Yoann Hispa has four science and math degrees, speaks four languages and cultivates a singular obsession with knowledge acquisition. I think you’ll have a lot in common with Yoann; you’re both insatiable infinite learners, that much we know. ;-)

Yoann is the CEO and co-founder of LandGate, a company that aims to revolutionize the ways US environmental resources for everything from solar and wind to oil and gas are bought and sold. In his words, “We call ourselves the Zillow for land resources.” The six-year-old Denver-based company helps landowners, real estate agents, investors, developers and other stakeholders make more informed decisions through data and valuation benchmarks, and their thesis has been validated by the likes of Nextera’s venture arm, which led a recent $10Million Series B funding round.

In today's podcast, he discusses the catalyst for his career path, his philosophy on building a business and explains how land values for wind and solar compare to traditional oil and gas leases. "Renewables are growing the most now," he said.   My favorite anecdote from the interview is his description of a chance encounter with the late US astronaut James Irwin when he was 10 and how it impacted his career trajectory. 

Land acquisition is often the lynchpin to most energy transactions, and renewable energy is no different. Yoann explained that his transition to renewables from O&G was very much customer-driven; the need for land remains a constant regardless what the investors are looking to build there. It's a finite commodity but equally crucial whether the focus is fossil fuel or wind. "Land has a historically low dividend. But in terms of an inflation environment, like we are in today, land is a very safe investment," he added.

I hope you listen to the full podcast with Yoann Hispa to get a sense of where he sees the world today and his predictions for the future. 

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