Inevitable

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

Today's guest is Maricel Saenz, Founder & CEO of Compound Foods.Maricel Saenz is the founder and CEO of Compound Foods, a food-tech startup recreating coffee without coffee beans. Maricel and Compound aim to create a sustainable coffee that reduces the negative environmental impact on the planet and ensures we have coffee for the foreseeable future. Maricel is a Costa Rica native, passionate about sustainability and coffee. She has a Bachelor of Commerce from The University of British Columbia and attended Singularity University's Global Solutions Program in 2017. Maricel has a background in finance and previously co-founded Nextbiotics, a synthetic biology startup addressing antibiotic resistance. She worked in international development in South Africa, with local entrepreneurs, and in Cambodia with Hellen Keller International to empower women. She also worked with Monitor Deloitte in corporate strategy and innovation consultancies. In addition, Maricel was named on the 2022 Forbes' 30 under 30 list.In this episode, Maricel walks me through her career path leading up to Compound Foods, why coffee is so important to her, and the company's approach to beanless coffee. We also discuss the impacts of climate change in the coffee industry, the startup's most recent raise, and how sustainability has shaped Compound Foods. This is a great episode for those interested in the intersection of food and climate change.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 February 23rd, 2022To learn more about Compound Food, visit: https://www.compound-foods.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/compound-foods 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 Sean O'Sullivan, Managing Partner & Founder of SOSV.SOSV is a venture capital firm with more than $1.2B in assets under management. SOSV pioneers & runs world-leading startup development programs. Sean O'Sullivan is Managing Partner & Founder of SOSV, a venture capital firm with over $1 Billion in assets under management. SOSV specializes in programs for very early stage, deep-tech startups and is one of the most active venture investors in the world, with more than 1,000 companies in its portfolio. O'Sullivan's first company, MapInfo, popularized street mapping on computers. Credited with co-creating the term "cloud computing," Sean's first internet company, NetCentric, developed many concepts in internet computing. In addition, he founded JumpStart International, a leading humanitarian organization in conflict zones. Sean received his Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Masters of Fine Arts in Film Production from University of Southern California. He is on the board of Khan Academy, Sun Genomics, the Tyndall Institute, the Autism Impact Fund, the Brain Foundation, and several private companies.I was looking forward to this discussion with Sean and taking a deeper dive into SOSV. Sean explains the company's founding story, his transition from cloud and internet technology to deep tech, bio, and hardware, and what makes a meaningful climate investment to SOSV. We also discuss the commonalities across the development programs, why SOSV doesn't have a specific climate pillar, and advice Sean has for investors interested in focusing on climate. Sean is a seasoned investor and a fantastic guest.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 February 15th, 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 Greg Constantine, Co-Founder & CEO of Air Company.Air Company is a technology, engineering, and design company. The startup has invented a patented carbon conversion technology that transforms carbon dioxide (CO2) into impurity-free, carbon-negative alcohols, fuels, and perfumes. Air Company seeks to demonstrate to the world the limitless potential of carbon technology solutions.Greg is recognized as a world-leading entrepreneur in business and marketing with a spirit of innovation, landing him on the Forbes' 2017 30 Under 30 list. Leading all company strategy, operations, and innovation, including marketing and product design, Constantine has accelerated Air Company from an early-stage startup concept into one of the world's most innovative companies. He has led the startup to adopt numerous profitable applications of its technology, including fragrances, spirits, and rocket and aviation fuels. Greg brings expertise in the arts with an undergraduate degree from The University of Sydney and a wealth of business acumen from the Executive program at Harvard Business School.In this episode, Greg and I explore Air Company's proprietary technology, Greg's career path leading up to Air Company, and the startup's products, from Vodka to perfume. We also discuss the future marketplace for carbon-converted products, the direct air capture ecosystem, and why all CO2 is not created equal. Greg is a great guest, and it was exciting to learn more about Air Company.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 February 17th, 2022To learn more about Air Company, visit: https://aircompany.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/air-company 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 Nicole Systrom, Chief Impact Officer at Galvanize Climate Solutions.Galvanize Climate Solutions, launched in September 2021 by Tom Steyer and Katie Hall, is a mission-driven investment platform that will provide capital, expertise, and partnerships necessary to produce and scale vital and urgent climate solutions. Galvanize is purpose-built to accelerate decarbonization efforts by integrating climate-focused investment with global activism.Nicole Systrom has spent her entire career partnering with investors, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists to accelerate high-impact climate and clean technology solutions. Before Galvanize, Nicole founded Sutro Energy Group to counsel impact investors, philanthropists, and nonprofits on how to direct mission-oriented resources toward innovative clean technologies. With an extensive background in environmental science and a passion for helping entrepreneurs scale breakthrough technologies, nonprofits, foundations, and family offices frequently tap Nicole for her counsel on climate-positive programs. In addition, she is a published thought leader on climate innovation topics ranging from identifying gaps in the cleantech ecosystem, building philanthropic tools for investing in climate solutions, and enabling better state energy policy.I was eager to have Nicole on the podcast because she has dedicated her entire career to climate. We cover several important topics in this episode, including Nicole's role at Galvanize, the company's theory of change as an investment firm, and Nicole's experience balancing belief systems and passions throughout her career. We also dive into the evolution of Nicole's views on the best climate solutions, key levers for unlocking faster innovation, and the climate solutions that dominate the airtime but are not the most valuable. This is a fantastic episode, especially for those interested in understanding climate solutions better.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 February 10th, 2022To learn more about Galvanize Climate Solutions, visit: https://galvanizeclimatesolutions.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/nicole-systrom 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 Apoorv Bhargava, Co-Founder & CEO of WeaveGrid.Apoorv Bhargava is the co-founder and CEO of WeaveGrid. The startup uses machine learning to help utilities predict and manage large spikes in power demand from electric vehicle charging to balance renewable energy production and reduce the need for costly upgrades to the grid. Apoorv has always been passionate about climate and energy his whole career. He previously worked at Opower and The Boston Consulting Group. Before that, Apoorv spent time at NRG Energy, Joby Aviation, and The Capricorn Investment Group. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an MS in Energy & Resources from Stanford University. Additionally, Apoorv was featured on this year's GreenBiz and Forbes' 30 Under 30 lists.In this episode, Apoorv explains what motivated him to found WeaveGrid and the problems he observed with transport electrification and renewables' rise in the power sector. We also dive into a lively discussion on WeaveGrid's scalability and business model, how the startup navigates the complex utility ecosystem in the US, and roadblocks to successful grid electrification. Apoorv is a great guest. This is a fantastic episode for those interested in grid electrification and the energy 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 February 16th, 2022To learn more about WeaveGrid, visit: https://www.weavegrid.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/weavegrid 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 Rob Hanson, CEO & Co-Founder of Monolith, and Jigar Shah, Director of the Loan Programs Office, at U.S. Department of Energy.Rob is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Monolith, where he leads the development of next-generation technology for producing low cost, low emission hydrogen and carbon black, an important raw material used in the manufacture of rubber and plastic. Prior to Monolith, Hanson served as the global director of product management for AREVA Solar, the solar division of the world's largest nuclear company. He has a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford, and has been a guest lecturer at Stanford, UNL, Foothill College and the University of Saskatchewan on topics ranging from thermodynamics to entrepreneurship.Jigar was most recently co-founder and President at Generate Capital, where he focused on helping entrepreneurs accelerate decarbonization solutions through the use of low-cost infrastructure-as-a service financing. Prior to Generate Capital, Shah founded SunEdison, a company that pioneered "pay as you save" solar financing. After SunEdison, Shah served as the founding CEO of the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit founded by Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Unite to help entrepreneurs address climate change. Originally from Illinois, Shah holds a B.S. from the University of Illinois-UC and an MBA from the University of Maryland College Park.I was eager for Rob and Jigar to come back on the show to discuss Monolith's recent $1B loan from the DOE's Loan Programs Office. Rob provides us with an overview of Monolith, key phases of the company thus far, and the motivations for seeking public funding. Jigar explains his role at the LPO, why traditional VCs aren't built for early-stage climatetech, and how the private and public sectors can address climate change. We also discuss the government's role in the carbon-free future, how to re-align incentives for traditional funders, and advice Rob and Jigar have for entrepreneurs in the climate space. This is a great episode and a must-listen for anyone at the intersection of climate and finance. 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 February 7th, 2022To learn more about Monolith, visit: https://monolith-corp.com/To learn more about the US DOE's Loan Programs Office, visit: https://www.energy.gov/lpo/loan-programs-officeTo learn more about this episode, visit: https://mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/hanson-shah 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 Edward Chiang, Co-Founder & CEO of Moment Energy.Eddy co-founded Moment Energy in 2019. He was a member of NEXT 36, a cohort of NEXT Canada, a non-profit that develops exceptional talent to create world-class ventures and propel technology adoption. Eddy holds a BASc in Mechatronics Systems Engineering from Simon Fraser University.Moment Energy provides affordable, performant, and reliable energy storage by repurposing retired electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The company is working with major automotive companies, including Nissan and various utilities, to take advantage of the 80% remaining capacity in retired EV batteries to provide cost-advantaged and robust grid storage solutions for facilities located in major markets.In this episode, Eddy walks me through how he and his co-founded started Moment Energy, Moment's progress to date, and how he first came to care about the problem of EV battery recycling. We also dive into the existing policy around end-of-life care of batteries, what motivates EV manufacturers to work with Moment, and where safety, ethics, and sustainability fit into the customer decision-making process. Eddy is a great guest, and the Moment Energy story is fantastic for MCJ listeners. 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 January 31st, 2022To learn more about Moment Energy, visit: https://www.momentenergy.ca/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/moment-energy 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 Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of RMI.Since 1982, RMI has advanced market-based solutions that transform global energy use to secure a clean, prosperous net-zero future for all. An independent, nonprofit think-and-do tank, RMI engages with businesses, communities, and institutions to accelerate and scale replicable solutions that drive the cost-effective shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables.Before RMI, Jules was the founding CEO of the European Climate Foundation, the largest philanthropic organization dedicated to policy development and advocacy on climate change in Europe. Before launching ECF, he served as a member of the Dutch parliament for the Christian Democratic Party. During the first 20 years of his career, Jules worked in the business world. He was the CEO for International Operations of ClientLogic Corporation, a global leader in outsourced CRM solutions. Jules spent almost ten years at Royal Dutch/Shell, including managing director of Shell Bulgaria. He began his career as an analyst at McKinsey & Co. Jules currently serves as chair of the WEF Global Future Council on Net Zero Transition. In addition, he is a founding member of the global Energy Transitions Commission, a member of the New Energy advisory board of Shell, and a non-executive board member of the Energy Web Foundation and MiQ.I was eager to interview Jules because the role of NGOs in the clean future is vitally important. Jules walks me through his career path from the business sector to RMI, RMI's approach as a 'think-and-do-tank", and Jules' current position as CEO. We also dive into the role of fossil fuel companies in decarbonizing the future, lessons learned from cleantech 1.0, and advice Jules has for leaders balancing funding and climate commitments. This is a great episode for those interested in NGOs and decarbonizing the 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 January 21st, 2022To learn more about RMI, visit: https://rmi.org/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/jules-kortenhorst 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 Jose Galindo, Co-Founder & CEO, and Nico Wertheimer, Co-Founder & Chief Sustainability Officer, of Waterplan.Waterplan is a Software as a Service platform to help companies use water in their production process to quantify and mitigate water risk financially. The platform combines companies' operational data with local water satellite imagery to provide a real-time financial assessment of water risk. Based on that, it offers tailored mitigation and adaptation opportunities, from conventional infrastructure to nature-based solutions.Nico and Jose met while working at the Global Shapers Community of the World Economic Forum. Nico is a medical doctor. He started treating waterborne diseases and brought safe water access to more than 300k people worldwide. Jose's background is in B2B SaaS. After Jose's SaaS company got acquired, Nico and Jose decided to join forces to merge their tech and water expertise and create a tech company to help accelerate the transition to a water-secure world.In this episode, Jose and Nico explain the current state of water security, why corporate water stewardship is essential, and the water risk assessment landscape. The co-founders also dive into how adjacent markets benefit from water risk assessment, how the startup tracks and collects data from its customers, and the existing policy around water. Lastly, we explore future priorities for the company and where Waterplan sits in the market. This is a fantastic episode for listeners interested in climate change's effects on our water systems. 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 January 25th, 2022To learn more about Waterplan, visit: https://www.waterplan.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/waterplan 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 Rama Variankaval, Managing Director & Global Head of Center for Carbon Transition and Corporate Finance Advisory at J.P. Morgan.Rama leads J.P. Morgan's Center for Carbon Transition since the group's formation in 2020. In this role, Rama is responsible for setting the strategy and implementing the firm's Climate & ESG goals as it relates to its client businesses. CCT also actively engages with existing and prospective clients to provide advisory services on their business transition related to various ESG factors.Rama has been part of J.P. Morgan's Corporate Finance Advisory team since the group was formed in 2005 and has been leading the team on a global basis since 2017. The CFA team advises corporate clients on various topics, including capital structure, risk management, activism defense, and structured transactions. Rama was part of J.P. Morgan's internal risk management team for two years before joining the Corporate Finance Advisory group. Rama holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, India; an MS in Structural Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, and an MS in Statistics and Operations Research from New York University.I was looking forward to this discussion as JP Morgan and financial institutions play a massive role in the carbon-free future. We cover various topics, including the Center for Carbon Transition's mandate, Rama's stake in addressing climate change, and how ESG ties into decarbonization. We also discuss how externalities should be prices, our dependency on fossil fuels, and trusting corporate climate commitments. This is a must-listen episode for anyone focused on climate change and decarbonizing the 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 January 14th, 2022For more information about JP Morgan's Center for Carbon Transition, visit: https://www.jpmorgan.com/solutions/cib/investment-banking/center-for-carbon-transitionFor more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/rama-variankaval 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 Kimberlie Le, CEO & Co-Founder of Prime Roots.Kimberlie a scientist-entrepreneur-foodie and life-long learner determined to make positive changes in our global food system. Kim has been working in management within the food industry (retail, food service, investing) for over ten years and is determined to bring delicious, sustainable, and nutritious foods to the masses and increase accessibility and equity in our food system. She's a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.Prime Roots is a plant-based meat and seafood company creating better products for you and better for the world. Headquartered in Berkeley, California, Prime Roots is committed to positively influencing our food culture and reducing the hefty environmental impact of meat. Their delicious plant-based meat and seafood products are made using proprietary methods that combine cutting-edge technology with ancient techniques - resulting in better tasting and naturally textured market alternatives that avoid using hyper-processing techniques used by other meat alternative companies. In this episode, Kim and I explore her path from her PhD to founding a startup, key priorities for Prime Roots over the next 12 months, and the barriers to creating and marketing a product heavily influenced by taste. We also discuss the various alternative meat bases, advice Kim has for founders and entrepreneurs looking to follow a similar path in sustainable food, and the startup's sources of capital to date. Kim is a great guest.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 January 24th, 2022To learn more about Prime Roots, visit: https://www.primeroots.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/prime-roots 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 Phil Graves, Former Head of Tinshed Ventures at Patagonia.Phil is an executive and board member with over 15 years of experience in M&A, corporate finance, private equity, and venture capital. He has served as the President of The Johnny Morris Foundation & Chief Sustainability Officer at Bass Pro Shops. Before that, he served as Vice President of Corporate Development at Patagonia. At Patagonia, Phil launched and oversaw Tin Shed Ventures, a $79 million investment fund, Worn Wear, a multi-million dollar eCommerce business, Innovation Works, a breakthrough R&D team, and Regenerative Organic Certification, a holistic standard for food and fiber. Prior to joining the company in 2014, Phil spent a decade at Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In addition, he provided financial advisory and investment-related services to clients such as KKR & Co, TPG Capital, Lone Star Investment Advisors, Nike, Walmart, Southwest Airlines, and SunPower. Phil's perch in the climate industry is unique, and I was looking forward to sitting down with him this week. Phil walks me through his career path, his most recent role as Chief Sustainability Officer at Bass Pro Shops, and his time at Tinshed Ventures. We also discuss the breaking unsustainable consumer patterns, the dirty underbelly of the apparel industry, and the role of policy in a clean future. Phil is a great guest, and this is a must-listen episode for those interested in the intersection of climate and apparel.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 live January 13th, 2022For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/phil-graves 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 Andrew Ponec, Co-Founder & CEO of Antora Energy.Antora Energy's technology stores electricity as heat in extremely inexpensive raw materials and uses a novel thermophotovoltaic heat engine to convert that heat back to electricity when consumers need it, hours, days, or weeks later. The startup's technological breakthrough opens up numerous other applications ranging from industrial waste heat recovery to flexible carbon capture, utilization, and storage.Andrew co-founded Antora in 2018 and has been CEO since then. Before Antora, Andrew was a vising scholar at Stanford University. He was co-founder & CEO at Dragonfly Systems and an Engineer at SunPower Corporation after SunPower acquired DragonFly Systems. He holds a BS in Energy Systems Engineering from Stanford Energy. He also was named Forbes 30 under 30 in 2014.In this episode, Andrew walks me through Antora Energy's approach and vision for long-duration storage, how thermal energy storage works, and scaling the startup's solution. We also discuss bringing a solution from the lab to the private sector, how Antora is bridging the intermittency gap, and how far into a clean future we can get without long-duration storage. This is a great episode if you're interested in understanding how we successfully move towards clean and sustainable energy sources.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 November 12th, 2021To learn more about Antora Energy, visit: https://www.antoraenergy.com/To learn more about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/ctss-episodes/antora-energy 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 Elizabeth Lewis, Managing Director and Deputy Head of ESG at Blackstone.Blackstone is an investment firm that invests for the long term because building successful, resilient businesses can lead to better returns, stronger communities, and economic growth that works for everyone. As Managing Director and Deputy Head of ESG, Elizabeth supports Blackstone's corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts. Before joining Blackstone, Elizabeth led engagement with investors, NGOs, governments, and other stakeholders on climate change and diversity for the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector part of the World Bank Group. Elizabeth was also a Partner and Director of Strategy and Business Development for Terra Alpha Investments. In addition, she established World Resources Institute's Sustainable Investing Program and served as Head of Sustainable Investing. Earlier in her career, Elizabeth was a Principal at Global Environment Fund, a private equity fund focused on clean energy and sustainable forestry, and an advisor at Booz Allen Hamilton.I was excited to sit down with Elizabeth. She explained her role at Blackstone, the mission and approach Blackstone has regarding ESG, and Elizabeth's theory of change around climate. We also dive into a discussion on time-horizon impact climate commitments, if ESG and climate are synonymous, and if capitalism will get us to a clean future. Elizabeth is a well-versed guest, and this episode is a must-listen for those focused on investing and ESG.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 live January 11th, 2022For more information about Blackstone, visit: https://www.blackstone.com/For more information about this episode, visit: https://myclimatejourney.co/episodes/elizabeth-lewis 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