Entrepreneurs for Impact

⭐ My guest today is Joshua Goldberg, cofounder and CEO of Sunstone Credit.

Sunstone Credit provides flexible financing solutions for commercial solar loans with activity in 30 states and 400+ solar partners.

Joshua is also a former cofounder and executive at Sunlight Financial, Astrum Solar, and Legends of Learning.

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🌐 LINKS:

Sunstone Credit - https://www.sunstonecredit.com/

Joshua - https://www.sunstonecredit.com

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

Their $1B in loan applications. $21M in corporate capital raised. Why solar leases are stupid. How solar is sold at the kitchen table. Their activity in the $40k to $5M solar size range. The speed of their loan process averaging just 1-4 weeks.

And lots more!

Please give Joshua and Sunstone Credit a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or X by sharing this podcast with your people.

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

It means a lot, and I read every one.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Tim Boeltken, Founder and Managing Director of INERATEC.

INERATEC is an e-Fuel company based in Germany that recently raised $129M to transform 1 GW of renewable energy into 125 million gallons of sustainable e-Fuel by 2030.

Tim brings a PhD in chemical engineering and nine years of dedication to building INERATEC.

Hope you enjoy it!

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🌐 LINKS:

INERATEC:

https://www.ineratec.de/en

Tim:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-boeltken/?locale=en_US

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

How their total addressable market is $14T (with a “T”) with use cases in aviation, shipping, and heavy-duty transport. Their BOO model to build, own, and operate e-Fuel plants. The science of making e-Fuels. Why he’s not in the 5 AM club. Their global expansion plans. How his founding team has stayed together for so many years. What makes German engineers cry.

And lots more!

Please give Tim and INERATEC a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

It means a lot, and I read every one.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Bill Liao, General Partner at SOSV and Chairman at Ki Tua Fund.

Bill is a rare kind of guy, in the best way. He’s a thoughtful and prolific investor, recognized as one of the Top 100 minority ethnic leaders in technology by the Financial Times, as well as the kind of person who refused to fly in an airplane until his nonprofit, WeForest, planted 100 million trees.

SOSV is a venture capital firm that provides pre-seed, seed, venture, and growth stage funding to 1,000s of startups in the technology sector, with a focus on deep tech for human and planetary health.

Ki Tua Fund is a growth-stage corporate VC firm focused on food and medicine.

Hope you enjoy it!

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🌐 LINKS:

Bill:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/billliao/?originalSubdomain=ie

SOSV:

https://sosv.com/

Ki Tua Fund:

https://www.kituafund.com/global/en.html

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

What the Founder Pledge is, and why he signed it. Insights from two startups he cofounded with billion-dollar IPOs. Why good advice is based on expensive experiences that didn’t go as planned. How doubt is a powerful driver for the scientific method. The power of humility. A coaching session for me on purpose. The business benefits of neural diversity. Why a one-person cap table is a red flag. Philosophy books that shaped his thinking. And lots more!

Please give Bill, SOSV, and Ki Tua Fund a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

It means a lot, and I read every one.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Alex Rappaport, CEO and Cofounder of ZwitterCo.

ZwitterCo is a VC-backed water tech company that uses zwitterionic chemistry (yes, that’s a real term) and extremely fouling-resistant membranes to reduce industrial water use, save energy, and reduce chemical inputs.

Alex turned a startup bootcamp during his M.S. at Tufts University into an award-winning business and the largest Series A investment in water tech to date. 

Hope you enjoy it!

Share this podcast with your people to give Duncan and Highland a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter.

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🌐 LINKS:

ZwitterCo:

https://zwitterco.com/ 

Alex:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-rappaport/

---

🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

How ⅔ of the world is projected to be experiencing water shortages by 2025. Why water costs are rising faster than we think. His near-death experiences with water. How their filters don’t clog even in very dirty industrial environments. Tips on telling your company store more effectively. The link between water security and climate resilience.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

It means a lot, and I read every one.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Duncan McIntyre, CEO of Highland.

Highland brings a turnkey solution to make EV fleet adoption simple, reliable, and cost-effective for school buses and other fleets.

Duncan sold his previous company in energy and emissions management for $100M.

Hope you enjoy it!

Share this podcast with your people to give Duncan and Highland a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter.

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🌐 LINKS:

Highland – https://highlandfleets.com/ Duncan – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dumcintyre/

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

How to convert CapEx to OpEx to make it easier for customers to say yes. What it takes to raise $250M in private equity funding from smart investor friends of mine like Vision Ridge. The value of performance guarantees to reduce customer risks. How they reduce life cycle costs for city fleets. Why it’s good to expect tough times. His routine of organic farming even in cold New England mornings before the sun comes up.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

It means a lot, and I read every one.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Rohan Puri, CEO of Stable.

Stable maximizes EV charging station ROI with strategic placement and pricing solutions.

Rohan brings experience from MIT, Harvard, and TechStars. Hope you enjoy it!

And give Rohan and Stable a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.

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🌐 LINKS:

Stable – https://stable.auto/ Rohan – https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohanspuri/

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

How 70% of EV fast chargers are underperforming financially. Why static pricing at EV charging stations makes no sense. How 15% vs. 5% should inform ideal charging goals for chargers. Their AI tool for optimizing charger location for quicker paybacks to investors. Deliberately keeping their team small. Why you shouldn’t sell software to software companies. Relentless focus.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

It really means a lot, and I read every one.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Mike Hall, CEO of Anza Renewables.

Anza is a solar module and battery storage procurement platform that helps developers and project owners see more options in less time to increase project profits and productivity.

Mike is a long-time solar industry veteran with 20+ years of experience, including ex-CEO of Borrego and Board member of the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Hope you enjoy it!

And give Mike and Anza a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.

---

🌐 LINKS:

Anza Renewables – https://www.anzarenewables.com/ Mike Hall – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-hall-b281615/

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

What he’s learned as the solar sector has grown 500x since he got involved. How their platform is saving 100s of customers millions of dollars and moving gigawatts of product into high high-quality projects. Why economies of scale procurement contracts don’t always lead to cost savings. The path to founder happiness without reaching unicorn status. How ultimate frisbee and Buddhism keep him calm and centered as a leader.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Dr. Gilwoo Lee, Founder and CEO of Zordi.

Zordi is a VC-backed agricultural platform blending Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and machine learning to reshape and enhance sustainable greenhouse farming.

Gilwoo is a PhD in AI with experience at Facebook, Dreamworks, and Michigan Venture Capital.

Hope you enjoy it!

And give Gilwoo and Zordi a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.

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🌐 LINKS:

Zordi – https://www.zordi.com/ Gilwoo Lee – https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilwoo-lee-581a13199/

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

Why Kholsa Ventures invested in them. Mainstreaming climate tech solutions by selling on non-climate consumer benefits. Their expansion plans into new crops, business models, and geographies. The role of computer vision and machine learning. How her robots measure pests, plant health, and growth rates to optimize yields. Why she gets up at 5 am. Which billionaires inspire her to be more focused and ambitious.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Amit Gupta, CEO of Aeroseal.

Aeroseal is a cleantech company – with $100M of investor capital raised to date – focused on increasing building efficiency by reducing HVAC losses in the duct system and leaks in the building envelope using patented technologies.

Amit is a mechanical engineer with experience at Tata Motors, Carrier, and 75F, as well as CEO of Aeroseal since its founding in 2010.

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🌐 LINKS:

Aeroseal – https://aeroseal.com Amit Gupta – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-gupta-36abb0/

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

40% of global greenhouse gas emissions tied to buildings. 50% of those emissions linked to HVAC use. Their “fix a flat” tagline for leaking buildings. Why their solution is as “safe as bubble gum.” The 40 years of lab testing for their technology and incubation at Carrier. Their changing business model from just selling machines to leasing and software. Why they raised capital after ten years of high-margin operations. His desire to be more courageous, to lead like his “hair was on fire.” The role of meditation in his growth. The need to manage energy better than we manage time.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Zach Jones, cofounder and CEO of C-Zero.

C-Zero converts natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon. The hydrogen provides clean, low-cost energy on demand, while the carbon can be permanently sequestered. Investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, SK Gas, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Engie.

Zach is biomedical engineer-turned-CEO with experience at The Economist, Beryllium Capital, EconoMEDics, and East Meets West Foundation.

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🌐 LINKS:

C-Zero – https://www.czero.energy/ Zach Jones – https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachjones06/

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

Why natural gas is thermodynamically clean given its high hydrogen content. Why big energy companies are motivated investors in his venture, where a scaled up plant could cost $500M. The power of extreme focus. The top three things a CEO must do well. How to think about upstream methane emissions. How to crack natural gas without electricity. The need to be a skeptical optimist. Impacts of the federal 45V incentive.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Matt Ellis, CEO of Measurabl.

Measurabl is the ESG platform built for real estate to measure, manage, disclose, and act on ESG data. Their 200+ employees serve clients representing 17 billion square feet of real estate and $2T of value in 93 countries.

Matt is the former Director of Sustainability Solutions at CBRE, a Fortune 500 company and global leader in commercial real estate services and investments with around 3 billion square feet under management. His new book is: From Green to ESG: How Data-Driven Transparency Changed Real Estate for Good.

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🌐 LINKS:

Measurabl – https://www.measurabl.com

Matt – https://www.linkedin.com/in/measurabl

Matt’s book, Green to ESG – https://www.amazon.com/Green-ESG-Data-Driven-Transparency-Changed/dp/B09TZ9BSCN

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

Why his private equity, asset manager, and REIT customers use his software. How he prices his products. His data partnership with the FTSE index, which is moving billions of dollars into green real estate. The pains of customer price discovery. Why self advocacy matters. How he balances strategic and VC investors. Future consolidation in this industry.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Aaron Luque, Cofounder and CEO at EnviroSpark.

EnviroSpark is a leading installer of EV charging stations and delivers a fully customizable solution at little to no cost for property owners. With a team of over 130 people and thousands of stations installed, they are on a mission to raise awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles 

Aaron is a serial environmental entrepreneur, based in Atlanta, Georgia, who conceived of the idea for EnviroSpark during a round-the-world travel adventure to 20 countries with his wife and business partner.

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🌐 LINKS:

Aaron - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronluque

EnviroSpark - https://envirosparkenergy.com

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

The magic of financing EV charging installations to make it easier for real estate owners to say yes. How he scaled the company from a $5,000 investment to a multi-million dollar company before taking outside investment. The need to have a bias for action. Concentration risk of working too much with big customers. The moral responsibility and enormous economic opportunity of transportation electrification.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Jason Aramburu, CEO of Climate Robotics.

Climate Robotics is a team of roboticists, soil scientists, and AI researchers developing advanced robotics to help sequester carbon via biochar, capitalizing on the fact that the Earth’s soils contain more than 14 times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere. 

Jason is a serial entrepreneur and investor interested in new applications of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics, Sensors and Trustless Computing to large industries such as agriculture, mining, logistics, energy, health and climate change mitigation. 

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🌐 LINKS:

Jason - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaramburu

Climate Robotics - https://www.climaterobotics.com/

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

His current company’s ties back to his Gates Foundation-funded biochar company founded in 2006. How they’re tackling the 50% of total costs involved in transporting biochar from the site of biomass to the agricultural field. Why biochar is a permanent carbon sequestration solution, despite common misperceptions. The price per ton of various carbon removal solutions. Crop outperformance when the soil is enhanced with biochar. What it means when we say: “Name it and you can tame it.”

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Manuel Pinuela, CEO at Cultivo.

Cultivo exists to accelerate finance to regenerate nature. They do this by building portfolios of high-quality natural capital that generate healthy financial returns that are good for nature and society.

Manuel has been named an Inventor of the Year and 35 Innovators under 35 by MIT Technology Review for Latin America. Born in Mexico, he earned his PhD from the Imperial College of London in electrical engineering.

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🌐 LINKS:

Manuel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuel-pinuela

Cultivo - https://cultivo.land

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

This statistic: More than half of the world’s total gross domestic product, or $44 trillion, involves activities that are moderately or highly dependent on nature. How they’re building a “search engine for natural capital.” The role of proprietary algorithms vs. boots on the ground in their assessments. How projects earn multiple revenue streams while focusing on improving degraded land.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is ⁠Kameale Terry, Cofounder and CEO of ChargerHelp!.

ChargerHelp! is the only national EV charger-dedicated operations and maintenance service provider, with over 1,000 EV technicians trained so far. Their key offering is Reliability as a Service (RaaS) – “a labor subscription service that provides peace of mind to charging station owners and operators who require fast and reliable O&M services at consistent, hassle-free prices, with 97% EV charger up time.”

Kameale Terry is a former banker, policy fellow, and EV charging software executive. She’s also the daughter of Belizean immigrants born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. She believes that an “equitable green economy can be achieved through realignment of existing workforces in conjunction with clean technology.”

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🌐 LINKS:

Kameale - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamealecterry

ChargerHelp! - https://www.chargerhelp.com

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

Their new partnership with SAE International to create a standardized EV charging technician program. The benefits of betting on American consumerism to choose new technology products that delight them (like EVs). How they will leverage the largest data set nationally for EV charging operations. Why she’s a member of the 5 AM club and how it affects her mornings. How we miss out on solutions when we don’t include all people. Insights from a favorite book, Paradise Built in Hell.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Jack Morrison, CEO and cofounder at Scythe Robotics.

Scythe produces “state-of-the-art autonomous machines that handle the mowing while your team works hard to keep your properties looking their best.” As they say, “Smell Grass, Not Gas:

Leave the noise and gas fumes behind. With all-day battery life and high torque electric motors, Scythe gives you power without pollution.” 

Jack is a liberal arts-trained technical leader with a passion for fast code and connecting computers with the physical world. He was previously the Co-Founder and CTO of Replica Labs, which focused on 3D scanning and was acquired by Occipital.

Links:

Jack - https://www.linkedin.com/in/morrisonjack/

Scythe Robotics - https://www.scytherobotics.com/

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

How their robotic lawnmowers can reduce costs vs. conventional lawn care by 40%. The business pivot that turns their lemons into lemonade. How the Robocup (robots playing soccer) was part of the company’s origin story. What led investors to commit $60M to their growth. How their guaranteed reliability and “pay as you mow” model align incentives to create happy customers. The diversity of their team with 40 disciplines across 80 team members, aka, Scythers.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Haroon Inam, CEO and co-founder at DG Matrix.

DG Matrix is a power electronics startup building L3 DC fast EV chargers, that are 10-20x smaller than competitors, as well as all-in-one single-unit microgrid solutions. They have over 100 engineers innovating on these two products.

Haroon has three decades of experience in executive, product, and operations roles in energy technology companies, including the commercialization of billions of dollars worth of power electronics products and over 50 patents awarded.

Links:

Haroon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/harooninam

DG Matrix - https://www.dgmatrix.com

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

Their $1B pipeline of big companies that are excited to use their fast chargers. The benefits of fast chargers that are 70% smaller than competitors’. The role of silicon carbide in their innovation. Lessons learned from 30+ years in power electronics. The benefits of improving EQ (emotional intelligence) earlier in one’s career. Why he meditates and aims for a low ego.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Shely Aronov, Founder and CEO of InnerPlant.

InnerPlant is a VC-backed agtech company on a mission to transform farming by enabling crops to communicate with growers. Their Living Sensor plants emit optical signals detectable by tractors in the field or by satellites in space.

Shely is a serial entrepreneur with experience in multiple sectors across multiple countries with an MBA from Stanford University.

Links:

Shely - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelyaronov/

InnerPlant - https://innerplant.com/

---

🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

United Nations estimates that we lose 40% of crops to diseases and pests each year. How she’s building tech that sounds like a mood ring for plants. The benefits of cross-domain expertise. Why they settled on fungal infections in soybeans as their first problem to solve. How they use a paid waiting list of farmers who are helping to co-create the best product-market fit. The number one reason that startups fail. Lessons from wizards and prophets.

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Micah Kotch, Partner at Blackhorn Ventures.

Blackhorn Ventures invests in companies redefining industrial resource efficiency. Their portfolio serves enterprise customers across Energy, Construction / Real Estate, Supply Chain / Logistics and Transportation – interconnected industries that generate $3T in annual revenue and account for the vast majority of global greenhouse gas emissions. They’ve raised three funds totalling over $270 in AUM. Their investments in 60+ seed and Series A ventures is performing in the top quartile of all comparable VC funds, according to Cambridge Associates.

Micah was previously part of the BMW Group, where he served as Managing Director of URBAN-X; the platform for startups reimagining city life. He is also a Founding Partner of C3, an AngelList syndicate backing companies working to reduce emissions, mitigate the worst effects of climate change, and help humanity adapt to a changing world.

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

The debate between hardware and software investing in climate tech. Why the September 11 tragedy catapulted him into sustainability. How he moved from an undergraduate major in East Asian studies to be a VC investor. How an off-grid family cabin in New Engand taught him about his current career mission. Their work to integrate impact additionality into the full life cycle of their investments. The importance of tackling big problems outside of our comfort zone. How loud music and motorcycles keep him calm. And his favorite NGO to support – Green City Force: https://greencityforce.org

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Mike Reynolds, Managing Director at Ultra Capital.

Ultra Capital is a mid-market investor in infrastructure and growth equity in the energy transition. They were founded in 2016 and have invested $5M to $25M per company across two funds.

Mike’s prior work includes structured finance at a little-known firm named Goldman Sachs and founding EverVest, a financial modeling software for infrastructure investors.

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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:

Potential risks that billions of dollars in the IRA get clawed back if Republicans gain control of D.C. The financing niche they fill by sector and company stage. Why they don’t take tech risk. What they look for in a founding team. Why we should take a 40-year, not 4-year, view on our career trajectory. The need to set boundaries to protect time with family. FOMO vs. JOMO.

Read their white paper on political risks to the Inflation Reduction Act here: https://tinyurl.com/yxj2xv65

And lots more!

---

🙏 QUICK FAVOR:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Lila Preston, Head of Generation Growth Equity.

Generation Growth Equity is a part of the larger Generation Investment Management, an investment management firm founded in 2004 by former US Vice President Al Gore and Goldman Sachs' Asset Management head David Blood, with a focus on sustainable investment options. They now manage about $40B.

Generation Growth Equity invests globally in growth-stage, private companies with proven technology and commercial traction, run by talented, mission-driven management teams.

They take active minority positions in companies that are driving broad-based, system-positive change. They’re now investing out of their fourth fund, a $1.7B vehicle.

Lila joined Generation in 2004. Previously, she was a director of finance and development at VolunteerMatch in San Francisco and was also a Fulbright Fellow in Southern Chile. She received a BA in English and Latin American Studies from Stanford University and an MBA from London Business School.

She serves on the board of Nature’s Fynd and as a board observer for CiBO Technologies, Optoro, and Pivot Bio. She is also on the Board of Advisors at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

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🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

What she means by “system positive” as a filter for their investments. Why sustainability is at the core of their strategy and boosting investor returns. Which risks they’re willing to take – i.e., no tech risk, no product-market fit risk. 

How they develop the conviction to invest $50M to $150M per company. The breadth of their sustainability research and what parts of that they share out to the world. The need to “stay in your lane” when investing and let others do the same.

Example investments such as M-KOPA which started out as an energy access play and grew into a financing vehicle to improve households in Africa in new ways. The massive opportunities for biology to replace chemistry – e.g., with their Pivot Bio investment. 

The biggest challenges that CEOs in their portfolios face. The role of life cycle assessments to assess net impacts, positive and negative. The distinction between being proactive and reactive in investment and career development more broadly. What her Fullbright work in Chile taught her.

And lots more!

---

🙏 Quick favor:

Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.

This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.

---

🌎 To boost your growth in climate tech, Entrepreneurs for Impact can help you with...

2-minute newsletter: ⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Andy Moon, CEO and Cofounder of Reunion.

Reunion's mission is to accelerate investment into clean energy. The Inflation Reduction Act created a simpler way to finance solar, wind, battery storage, and other clean energy projects through the sale of tax credits. In July 2023, Reunion launched a marketplace for corporations to identify, due diligence, and purchase tax credits from leading project developers. Reunion raised corporate funding from leading clean energy investors in January 2023, and their founding team previously raised over $2B to finance solar energy projects around the world.

Andy is the former CEO of SunFarmer, a Y Combinator-backed social enterprise that has completed over 1,500 solar energy installations in Asia. Previously, he raised over $200 million from institutional investors to finance solar energy projects in the US and Europe, and worked as a consultant in the energy and buildings practice at McKinsey and Company. He was also an early advisor to Possible Health, a leading public health nonprofit. Andy holds a Phi Beta Kappa honors degree from Stanford University and was named a 2016 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

Our shared experience of the friction required to use tax equity to finance solar projects going back to 2009-2010. How those high transaction costs and bottlenecks are still a part of this financing mechanism today. The drastic increase expected in tax equity funding from around $20B today to over $80B in a few years.

The process he used to pick this new venture. Why his cofounder selection was so important. What he learned from building SunFarmer, a Y Combinator-backed startup funding distributed solar installations in Asia. His 90/10 rule on focus.

What his managed marketplace at Reunion makes tax credit transferability easier between project developers and corporate buyers. How tax credits can fund 30-50% of a project. The costs to buy these credits.

The role of newer technologies in the tax credit landscape, such as hydrogen and biogas. Why his team uses the two-week sprint model to manage performance. How the book Radical Candor has shaped Reunion’s culture.

And lots more!

---

👍 Quick favor:

Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 To boost your growth in climate tech, Entrepreneurs for Impact can help you with...

2-minute newsletter: https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): https://t.ly/V6xcB

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): https://t.ly/QCcl5

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, long-haired "hippie capitalist," and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guests today are my collaborators at Terraset, the anti-GHG 501c3 that purchases CDR (aka, carbon removals) using philanthropic dollars.

Adam Fraser is our new CEO. Alex Roetter is the founder and also GP at Moxxie Ventures. Erzsi Sousa is also a Board member and wizard brand strategist.

I guess I’m a host and guest, too, as a cofounder and Board member of Terraset, too.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

Why Adam took the leap and joined Terraset, leaving behind a CEO role at a multinational impact NGO. Why we chose Adam, instead of a CDR expert, to scale up Terraset.

The types of donors supporting Terraset’s mission and why they’re contributing (i.e., to build an entirely new and crucial industry, not to get offsets)

How we prioritize which CDRs we purchase. The recent growth in CDR purchases year-over-year. Our thoughts on engineered vs. nature-based solutions. And lots more…

Hope you enjoy it!

And please give Adam and Terraset a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.

---

👍 Quick favor:

Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 To boost your growth in climate tech, Entrepreneurs for Impact can help you with...

2-minute newsletter: ⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, long-haired "hippie capitalist," and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Steven Rothstein, the founding Managing Director of the Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets.

Previously, Steven ran the world-renowned Perkins School for the Blind, as well as Environmental Futures, Citizen Schools, and the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

The lack of substance behind state-level anti-ESG investing headlines. The overwhelming majority of people who believe businesses can achieve a public good and generate market-rate financial returns. The Ceres Freedom to Invest program to make this a red, white, and blue issue, and not just a green issue

How the TCFD frames risk and opportunity creation for investors in a low-carbon future. Why 92% of the Fortune 500 companies conduct sustainability reporting to investors. The SEC and California state greenhouse gas disclosure rulemaking and what it means for 8,000+ companies.

What the insurance industry’s $40B of losses last year could mean for the future of that industry in a world where major weather events occur every two weeks today vs. every four months in 1980.

Why this quote from H.L. Mencken is relevant: "For every complex problem, there's a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." How the banking industry might face more risk from climate exposure today than the risks it faced in the subprime crisis of years past.

And lots more!

---

👍 Quick favor:

Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 To boost your growth in climate tech, Entrepreneurs for Impact can help you with...

2-minute newsletter: ⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠ 

Climate CEO peer group community: https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com

Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): ⁠⁠https://t.ly/V6xcB⁠⁠

DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): ⁠⁠https://t.ly/QCcl5⁠⁠

Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, long-haired "hippie capitalist," and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃

⭐ My guest today is Laura Zapata, Cofounder and CEO of Clearloop.

Clearloop creates carbon solutions for organizations of all sizes, from global corporations to small businesses and educational institutions, to decarbonize the economy, expand access to clean energy, and accelerate the development of new solar projects in American communities where the greatest economic and environmental benefits can be achieved.

Clearloops works in partnership with utility-scale solar developer Silicon Ranch, which acquired Clearloop in 2021.

In addition, Laura is the former Head of Global Communications for Uber Eats, Press Secretary for Hillary Clinton’s Presidential race in Ohio, and communications lead for other Congressional offices.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

How to get Taylor Swift to partner with Clearloop (half serious). What she learned by working at Uber in a “move fast and break things” mentality. Having the former Governor of Tennessee as a cofounder (a first for our podcast). How to move from being an intrapreneur with Uber Eats to an entrepreneur. The importance of being optimistic.

What we all need to do to improve climate tech’s communication strategy to broaden the tent (btw, pop quiz: how many degrees Fahrenheit is 1.5 degrees Celsius?). Why working with renewables in the South can have more impact given the carbon intensity of the power grid. How Clearloop’s model of carbon offsets for corporates changes how renewable energy power plants are financed. The need to build a life, not just a career (and the joy of farmer’s markets).

And lots more!

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 80,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Tim Krysiek, Managing Partner at MassMutual Ventures.

MassMutual is an insurance and financial services firm with $460B in AUM, and MassMutual Ventures is their venture arm.

Their new US Climate Tech Fund represents $100M and is focused on early-stage opportunities (Series A and B) in climate intelligence, sustainable cities, and clean power. Initial check sizes are $2-5M.

Tim was previously Managing Director at Equinor Ventures where he worked across the energy value chain, including renewables, fusion, mobility, and storage. He was also a consultant at Cambridge Energy Research Associates (now S&P Global), a researcher at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and a political risk consultant at Google. 

Krysiek achieved all these great things because he got an MBA from Duke University, where I teach. (OK, I exaggerate slightly.) 

When not investing in world-changing companies, I hear that he’s an aspiring Eastern European cook focused on the 3Ps – pierogies, pelmeni, or potica.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• His team’s work investing in five climate tech unicorns

• How his study of geopolitics across twelve countries shaped him into an investor

• What their climate intelligence focus means in terms of cheaper data and falling processing costs

• How the Net Zero Tracker of corporate climate goals influences their thesis around voluntary carbon markets

• Why he’s excited about investing in proptech given the durability of buildings and the potential value that MassMutual can create for companies in that space

• What he means by keeping one foot on certain ground and the other on uncertain ground

• How much water he drinks per day and its relationship to the number of steps he takes per day

• His three favorite climate books and three favorite business books (Power Law, anyone?)

• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 80,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Dawn Lippert, the CEO of Elemental Excelerator, Partner at Earthshot Ventures, and Senior Climate Advisor at Emerson Collective.

Elemental Excelerator advances solutions to climate change and deploys them in the communities that need them the most. Each year, they fund 15-20 companies up to $1 million to improve systems across categories such as energy, mobility, water, agriculture, and beyond. To date, they have invested in 150 companies.  

Earthshot Ventures is a venture capital firm backing entrepreneurs making a dent in climate change, and it spun out of Elemental in 2021.

Emerson Collective was established and led by Laurene Powell Jobs, and is working to renew some of society’s most calcified systems, creating new possibilities for individuals, families, and communities.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• How her work with sea turtle conservation in Puerto Rico and off-grid solar work in India led her to where she is today

• Why it’s so important that the 150 companies that Elemental has funded form close partnerships with local communities for project development

• The genesis of Earthshot Ventures as an experiment to combine top-quartile VC returns with nonprofit support

• Their love of experimentation and their creation of eight financial products to meet the needs of climate founders

• The missing gap of FOAK finance (i.e., first of a kind) as companies go from VC funding to project finance

• Their obsession with moving more capital into climate, especially because 50% of the solutions we need to meet our 2030 climate goals have not yet been commercialized

• How to balance urgency with importance in our calendars

• Why joy is so essential in her work and company culture

• What she looks for in founders they back

• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 80,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Matt Lipscomb, Founder and CEO of DMC Biotechnologies.

DMC is a Boulder-based biotech company that sustainably produces bio-based chemicals using fermentation, with over $50M in VC funding and a team of over 40 people.

In addition, Matt is a:

• Certified Ski Mountaineering Guide

• Rock climbing guide and instructor

• Director for the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education

• PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• The meaning of metabolic engineering

• How rock climbing has taught him to better manage risks as a CEO

• His experience seeing glacier retreat has inspired his work

• How DMC engineers microbes to standardize fermentation for cost-effective scale-up

• The definition of “friend-shoring” and how DMC improves companies’ supply chains

• Why his early work in chemical plants led him to where he is today

• What he means to cross-train physically and intellectually

• The pains of fast growth and techniques he uses to build culture and cohesion while growing 3x this year

• Why investors care that you’re founding a company with a former cofounder

• The difference between lifespan and healthspan

• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 80,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Gabe Phillips, Founder and CEO of Catalyst Power.

Catalyst Power is an ESCO, retail electricity provider, community solar aggregator, and solar/battery developer for commercial and industrial businesses in the Northeast US.

In addition, he is a distance runner, musician, woodworker, father, and thriver on 4-5 hours of sleep per night. I told him that we might need to have an intervention later.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• The outsized benefits of doing hard things

• How his customers view risks and risk mitigation when it comes to solar power

• Why a roll-up acquisition strategy made sense to launch this business

• How he’s able to get clean renewable power at cheaper prices for customers than brown power

• What the following phrase means: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.”

• Three of his favorite books on entrepreneurship, meditation, and the benefits of being uncomfortable

• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 80,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Brad Hartwig, CEO and Cofounder of Arbor.

Arbor is a carbon removal and storage company delivering carbon-negative power that converts organic waste into clean energy and fresh water. Their CTO Andres Garcia-Clark and lots of other team members bring lessons learned from SpaceX and big energy giants.

In addition, he was a former…

• Manufacturing Engineer for Crew Dragon Engines at SpaceX engineer

• Test Pilot for Kitty Hawk’s 100% electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle

• Chief Propulsion Engineer at the USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory

• Member of the Marin County Search and Rescue

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• How his work in search and rescue showed him the devastating personal and social impacts of climate-induced natural disasters

• What he means by "vegetarian rocket engines"

• What they did to eliminate the smoke stack from their power production systems

• How the Earth breathes each year by absorbing 100 tons of carbon dioxide each spring and summer in biomass before releasing much of that back to the atmosphere in the fall and winter

• Their ability to produce zero-cost clean baseload power due to monetizing other revenue streams like carbon removal credits and the 45Q tax credit

• Their modular design to be “hardware that you can hug”

• What surfing means to him as a way to recharge as a CEO

• Knowing whether you’re climbing the right ladder 

• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 80,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

"From outdoor sessions under the canopy of thousand-year-old redwoods, to fireside chats around roaring fire pits, this year's Gathering venue - 1440 Multiversity - specializes in curated experiences that inspire the best in the human spirit to cultivate the greater good.

What we're excited about:

• Community-centric and purpose-driven programming designed to explore ideas and catalyze investments in nature-based solutions, the inclusive economy, equitable health, alternative energy, futurist food systems, & more...

  Trusted and deep relationships with values-aligned investors, founders, fund managers, academics, and impact leader

• Investment opportunities and tools for accelerating capital into enduring and equitable impact"

---

⭐ My guest on this podcast was Howard Fischer, the Chief Evangelist at Gratitude Railroad.

Gratitude Railroad's mission is to support investors in moving capital from traditional finance to impact investments that create deep social and environmental impact, without compromising financial returns.

His bio on the GR website is delightful in its brevity and insight into who he is. And I quote:

“Uphill over downhill; Snow over sand; Read over watch; Trees over skyscrapers; Pizza over steak; Conversation over gossip; Disagree over agree; Instinct over spreadsheets; Relationship over contract.”

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• His 40 years in hedge funds
• How his rebirth in 2013 while not religious was like a metaphorical move from Gordon Gekko to Dalai Lama
• His financial reckoning during the 2008 financial crisis when his hedge fund went from $3B to $300M
• The risks in wearing the golden handcuffs of fat paychecks from big-brand employers
• How philanthropy is broken, and government is not a great problem solver
• Why we have to move more profit-driven capital to the climate sector
• Examples of the climate investments they’ve made at Gratitude Railroad, including a focus on organic waste management
• His theme of “Free the Money” and related investments in Climate First Bank and First Women’s Bank
• Why we can’t ask people to eat their broccoli (sorry, you have to listen to understand what this means)
• Some of his favorite books, such as The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche, and The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis
• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you have other topics you’d like me to cover on a future AMA podcast, just DM me on LinkedIn or reply to my Entrepreneurs for Impact newsletter on Substack.

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ In this Ask Me Anything (AMA) podcast, I cover these five questions from listeners to the Entrepreneurs for Impact podcast and readers of the ⁠Entrepreneurs for Impact newsletter⁠ on Substack.

1. “You always ask your guests what books they’re reading, but how about you? What books do you like to recommend?” – Thanks, Casey
2. “What are some of the best non-financial resources that are available to entrepreneurs (aside from badass climate CEO peer groups at Entrepreneurs for Impact)?” – Thanks, Nick
3. “If I want to have a bigger impact on climate change, should I work for a big firm or smaller one?” – Thanks, Tyler
4. “I want to help female founders in climate tech succeed. I would love to start off by working pro bono and helping them raise funds and learn as I go. But where do I start?” – Thanks, Helena
5. “If I’m raising VC capital for my startup, what do I need to create for investors, besides a pitch deck?” – Thanks, Brook

If you have other questions you’d like me to cover on the next AMA podcast, just DM me on LinkedIn or reply to my ⁠Entrepreneurs for Impact newsletter⁠ on Substack.

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Amanda Hall, Founder and CEO of Summit Nanotech, which supports the electric vehicle revolution by capturing lithium ion in brine using nanotechnology. 

In their unique process, they shorten the average industry rate of lithium production from 18 months to 1 day. They also dramatically reduce the amount of water, pressure, heat, and chemicals needed to responsibly mine this valuable input for battery storage.

To date, they’ve raised $7M in grants and $65M from investors, such as Capricorn, Evok Innovations, Volta, and Grantham.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• How her training as a geophysicist in the oil and gas industry trained her for this job

• Why she felt compelled to travel to Tibet and why that led her to come back, quit her job, sell her home, sell her oil and gas stocks, and rethink her contributions to the world

• What the human kidney and biomimicry taught her about early designs for Summit’s technology

• Her advice on trusting her gut to make tough decisions earlier rather than later

• The importance of trusting and verifying the data you rely on for growing your company

• Why they are vertically integrating to own land and own lithium outputs

• What they look for when hiring new team members, such as humility, relentlessness, and a desire to do the impossible

• Her favorite quotes

• Book recommendations for CEOs to better manage their team’s growth

• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guests today are Devin Whatley, Managing Partner, and cofounder, and Geoffrey Eisenberg, Partner, at Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF).

EIF is a long-time VC investor in renewable energy, distributed energy, smart transportation, and sustainable agriculture.

On their fifth fund, they invest in companies in seed, Series A, and Series B, with a focus on post-revenue companies with no tech risk that are looking to scale. They like to be the lead investor and write checks between $3M and $10M.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• What has helped them raise capital over 13 years across so many cycles in the sustainability, cleantech, and climate tech worlds
• Why they sometimes take 2-3 years getting to know a CEO before deciding to invest
• How they think about the total addressable market today vs. the distant future
• The benefits of disclosing the “skeletons in the close” of the company early…because they’ll definitely be discovered by the investor at some point
• Their focus on CEOs who are obsessed but not flashy (i.e., show, don’t tell)
• Some success stories in their portfolio, such as EV Connect and ZepSolar
• Book recommendations to help them maintain humility and perspective on how history shapes the present day
• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Shawn Lesser, Cofounder of The Real (current role) and Cofounder of Big Path Capital (prior role).

The Real is helping entrepreneurs deal with burnout and depression by connecting with others going through those same mental health challenges.

Big Path Capital is, according to Barron’s, “The Impact Investment Bank.” Their network of 2,500+ limited partners (investors) and 200+ impact-focused private equity firms led to billions of dollars flowing into companies that prioritize both profit and positive environmental or social impacts.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• What triggered his depression

• The impacts of having too much of his identity tied up in his business

• Why a fish bowl being shaken up relates to where he was

• What he learned after spending three stints in centers to boost his mental health

• The speaking tour that he and his cofounder, Brent Herd, are on

• Why The Real is about finding purpose out of pain

• What an Uber driver and a post-exit entrepreneur with $800M in cash have in common

• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The rest of the white paper is available for free on my website at www.entrepreneursforimpact.com. 

If you find something useful in it or have other lessons you think I should add to it, drop me a note at team@entrepreneursforimpact.com. 🙏

⭐ My guest today is Matt LeDucq, Cofounder and CEO of Forum Mobility.

Forum Mobility is tackling greenhouse gas emissions at California’s largest ports as well as local air pollution causing asthma and cancer near these ports.

They provide zero-emission trucks and electric charging for one monthly price. They recently signed a $400M JV with CBRE Investment Management and have raised over $22M in venture capital to date.

In addition, Matt is the former:

• Executive Director at NextEra Energy Resources

• VP at Yingli Green Energy Holdings

• VP at Suntech

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• How communities near ports suffer have twice the risk of cancer and asthma
• The billions of dollars to be invested in electrifying transportation within ports
• Policy drivers such as California’s Advanced Clean Fleets are influencing a massive vehicle turnover within 12 years
• How their “Trucks as a Service” model works like a solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
• Lessons he’s bringing from giant energy companies to his fast-growing startup
• How they are convincing early adopters to sign up as customers
• Why investors love their business model and the power of derisking revenue streams
• The thrill of disorder and insanity within startups
• How we grow at the edges of our comfort zones
• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Ryan Jeffery, the Senior Managing Director for gener8tor Sustainability, a leading accelerator investing and supporting startups at the forefront of our climate crisis.

They invest $100k in startups in their 12-week programs.

Over the last ten years, they’ve made investments in 1,000 startups, which have gone on to raise $1.4B.

In addition, Ryan is the:

• Founder of Ignite, a diverse and dynamic leadership community in Chicago

• Founding Partner at Survival Ventures, which is investing, advising and growing ventures that preserve and protect our planet

• Mentor at Impact Engine

• And advisor to many more impact startups

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

• His delightfully provocative LinkedIn post that starts with this zinger: “If you're a climate tech investor sitting on your hands waiting for better market conditions before deploying more capital, then you're not a real climate tech investor. The climate doesn't care about market conditions.”

• How he views fiduciary duty in light of the urgency for tackling climate change

• Why they’re one of the world’s biggest startup accelerators that no one has ever heard of

• How they pick 5 out of 500 startups to join each accelerator cohort

• Lessons learned from his 3 prior ventures and investing in dozens of startups

• Why 93% of their investments take place outside of California, Massachusetts, and New York

• What the top founders do well – e.g., laser-focused on customer needs, sending out monthly update lists to “friends of the company”

• Why Brandi Carlil’s song “The Eye” is relevant to startups and parenting

• And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Adam Wolf, Founder and CEO of Eion.

Eion is an enhanced rock weathering startup that works with farmers and ranchers to safely and permanently pull carbon out of the air. They use rock called olivine, which is the most abundant on Earth, and by 2026, they will be on track to permanently remove 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year. 

Their growth got extra support with a $12M Series A from investors such as AgFunder, Trailhead Capital, and Orion Corporation.

In addition, Adam is the former:

• Founder, CEO, and Chief Scientist at Arable Lands
• Associate Research Scholar at Princeton University

Oh, and he’s also got a PhD from Stanford University and is learning how to build a studio in his backyard using traditional building techniques. So, yeah, he likes to build stuff.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

- How their company name came to his cofounder in a dream and has 3-4 relevant meanings

- Why this olivine rock is so powerful as a carbon removal tool

- How they utilize existing infrastructure from farmers and ranchers to mainstream solutions at scale for lower costs

- Why they spent two years figuring out how to get the measurement process right to assess carbon removal

- The critical role of Norwegian fjords and rock crushing in scaling their company

- What he means by B.S. counterfactual carbon baselines

- Why the Department of Agriculture’s Climate Smart Commodities program is so important

- The benefits of “voracious self-learning”

- And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Grant Canary, Founder and CEO of Mast Reforestation.

In addition, Grant is also a former:

• Maggot farmer (!) – that is, growing industrial-grade insect protein using food waste

• Chess and poker player, and improv enthusiast (these are relevant to his CEO work now)

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

- The nuances of the carbon removal and credit world

- What their new project financing allows them to do

- How they bought a 130-year-old seed company

- Why forests often cannot regrow on their own after a wildfire

- Why they set up 100-year endowments to fund ongoing reporting on forest health and carbon sequestration

- The role of buffer pools to insure carbon credit integrity

- The importance of poly- vs. monoculture in their replanting

- How he took advantage of grad school arbitrage by studying in Bogota

- Why it’s so important to create a compelling future (vs. doom and gloom) in order to mainstream climate efforts

- His favorite startup books

- And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. ⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Naman Trivedi, Cofounder and CEO of WattBuy.

WattBuy helps homeowners find the best electricity, solar plans, and more – all at the lowest price. Using just a home’s address, they crunch the data to recommend personalized bundles from the most trusted providers. To date, they’ve helped procure 20 gigawatt-hours of clean power while saving customers over four million dollars.

Partners include corporations such as Amazon, Redfin, and Samsung, as well as investors such as Schneider and MCJ Collective.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

- How they reduce friction to make customers’ decisions easier

- Why they focus on action and not just education around clean power choices

- How they bill their customers under a SaaS model

- Why they’re product- and service-agnostic in the clean energy industry

- Whether they sell on cost or climate in terms of priority

- How they do business with a focus on relationships, not transactions

- Why this Buddhist quote is relevant to his style of productivity – “Don’t just do something, sit there”

- Why he thinks to-do lists are useless

- And lots more

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate founders, CEOs, and investors scale faster via the #1 peer group community in North America. Our invite-only cohorts grow through monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching calls. Today’s highly vetted members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management. https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

And here's our weekly newsletter — A 2-minute summary of climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor). ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⭐ My guest today is Mike Winn, Founder and CEO of DroneDeploy.

DroneDeploy is a software company harnessing drones to provide interior and exterior visual data – any altitude, any angle, all in one platform. They have raised over $140M and serve over 5,000 businesses in 180 countries, including 18 of the 20 largest construction companies.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

- Why he was happy to have an angry customer in the early days

- What a digital twin is and why they matter

- How they’re making work on critical infrastructure safer, quicker, and more productive by avoiding dull, dirty, and dangerous work

- How his love of remote control helicopters and a trip to South Africa helped start this business

- The role of timing in determining the success of a startup

- How AI and robots can make us superhuman

- How to procrastinate in a productive way

- And lots more

---

🙏 Hope you enjoy it!

📣 And give Mike Winn and DroneDeploy a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.

---

👍 Quick favor: Please leave a review or 5-star rating on your podcast player. This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here. 🙏

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate innovators grow faster with new investment capital, share best practices among peers, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.

Here's our weekly newsletter — A 3-minute summary of climate tech startups, better habits, and deep work trends: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our main program is a Climate CEO Mastermind peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls. Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management.

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.

⭐ My guest today is Casper Rasmussen, co-founder and CEO of Monta.

Monta is “the operating platform powering the EV ecosystem serving drivers, companies, cities, and the electricity grid with one integrated software solution.” 

Based in Denmark, with 8 offices and 170+ employees, they are backed by leading climate investors such as Energize Venture and Pale Blue Dot.

---

🎙️ In this episode, we talked about:

- How he grew his company from 0 to 150+ employees in just over 2 years

- What led investors to commit more than $60M to his company’s growth

- Why Monta aims to be the “Android of EV charging software”

- How their technology allows EV owners to optimize for the lowest power cost and GHG emissions for their charging

- Various hypotheses that they tried and abandoned for the current business model

- How beer among the early team at a summer house led to the core values they have today

- What radical transparency means for them around salary, equity, and financial disclosure to all employees

- Why half of the team is focused on R&D and innovation

- What led to EVs being 50-90% of new car purchases in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway

- And lots more

---

🙏 Hope you enjoy it!

📣 And give Casper and Monta a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.

---

👍 Please leave a review or rating on your favorite podcast player. This is the #1 way that more listeners can discover the amazing climate CEOs and investors I get to interview here.

---

🌎 Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate innovators grow faster with new investment capital, share best practices among peers, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.

Here's our weekly newsletter — A 3-minute summary of climate tech startups, better habits, and deep work trends: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our main program is a Climate CEO Mastermind peer group community: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://entrepreneursforimpact.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls. Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management.

Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.