CleanTech founder Conor Madigan (Aether Fuels) reveals sustainable fuel tech breakthroughs, smart hiring, & building resilient climate startups.

Join us as Conor Madigan, Founder and CEO of Aether Fuels, shares how their innovative tech is set to decarbonize aviation and shipping by drastically cutting costs and boosting fuel yield from waste streams. A second-time founder, Conor also unpacks his proven strategies for building high-talent, low-ego teams and fostering constructive tension for optimal results.

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Memorable Quotes:

"The overall result of that is to cut the capex of a plant by about 50%." — Conor Madigan

"Until you've built a big network of your own... it's pretty invaluable to have a top-notch recruiter." — Conor Madigan

"If you compare an electrified system versus a fired system, you can boost the output by about 20%." — Conor Madigan

"I… try to create a constructive sort of tension inside of an organization by pairing together certain personality traits." — Conor Madigan

In this episode, we discuss:

00:53 - Introduction to Conor Madigan and Aether Fuels

03:55 - Aether Fuels' core technology and market

05:27 - The innovation: cutting CAPEX and boosting yield

28:00 - The year-long "funnel" to choose the right climate problem

30:59 - Conor's philosophy on team building: high talent, low ego

32:00 - Creating constructive tension in R&D vs. Engineering

38:35 - Why senior hires need to be "player-coaches" at startups

40:30 - Transparent communication during challenging times

46:00 - Policy trends and market drivers for SAF

49:50 - Cost parity expectations for Aether Fuels' product

Links

Conor Madigan | Aether Fuels

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