat Barriers to alleviating environmental issues faced by lower income communitiesRegulations that need to be upheld, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act Kerry's thoughts on government and its shortcomings Hopeful action from younger generations BGS's fundraising goals and who they want to hear fromEnjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 29, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Mohit Yadav, co-founder of BOLT. BOLT was founded in 2017 with the dream of making electric vehicles more accessible by easing and accelerating the transition of emerging markets to cleaner mobility. Currently, the company manages India’s largest EV charging network with over 10,000 charging points across 100 different cities.Although we haven't spent much time on the region here on the My Climate Journey podcast, this episode is particularly important given India's population and emerging economy. How the country’s economy evolves in the years to come will be critical to global emissions reduction as its population is unfortunately feeling the effects of climate change today in a major way.We have a great discussion about the state of the EV market in India, BOLT's business model, their future expansion plans, and how the company started in software and evolved to include a hardware component. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @codysimms (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 29, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guests are Craig Shapiro and Tomas Alvarez Belon from Collaborative Fund. Collaborative Fund is an investment firm focused on supporting and investing in the shared future. Their funds center around two macro themes, the growth of the creative class and the concept of the collaborative economy. Recently, Collaborative Fund announced their new Shared Future Fund which provides rapid funding and useful resources to early-stage entrepreneurs working to solve the global climate crisis. It's a programmatic fund and they aim to make 100 investments of $100,000 in 2022 alone, giving a decision within 10 days of application.Craig is the Founder and Managing Partner of Collaborative Fund. He currently holds a board seat or board observer seat in several pioneering climate focused companies, including: Brimstone Energy, Dandelion Energy, Kula Bio, and Quaise Energy. Tomás is a climate investor at Collaborative Fund focused on decarbonization and the Shared Future Fund initiative. Prior to joining Collab, Tomás co-founded Canopi, a Y Combinator-backed carbon accounting startup, and was a consultant at Bain & Company. He also advises Climate Tech VC, a 20,000+ subscriber newsletter focused on climate innovation.We cover a lot in this episode, including the origin story of the firm Collaborative, how their approach has evolved over the years, and what led them to get into climate investing. We also discuss the types of risk they're comfortable with, criteria they look for, and how they think about different sectors. And we cover the Shared Future Fund, what it is, how it works, Craig and Tomas’ vision for it, and how it fits in with the other things that they do as a firm. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 14, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Titiaan Palazzi, COO and Co-Founder at Myst. Myst is a machine learning platform that leverages AI technology to improve demand and supply forecasting for an increasingly renewable power grid. Their platform helps companies accelerate the deployment of expert forecasting solutions that not only increase profitability but also reduce risk. We have a great discussion about the different energy use cases that more accurate predictive modeling can help, the customer types that use Myst today, and the transition of data science talent into the climate space.Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @codysimms (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 28, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Jamie Alexander, Founding Director at Drawdown Labs. Drawdown Labs serves as Project Drawdown’s private sector testing ground for accelerating the scaling of climate solutions quickly, safely, and equitably. In her role, Jamie leverages the organization's world-class research and analysis—and the cross-industry capabilities of participating businesses and funders—to experiment with collaborative ways to address climate change at unprecedented scale, and offers the world a more expansive vision for private sector climate leadership.Jamie has been a very active member of the MCJ community, including contributing to our Community Voices newsletter and serving on the Advisory Board at Climate Changemakers. Prior to joining Project Drawdown, Jamie worked in corporate partnerships at Ceres, Inc. This discussion brings a new energy to the MCJ podcast as the conversation not only covers Jamie’s climate journey, but also highlights some of the double standards that manifest in people working in climate change, some of the infighting that occurs, some of the tensions, and the chicken and egg scenarios. At the end of the day, a little hearty debate is a good way to ignite progress. Enjoy the show! You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 13, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Mike Phillips, Co-founder and CEO of Sense.Using machine learning and artificial intelligence, Sense provides homeowners with real-time insights that illustrate their home energy use. Users of Sense’s Home Energy Monitor are able to not only understand energy use on an appliance level, but also identify opportunities to both save money and consume energy when it's cheapest and cleanest. Sense is actively pursuing a broader and more ambitious vision. By deploying its technology as a software application and embedded intelligence for the growing landscape of smart meters, the company is positioning itself to expand its energy monitoring and management capabilities considerably. As investors in Sense via our MCJ collective venture capital fund, we were excited to talk with Mike in more detail about his climate journey and the company’s origin story and progress so far. We have a great discussion about the future of the home, electric panels, smart meters, the role utilities play in hardware deployment, and in what ways consumers want to be involved in home energy management. Enjoy the show! You can find me on Twitter @codysimms, @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 14, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Rachel Slaybaugh, Principal at DCVC.In her role, Rachel is focused on climate, sustainability, and energy investments. Before joining DCVC, Rachel was an Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley where she held leadership roles in several data science and entrepreneurship efforts. Concurrent to being a professor, Rachel was a Division Director at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where she ran the Cyclotron Road Division. She served as a Program Director at the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, where she created the nuclear fission program and managed the agriculture portfolio as well as solar and virtual reality teams. Rachel co-founded the Good Energy Collective and currently serves as Chair of the Board. Rachel received a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Penn State, where she served as a licensed nuclear reactor operator, and a M.S. and Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin–Madison in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics. We have a wonderful discussion about Rachel's climate journey and how she has prioritized her professional pursuits. We also talk about what Rachel has learned working in academia, government, early-stage innovation, and now as a venture capitalist. Additionally, the conversation touches on where VC and equity capital fit into the climate problem as well as key learnings from the last cleantech wave, and so much more. Enjoy the show! You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 7, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Jesse Forrester, Founder and CEO of Mazi Mobility.Mazi Mobility is a Kenyan Mobility as a Service (MaaS) company that is re-imaging mobility through the implementation of an electric vehicle ecosystem in Africa. Mazi assembles and sells electric two and three-wheelers while building and operating the EV charging infrastructure to support these vehicles. A Kenyan award-winning entrepreneur and visionary, Jesse believes in the confluence of impact and profit. He is a former Zayed Sustainability Prize winner and has been involved with social enterprises for the last 6 years, touching on the food, water, and energy nexus.We were excited for this one because while the MCJ podcast focus has primarily been in the Western world, developing nations are just as important. Transportation in countries like Kenya will be critical in terms of emissions and Mazi is trying to bring about positive change. We learned a lot from this one and are so grateful that Jesse was willing to share his story. Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded May 12, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guests are Alison Smart, Executive Director, and Spencer Glendon, Founder, of Probable Futures.Probable Futures is an unconventional initiative that brings together leaders across culture, business, technology, and design in collaboration with scientists at the renowned Woodwell Climate Research Center. They're committed to and guided by their shared set of core principles. Probable Futures offers frameworks, tools, and storytelling to help people understand, prepare for, and choose between the futures that the climate offers us. The online platform currently provides educational materials about the workings of Earth’s systems and climate models as well as local and global projections of heat, cold, and precipitation. All Probable Futures materials are free to anyone in the world.Spencer has an interesting background in that he spent 18 years as macro analyst, partner, and director of investment research at Wellington Management, an investment management firm with more than a trillion in client assets. He also holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and a PhD in Economics. Prior to helping found Probable Futures, Alison was Vice President for Strategy & Advancement at the Woodwell Climate Research Center (Woodwell), a leading source of climate science that informs policy, decision making, and the urgent action needed to combat climate change.We discuss the pair’s respective climate journeys, what motivated them to work in this space, and what led them to create Probable Futures. We also talk about how they measure success, what stakeholders they’re serving, and the nature of the climate problem in general, as well as what’s holding us back.Enjoy the show! You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded June 3, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guests are Dana Gibber, Caroline Klatt, and Phil Fogel of Flowcarbon.And today’s episode is hosted by Jason’s partner at MCJ Collective, Cody Simms.Flowcarbon is using blockchain to make carbon markets more accessible. They're seeking to tokenize the voluntary carbon market to aid in price discovery, transparency, and access. We were looking forward to this conversation as Flowcarbon has been in the news a lot. They just raised significant capital from A16Z and other notable investors; the day after their raised was announced, Verra — the largest voluntary carbon marketplace — made a substantial position statement regarding blockchain; Flowcarbon was incubated by the family office of Adam and Rebekah Neumann of WeWork renown; and blockchain is a controversial topic in climate circles generally. So across all of this, we had a ton to discuss.We cover the founders’ backgrounds and origin story of Flowcarbon, their views on the carbon markets today, how they believe crypto helps solve key issues in the carbon markets, and where they think this whole space is headed. We also discuss Flowcarbon’s specific technology approach and how it fits into the broader #ReFi movement, and we touch on the Neumann’s involvement with the company.Enjoy the show!You can find Cody on Twitter via @codysimms and MCJ Collective via @mcjpod (podcast) or @mcjcollective (company). You can reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded May 27, 2022. Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Emma Stewart, Sustainability Officer at Netflix.Emma is working to bring the company's carbon footprint to net zero, raise awareness through their film and television content, and engage their millions of members on climate and environmental change. Emma brings a rare combination of domain expertise (environmental strategy, climate change accounting and policy, green buildings), strategy (start-up executive and corporate "intrapreneur"), and inventiveness (e.g. an architect of the original "science-based target" movement now 1000+ companies strong) to the field of corporate sustainability.I was excited for this one because Netflix is a pillar company. They've got a big footprint and swing a big bat as it relates to their content, storytelling and audiences. We talk about Netflix's journey and how they got to be late to the game, what motivated them to get into action, what Emma's charter was coming in, where she started, and how she went about prioritizing. Some interesting tidbits come out in this discussion in terms of where the actual emissions are coming from, how they think about emissions they are directly responsible for versus the content production outside of the walls of their originals, how they think about things like offsets and carbon removal, and also Emma's general theory of change for what role companies play and what else needs to happen as it relates to policy, activism, government, and other things that are required to make this transition as quick and as efficient as possible.Enjoy the show!You can find me on Twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 26, 2022.To learn more about sustainability at Netflix, visit https://about.netflix.com/en/sustainabilityTo learn more about this episode, visit https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/emma-stewart Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Alisha Fredriksson, Co-founder and CEO of Seabound.Seabound builds carbon capture equipment for ships. They're the only way for existing ships to reduce up to 95% of CO2 emissions and meet new global regulations and they already have six LOIs secured from major ship owners. I was excited for this one because shipping is one of those areas that is a big source of emissions and also really hard to decarbonize. So it's interesting to dig into what it is that makes it so hard to decarbonize, the different options for doing so, and of course, where Seabound fits in.We also cover the origin story of the company, what inspired Alisha and team to do the work that they do, and some of their progress to date. It's especially interesting to dig into some of the motivations of the customers that are signing these LOIs, what value proposition is resonating, what some of their concerns are, and how a business like this ultimately scales.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.To learn more about Seabound, visit: https://www.seabound.co/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/seabound Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Stephan Nicoleau, Managing Director at FullCycle.FullCycle developed a unique investment model, specifically designed to accelerate the deployment of climate-critical technologies. These technologies must exceed their thresholds for carbon return on investment and deliver above market returns on a risk adjusted basis. Stephan leads the firm's capital formation and partnerships, and brings more than a decade of investing and investment advisory experience to the team.I was excited for this one because FullCycle is interesting. They do both growth stage equity investing and they do project finance and like to get involved early in terms of the first few plants that get built and things like that, which I've heard from many people and founders is a gap and one that's highly additional to help address. We cover a lot in this episode, including Stephan's background and what led him to doing the work that he's doing, FullCycle's model, origin story, and progress to date, as well as their investment approach and how they measure success. We also cover how they think about returns, LP composition, some examples of sectors and companies they have gotten involved with, and what types of resources they bring to bear beyond capital to be helpful to the companies they work with.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 19, 2022To learn more about FullCycle, visit: https://www.fullcycle.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/stephan-nicoleau Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Raffi Garabedian, Co-Founder and CEO of Electric Hydrogen.Electric Hydrogen is creating a new generation of electrolyzer technologies to enable clean, abundant and low cost hydrogen to end the age of fossil fuels. They closed an A round of financing back in 2021, including participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Prelude Ventures, Capricorn's Technology Impact Fund, and Energy Impact partners.I was excited for this one as one, hydrogen is such an important topic and a controversial one. Two, I really wanted to learn more about Electric Hydrogen's approach. They've raised a bunch of money early in their journey from high caliber climate investors, and they have quite an experienced team. Raffi himself was the Chief Technology Officer of First Solar before jumping in as Co-Founder of Electric Hydrogen. We cover a lot in this episode, including the state of heavy industry, what makes it so hard to decarbonize, the role that hydrogen can play, where it is in its evolution, some of the barriers holding it back, some of the approaches that seem promising, and of course, Electric Hydrogens approach. We cover where electrolyzers fit in, how their electrolyzer is different and better, what types of target customers they focus on, how close they are to going to market, what some of the biggest risks are, what scale looks like, and how it will be financed. Enjoy the show!To learn more about Electric Hydrogen, visit: https://eh2.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/electric-hydrogen Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Tony Fadell, Principal at Future Shape.Tony is an active investor and entrepreneur with a 30+ year history of founding companies and designing products that profoundly improve people’s lives. As the Principal at Future Shape, a global investment and advisory firm coaching engineers and scientists working on foundational deep technology, he is continuing to help bring technology out of the lab and into our lives. Currently, Future Shape is coaching 200+ startups innovating game-changing technologies. Tony began his career in Silicon Valley at General Magic, the most influential startup nobody has ever heard of. He is the founder and former CEO of Nest, the company that pioneered the “Internet of Things” and created the Nest Learning Thermostat. Tony was the SVP of Apple’s iPod Division and led the team that created the first 18 generations of the iPod and the first three generations of the iPhone. Throughout his career, Tony has authored more than 300 patents. In May 2016, TIME named the Nest Learning Thermostat, the iPod, and the iPhone as three of the “50 Most Influential Gadgets of All Time.” His new book is Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making. Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 13, 2022To learn more about Future Shape, visit: https://www.futureshape.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/tony-fadell Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Ben Sorkin, the Founder and CEO of Flux Marine, a company that offers 100% electric outboard motors.Flux Marine is seeking to accelerate the electrification of the marine industry. We have a great discussion in this episode about the origin story of the company, Flux Marine's product and offering, and their decision to offer the motors as a standalone versus building the boat end to end. We also talk about their go to market strategy and approach, Ben's thoughts on electrification in general and where consumer sentiment fits in, where quality fits in, where cost fits in, where scalability fits in, and of course, where sustainability fits in.We talk about the best ways to finance a company like this and the decisions that Flux Marine has made to date, including their recent $15 million equity round. And we also talk about their key goals for the company, how they stage those goals, what stage they're in now, what's coming next, and their long vision. We also talk about how the ecosystem will play out in general and what the role is of the big incumbents, what the role is of the upstarts, what the role is of the a la carte providers like the motors and what the role is of more of the Tesla or the apple approach end to end.It's an episode that will really make you think, and hopefully you'll learn something as well. And if you're a boater, you'll probably also be eager to get your hands on one of their products when they ship sometime soon.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded May 4, 2022To learn more about Flux Marine, visit: https://www.fluxmarine.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/flux-marine Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Joel Armin-Hoiland, Founder and CEO of Climate Finance Solutions.Climate Finance Solutions, or CFS, as it's also known, is a mission driven consultancy that helps companies and organizations around the world secure non-dilutive funding to develop and scale high impact climate solutions. They also provide technology, business and project development consulting to support their clients in securing funding and scaling their solutions. Their team has secured over $75 million in non-dilutive funding and leveraged over 30 million more in external co-financing, including several million dollars in impact equity investment with an 88% success rate.Joel also was an early member of the MCJ community, and he's been an active contributor, both in the slack community and also advising and ultimately consulting with several companies in the MCJ Collective portfolio. Non-dilutive financing is different than equity financing, and especially for climate tech companies, it comes up a lot. It can be a viable source of funding, but many founders coming from other types of technology companies that maybe haven't gotten exposed to non dilutive funding before don't know how go to go about obtaining it.In this episode, we cover the how to think about non-dilutive funding, who it's a fit for, the process to obtain it, and pitfalls to watch out for along the way.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.To learn more about Climate Finance Solutions, visit: https://www.climatefinancesolutions.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/joel-armin-hoiland Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Justin Kolbeck, co-founder and CEO of Wildtype. Wildtype is a startup creating sushi-grade cultivated salmon, and they recently announced the completion of a hundred million-dollar series B funding round, which was the largest for a cultivated seafood company. I was excited for this one because it's clear that our current food system is not sustainable. It's a huge source of emissions, and we're going to have to feed billions of additional people over time. It's unclear today how we're going to do that, and especially do that in a way that is more sustainable with each other and with the planet that we rely on to support us and other life forms. Seafood, of course, is one of the largest categories of food, and Wildtype is one of the leaders in the cultivated seafood market, which made for a really interesting discussion.We talk about the origin story of the company and what led Justin without a background in this area to anchor here, the state of the cultivated meat/seafood landscape when they started and how that's evolved to today, and Justin's predictions for how the market will play out over time. We also talk about some of the key challenges in building the company, how to balance customer development with the technical work in the lab, and Wildtype’s plans in terms of go-to market strategy, which sources of capital they have used to date, and which they anticipate using over time.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded May 3, 2022To learn more about Wildtype, visit: https://www.wildtypefoods.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/wildtype Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Gerald Butts, Vice Chair of the Eurasia Group and former Principal Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada and Premier of Ontario. He also served as the CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada. In 2014, McLean's Magazine declared Gerald to be the 14th most powerful Canadian. And as the former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Trudeau, Gerald was praised as the architect behind the Liberal Party of Canada's platform that led to their victory in October of 2015. He was also one of Prime Minister Trudeau's most senior staffers.I was excited about this one on a number of levels. One, it's just great to hear from someone that's operated in the political realm at such a high of given how important politics is for climate action. Two, it was great to hear from someone outside of the walls of the U.S, but a pretty close neighbor about the U.S' role. It's also interesting that after hundreds of MCJ episodes, conventional wisdom is while a carbon tax might be super impactful, no one thinks it's possible or most people certainly don't and yet Canada did it. And Gerald was a key person that helped get that over the line.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 4, 2022To learn more about Eurasia Group, visit: https://www.eurasiagroup.net/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/gerald-butts Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Mike Kelland, CEO of Planetary. Planetary has an accelerated carbon transition platform that creates effective carbon removal at gigaton scale and reduces emissions through a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Their platform results in permanently sequestered carbon through ocean air capture, ocean deacidification, and clean hydrogen. They also recently won the XPRIZE Milestone Prize.Mike was actually one of the earliest listeners of this podcast, one of the earliest members of the My Climate Journey member community, and he also has a similar story to mine, coming from the traditional software startup world and finding his way into climate tech. In this episode, we talk about Mike's journey, why it came about, how it came about, the different phases and stages that he went through between becoming determined to work in climate and anchoring where he did.We talk about the Planetary origin story and Mike's evaluation process, in which he was talking to different labs and assessing different technologies. And we talk about what he learned about determining commercial viability and commercial readiness. We also talk about the Planetary approach, where they're at today, the different risks, the business model, building pilot plants, how those will be financed, who their customers will be, what the value proposition is for those customers.And we have a great discussion about carbon removal in general and some of the debates that have been occurring, what Mike's thoughts are on those debates, what gives him the confidence that carbon removal is not only important, but ultimately will be viable, and also just how the landscape plays out. Is there one winner? Are there a few winners? Is there a huge long tail, where there'll be lots of different winners? Are there no winners? At any rate, really great discussion, and I think you'll learn a lot.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 28, 2022To learn more about Planetary, visit: https://www.planetarytech.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/planetary Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Dr. Johanna Wolfson, General Partner at Azolla Ventures. Azolla Ventures, created by Prime Coalition, invests in early-stage technology companies with the potential for gigaton-scale climate impact.This is a discussion that was actually done live at the MIT Energy Conference on April 1st. It was a great discussion, so we figured we'd publish it as a podcast so that all of you can benefit from this discussion as well.We cover a lot in this episode, including Johanna's background and what led her to doing the work that she's doing today, Azolla's origin story, it's recent spin out from Prime Coalition, the criteria that they use for making investments, and some of the recent investments they've made. We also have a great discussion about the role of catalytic capital in general, how it's different from other types of capital in climate tech investing, and what it will take to help these technologies reach wide scale deployment and impact. We talk about some of the barriers, some changes that would help the clean energy transition happen faster, and how you and I can help.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 1, 2022To learn more about the Azolla Ventures, visit: https://www.azollaventures.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/johanna-wolfson Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss, CEO and Co-Founder of Dance, a premium ebike subscription service based in Berlin. Eric also co-founded music streaming platform SoundCloud, and occasionally angel invests in companies in the sustainability space.With Dance's electric mobility subscription, their members can easily explore their city with an ebike or emoped while benefiting from included maintenance and repairs. Both individuals and businesses can make convenient and fun mobility choices without the investment of ownership: membership is flexible.In this episode, we cover Eric's startup journey, climate journey, and how they ultimately intersected. We talk about the Dance origin story, vision, progress to date, and key strategic priorities. And we have a great discussion about mobility, the future of cities, and what it will take to decarbonize transportation. And finally, it was super useful to hear Eric's thoughts on how to balance maximum impact on a spreadsheet with finding things to work on that give you energy and align with your passions and skills.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 22, 2022To learn more about Dance, visit: https://dance.co/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/dance Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Katie Dykes, Commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP).Katie was nominated by Governor Ned Lamont to serve as the Commissioner of DEEP, and was confirmed on February 20, 2019. Katie previously served as Chair of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) from 2015-2018, and as Deputy Commissioner for Energy at Connecticut DEEP from 2012-2015. Katie also served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Inc. (RGGI) from 2014 to 2017. RGGI is a multi-state effort focused on reducing carbon emissions from electric generating facilities. Katie joined CT DEEP in March 2012 after prior service as Deputy General Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality and as a Legal Advisor to the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy. She is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale Law School.I was looking forward to this episode, as government is not an area where I historically have been particularly strong, but it's so important for tackling a systems problem like climate change. And it's not just the federal government, state governments really matter as well, and Katie's in a key role, in a key state, doing really interesting things. This is a great opportunity to learn about how someone in Katie's shoes thinks about setting priorities for the state, getting things done, what form the transition should take, what role the federal government should play, what role the states should play, what some blockers are to getting things done, and how they can move faster. We also have a great discussion about how the private sector fits in, and the roles of technology and innovation.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 29, 2022To learn more about the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, visit: https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/About/About-UsTo learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/katie-dykesFor insights on marketing climate solutions like heat pumps, Katie credits #energytwitter members like Nate Adams (@energysmartwv); and for more state-level climate leadership, check out the US Climate Alliance (@USClimate)! Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Neeka Mashouf, CEO & Co-Founder of Rubi.Rubi turns carbon emissions into carbon-negative textiles with synthetic biology. Fabrics made with Rubi technology are net carbon-negative, water. land, and chemical-neutral, 100% traceable, and naturally biodegradable. Rubi is the definitive, turn-key solution to achieving industry-wide sustainability and creating a future where production of goods and polluting the earth are no longer inherently linked. No more plastics, polyester, or dead-end materials that create another form of permanent waste ending up in landfills or incinerated, clouding the air with even more CO2 pollution. Rubi is revolutionizing the supply chain to actually remove CO2 from the atmosphere with every garment created.In this episode, we cover Neeka's journey to entrepreneurship, to becoming committed to acting to address climate change, and how those paths came to intersect. We also cover Rubi's origin story, vision, progress-to-date, and key priorities, and have a great discussion about what it will take to decarbonize the fashion industry, how Rubi can help, and what else we can do to accelerate progress.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded April 8, 2022To learn more about Rubi, visit: https://www.rubi.earth/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/rubi Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Cam Hosie, CEO of 8 Rivers Capital.Cam Hosie is the Chief Executive Officer of 8 Rivers Capital, and leads the development and commercialization of 8 Rivers' technology portfolio and projects. Cam joined 8 Rivers in 2012. Prior to joining 8 Rivers, Cam was an energy corporate finance lawyer at Clifford Chance LLP and Russell McVeagh, focusing on major project development in Europe, the Russian Federation, Asia, the Middle East, North America, and New Zealand, regularly helping projects navigate complex commercial and legal issues in diverse jurisdictions with wide-ranging stakeholders. Current Chief Executive Officer at 8 Rivers, and former Chief Operating Officer, he has brought to bear his previous major project experience to mold 8 Rivers into a world-class execution team ready to deliver critical net-zero solutions. Cam has helped lead financing rounds for 8 Rivers and its portfolio companies and has managed strategic execution. Cam holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Bachelor of Laws from Victoria University of Wellington, and a Master of Laws focused on international business, trade, and tax from Duke Law.I was looking forward to this episode because 8 Rivers has such an innovative model, and both the type of technologies they are bringing to market and their approach are so different than the VC-backed startup world that I come from. And also so important for the climate fight! It is a great discussion, and you will learn a lot, for sure.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 18, 2022To learn more about 8 Rivers Capital, visit: https://8rivers.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/cam-hosie Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Harry Hamlin, actor, author, entrepreneur, and Founder/Secretary of TAE Technologies.TAE Technologies (pronounced T-A-E) was founded in 1998 to develop commercial fusion power with the cleanest environmental profile, and represents the fastest, most practical, and economically competitive solution to bring abundant energy to the grid. With over 1100 issued patents, more than $880 million in private capital, six generations of National Laboratory-scale devices, and an experienced team of over 250 employees, TAE is now on the cusp of delivering this transformational energy source capable of sustaining the planet for centuries. The company’s revolutionary technologies have produced a robust portfolio of commercial innovations in other large adjacent markets such as power management, energy storage, transmission, electric mobility, life sciences, and more. TAE is based in California, and maintains international offices in the UK and Switzerland. Multidisciplinary and mission-driven by nature, TAE is leveraging proprietary science and engineering to create a bright future for us all.In this episode, we cover Harry's unlikely path to becoming a climate tech entrepreneur, the origin story of TAE Technologies, their vision, progress and current stage, and a broader discussion about fusion, it's potential, the different approaches, and how far away we are from seeing commercial success.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 16, 2022To learn more about TAE Technologies, visit: https://tae.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/taetechnologies Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Stacy Kauk, Head of Sustainability at Shopify.Stacy joined Shopify in January 2020. She also serves on the advisory board of the Carbon Management Research Initiative (CaMRI) at Columbia University. Prior to joining Shopify, Stacy was Head of the Ozone Layer Protection Program at Environment and Climate Change Canada. Previously, Stacy worked on several chemicals management regulatory initiatives and represented Canada as a member of delegations for the Stockholm Convention and Montreal Protocol.Stacy began her career as a practicing engineer designing environmental protection measures and pollution prevention controls for a variety of industry sectors. She has worked for the city of Ottawa, Morrison Hershfield and Golder Associates. Stacy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering and Master of Public Administration from Carleton University.I was looking forward to this episode because everyone knows Shopify as a powerhouse e-commerce company, but far fewer no that Shopify has been helping jumpstart important carbon removal project funding via their Sustainability Fund. In this episode, we cover Stacy's journey to doing the work she does, Shopify's journey to become an unlikely climate hero, and how those two ended up meeting in the middle. We also cover what Shopify looks for in the carbon removal projects they back, and some examples of projects they have funded so far.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 (me), @mcjpod (podcast), or @mcjcollective (company) and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 23, 2022To learn more about Shopify, visit: https://www.shopify.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/stacy-kauk Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Anna Scott, an atmospheric scientist and the Chief Science Officer & Co-Founder at Project Canary.As a scientist, Dr. Scott has worked on projects around the world with the Red Cross/Red Crescent’s International Climate Center, NASA, The World Bank, and numerous local governments. She has installed sensor networks and led field campaigns in Birmingham, Alabama, Nairobi (Kenya), and Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Scott founded the Baltimore Open Air project, a community-based air quality monitoring project that designed, built, and deployed air monitors in the Greater Baltimore region.She received her PhD in the Earth and Planetary Science Department at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from University of Chicago, a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and a Master of Arts and Sciences in Earth Science from Johns Hopkins University.Project Canary is a data analytics and environmental assessment company committed to accelerating the path to net-zero. We focus on methane emissions measurement and reduction, freshwater use, and community impacts for energy-intensive industries. Our customers now have a holistic, granular view of their operations from tip to tail at their fingertips 24/7/365. As the business world has become more data-reliant, our independent, high-fidelity insights give stakeholders - investors, buyers, operators - an ESG-ready view of a company's environmental footprint and progress in real-time on a facility by facility basis. The company announced their $111m B round if financing in Feb. 2022.In this episode, we cover Dr. Scott's journey and path to working in climate and working at Project Canary, as well as a deep dive into the company, what it does, and why it matters.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter at @jjacobs22, @mcjpod, and @mcjcollective, and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 30, 2022To learn more about Project Canary, visit: https://www.projectcanary.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/projectcanary Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Renée Lertzman, Climate Psychologist & Strategist and Founder of Project InsideOut.Project InsideOut (PIO) is a unique platform, online tool, and resource hub that brings together changemakers, activists, and clinical psychologists to drive sustainable behavior change for our planet. PIO also provides guiding psychological principles for effectively working in climate change. We are entering a new phase of building out and inviting additional organizational partners. Renée is an internationally recognized psychological researcher and thought-leader, working to impact climate change with tools that organizations can use to engage, mobilize and connect with diverse populations. A native of Northern California, Renée has had more than 20 years of experience as a pioneer bridging psychological research and sustainability. She integrates behavioral, social, and innovative design sciences to create a dynamic approach to social change. She holds a Master's degree in Environmental Communications from the University of North Carolina and a Ph.D. from the Cardiff School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University, UK. Her distinguished reputation has led her to teach regularly, present, and produce research for numerous institutions, including World Wildlife Fund, the White House Social and Behavioural Sciences Team (SBST), National Center for Atmospheric Research, NOAA, and universities around the world. Renée is also an author and published journalist, writing about how the intersections of psychology, environment, and culture illustrate the culture of change.I was looking forward to this episode because I wanted to learn more about Renée's work and climate psychology. Renée walks me through her career path, why she focused on climate psychology, and her strategic consulting experience in the private and public sectors. We also discuss eco-anxiety and how to turn anxiety into action. Renée is a great guest, and we cover essential topics to ensure a successful clean transition.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 14th, 2022To learn more about Renée Lertzman and her project InsideOut, visit: https://www.reneelertzman.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/renee-lertzman Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guests are Jit Bhattacharya, Co-Founder & CEO of BasiGo, and Alex Roetter, Managing Director & General Partner at Moxxie VC.Jit has been a technology leader in rechargeable (lithium-ion) batteries for more than 12 years. He worked as the CEO of Mission Motors in Silicon Valley and was a senior manager at Project Titan — the secret electric car project by Apple Inc. More recently, he served as the chief technology officer of Fenix International, an off-grid solar home system company acquired by the French multinational electric utility company ENGIE in 2018.Alex is an engineer, leader, investor, and aviator who loves bringing new products and services to life. Alex was formerly the President of Kitty Hawk (an eVTOL company) and was previously the SVP of Engineering at Twitter. Alex has over a decade of experience investing in and advising early to late-stage private companies, including Coinbase, Mainstreet, Nuro, Sauce Labs, Digits, Caption Health, and Certn. He is the co-chair of the Visible Hands VC Fellowship Advisory Committee and an observer on their Board of Directors. Alex started his career as a software engineer at Google and various other early startups.BasiGo is an e-mobility startup looking to revolutionize the public transportation sector by providing public transport bus owners with a cost-effective electric alternative to diesel. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, our team is strategically composed of seasoned entrepreneurs who have spent over a decade working and innovating within electric vehicle technology, mobility in Africa, and renewable energy financing. The team is dedicated to creating an inclusive, sustainable mobility revolution in Africa. Moxxie VC invested in the startup in February 2022 during Basigo's seed round.In this episode, I'm joined by investor and founder who added insights to the climatetech startup process. Jit discusses why EV buses are the future of public transportation, Kenya's reliance on renewable energy sources, and how he founded the company. Alex dives into investing in an international startup, how the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and why Moxxie funded BasiGo. This is a great episode to understand the founder/investor relationship in climatetech.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 21st, 2022To learn more about BasiGo, visit: https://www.basi-go.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/basigo Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Gabriel Kra, Managing Director and Co-founder at Prelude Ventures. Prelude Ventures is a venture capital firm partnering with entrepreneurs to address climate change. The firm has invested in over 60 companies across advanced energy, food and agriculture, transportation and logistics, advanced materials and manufacturing, and advanced computing. Prelude has a long-term commitment to the sector, accept informed risks, and couples a fundamental emphasis on venture-level returns with an understanding of deep-tech and hardware development timelines. Prelude manages capital exclusively for Simons family philanthropic entities and is a founding member of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.Gabriel co-founded Prelude Ventures in 2013, after almost 25 years as an investor, entrepreneur, scientist, activist, and ski-bum. Before launching Prelude Ventures, Gabriel spent four years as an investment banker with Deutsche Bank in its solar and semiconductor groups. He also was an early employee at venture-backed telecommunications and semiconductor start-ups, where he was instrumental in raising money, launching products, developing technology, and getting acquired. Gabriel's early experience working a summer at Yellowstone National Park and for Greenpeace sparked his lifelong commitment to fighting climate change.In this episode, Gabriel walks me through Prelude Ventures' founding, Gabriel's career path leading to climate investing, and why a generalist mindset to climate investing is important. We also discuss Prelude's single LP model, why venture investing translates well to helping solve climate change, and the role fossil fuels play in the clean future. Gabriel is a great guest, and this is a fantastic episode.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 10th, 2022To learn more about the Prelude Ventures, visit: https://www.preludeventures.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/gabriel-kra Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] with MCJ:Cody Simms on LinkedInVisit mcj.vcSubscribe to the MCJ Newsletter*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Today's guests are Steven Henderson, Co-Founder & CEO, and Mike Carter, Co-Founder & COO of Fleetzero.Fleetzero is building battery-electric cargo ships that operate with 5X higher net margins than fossil fuel ships. The startup's increasing the efficiency of existing diesel ships by converting them to battery-electric while pioneering innovation with the MVE7 - an electric ship designed for trans-pacific cargo delivery. Fleetzero'sbattery technology is the only pathway to decarbonizing the $1.3 trillion shipping industry without a green premium. Steven is a marine engineer by background and has managed a wide range of businesses and operations in the marine environment, including cargo ships, a hospital ship, and one of the largest offshore facilities in the US Gulf of Mexico. He has a bachelor's of science in Marine Engineering Systems from the US Merchant Marine Academy and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Steven served in the US Navy Reserve as a Strategic Sealift Officer.Mike is a marine engineer and enterprise sales professional. He graduated from the US Merchant Marine Academy with a BS in Marine Engineering Systems and received an MBA from Rice. Mike brings expertise in marine engineering, ship operations, and significant business experience in energy and shipping. He is also proud to have served as an officer in the US Navy Reserve.In the episode, Mike and Steven walk me through Fleetzero's unique solution, why the ships are challenging to decarbonize, and what let them to found the startup. We also discuss why battery swapping is a viable solution, Fleetzero's funding to date, and the company's customer base. This is a fantastic episode for those looking to learn more about decarbonizing the shipping industry.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 11th, 2022To learn more about Fleetzero, visit: https://www.fleetzero.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/fleetzero Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Virginia Sentance, Chief of Staff for the UK COP26 Presidency.Virginia Sentance is the Chief of Staff for the UK COP26 Presidency team based in the UK Government. The UK hosted the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) - the UN's annual climate change summit - in Glasgow on 31 October to 13 November 2021. As Chief of Staff Virginia works closely with the COP President and COP CEO to oversee all aspects of the COP26 Presidency, including the political strategy, negotiations, diplomatic engagement, and operational delivery of the summit. Prior to this, Virginia was an International Economist for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and HM Treasury - the UK's economic and finance ministry, focusing on a number of international finance issues including G7, G20 and the IMF, financial services, economic security, and trade. Virginia holds a BSc in Politics and Economics and MSc in Politics both from the London School of Economics.I was excited to have this conversation with Virginia and learn more about COP26. Virginia walks me through her climate journey, the role of COP in a clean future, and why we should pay attention to global carbon commitments. We also dive into the tensions between industry stakeholders and global leaders, COP26's goals and how this COP defined success, and the evolution of science since COP1. Virginia is a great guest with a unique insight into the climate crisis and collective global action. This is a fantastic episode if you want to learn more about the role COPs play in the clean transition.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 9th, 2022To learn more about the UK COP26 Presidency, visit: https://ukcop26.org/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/virginia-sentance Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 Sam Saltzman, Founder & CEO of Outlast Earth.Outlast is disrupting the biggest market you've never heard of. The bulk recyclables industry is a ~$1 trillion industry – yet is largely a technological desert. Outlast is transforming recyclables trade through technology. Their platform enables suppliers and buyers to safely and effortlessly transact their materials at the push of a button. Beyond connecting suppliers and buyers, they also provide global logistics, financing, and quality control. Sam is the CEO of Outlast. Before Outlast, he was COO at AMELCO, an aluminum recycling plant and the Chief Geologic Officer at Extracon. He also served as the Chief Operations & Technical Officer at Aroa Commodities, where he worked to develop, manage, and supervise sustainable copper, gold, and silver mines in Colombia. At the University of Iowa, Sam was the Interim Lab Manager and Researcher at the University of Iowa's Electron Microprobe Lab. Sam has a BS in Geology and an MS in Geoscience from the University of Iowa. In this episode, Sam takes me through his climate journey, what led him to leave commodities for bulk recycling, and Outlast Earth's mission. We also talk about why the bulk recycling industry is lucrative, Outlast's unique approach to the circular economy, and how the startup measures impact while balancing profits. Sam is a great guest, and it was educational to dive into the thorny topic of recycling.Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 8th, 2022To learn more about Outlast Earth, visit: https://www.outlast.earth/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/outlast-earth Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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 David Antonioli, CEO of Verra.Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world's most intractable environmental and social challenges by developing and managing standards that help the private sector, countries, and civil society achieve ambitious sustainable development and climate action goals. Verra's global standards and frameworks serve as linchpins for channeling finance towards high-impact activities that tackle some of the most pressing environmental issues of our day.David serves as Chief Executive Officer of Verra, where he oversees all aspects of the organization, including ensuring the financial and operational health of the organization and that the organization's certification programs meet high-quality integrity and transparency standards. Before joining Verra, David joined EcoSecurities in Oxford (UK), where he led a joint venture to develop landfill gas-to-energy projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). David began his career at ICF Consulting, providing technical advice to Latin American countries developing their GHG inventories, and was a global climate change advisor in Mexico at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). David holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Princeton University and a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University.I was eager to sit down with David to learn more about the offset market and his work at Verra. We dive into a variety of topics, including David's career path to Verra, Verra's approach to offsets, and how Verra measures success. David also walks me through why carbon offsets are controversial, how to assess net-zero commitments when balancing reduction and offsets, and capitalism's role in the climate crisis. This is a fantastic episode if you're looking to understand better the history of carbon offsets, the existing market, and how we can move to a cleaner future. Enjoy the show!You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded March 1st, 2022To learn more about Verra, visit: https://verra.org/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/david-antonioli Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected] 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