CleanTechies Podcast

Marian Krueger comes to us with his experience investing in 120+ early stage CDR startups, and broke down what we should look for and what’s worth watching in the years ahead. He’s a leading expert in CDR having invested in Europe, which is the leading CDR ecosystem in the world. Sitting down with him as a blast, and for our US listeners, this episode is VERY timely with the Biden Administration’s first release on voluntary carbon markets, Enjoy 🥳👏. --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox ----- Topics: **02:41 Introduction **05:08 Challenges of the Voluntary Carbon Market **16:30 CDR Startups **17:53 Impact-Driven Motivation of CDR Founders **26:32 Gaps in the CDR Space **32:27 Role of Policy in Carbon Removal **39:03 Prioritization, Universities, and A-Teams **42:10 Collaboration and Partnerships **42:51 Takeaways ----- Links: **Marian Krueger | remove **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

Today, we speak with Arvin Ganesan, an ex-Obama-Admin EPA and ex-Apple Energy Procurement executive. His career is fascinating, from finance to Policy to Energy Tech CEO. He offers us a lot of insight into their technology, how it works, and specifically how it plays well with utility models of making money. Towards the end, he mentioned the unknown of the commercialization path. He pointed out that it's not important to pick a model of commercialization with a tech like this because so many variables can dictate the best path to commercialization when the tech is proven past the pilot scale. Lots of good stuff is in today's episode! --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox ----- Topics: **2:37 Why Cheap and Accessible Energy Storage Matters **2:37 Why Cheap and Accessible Energy Storage Matters **17:30 Fourth Power's Utility-Scale Thermal Battery **21:58 Fast and Efficient Energy Storage and Discharge **27:10 Building Fourth Power **32:04 The Power of People **37:24 Maintaining Culture with Growth **42:21 Opportunities in the Utility Market **47:04 Startup Opportunities in Agriculture Decarbonization **49:01 The Importance of Mentorship **52:19 Takeaways ----- Links: **Arvin Ganesan | Fourth Power **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

Michael Kearney started off this podcast defending the political durability of the IRA…and he had us convinced. If that doesn’t have you hooked, I don’t know what will! Building for deeptech founders is HARD…like folding a fitted sheet hard. And that’s why we need someone like Mike to do it. Mike himself did his undergrad and Ph.D. at MIT, so he’s knows the MIT innovation ecosystem like the back of his hand (The Engine is an MIT spin-out). In between, he spent his time drawing power from the Sun…well not literally…he worked on grid-scale renewable energy at Ambri in corporate development. Now, he’s focused solely on supporting “Tough Tech” founders (side note, that’s definitely a favorite term of this podcast now). Mike clearly loves doing really easy things…right? --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox | https://cleantechies.substack.com/podcast 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **02:29 Introduction **03:50 Political Durability of the IRA **07:46 Supporting Tough Tech Startups **16:06 Scaling from Early-Stage Innovation to Large-Scale Deployment **26:30 Building in the Field **28:35 The Investment Model of Engine Ventures **30:41 Commercializing Technology **36:46 The Changing Nature of Competition in Clean Energy **45:20 Room for Innovation **51:36 Takeaways ----- Links: **Engine Ventures | Michael Kearney **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

There are a few key things Climate Entrepreneurs should know. This guest brought up a bunch of them. It is incredible to see how successful they are in a crowded space. Today, he shared with us many of the things that helped them succeed. Enjoy today's episode, and let us know your favorite moment in the comments (anywhere). --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **2:27 Intro and Background **3:05 The Problem They Solve **5:39 Global Emissions from Industry **11:44 Ideation and Idea Validation **13:37 Company Status and Growth **14:56 Challenges and Milestones **16:38 How / When to Pivot **18:16 Standing out in a Crowd **22:53 Market Positioning and Challenges **25:38 Pragmatism-First Culture **30:38 Principles and Habits for Success **32:38 Future Plans and Opportunities **37:00 Climate Startup Ideas **37:48 Closing Remarks and Call to Action **38:41 Takeaways ----- Links: **Saleh ElHattab | Gravity **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

What do you get when you put Chris Rock, Timothée Chalamet, Greta Thunberg, & Marc Andreessen together? -- You get Tom Ferguson! The King of Water VC! (Warning! Tom is hilarious, so cancel your comedy cellar tickets because you won't need them) Today, we had the chance to speak with Tom, the founding partner of Burnt Island Ventures. They are the leading VC investor in all things water. They became this by compounding their network for years with some of the best water networks, including Imagine H2O. One notable thing he pointed out is, the IRA didn't include any investment into water infrastructure. 🤯 Tune in to get the whole thing today! 🌱🌎 --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox | https://cleantechies.substack.com/podcast 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **5:00 Introduction **8:10 Why Sustainability **10:34 Time with Imagine H2O **16:13 Other Considerations for BIV **19:27 Story behind the Name BIV **20:55 MBA and Business School **27:22 Focus on Building Team **31:32 Pricing in Velocity of Sales Process **38:35 Compounding Network as a VC’s Moat **47:24 Biggest Problems in Water **56:17 Companies that BIV work with **1:00:42 Startup Opportunity; Water Testing Market **1:04:19 Takeaway ----- Links: **Tom Ferguson | Burnt Island Ventures **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/ **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

Allison Wolff | Vibrant Planet Vibrant Planet is basically bringing the tech knowledge from the early FAANG days and applying that to land tender and wildfire resistance. Their platform is a prioritization system for land management restoration by providing real-time scenario planning, monitoring, and reporting. These assessments can help with qualifying projects for conservation finance. Allison brings a rolodex of experience working with top companies on sustainability, including Google, Meta, Netflix, eBay, Project Drawdown, & more and is now applying that knowledge with other star-studded experts to solve the wildfire risk problem. ---- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. ---- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox --- Links: **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **Somil & Silas on LinkedIn Support the Show.

Recently, the MCJ Podcast experienced huge backlash for having Big Oil players on the show. This prompted us to bring back a past guest, Shaun Abrahamson from Third Sphere. ---- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. ---- Shaun last joined us on episode 136 to talk about Navigating the Climate Capital Stack and how to Design for Finance (especially in the context of hardware). Today we dive into two macro topics. #1 Partnering with Big Oil --AND-- #2 Repricing Climate Risk There are several subtopics under these big umbrellas (check topic timestamps). All of these were highly interesting to me, and I think they will be to you as well. Tune in to get the whole thing today! 🌱🌎 --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox --- Links: **Shaun Abrahamson | Third Sphere **Episode 136 - Hardware as an AI Moat, Design For Finance with the Climate Capital Stack, & More w/ Shaun Abrahamson (Third Sphere) **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **Somil & Silas on LinkedIn Support the Show.

Somil chats with Chinmay Malaviya and Charlie Depman, CEO and CTO of Ridepanda, expanding access and usage of e-bikes, e-scooters, and micro mobility through employer sponsored subscriptions. Chinmay and Charlie bring a lot of startup and industry experience and were able to speak not only about their growth but ALSO breakdown the technical designs that help them be successful in micromobility. We talked about: As always, thanks so much for listening and enjoy the episode! --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **03:23 Micromobility and its Reputation **12:10 Employer Business Model **20:43 Balancing Bike Production and Consumer Choice **23:42 Accepting Seasonality **28:55 Lessons from Foodpanda **32:40 Transitioning to Lime and the Transportation Space **35:21 Designing Software for Micro-Mobility **46:23 Advice for Founders ----- Links: **Ridepanda | Chinmay Malaviya | Charlie Depman **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

What if Investors Only Made Money if they *actually* helped save the planet? Welp... folks, we have the show for you because that's exactly what Planet A is doing. Somil and Silas speak with Jessica Burley, a Berlin-based investor at the fund. On top of learning how they are *actually* walking the talk, we found out how they use Carbon Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) in their investing due diligence process. Tune in to get the whole thing today! 🌱🌎 --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **01:29 Introduction and Background **02:22 The Role of Life Cycle Assessments in Investing **8:44 Article 9 and the European Regulatory Landscape **10:27 Interest in Climate Tech Investing Outside of Europe **12:54 The Increasing Pace of Climate Tech Innovation **13:33 Jess's Journey to Climate Tech Investing **17:35 Transitioning from a Small Fund to a Larger Fund21:43 The Role of Brand and **Value in Climate Tech Investing **24:44 Sector Expertise and Operational Support in Investing **26:23 Geothermal Drilling for Renewable Heating **28:46 Investment Opportunities in Climate Tech **30:45 The Hardware Playbook: Investing in Hardware Startups **42:53 The German Climate Tech Ecosystem **49:18 Building Genuine Relationships in the Climate Tech Ecosystem **51:34 Takeaways --- Evaluating Life Cycle Assessment in Investment Decisions --- The Importance of the Hardware Playbook in the Investment Ecosystem --- De-risking Talent in Startups ----- Links: **Jessica Burley | Planet A **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) is a generational government program deploying $27B into clean energy projects across the US. But what is the bill really? Franz Hochstrasser is an expert in financing projects in low-income areas and has a wealth of experience working on climate for the government - both of which are KEY for GGRF. Franz started his career “giving his 20s” to the government, and with that doing some amazing work as the Special Advisor to the Special Envoy for Climate Change, Deputy Associate Director at the Council of Environmental Quality, and at the USDA. Since then, Franz founded Raise Green where he democratizes the ability to invest in climate solution projects. Through this, he is an expert in sustainable finance for inclusive growth and financing projects for low-income residents. He joined S2 Strategies to navigate GGRF and other landmark legislative movements. And it was an absolute blast to have him on. Support the Show.

Somil chats with Vivas Kumar, CEO of Mitra Chem, the first lithium-ion battery materials manufacturer focused on shortening the lab-to-production timeline by over 90%, addressing the largest barrier to innovation: R&D and scale-up speed. Vivas was a phenomenal orator and if you take a second to learn about Mitra Chem, it’s easy to see why. By combining their knowledge of iron-based cathodes with an AI and data enhanced production capacity, they are able to manufacture quicker and more reliably than many of their competitors. As always, thanks so much for listening and enjoy the episode! --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **04:18 Starting as an Entrepreneur **06:41 Near-Shoring **10:18 Transitioning to Iron-Based Materials **11:00 Trends and Challenges with Nickel, Cobalt, and Lithium **14:49 Working at Benchmark's Mineral Intelligence Group **24:50 Financing and Business Models in Climate Solutions **27:32 Adapting Technology for Local Context **31:31 Shifting from Innovation to Supply Chain **35:13 Integration of AI and Automation in Production **41:41 Longevity and Outlasting Competition **44:08 Reducing Organizational Costs **43:21 Finding the Right People **45:23 The Importance of Curiosity and Motivation **47:54 Takeaways ----- Links: **Vivas Kumar | Mitra Chem **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

In this episode, Somil chats with Josh Knauer, CEO of ReSeed, bringing carbon credits directly from farmers to the market. They focus on the oldest form of carbon capture – vegetation. They support farmers in taking their protective and restorative farming practices, validating them, and then creating the mechanisms to sell those credits to interested parties. We talked about: As always, thanks so much for listening and enjoy the episode! --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **03:12 ReSeed **06:35 Engaging with Farmers through Local NGOs **08:03 Process of Onboarding Farmers and Issuing Credits **11:23 Stabilizing Farmers on the Land **30:07 Partnering with Farmers as Business Partners **33:40 Photosynthesis as Carbon Capture **35:42 The Trading Desk and Receipt Marketplace **40:53 Maintaining the Highest Integrity Carbon Credits **48:25 Announcing Partnership at COP28 **51:43 Investing in Nature-Based Solutions **56:35 Takeaways ----- Links: **Josh Knauer | ReSeed **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

Each year, about 1 billion pounds of chemicals are sprayed on crops in the US alone - globally, that number is around 5.6 billion. Our guest today is AgTechLogic, and they are solving this problem. They do this by helping Farmers retrofit their existing machinery with precision sprayers that use computer vision to identify weeds and spray only on the weeds in a concentrated way that kills the weeds and won't overlap with the crops. Today, nearly all farmers use broadcast spraying, or spraying everything. By implementing this tech, farmers can save a lot of money and produce healthier produce. Let's get into it. 🌱🌎 --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **1:13 Introduction and Overview **1:43 Reducing Chemical Overuse in Agriculture **7:36 Validation and Early Discoveries **11:11 Market Research and Initial Trials **15:37 Concerns about Herbicide Usage **20:34Case Studies and Cost Savings **24:04 Objections and Early Adoption **24:57 Reducing Water Usage and Regrowth **26:09 Building Trust and Landing the First Pilot **28:54 Entrepreneurship Later in Career **32:07 Collecting New Data **35:40 IP and Moat **37:38 Funding Journey **41:03 Responsible Growth **42:55 Future Plans and Getting the Message Out **45:48 Reaching Out and Educating Farmers **47:54 Takeaways ----- Links: **Tom Gauthier | AgTechLogic **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

Are you curious about what happens to solar panels when they are no longer usable? Maybe your crazy uncle's statements from last Thanksgiving about how solar doesn't work are still echoing. Well, look no further. Today, we are speaking with Adam Saghei, Founder of WeRecycleSolar, and we are discussing the end of life for solar panels. How circular can we make the supply chain? What can OEMs learn about their products' end-of-life? What is the REAL lifespan of a solar panel? How is this reality affecting investor returns? How are solar panels being refurbished and resold? And how are investors getting early upgrades to make a higher return despite the additional capex? Let's get into it. 🌱🌎 --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **01:34 Intro and Background **03:15 The Problem of End-of-Life Solar Panels **08:52 Financial Implications of Shorter Lifespan **13:33 Recycling and Refurbishing Panels **16:21 Reusing Materials in the Supply Chain **21:06 Origins of We Recycle Solar **23:29 Introduction to Returns Management Programs **24:28 Starting the Refurbishing and Recycling Process **25:32 Pivoting to a New Business Model **26:44 Entrepreneurial Mindset and Taking Risks **28:14 Scaling the Business and Future Growth **30:51 Technology and Innovation in Recycling Processes **31:38 Intellectual Property and Strategic Components **32:34 Business Model and Potential Partnerships **35:54 Current Scale and Future Goals **38:24 Roadblocks and Challenges **39:15 Funding and Bootstrapping the Business **40:54 Acquiring Talent and Building Culture **43:38 Supporting the Future of the Industry **49:29 Takeaways ----- Links: **Adam Saghei | WeRecycleSolar **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

In this episode, I sit down with Mike Jackson, Managing Partner at Earthshot Ventures. Earthshot Ventures calls themselves carbon generalists and invest from Seed to Series B. They mainly invest in software and “stepchange” hardware with a preference to double down on existing portfolio companies. Mike’s story is great because of how intentional he has excelled at every stage and in multiple sides of building in climate. He is a successful founder from cleantech 1.0, a rockstar investing even before earthshot, experienced in project finance, and now investing in a collaborative way that is pushing the whole climatetech industry forward. --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox | https://cleantechies.substack.com/podcast 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel | https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5 ----- Topics: **06:49 Journey from Childhood to Leading a Climate Fund **12:54 Lessons from Cleantech 1.0 **15:54 Preparing for Project Finance **25:13 Importance of Business Models **32:35 Rising at the Westly Group **34:37 Building a Complementary Team **39:48 Why Earthshot is a "Network Fund" **43:14 Investing Earlier in ClimateTech **45:02 AI and its Impact on Climate **48:31 Attracting Capital from Generalist Investors **49:50 Advice for VCs ----- Links: **Mike Jackson | Earthshot Ventures **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

In this episode, we actually have a bit of a flashback for you – I sit down to chat with Tiya Gordon, co-founder and COO of It’s Electric, creating curbside EV charging specifically built for cities. Before I even go into what we talk about, I’d like to shout out what Tiya has done in the few months since recording this episode in December: Joint Office of Energy and TransportationThat’s not mentioning all the recognitions they collected in 2023 but I’ll leave you all to read about those on your own. Tiya and I have met a few times in a few different context, but it was a real pleasure being able to do this with her and tbh I think we’re already due for a part two. --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox | https://cleantechies.substack.com/podcast 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel | https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5 ----- Topics: **03:03 It's Electric Origin Story **07:01 What does It's Electric do **11:31 What it's like Working with Cities **15:10 What she Learned From Working with Municipalities **31:04 NYCW **37:10 Building the Team **40:52 Having a "Non-Traditional" Background in ClimateTech **45:43 Advice for Founders **50:07 Note to Audience ----- Links: **Tiya Gordon | It’s Electric **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

In this episode, Somil chats with Logan Grizzel, partner at MUUS Climate Partners, the climate tech venture capital arm of MUUS & Co. investing at the convergence of decarbonization and technological innovation. This episode probably broke the quotable clip record we have – Logan was a great mix of knowing how to communicate his thoughts and genuinely having such unique insight having worked on alternative fuels at Toyota, then going into grid strategy and now spending time as a Climate VC, previously at Blackhorn Ventures and now MUUS Climate Partners. In this episode we talk about the challenge with timeframes of venture funds in climate, his perspective on nuclear fusion, alternative fuels at Toyota, centralized vs. decentralized grids, the nuances of hardware, the climate tech scene in Denver, how they got such a diverse team, & more. Anyways, thanks so much for listening and enjoy the episode! --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox | https://cleantechies.substack.com/podcast 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel | https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5 ----- Topics: **03:11 Herd Mentality in Climate VC **09:26 Logan's Experience at Toyota **13:34 The Significance of the Prius **17:06 Nearshoring and Onshoring **21:34 The Mismatch in Hydrogen Supply and Demand **24:39 Decentralized vs Centralized Approaches to the Grid **28:04 Timing and Assessing Technology Maturity **29:25 Assessing Founder Adaptability **30:29 Dreaming Too Big or Small in Entrepreneurship **42:16 Denver Climate Scene **48:12 Lessons from Blackhorn Ventures **49:34 Diversity in Team Building **58:58 Advice to VCs **01:01:53 Takeaways ----- Links: **Logan Grizzel | MUUS Climate Partners **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

What happens when successful CleanTech 1.0 founders step up to the plate again? Anza happens and it's magical. Today, Somil & Silas are interviewing Mike Hall, a Co-Founder of Anza, a company they spun out of Borrego, his and his brother's first venture. At Borrego, they developed software to streamline and improve the way they chose which solar panels to use for projects. Realizing this was a problem for everyone, they spun it out in 2023 and were off to the races. Enjoy this episode with a legendary entrepreneur 🌱🌎 --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox | https://cleantechies.substack.com/podcast 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel | https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5 ----- Topics: **2:20 The Problem with Solar Module Procurement **7:11 Value Beyond Price in Procurement **9:23 Working with Sellers **12:06 Trends in Solar Product Sales **15:38 The Journey of Starting ANZA **22:25 Transitioning from Borrego to ANZA **31:45 The Impact of Climate Legislation **37:24Underutilizing Technology and Data in the Industry **41:11 Advice for Founders in the Renewable Energy Space **43:02 The Benefits of Being a Second-Time Founder **44:46 The Journey to Becoming an Entrepreneur **47:39 Takeaways ----- Links: **Mike Hall | Anza **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

In this episode, Silas and Somil chat with Ryan Gilliam, CEO of Fortera, a company focused on paving the way to zero CO2 cement backed by leading investors including Khosla Ventures and Temasek. What makes Fortera so exciting is that they’ve successfully raised all the way to their Series B, making them one of not many later stage companies in climate. We talked about his experience fundraising, the ins-and-outs of their tech, how to win over customers, his experience working with project developers, the current state of supply chain dynamics, the climate capital stack, and more. --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **01:44 Intro **05:08 Experience with the Cement Industry **09:40 The Problem of CO2 Emissions in Cement **13:34 Making the Technology Fit Within the Ecosystem **19:46 Changing Customer Mindsets **25:50 Integration with Cement Producers **29:56 Starting Fortera and Convincing Investors **33:55 Fundraising and Shifting Capital Stack **37:05 Raising Early Rounds and Bringing in New Investors **41:28 Transitioning to Project Financing **44:07 Project Development vs Licensing IP **46:28 Key Considerations for Commercial Projects **48:08 Importance of Planning and Preparation **48:35 Challenges in Supply Chain Management ----- Links: **Ryan Gilliam | Fortera **Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.

Today, we are speaking with a representative of the legendary Rockefeller Foundation. For those unaware, this foundation is one of the oldest well-organized institutions of its type and has been responsible for a massive number of efforts over the past 100 years. Our guest is Thomas Belazis, Director of Innovative Finance. He runs their Climate & Impact Investing arm. Some of the notable things we cover today are... Enjoy this episode with Thomas from The Rockefeller Foundation. 🌱🌎 --- 🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview. --- 🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies 📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **What Thomas Does at TRF **TRF’s $1bn Climate & Net Zero Commitment **Why Nature-Based Solutions **Catalytic Capital & Unlocking Funding **The Role of Philanthropy in Climate **Flexible Investment Approach **His Career Journey and Mentorship **Collaboration with Elemental Excelerator **Future Projects **Emerging Market Interest **Global Ambitions ----- Links: **Thomas Belazis | The Rockefeller Foundation **Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn **@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the Show.