Another ClimateTech Podcast

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

👨‍💻 Hiring developers? You need to look at Ukraine, where I've been hiring exclusively since 2018. Set up a no-stress needs assessment at wild.codes/climate. Podcast listeners get $1k off their first hire.

🧑‍💼 Growing your team across Europe? Grab a free consultation and hire without hassle: parakar.eu/climate

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

👨‍💻 Hiring developers? You need to look at Ukraine, where I've been hiring exclusively since 2018. Set up a no-stress needs assessment at wild.codes/climate. Podcast listeners get $1k off their first hire.

🧑‍💼 Growing your team across Europe? Grab a free consultation and hire without hassle: parakar.eu/climate

"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

👨‍💻 Hiring developers? You need to look at Ukraine, where I've been hiring exclusively since 2018. Set up a no-stress needs assessment at wild.codes/climate. Podcast listeners get $1k off their first hire.

🧑‍💼 Growing your team across Europe? Grab a free consultation and hire without hassle: parakar.eu/climate

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

👨‍💻 Hiring developers? You need to look at Ukraine, where I've been hiring exclusively since 2018. Set up a no-stress needs assessment at wild.codes/climate. Podcast listeners get $1k off their first hire.

🧑‍💼 Growing your team across Europe? Grab a free consultation and hire without hassle: parakar.eu/climate

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

👨‍💻 Hiring developers? You need to look at Ukraine, where I've been hiring exclusively since 2018. Set up a no-stress needs assessment at wild.codes/climate. Podcast listeners get $1k off their first hire.

🧑‍💼 Growing your team across Europe? Grab a free consultation and hire without hassle: parakar.eu/climate

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

👨‍💻 Hiring developers? You need to look at Ukraine, where I've been hiring exclusively since 2018. Set up a no-stress needs assessment at wild.codes/climate. Podcast listeners get $1k off their first hire.

🧑‍💼 Growing your team across Europe? Grab a free consultation and hire without hassle: parakar.eu/climate

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

👨‍💻 Hiring developers? You need to look at Ukraine, where I've been hiring exclusively since 2018. Set up a no-stress needs assessment at wild.codes/climate. Podcast listeners get $1k off their first hire.

🧑‍💼 Growing your team across Europe? Grab a free consultation and hire without hassle: parakar.eu/climate

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

👨‍💻 Hiring developers? You need to look at Ukraine, where I've been hiring exclusively since 2018. Set up a no-stress needs assessment at wild.codes/climate. Podcast listeners get $1k off their first hire.

🧑‍💼 Growing your team across Europe? Grab a free consultation and hire without hassle: parakar.eu/climate

I spoke with WebMD co-founder and veteran VC Kittu Kolluri of Neotribe Ventures to talk about what he’s investing in, the importance of board governance, and what active investing actually means.

We touched on:

🐉 The potential of technologies like hydrogen, ammonia synthesis, and cold fusion

💼 The role of boards in ensuring good governance and avoiding conflicts of interest

📈 What software VCs need to do to become hardware investors

🤝 The importance of active investing and the value it brings to young entrepreneurs

#climatetech #venturecapital #governance

👨‍💻 Hiring developers? You need to look at Ukraine, where I've been hiring exclusively since 2018. Set up a no-stress needs assessment at wild.codes/climate. Podcast listeners get $1k off their first hire.

🧑‍💼 Growing your team across Europe? Grab a free consultation and hire without hassle: parakar.eu/climate

Aneta Londa is the founder of Moonshot Pirates, an organization that empowers young changemakers to tackle global challenges. In this episode, Aneta is joined by Annie Zountsa and Elanu Karakus, winners of the Shape the Future Challenge, to discuss their innovative project AEIFLORIA and the impact of youth-driven initiatives.

We talked about:

🏴‍☠️ How Moonshot Pirates teaches Gen Z to fight climate change through innovation

🏆 How four teenagers found a way to help bees find flowers with AEIFLORIA

🔮 How Moonshot Pirates is going to get involved in the future of food, and how you can help

👭 What it’s going to be like for four founders to meet for the very first time in person

#MoonshotPirates #climatetech #YouthInnovation

👨‍💻 Hiring developers? You need to look at Ukraine, where I've been hiring exclusively since 2018. Set up a no-stress needs assessment at wild.codes/climate. Podcast listeners get $1k off their first hire.

🧑‍💼 Growing your team across Europe? Grab a free consultation and hire without hassle: parakar.eu/climate