Eric 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 utilization 🔄 Practical advice for professionals looking to transition into climate tech, emphasizing gradual, deliberate steps and community engagement 🍸 How to turn CO2 into vodka #climatetech #carbontech #energytransition #renewableenergy…

Julia 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 and the growing recognition they're receiving globally 💰 S. Lab’s impressive pipeline worth approximately 20 million euros in monthly revenue and their current fundraising round of 2.5 million euros #ClimateTech #SustainablePackaging #Packaging #Mycelium…

Jannik 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 funding gap and why most of it isn’t coming from the private sector (yet) 🌍 Why Europe, and especially Germany, is ahead on adaptation policy, and what that means for startups and investors 🚰 The wild inefficiencies in water infrastructure—40% of Italy’s piped water just disappears—and the startups trying to fix it 🛰️ AI-powered disaster detection, from wildfire monitoring via satellite to real-time flood tracking 🎙️ PT1’s upcoming event on adaptation tech in Berlin, plus their podcast series diving into specific adaptation challenges #AdaptationTech #ClimateFinance #ClimateTech…

Chris 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 like Y Combinator in developing founder mindset 💰 Why closing a funding round is just the beginning - it's "registering for the marathon, not finishing it" 🏗️ Building a remote-first company culture with quarterly offsites, virtual coffee chats, and camera-on meetings #climatetech #energytech #cleanenergy…

Jess 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 #builtenvironment…

Matthew 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 development, particularly offshore wind, in scaling clean hydrogen production ⚡ The importance of IRA tax credits in making clean hydrogen economically viable at scale #CleanHydrogen #CleanTech #ClimateTech #Hydrogen…

Rob 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 planet itself, which has survived previous climate disasters #climatetech #directaircapture #carboncapture…

It’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 startups, not governments or corporations, are best positioned to drive climate innovation #climatetech #cleantech #deeptech #baltics…

Andreas 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 million 🌱 Why achieving B Corp certification was important to prove their commitment to social and environmental best practices #climatetech #cleanenergy #sustainabletech #batteries…

"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 portrayal of climate action as a choose-your-own-adventure 🔬 The importance of active decision-making in addressing climate change at all levels 🎤 Matt's upcoming projects, including a new comedy show and a children's book about climate change #Standup #Comedy #Climate #ClimateTech…

Yossi 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 #BioProcessing #ClimateTech…

Jessica 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 mission to create changemakers through events like the Students for Rivers camp 🔌 Opportunities for citizen science in river monitoring through mini hydrological stations #ClimateTech #Rivers #Water…

Max 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 generations' engagement with climate issues #ClimateComedy #ClimateEducation #ClimateTech More: Climate comedy work from Inside the Greenhouse at CU Boulder The 10th annual climate comedy video competition The Media and Climate Change Observatory…

Marissa Beatty is the co-founder and CEO of Turnover Labs , a startup developing technology to convert CO2 into valuable chemicals. With a background in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, Marissa is tackling the challenge of carbon utilization in the petrochemical industry. In this episode we talked about: 🧪 Turnover Labs' approach to converting CO2 into useful chemical building blocks 💼 The challenges and opportunities for female founders in the climate tech space 💰 How Marissa secured backing from notable climate tech investors for her pre-seed round 🔬 The importance of corporate partnerships in developing and scaling carbon utilization technologies 🎯 Turnover Labs' strategy for narrowing their focus and identifying potential customers 🤝 Why I’m missing out by not going to Climate Week NYC #CarbonUtilization #CleanChemistry #ClimateTech #netzero…

Jessica Burley is an investor at Planet A Ventures , a €160 million fund pioneering a science-based approach to venture capital. Jessica is passionate about impact measurement and, as she says: "If there's not a significant positive environmental impact, the deal is off.” In this episode we talked about: 🔬 Planet A Ventures' use of life cycle assessments to evaluate potential investments 🚫 The fund's in-house science team's veto power on deals lacking significant environmental impact 🤝 Collaboration with Speedinvest and Norrsken VC to create a climate hardware playbook 📊 The importance of impact measurement for businesses to demonstrate sustainability claims 🌡️ How climate risk is increasingly becoming a business risk 🚀 Her optimism in climate tech thanks to transformative technologies and dedicated talent #VC #Hardware #Sustainability #Investing #ClimateTech…