Today, our guest is John de Souza. Co-founder of Ample Inc. A startup betting that battery swapping is the future.

If you're at all like me, you're thinking that sounds bat shit crazy. Well, listen to today's episode, and you'll realize it's the opposite. It's the only logical conclusion to EVs.

We can't gloss over this -- John is special. This is his 4th major startup endeavor, and it's clear that it is because he brings a level of maturity and wisdom that very few founders do. He could have ridden off into the sunset, but he decided to stay in the arena because it's what he does.

I guarantee you will learn a lot from John today. I'm not even going to thank you for tuning in today because you're doing yourself a favor by listening to this episode.   

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Topics 

(free preview time stamps are slightly different) 

• 03:26 John's Career & Entrepreneurial Origins
• 05:20 The Inspiration for Ample
• 09:06 Battery Swapping
• 13:51 OEM Partnerships
• 16:15 A Universal Battery Module
• 18:38 Integration w/ OEMs & Production Lines
• 22:54 Deployment & Scale
• 23:22 Business Model & Global Expansion
• 24:47 Ample's GTM Strategy: (Partnering with Uber and Commercial Fleets)
• 28:07 Efficiency & Cost Control: In-House Battery & Swapping Station Production
  —(end of free preview)—
• (get the full episode by becoming a paid subscriber on our Substack today! https://cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe 

Links

• John de Souza | Ample Inc.
• Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn
• Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
• @Silas & @Somil_Agg on X 
• This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.

Support the show

Every ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽

Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Drew D’Alelio is an Investor at Connecticut Innovations, the government investing arm of the state of Connecticut, who helps manage and co-founded the state’s $100M climate tech fund. He plays a pivotal role in managing their $100M Climate Tech fund with a triple bottom line of returns, climate mitigation and adaptation, and CT jobs.

His passion for sustainability was sparked by witnessing the impacts of climate change firsthand in Florida, where his family is from. Over the years, he has developed a deep expertise in mobilizing capital for climate solutions, including structuring investments for solar projects at the U.S. Development Finance Corporation.

At Connecticut Innovations, they focus on leveraging the state’s strengths in manufacturing, materials science, and engineering to support early-stage companies that align with Connecticut’s decarbonization goals. Drew’s unique approach to venture capital combines financial acumen with a deep commitment to public service, ensuring that each investment not only generates returns but also fosters innovation and job creation within the state.

We talk about:
**How they manage their triple bottom line: creating jobs, making money, and having a positive impact on the planet
**The complexities in evaluating climate tech investments in infrastructure and second-order effects
**Connecticut's strengths in manufacturing and a tight-knit ecosystem that facilitates quick connections
**Their close collaboration with Yale and UConn to support early-stage climate tech innovation and commercialization

TOPICS:
**03:01 Connecticut's Climate Tech Fund
**07:46 The Triple Bottom Line
**14:35 Facilitating Partnerships
**23:24 University Collaborations
--In the full episode--
**Connecticut's Strengths and Industries
**Engaging with Universities and Startups
**Exciting Sectors: Sustainable Fuels and Carbon Sequestration
**Aviation and Synthetic Hydrocarbons
**Skepticism and Second Order Effects
**42:21 Why Move to Connecticut

LINKS:
**Drew D’Alelio | Connecticut Innovations
**Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X 

Support the show

Every ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽

Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Woo Hoo! Episode #200 🎉🎉🎉

We are thrilled to release our 200th episode with the one and only Moji Karimi. Moji is a co-founder of Cemvita, the biotech powerhouse that has also birthed GoldH2 and Endolith (now individual companies).

This is the free version of the episode. To get the full thing, go to our Substack and become a paid subscriber. Any paid tier gets full access to the episode. 

Today, Moji shares with us,

• His journey into entrepreneurship and Cemvita 
• What in the world they do and what they've done so far 
• The basics of the biotech space 
• Then we talk a lot about the future of biotech -- specifically, how we will start taking nature's lead in engineering industrial production 
• We even discussed what a Trump administration could look like for the climate sector 

It's a wonderful conversation full of value. Enjoy!
TOPICS:
**02:22 Dinner with George Mitchell
**05:39 Personal Journey & Origin of Cemvita
**08:05 Sustainable Oil Production
**13:01 Understanding Biotech & Synthetic Biology
**15:46 Success in Biotech & Tips for Fundraising
**19:44 End of Free Episode
--In the full episode--
**Considerations if Trump gets in
**Disruption in Fundraising | Focus on Cost
**What is a Durable Biotech Biz Model
**Using Waste as a Feedstock
**Redesigning Biotech Processes
**Approaching Different Investors
**Future Applications of Biotech
**Finding the Right Cos and Investors

LINKS:
**Connect with Moji | Follow Cemvita
**Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X 

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

Support the show

Every ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽

Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Vivin Hegde is a visionary in the built environment space — from leading innovation efforts at Hilti to co-founding Zacua Ventures, Vivin is on a mission to redefine how we think about construction and infrastructure. 

In this episode, he dives deep into the challenges and opportunities of investing in the built environment, sharing his journey from managing corporate venture capital at Hilti to launching Zacua Ventures, where he backs early-stage startups focused on decarbonization, productivity, and infrastructure resiliency.

Vivin unpacks:

**The importance of "gentle disruption" in the construction industry 🛠️
**The strategic shift from corporate innovation to independent VC investing 💼
**How global perspectives inform better investment decisions 🌍
**The key traits he looks for in founders, especially in the construction tech space 👥

Topics:
**02:04 Intro
**03:08 Defining the Built Environment
**04:56 Automation and Robotics in Construction
**08:40 Sales and Building Relationships
**24:59 Supporting Startups at the Earliest Stages
**26:35 Investing Globally to Fund the Best Entrepreneurs
**31:55 The Importance of Sector Specialization
**42:53 The Role of Data Centers in the Digital Age
**44:27 The Potential of Mass Timber in Construction
**45:48 Addressing Challenges in the Design Space
**47:22 Impressing Investors: Deep Understanding, Knowledge, and Learning Agility

Links:
**Vivin Hedge | Zacua Ventures
**Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X 

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

Support the show

Every ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽

Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Today, we are speaking with Kieran White. Co-Founder of Curo.

At Curo they help EV Fleet owners secure reliable charging without the need to build their own infrastructure. 

This has the double benefit of allowing existing infrastructure owners to maximize their assets. 

Today’s call is super fun. We discuss:

• How he hustled his way into a job with Tesla at 18, even tho they claimed to only hire 21 and older 
• The effect this exp had on him and how it led to him launching Curo 
• How they help fleet owners find reliable charging without building infrastructure 
• And how they help existing charging owners maximize their infrastructure 

Enjoy the show!

Topics:
**01:56 Intro
**04:23 Journey to Entrepreneurship
**06:20 The Problem Kero is Solving
**08:22 Challenges and Ops in EV Charging
**17:05 Policy, Incentives, and the Future of the Industry
**19:33 Navigating Ideas / Staying Focused
**23:52 Growth Hacks
**27:07 Tracking Progress / Systematizing
**30:17 Dealing with New Ideas
**32:57 Climate Startup Ideas
**34:26 Future of EV Charging
**38:38 Fundraising Advice & Closing Thoughts

Links:
**Kieran White | Curo
**Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X 

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

Support the show

Every ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽

Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Hey everyone! 

Today’s episode is a special issue. We are unpacking Susan Su’s recent article “What a second Trump presidency would mean for climate investing”. She originally posted this on her Substack, Climate Money but we wanted to unpack it for those who prefer to learn by audio. 

The first ~20 minutes of today’s episode are public, but you’ll need to be a paid subscriber to access the remaining 17 minutes. Get the full episode and support our work while doing so by going to CleanTechies.Substack/Subscribe 

Support the show

Every ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽

Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Edo is a rockstar individual — from tackling the lack of green employer incentive problem to building climate tech communities across the USA, Edo joins us to share his journey from working in sustainability at Apple to founding Elements World, making it possible for employers to hit their sustainability targets through their employees. 

He discusses the unique challenges and opportunities in addressing Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by leveraging the often-overlooked potential of employee-related activities, such as business travel, commuting, and work-from-home practices.

He breaks down:

• Their shift from a B2C to a B2B model 📈
• Shares insights on fundraising challenges 💰
• The importance of gaining traction before approaching investors 💵
• The role of AI in optimizing their offerings 🤖

--
Topics:
**02:31 Introduction and Background
**05:23 Understanding the Employer Problem
**09:16 Transition from B2C to B2B
**13:13 Working at Apple and Decision to Found Elements World
**16:43 Fundraising Journey
**22:26 Using AI in Climate Tech
**27:26 Building and Scaling the Team
**33:06 Creating ClimateTech Communities
**35:44 Future Goals and Closing Thoughts

--
Links:
**Edo Perry | Elements World
**Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X
**This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.

Support the show

Every ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽

Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Today we speak with Ravi Kurani, CEO and Founder of Sutro (water IoT device company -- exited to Sani Marc). Aaand the creator and host of Liquid Assets, a Podcast interviewing the leading voices in WaterTech.

Between Ravi's background as a founder in the water, his familiarity with the water ecosystem, and now his opportunity to interview the leaders in the water space, he's a great person to have on regarding all things water.

We feel that we got a hell of a deal here. We get to have one conversation that is worth thousands.

Enjoy today's conversation about all things water, tech, policy, circularity, financing, and more.

Oh, and if you are not already, go check out Liquid Assets wherever you get your podcasts (or just go to LiquidAssets.cc) 

Topics:
**2:28 Intro
**4:10 Learnings from Liquid Assets Podcast
**8:09 The Categories of Water
**11:20 Where Innovation Is
**13:27 Energy x Water (Policy)
**16:26 Upgrade to Paid Ad
**18:01 GTM in Water
**21:55 Power Dynamics and Wastewater
**24:04 Telecom Parallel
**24:52 Circularity x Water x Infrastructure
**26:33 Owning Wastewater
**28:45 Geo-Specific Challenges
**31:04 Water Isn't Priced Right
**32:20 KPIs for Success in Water
**34:13 Global Water Hubs
**35:35 Why Water is Close Knit
**36:49 Startup Ideas
**37:59 Water Needs New Financing Arm

Links:
**Connect with Ravi Kurani | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuraniravi/
**Follow Liquid Assets | https://www.liquidassets.cc/
**Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.

Support the show

Every ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽

Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Today, we are talking to Matthias Muehlbauer of OnePointFive.

We have the pleasure of covering one of our good friends, Matthias Muehlbauer at the powerhouse firm OnePointFive. Matthias is a Founding Partner at the firm, where their activities range across two operations:

**They provide diligence and climate advisory services
**They train sustainability professionals

They’re bringing a level of success and professionalism that is beating MBB (top 3 consulting firms) at the sustainability game.

From operating such a dynamic business from day 1, Matthias has picked up a lot of great knowledge about the space:

**The Future of Work in climate
**Where sustainability is headed
**The power of bootstrapping
**What you need to know to be successful in getting a job in climate

Convinced that you should know more about this? Well, you’re in luck. Tune in to todays episode to learn more…🎧💡
---
🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview.  
---

🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies
📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube
🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey
📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox
🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel

-----
Topics:
**03:12 About OPF
**12:22 Differentiating Ed in the Market
**13:49 From Expert Network to Education
**15:45 Workforce Transition
**18:43 Mid-Career Pivoters
**27:16 Bootstrapping & Being Nimble
**31:02 Embedded Sustainability in the Workforce
**40:14 Clean Energy and the Future of Fossil Fuels

-----
Links:
**Matthias Muehlbauer | OnePointFive
**Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X

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

Support the show

Every ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽

Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)

Dimitry Gershenson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Enduring Planet. A fractional CFO and Non-Dilutive Funding service for ClimateTech Entrepreneurs. As for funding, they provide working capital for founders who have landed grants or who have government contracts. 

It's great to see more Climate-Specific service providers to help continue supporting the ecosystem. 

Today, Dimitry shares his story, and we discuss:
**The importance of and when to hire a fractional CFO
**Funding underrepresented founders
**The importance of Catalytic Capital
**The Grant Funding Gap and Solving it

And much more.

Enjoy the episode!

Resources Mentioned:
**Climate Curious
**Streamline Climate
**Pacific Northwest Climate Week

Email Dimitry: [email protected]

---
🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview.  
---

🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies
📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 
🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 
📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 
🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel 

-----
Topics:
**2:3 Introduction and Overview of Enduring Planet's Services
**4:10 The Importance of Supporting Climate Entrepreneurs
**8:47 The Gap in the Ecosystem for Finance Expertise in Climate Tech
**10:23 The Need for Early Financial Planning and Analysis
**12:31 The Importance of Getting Finance in Order Early
**14:51 Timeline for Bringing in Fractional CFO and Hiring Full-Time Finance Talent
**17:22 Navigating Finance Challenges in Hardware Climate Tech
**18:18 Introduction and Pricing
**19:18 Lending and Transparency
**46:17 Building Local Climate Communities
**50:47 Addressing Capital Gaps in the Climate Ecosystem

-----
Links:
**Dimitry Gershenson | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgershenson/
**Enduring Planet | https://enduringplanet.com/
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X 

Support the show

Every ClimateTech Entrepreneur needs a reliable partner for their legal needs. Why settle for less than the best? 💪🏽

Reach out to Goodwin Law today; the law firm of choice for hundreds of ClimateTech Entrepreneurs worldwide. They have you covered from funding docs to offtake contracts to IPO and M&A support. GoodwinLaw.com (and tell them CleanTechies sent you!)