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🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.

Today, we are talking to Ryan Gilliam from Fortera

In this conversation, we chat about…

* How Ryan pivoted at the right time and was able to start Fortera

* What is their Net-Zero Cement technology and how they scaled it

* Why they are able to survive the “Startup Valley-of-Death”

And much more…

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The Guest: Ryan Gilliam

* Ryan is the Co-Founder & CEO of Fortera, a company pioneering net-zero cement

* He started off spending 11 years at the Calera Corporation, where he learned the fundamentals that would help him start Fortera

* Ryan is also a Venture Partner at 1955 Capital, investing in technologies developed in the Americas and Europe that can help solve China’s and the developing world's greatest challenges in areas including energy & environment, food safety & supply, health & education, and sustainable manufacturing

The Startup: Fortera

Net-Zero CO2 Cement, Materials, Construction

One-liner: Fortera develops a turnkey bolt-on decarbonization solution that integrates into existing cement plant infrastructures to produce net-zero cement

Their process draws on 100,000+ hours of R&D, 100+ issued global and pending patents and 10+ years of real-world product demonstration.

The Silicon Valley-based company is backed by leading investors including Khosla Ventures and Temasek.

Fortera’s first low-carbon cement plant is nearing completion in Redding, Calif., and will be one of the world's largest carbon mineralization plants.

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📝 Show Notes:

Topics

* 01:44 Intro

* 05:08 Experience with the Cement Industry

* 09:40 The Problem of CO2 Emissions in Cement

* 13:34 Making the Technology Fit Within the Ecosystem

* 19:46 Changing Customer Mindsets

* 25:50 Integration with Cement Producers

* 29:56 Starting Fortera and Convincing Investors

* 33:55 Fundraising and Shifting Capital Stack

* 37:05 Raising Early Rounds and Bringing in New Investors

* 41:28 Transitioning to Project Financing

* 44:07 Project Development vs Licensing IP

* 46:28 Key Considerations for Commercial Projects

* 48:08 Importance of Planning and Preparation

* 48:35 Challenges in Supply Chain Management

Links

* Ryan Gilliam | Fortera

* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas

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* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.

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Here’s the thing: Somil and I both have day jobs, so if you’re in the helping mood, we both have an ask for you today.

Somil: I’m currently seeking to connect with founders in the built environment space for a project I’m working on. If you’re in that space, schedule a chat here!

Silas: As many of you know, my day job is solving people’s hiring headaches in climate - do you have a hiring headache? Well, let me be your Advil. (booking here)

🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode!

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