Shows
Built for EarthDecarbonizing Ammonia | Karen Baert - Co-Founder and CEO of AmmobiaAmmobia is enabling low cost clean ammonia production through their Haber-Bosch 2.0 technology - a low-capex, flexible ammonia production process.
Karen Baert founded Ammobia in 2022 during her time at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Previously, she spent time with Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the GSB Impact Fund, Bain Consulting, and multiple climate tech startups include Germany-based energy startup GWAdriga and US-based Redwood Materials.
In this episode we cover...
[1:15] Why Ammonia is the “beer” of the energy transition
[6:10] How ammonia is an enabler of the hydrogen economy
[8:45] How Ammobia synthesizes hydrogen and nit...
2024-12-1643 min
Built for EarthNext-Generation Transmission | Jason Huang - CEO of TS ConductorTS Conductor is tackling one of the biggest challenges associated with the energy transition: modernizing the grid. TS has developed a novel high-performance conductor that can increase the amount of current carried on transmission lines by up to 3x, leading to a 40% reduction in line energy losses.
Jason Huang is CEO of TS Conductor. Before starting TS Conductor in 2018, Jason worked with U.S. government agencies such as NIST, contributed to special projects for American defense aircraft like the F22 and F35, and held a series of engineering leadership and C-suite roles with advanced energy, chemical, and...
2024-12-0240 min
Built for EarthClean Ammonia Nanocatalysts | Lewis Jenkins - Co-Founder & CEO of NiumNium is using novel nanotechnology to decarbonize and decentralize the most polluting chemical industrial process on the planet: ammonia production.
Lewis Jenkins is co-founder and CEO of Nium. He is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in launching and scaling businesses across more than 20 countries. In 2022, he joined Carbon 13, the venture builder for the climate emergency in Cambridge, where he co-founded Nium.
In this episode we cover...
[1:20] What even is Ammonia?
[4:15] The history of Ammonia and why we need clean production
[7:25...
2024-11-1847 min
Built for EarthTackling Climate Change and Setting World Records | Erin Sprague - CEO of Protect Our WintersProtect Our Winters (POW) is one of the world's largest communities of outdoor enthusiasts including professional athletes, scientists, and creatives, who all leverage their love for the outdoors to drive climate action.
Erin Sprague is CEO of Protect Our Winters. She has previously led major divisions at various outdoor fitness companies, started her own non-profit called In the Running, and still serves as an advisor to climate startups like Quilt and Mill. She is also a world record holder, as the youngest woman to run a marathon on all seven continents.
In this episode we c...
2024-08-0638 min
Built for EarthBattery-Equipped Appliances | Sam Calisch - Co-Founder and CEO of CopperCopper is developing battery-equipped appliances, where a battery and an appliance are coupled into one. Copper just released, Charlie, the world's first energy storage equipped induction range.
Sam Calisch is co-founder and CEO of Copper. Previously, Sam helped start Rewiring America, a nonprofit focused on electrification, where he was the head of Special Projects. He is a MIT PhD, a former Activate research fellow, and is one of the true experts in the electrification movement.
In this episode we cover...
[1:05] Deploying a billion machines
[4:30] The battery trojan horse
[7:05] How...
2024-07-1734 min
Built for EarthSuper Sexy Heat Pumps | Paul Lambert - Co-Founder and CEO of QuiltQuilt is building a smaller, smarter, more efficient, and more beautiful heat pump system to drastically reduce emissions coming from the home.
Paul Lambert is co-founder and CEO of Quilt. Through his career he has taken mission-driven startups from 0 to 1 and led product development at some of the top companies in the world – most recently leading Area 120, Google’s in-house incubator.
In this episode, we covered...
[1:25] Why Paul saw HVAC as the biggest climate opportunity
[4:40] What truly is a heat pump
[10:10] What differentiates Quilt’s design
[15:00] A quick...
2024-06-2445 min
Built for EarthBuilding an Aluminum-Powered Future | Peter Godart - Co-Founder & CEO of Found EnergyFound Energy is decarbonizing heavy industry by extracting clean energy from aluminum metal. Found's aluminum-thermal power systems are compact and modular, allowing energy to be extracted at double the energy density of diesel and at a competitive cost.
Peter Godart, co-founder and CEO of Found Energy, is a former NASA scientist and MIT PhD whose background in developing aluminum-powered rocket landing systems positioned him to start Found Energy. Now, he is on a mission to address the climate crisis by turning waste materials into carbon-free, energy-dense replacements for fossil fuels.
In this episode we...
2024-06-1038 min
Built for EarthAutonomous Solar-Powered Agricultural Robots | Kenny Lee - Co-Founder & CEO of AigenAigen is aiming to revolutionize agriculture with a pesticide-free, solar-powered robotics platform. Kenny alongside his co-founder, Richard Wurden, launched Aigen in late 2021 and since then have quickly become one of the hottest start-ups in ag and climate.
Kenny Lee is co-founder and CEO of Aigen. He is a multi-time founder with a previous successful exit of a cybersecurity startup. Most recently, his focus has been learning and investing in ESG, climate change, and technologies that can transform people’s lives for the better.
In this episode we cover...
...
2024-04-1536 min
Built for EarthFarms to Food Banks | Ben Collier - Co-Founder & CEO of FarmlinkThe Farmlink Project rescues surplus produce from farms and delivers it to communities around the country.
Alongside other college students around the country, Ben Collier started the Farmlink Project during the pandemic while he was studying applied mathematics at Brown. Now, Farmlink has moved over 165M lbs of food, preventing over 200,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions while also delivering over 137M meals.
In this episode we cover...
[1:45] The inspiration for Farmlink
[3:20] When Ben recognized the climate impact Farmlink could have
[5:00] What has made Ben stay at Farmlink
[7:45] W...
2024-03-2537 min
Built for EarthPutting Oil Back Underground | Harris Cohn - Head of Sales at Charm IndustrialCharm Industrial is a leading carbon removal company that is leveraging earth’s natural carbon capture process to put gigatons of sequestered carbon back underground.
Harris Cohn is Head of Sales at Charm. Previously, he led business development and sales for leading climate technology companies including ClearTrace Technologies and Carbon Lighthouse. Earlier in his career, he spent time at Bloom Energy and led renewable investments at Pacific Gas and Electric.
In this episode we cover...
[1:15] Harris’s climate inspiration and journey to Charm
[4:38] How Charm is using nature to capture carbon
2024-03-1140 min
Built for EarthHigh-Performance Materials for a Low-Carbon World | Bryan Hassin - CEO of DexMatDexMat is a climate tech moonshot company creating high-performance materials for a low-carbon world. Its flagship product, Galvorn, is carbon-negative at scale, 10x stronger than steel, half the weight of aluminum, and more conductive than copper.
Prior to DexMat, Bryan built the world’s largest climate tech acceleration venture, Third Derivative, in under two years as CEO, driving over $1.5 billion dollars worth of investment in over 150 companies. Bryan has also co-founded and led multiple other energy startups to successful exits.
In this episode we cover...
[1:37] Why Bryan chose to run DexMat
[4:55] Wh...
2024-02-2640 min
Built for EarthCatalyzing World-Positive Innovation | Swati Mylavarapu - Founder and Managing Partner of Incite.orgSwati Mylavarapu is founder and managing partner of Incite.org where she invests catalytic capital and provides guidance to start-ups and non-profits developing world-positive innovation across climate tech, health tech, and social impact.
Prior to founding Incite, Swati spent years working in the early stage technology industry as both an investor and an entrepreneur. She has been a Partner at Kleiner Perkins, served as National Investment Chair for Pete For America, and also co-founded Arena, which is building a new generation of leaders in American public service.
In this episode we cover...
[1:45] The...
2024-02-1234 min
Built for EarthRoadmaps for Real Climate Progress | Kate Gordon - Former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of EnergyKate Gordon most recently served as Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, where she led initiatives to help drive a more sustainable and inclusive energy transition.
Prior to her time in Washington, she served as Senior Climate Policy Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom and helped develop some of the most forward looking policies at the state level. She is now a visiting scholar at the UC Berkeley’s HAAS School of Business, and is writing a book about place-based policy and investment approaches to the US energy transition.
In this episode we...
2024-01-2944 min
Built for EarthReducing Food Waste and Building Great Companies | Matt Rogers - Co-Founder & CEO of MillMatt Rogers is the co-founder and CEO of Mill, a new way to keep food waste in the food system. Reducing food waste from households presents one of the greatest opportunities for individuals to reduce their climate impact.
Matt started his career at Apple where he was one of the first engineers on the iPhone. He then co-founded Nest, the first learning thermostat to help households reduce their energy usage, which was later acquired by Google. Matt is also a co-founder of Incite.org, which provides catalytic capital and guidance to start-ups and non-profits developing world-positive innovation.
2024-01-1530 min
Built for EarthEnabling Climate-Friendly EV Batteries | Virginia Irwin Klausmeier - President & CEO of SylvatexSylvatex is an advanced materials technology company that is innovating the active materials and processes for lithium-ion battery cathode production that drastically reduce the associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Virginia Irwin Klausmeier is President and CEO of Sylvatex (SVX). With her background in chemistry and engineering, Virginia launched the company in 2014 and has been leading the technical and business operations since.
In this episode we cover...
Virginia's inspiration for SVX
SVX's pivot from sustainable fuels to batteries
The problems with current EV battery supply chains
How SVX's process improves on...
2023-12-1237 min
Built for EarthModular Fusion Power Reactors | Brian Riordan - Co-founder & COO of Avalanche EnergyAvalanche Energy is developing modular fusion micro-reactors to create scaleable carbon-free power.
Brian Riordan is co-founder and COO of Avalanche. Before launching Avalanche Energy in 2018, Brian was a leader in the aerospace industry as a lead launch System architect at Blue Origin. Before his time at Blue Origin, Brian focused his work on subsea mining.
In this episode we cover...
The differences between fission and fusion
Recent fusion progress
What makes Avalanche's approach to fusion different
How Brian addresses skeptics of fusion
How Avalanche is managing their fundraising
What Avalanche is currently working on
W...
2023-11-1334 min
Built for EarthEnabling Carbon-Negative Lithium | Steven Vassiloudis & Christiaan Jordaan - Co-founders of NovalithNovalith is creating carbon-negative lithium by using carbon dioxide to unlock the mineral from hard rock while sequestering the harmful greenhouse gas.
Steven Vassiloudis, CEO of Novalith, is an experienced chemical engineer who has led scaling efforts for numerous clean tech start-ups. He is also a director of Kemplant, a provider of equipment for lithium and battery chemical industries.
Christiaan, CBDO of Novalith, is also an experienced entrepreneur, most recently founding a battery anode technology company, Sicona.
In this episode we cover...
The need for lithium and the lithium market
Where lithium...
2023-10-3038 min
Built for EarthUsing the Earth to Heat and Cool Buildings | Joselyn Lai - Co-Founder and CEO of Bedrock EnergyBedrock is transforming the heating and cooling of buildings, using geothermal energy to radically reduce costs for people and the environment.
Joselyn Lai is an experienced entrepreneur having spent nearly all of her career scaling purpose-driven start-ups. In early 2022, she launched Bedrock, one of the hottest companies in climate tech, having just announced a $8.5M seed fundraising round to accelerate manufacturing and deployment of their novel drilling technologies.
In this episode we cover...
Bedrock's latest fundraise
What made Joselyn choose geothermal energy
How geothermal energy fundamentally works
Bedrock's drilling technology and site due diligence
...
2023-10-1635 min
Built for EarthElectric Vehicle Charging with Superpowers | Anurag Kamal - CEO of ElectricFishElectricFish is building distributed energy storage powered by software to accelerate energy equity through extreme-fast electric vehicle charging and backup.Anurag Kamal is a mechanical engineer, battery researcher turned energy entrepreneur. Before starting ElectricFish, he worked with the BMW Group technology office and Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he research lithium-ion battery cells. Anurag and his co-founder, Folasade Ayoola were also recognized as Forbes 30 under 30 leaders in Energy.
In this episode we cover...
What is community energy storage
What differentiates ElectricFish from the likes of ChargePoint and Tesla SuperChargers
The need for EV chargers across the count...
2023-09-2742 min
Built for EarthBringing Renewable Energy to the Moon (Literally) | Ken Liang - Co-Founder of Orbital MiningOrbital Mining is bringing renewable energy to the moon in hopes to power lunar mining operations that would enable deep space exploration.
Orbital Mining launched just over a year ago and have quickly gained traction with the most respected space agencies. Orbital has already won $600,000 in funding from NASA in an on-going competition to bring power to the moon. Prior to launching Orbital, Ken studied Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech and worked for over 5 years in construction software management. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines.
In t...
2023-09-1840 min
Built for EarthCoupling Carbon Capture with Chemical Upcycling | Dr. Laura Lammers - Founder and CEO of Travertine TechnologiesTravertine Technologies captures and permanently sequesters atmospheric carbon dioxide through mineralization, while simultaneously upcycling sulfuric waste for sustainable chemical production.
Dr. Laura Lammers launched Travertine in early 2022, with a vision to scale the company to achieve gigatons of carbon removal. Previously, she dedicated a significant portion of her career to leading-edge academic environmental research, including her most recent role as a Professor at UC Berkeley, where she headed a laboratory focused on carbon mineralization. What's even more remarkable is that she juggles all of this while being a devoted mother of three.
In this...
2023-08-1726 min
Built for EarthMethane-Eating Microbes | Dr. Josh Silverman - Founder and CEO of Windfall BioWindfall Bio is a nature-based agricultural technology company that harnesses methane-eating microbes to transform the harmful greenhouse gas into organic soil nutrients.
Dr. Josh Silverman is the Founder and CEO of Windfall. After having focused on methane for over 15 years, he founded the company in late 2022, and quickly raised $9 million to commercialize their methane-to-organic fertilizer solution. Josh Silverman holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Stanford and has founded and led numerous companies across biotechnology and sustainable agriculture over the past decade.
In this episode we cover...
What makes methane such a harmful GHG and...
2023-08-0238 min
Built for EarthCarbon-Removing Sand for Coastal Carbon Capture | Kelly Erhart - Co-Founder & President of VestaVesta is harnessing the power of the oceans to remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with olivine sand. Vesta has been featured across leading academic journals and media outlets as well as the Bill Gates-inspired documentary Solving for Zero.
Kelly Erhart is President and Co-founder of Vesta. She has focused much of her career on commercializing sustainable technologies including roles as a CEO of a waterless biofiltration toilet company, as a consultant, and as a steward of numerous projects focused on building a regenerative future.
In this episode...
How coastal carbon capture works
...
2023-07-1738 min
Built for EarthThe Global Energy Landscape | Dr. Morgan Bazilian - World-Renowned Energy + Policy ExpertDr. Morgan Bazilian is a world-renowned expert in energy-related international affairs, policy, and investments. Currently, he is the Director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. Previously, he was the lead energy specialist at the World Bank, a senior diplomat at the United Nations, and the European Union’s lead negotiator on low-carbon technology at the UN climate negotiations. To date, he has published more than 120 articles in journals including Nature, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
In this episode we cover...
The in...
2023-07-0534 min
Built for EarthInvaluable Wisdom | Highlights from B4E Season 1Thank you to everyone who has been a part of Season 1 of Built for Earth. Whether you’re a student, investor, supporter, founder, or simply an earth-lover, we hope Built for Earth has been, and will continue to be, a worthwhile listening and learning experience. This episode is an opportunity to hear from all 12 of our innovators from Season 1 in a crash-course of business, climate, and life wisdom. Enjoy and see you in July for Season 2!
Check out our episodes:
*The number in parentheses following each episode reflects the order in which the speaker is fe...
2023-06-1302 min
Built for EarthPlastic-Eating Enzymes | Jacob Nathan - Co-founder & CEO of Epoch BioDesignCurrently, the world makes over 460 million tons of plastic per year, a number that is set to grow as fossil fuels companies are increasingly turning to plastic production for profits. The problem is only 2% of plastics are ultimately recycled. Epoch BioDesign is looking to change that by using synthetic biology and AI to develop enzymes that eat plastic and can be turned into chemicals.
Jacob Nathan is the CEO of Epoch BioDesign. At age 18, he started the company alongside British biochemist, Professor Douglas Kell, when he discovered microbes capable of breaking down plastic waste during a senior...
2023-05-2936 min
Built for EarthGood for the Planet HVAC | Vince Romanin - CEO of GradientCurrently, over 6 billion people do not have access to air conditioning. Gradient is on a mission to change that by developing an easy-to-install hybrid residential heating and cooling system that is good for the planet. Gradient’s system removes harmful refrigerants, and when compared to traditional HVAC units, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 75%.
Vince Romanin is the CEO of Gradient. After completing his Ph.D. in heat transfer and fluid mechanics at UC Berkeley, he spent nearly 5 years as a research and development engineer at Otherlab where he began his entrepreneurial journey to decarbonize bu...
2023-05-1540 min
Built for EarthUpcycling Food Waste | Spencer Martin - CEO & Co-Founder of ClewOver 100 billion pounds of food waste ends up in a United States landfill each year. To help change this, Clew is developing a countertop food waste upcycling appliance that processes nearly all of your residential food waste in under two hours. By keeping food waste out of the landfill, Clew will reduce one of the biggest contributors to methane emissions.
Spencer Martin, is the CEO and Co-Founder of Clew. He spent the early days of his career as an experiential brand producer managing million dollar projects for Target, Absolut, Peloton, Delta Air Lines, and more. Since then...
2023-05-0342 min
Built for EarthCommercializing the World's First Electrostatic Motors | Matt Maroon - CEO of C-Motive TechnologiesMotors consume over 50% of the world's power. C-Motive is revolutionizing this fundamental technology by commercializing the world's first electrostatic motor. In comparison to traditional electromagnetic motors, the technology has improved operating efficiencies and reduced embodied emissions, while using sustainable materials.
Matt Maroon, is the CEO of C-Motive Technologies. He is a veteran cleantech entrepreneur, and has held product management and leadership roles across 6 startups in the next-generation energy storage space. In 2004, Matt earned his BS in mechanical engineering from Bradley University, and since his career has focused on bridging the gap between the lab and the market...
2023-04-1443 min
Built for EarthCircular, Sustainable Building Products | Adital Ela - CEO & Founder of Criaterra Earth TechnologiesCriaterra Earth Technologies is developing construction products through a process that uses 90% less energy and emits 80% less carbon than traditional methods. The Israel-based company has developed manufacturing technologies which replace the conventional energy intensive kiln-firing processes. Criaterra’s products are as strong as concrete, have 6x the thermal insulation, and yet create a fraction of the environmental impact.
Adital Ela, an industrial designer and impact entrepreneur, is the CEO and Founder of Criaterra. Prior to founding the company, she studied the field of sustainability for over 20 years, was a senior design lecturer at the Holon Institute of Te...
2023-04-0334 min
Built for EarthBatteries that Mimic Plants | Nate Kirchhofer - Founder & CEO of Biozen Batteries*This is a re-published episode of an initial posting from 3/1/23 that was accidentally archived.*
Nate Kirchhofer, an experienced physical electrochemist, co-founded Biozen Batteries in 2019 where he is developing an organic electrolyte fluid for batteries intended to mimic the energy storage process of plants. Prior to starting Biozen, he received his PhD from UC Santa Barbara and was a part of two acquired start-ups. Now, the company is in the process of commercializing their technology to create bio-inspired grid-level energy storage.
In this episode we cover...
What it means to mimic the energy storage process...
2023-03-2935 min
Built for EarthSustainable Farms Powered by Robots & AI | Samuel Bertram - CEO & Co-Founder of OnePointOneOnePointOne (OPO) is developing a revolutionary approach to vertical farming by using robots and AI to produce 250x more plants per acre while utilizing 99% less water.
Samuel Bertram is CEO and Co-Founder of OnePointOne. With backgrounds in robotics and advanced engineering, Sam and his brother, John, were looking to use their education to make a difference in the world. Together, they founded the company in 2017 to “fundamentally rethink how plants are grown, utilized, and optimized” to help the 1.1 billion people who began this millennium malnourished. In 2022 was recognized as a member of Forbes 30 under 30, specifically for social impa...
2023-03-2740 min
Built for EarthTransforming Oil Wells into Energy Storage | Kemp Gregory - CEO & Co-Founder at RenewellRenewell is on a mission to develop Gravity Well’s across the country by repurposing inactive oil and gas wells into low-cost, green energy storage. With over 1,000,000 viable wells in the US, Renewell has the potential to transform these abandoned assets into a vast network of distributed clean energy storage.
Kemp began his journey at UT Austin where he studied mechanical engineering. After graduation, he went on to work for Shell where he coordinated large operations teams to lead projects across the Americas. Kemp then returned to the classroom to pursue his Master’s in Environmental Engineering at S...
2023-03-2141 min
Built for EarthWindows that Generate Renewable Energy | Jeff Horowitz - Next Energy TechnologiesNEXT Energy Technologies is developing transparent photovoltaic window technology that allows architects and building owners to transform windows and glass facades into producers of low-cost, on-site, renewable energy for buildings. NEXT's technology is enabled by proprietary organic semiconducting materials that are earth-abundant, low-cost, and are coated as an ink in a high-speed, low-cost, and low energy process. The Santa Barbara based company has grown to over 30 people and secured partnerships with industry giants including sustainable apparel manufacturer, Patagonia.
Jeff Horowitz has been with NEXT Energy Technologies for over 6 years, where he has led scaling the business and...
2023-03-1345 min
Built for EarthAviation Fuel Made From CO2 | Brad Brennan - Chief Science Officer at Dimensional EnergyDimensional Energy, founded out of Cornell University in 2016, turns captured carbon dioxide into sustainable aviation fuel by using renewable energy. The company is on a mission to decarbonize the aviation industry, which is responsible for over 10% of the United States’ transportation emissions and about 3% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Brad Brennan is leading strategic technology and development of proprietary chemical reactors and catalysts to produce Dimensional’s main product, Syngas. He has been with Dimensional since 2019, and previously spent time as a researcher at CalTech and Yale, as well as a leading chemist and consultant across vari...
2023-03-0644 min
Built for EarthNext-Gen Small-Scale Nuclear Reactors | Bret Kugelmass - CEO & Founder of Last EnergyBret Kugelmass is the founder and CEO of Last Energy, the most commercially successful next-gen nuclear company in the world. The company has 55 projects under development across Europe, with their first commercial project anticipated to be completed by 2025. He also founded the Energy Impact Center, a Washington DC-based research institute that focuses on climate restoration with a nuclear power specialization. As part of his work at the Energy Impact Center, he started the Titans of Nuclear Podcast, where he has interviewed over 400 experts in the world of nuclear power.
In this episode we cover...
What led...
2023-02-2432 min
Built for EarthLong Duration Energy Storage | Arpit Dwivedi - CEO & Founder of Cache EnergyArpit Dwivedi is the CEO & Founder of Cache Energy. Cache is developing a long-duration, non-flammable energy storage material that can be safely stored at room temperature and transported easily. Founded just last year, Cache has already raised funding from leading venture capitalists and accelerators including Third Derivative and Evergreen Climate Innovations.
In this episode we cover...
Arpit's journey to founding Cache
A high-level description of how thermo-chemical energy storage works
Why we need long term storage as alternative to lithium-ion batteries
What makes Cache unique and what they are currently working on
Biggest challenges facing the...
2023-02-1734 min
Built for EarthIntroduction to Built for Earth"We’re still putting 162 million tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere every single day and the accumulated amount is now trapping as much extra heat as would be released by 600,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding every single day on the earth." - Former Vice President, Al Gore January 23rd, 2023
The scale of the climate crisis is alarming. We have to act NOW to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and to suck greenhouse gasses out of the sky. On this podcast, hear from the people who are building game-changing climate technology companies that will enable us to do...
2023-01-1402 min