Shows
Another ClimateTech PodcastSummer "Break" - Ukraine VolunteeringI'm going to be spending the summer on the road, delivering humanitarian aid across Ukraine. And needless to say, it's not the best setup for recording a podcast. So things will be quiet here until about October when I'll be back with new episodes, when I'm back settled in Kyiv and in relative peace. If you want to follow my adventures, be sure to follow me on LinkedIn. Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that you'll be notified when new episodes come out. Have a great summer. Thanks for listening. 🪸 Transform your company's miles...2025-07-2401 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastSmart Meters, Dumb Rules, and Why AI is the New Electrification, with Felix Krause of Vireo VenturesFelix Krause is the Managing Partner at Vireo Ventures, a European VC fund betting that the future of energy is electric, distributed, and intelligently managed. Based in Berlin, Felix brings sector-specific clarity to the sprawling world of climate investing and makes a strong case for why electrons, not moonshots, will define the next great energy transition.In this episode we talked about: 🔋 Why electrification isn’t just inevitable—it’s the most capital-efficient climate solution on offer 🔄 What "sector coupling" means, and how heat pumps, EVs, and industry can all talk to each other 🧠 Why AI...2025-07-0237 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastUniversities are Reshaping the Future of Food with Ismäel, Lisa, and Jorge of the Alt Proteins ProjectIsmaël Bawah is the SciTech Community Coordinator at the Good Food Institute Europe and the man behind the Alt Protein Project, a global student-powered initiative to transform universities into hubs for alternative protein innovation. Alongside him, we also heard from Lisa Neidhardt of Imperial College London and Jorge Guadalupe of Brazil’s Federal University of Minas Gerais—two campus leaders putting alt proteins on the academic map.In this episode we talked about:🌱 How the Alt Protein Project scaled to 63 active university chapters and sparked more than 20 new courses and 40+ research projects 🧬 Why fermentatio...2025-06-1147 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastSticking with the Software Side of Energy Transition, with Veronique Hördemann of Future Energy VenturesVeronique Hördemann is Managing Partner and CFO at Future Energy Ventures, a climatetech VC firm investing in the software layer of the energy transition. From her base in Essen (with a side of Berlin), Veronique talked about going from corporate VC to a fully independent impact fund and why they’ve made a deliberate choice to stay clear of hardware.In this episode we talked about: 🏙️ How they segment their investments across “future energy”, “future cities”, and “future technology” 📉 The real reason they avoid hardware investments (spoiler: it involves capital, time, and regret) 👩...2025-05-2926 min
Impact SupportersAngel investing in climatetech, interview w. Ryan Grant Little 👼Key insights:* Interview with Ryan Grant Little, a jack of all trades in impact incl. angel investing in climatetech 🌱* Two of Ryan’s key learnings are that as an impact angel, 1) you see the losers before the winners, and 2) you get the most value from cooperating with other angels and VCs to deploy smaller tickets at first and ensure not taking too much of the founder’s time for the DD 🤝* Ryan’s top tip for founders raising from impact angels: “If you want advice, ask for money. If you want money, ask for advice.“ 💡...2025-05-2332 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastVolcanic Rock as a Carbon Sink, with Anastasia Pavlovic of EionAnastasia Pavlovic is the co-founder of Eion, a carbon removal company that accelerates Earth's natural rock weathering process to lock away CO₂—permanently. Eion works with farmers to deploy enhanced rock weathering (ERW) in agricultural fields, creating a carbon sink disguised as soil amendment, with benefits to landowners and climate alike. Anastasia joined the podcast from Detroit to talk about carbon, kids, and the importance of remembering to eat.In this episode we talked about: 🪨 How volcanic rock dust turns farms into carbon capture sites (and why the best rocks might be in Norway) 🌽 How Eion ali...2025-05-2141 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastThe Scully Effect is Alive and Fermenting, with Nemailla Bonturi of ÄIONemailla Bonturi is the co-founder of ÄIO, an Estonian startup fermenting fats and oils from yeast instead of palm oil or animal products. A Brazilian scientist-turned-founder, Nemailla now works at the intersection of synthetic biology, circular economy, and baked goods—with an in-house chef, of course.In this episode we talked about: 🧫 How a “very special yeast” turns sawdust and stale bread into palm oil alternatives 🌍 Why Estonia is a unicorn factory 🥐 A plant-based butter that could make your croissant carbon neutral 🧴 Turning leftover dairy and tea leaves into moisturizers and lip balms 🧠 Me...2025-05-0826 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastYour next battery might be made from coal tar, with Eugene Beh of Quino EnergyEugene Beh is the founder of Quino Energy, where he’s commercializing organic flow batteries that are safer, cheaper, and more scalable than their vanadium and lithium-ion cousins. With a background in physics and chemistry from Harvard and Stanford, Eugene has traded academic labs for chemical plants—and he’s betting that petroleum byproducts might just be the unlikely hero of long-duration energy storage.In this episode we talked about: 🔋 Why Quino's aqueous organic flow batteries don’t catch fire, unlike lithium-ion 💰 How Eugene expects his electrolytes to undercut vanadium on cost—possibly this year 🏗️ Why r...2025-04-2228 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastYour smartphone can cut home energy costs, with Selina Tobaccowala of HomeBoostSelina Tobaccowala is a Silicon Valley veteran turned climate entrepreneur. With hits like Evite, Ticketmaster, and SurveyMonkey on her resume, she’s now taking aim at one of the biggest sources of residential emissions: energy inefficiency. Through her startup HomeBoost, she’s making home energy assessments as simple as scanning your walls with your phone.In this episode we talked about: 🔍 How HomeBoost uses AI and thermal imagery to let you run your own home energy audit💡 Why the humble HVAC filter swap can cut 10% off your energy bill🧠 Lessons from 20+ years in tech—from dot...2025-04-1030 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastCutting Heavy Industry Carbon through AI, with Leise Sandeman of PathwaysLeise Sandeman is co-founder of Pathways, a company using AI to make heavy manufacturing more sustainable. Based in Copenhagen, she brings deep expertise in steel production and AI to the challenge of industrial decarbonization.In this episode we talked about:🏭 How Pathways is building the data layer for sustainable manufacturing, with their software now deployed across hundreds of plants⚡ The current reality where sustainability teams spend 90% of their time collecting data and only 10% implementing changes 🤝 The "playground" mindset of being a first-time founder and the importance of co-founder trust🌍 Taking a str...2025-03-1931 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastClimate Investing in Oil Country, with Eric Rubenstein of New Climate VenturesEric Rubenstein is an oil and gas banker turned climate tech investor based in Houston. As founder of New Climate Ventures, he focuses on bridging the gap between traditional energy and climate innovation, bringing a pragmatic perspective shaped by his background in finance and fossil fuels.In this episode we talked about:🌡️ The critical need for more power generation capacity and why we need both renewable and reliable energy sources with built-in redundancy📊 How the ability to measure and monitor carbon impacts drove Eric's interest in technologies like carbon capture, bioplastics, and carbon utilizat...2025-03-0543 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastPackaging Made to Disappear, with Julia Bialetska of S.LabJulia Bialetska is the founder of S.Lab, a Ukrainian company creating sustainable packaging solutions from agricultural waste.In this episode we talked about:🌱 How S.Lab transforms agricultural waste into packaging that can be used in food, pharmaceuticals, electronics, furniture and fashion📊 The impact of EU regulations requiring all packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2030, and why that means companies are rushing to find sustainable alternatives⚙️ The parallels between today's sustainable materials evolution and the plastic revolution of the last century🇺🇦 The resilience of Ukrainian startups operating during wartime a...2025-02-2830 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastClimate Resilience Is a Trillion-Dollar Opportunity with Jannik De Winter of PT1Jannik De Winter is an investor at PT1, a Berlin-based VC focused on greening the built environment. He recently co-authored a white paper on adaptation tech—the technologies we’ll need now that we’ve officially blown past 1.5°C. We talked about why climate resilience is an investment opportunity, not just a government expense, and why adaptation tech is still so poorly defined.We touched on:🔥 How climate adaptation tech is more than just seawalls and sandbags—it includes urban cooling, climate risk modeling, and even giving EV batteries a second life💰 The trillion-dollar adaptation fund...2025-02-1928 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastThe Utility Industry's Secret Weapon with Chris Bernkopf of PoderoChris Bernkopf is the founder of Podero, a tech company that helps utilities balance power loads by controlling distributed energy resources like heat pumps, batteries, and EVs. Fresh off a major fundraising round, he's building his remote-first team to expand across Europe while delivering 25% energy savings to customers.In this episode we talked about:🔌 How Podero's software enables utilities to aggregate and trade power from customer-owned devices on energy markets🌏 How growing up watching the same YouTube videos creates a global tribe of like-minded founders🎯 The value of focused mentorship through programs...2025-02-1223 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastA Cool €250 Million to Green Buildings with Jess Clemans of noaJess Clemans is an investor at noa, a VC that is raising its second €250M fund focused on making the built environment more sustainable. In this episode we talked about:🎯 Why noa prioritizes founder quality over business ideas or market attractiveness when making investment decisions💰 How customer acquisition costs for solar installations can reach an eye-watering $10k, while local SMBs achieve much lower costs through word-of-mouth👷 The critical shortage of skilled labor for solar installation in Europe and innovative approaches to address this through upskilling programs#climatetech #solarenergy #venturecapital #builtenviron...2025-01-2937 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastHydrogen hubs across the USA with Matthew Krayton of PubliticsMatthew Krayton directs communications and engagement for MACH2, the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub. As someone who both works in-depth on the policy side but who is also focused on execution, Matt is working to establish regional clean hydrogen hubs across several states. 🇺🇸In this episode we talked about:🏭 How the Mid-Atlantic region's existing industrial infrastructure, including unused pipelines, could be repurposed for hydrogen transport💼 The hub's goal to create over 20,000 new jobs, many of them union positions, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 million tons annually🌊 The critical role of renewable energy developme...2025-01-1531 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastWe have a CO2...shortage(?!) with Rob Van Straten of SkytreeRob van Straten is CEO of Skytree, a direct air capture company addressing CO2 shortages while removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.In this episode we talked about:🌱 How Skytree's direct air capture technology helps greenhouses meet their CO2 needs while contributing to carbon removal🏗️ The challenge of scaling DAC to gigaton levels - requiring 300 container ships worth of units with current technology💰 Why carbon removal is already economically viable, but needs a wider cost gap with emissions to drive adoption🌎 The reality that climate change threatens humanity more than the plane...2025-01-0229 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastTarmo Virki interviews Jana Budkovskaja of Beamline AcceleratorIt’s the holidays and, in the spirit of sharing, I swapped episodes with Tarmo Virki, founder and host of NatureBacked podcast in Tallinn. I’m airing one of my favourite of his interviews: his conversation with Jana Budkovskaja, CEO of Beamline Acccelerator.They talked about:🌲 Jana's evolution from aspiring panda-rescuer to cleantech accelerator founder🔬 Why deep tech startups need non-equity funding in their early stages to bridge the gap between lab and market♨️ An innovative project using abandoned mines for low-temperature heating systems in the Estonian village of Kiikla🚀 Why startu...2024-12-1829 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastThe world's most advanced portable power with Andreas Sedlmayr of InstagridAndreas Sedlmayr is co-founder and co-CEO of Instagrid, makers of portable power stations for mobile workforces with heavy power needs. His company has grown from €500k to €30M+ in revenue and recently achieved B Corp certification while expanding into North America.In this episode we talked about:☠️ Why diesel and gas generators are silent killers🇩🇪 What it means to revive Germany’s strong tradition of industrial innovation🇺🇸 Why hiring local leadership was crucial for US expansion and how cultural nuances matter more than you might think💼 How to expand smartly after raising $95...2024-12-0435 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastIf you don’t laugh, you’ll probably cry, with comedian and climate researcher Matt Winning"I was sitting at a cafe in Prague with my headphones on and just laughing like a crazy person." -Ryan, watching Matt’s TEDx talk.Matt Winning is an environmental researcher and stand-up comedian who combines his expertise in climate change with humor to engage audiences.In this episode we talked about:🌍 How climate change became Matt's focus due to its urgency and lack of widespread attention🎭 Using comedy as a tool to start conversations about climate change and make people comfortable discussing the topic📚 Matt's book "Hot Mess" and its por...2024-11-2146 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastCultivated caviar and foie gras may soon hit your plate, with Yossi Quint of Ark BiotechYossi Quint is the founder and CEO of Ark Biotech, a startup focused on computational bioprocessing in the cultivated meat industry.In this episode we talked about:🧬 Ark's role in accelerating the development of cultivated meat products🏭 How the bioeconomy could reshape traditional geographic advantages in food production🌍 The global landscape of cultivated meat regulation and its impact on industry growth🇺🇸 The potential consequences of state-level bans on cultivated meat in the US💼 The decision to pursue entrepreneurship over activism for maximum impact#CultivatedMeat #CleanMeat #AltProteins #BioPr...2024-11-0535 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastA kayaker turns her passion into a startup, with Jessica Droujko of RiverkinJessica Droujko is a passionate kayaker and lover of rivers. So it’s fitting that she should combine that passion and her PhD from ETH Zürich to launch Riverkin, a startup that monitors river health.In this episode we talked about:🌊 How rivers shape landscapes and their importance in global ecosystems🔬 How Riverkin monitors water levels and sediment flows🏞️ Jessica's adventures on some of the world's most interesting rivers, including the Boiling River in Peru🚣♀️ The balance between responsible tourism and river conservation. Think: Grand Canyon🌍 The River Collective's mis...2024-10-1631 min
Another ClimateTech PodcastThe witty professor: comedy meets academia, with Prof. Max Boykoff of the University of ColoradoMax Boykoff is a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado. His research focuses on the cultural dimensions of climate change, with a particular interest in how media and various stakeholders communicate about the issue.In this episode we talked about:☯️ How firsthand experiences of climate events can contrast with media coverage🎭 The power of comedy in connecting people to climate change information and ideas🌏 Cultural perspectives on climate change ranging from Singapore and Jerusalem🎬 The climate-themed standup comedy video competition he runs👥 His excitement around younger g...2024-10-0336 min
515 : The Ultra PodcastS6E7 -- Ohana Guest : Gerard Charlton (Iron, Ultra, Uber)Send us a textGerard Charlton has had a pre Ultraman sporting career and post Ultraman sporting career.Like most athletes, pre Ultraman, Gerard was all about racing Ironman in Penticton (11 times) and just trying to get a little faster. In 2005, with some prodding from Steve King, Gerard took on Ultraman Canada. At that time in his life, his sports became more about meeting the challenge and doing it for a greater good. These challenges included him becoming the third ever Uberman finisher and completing the Canadian Death Rac...2024-09-271h 12