Climate Cowboys

🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.

Today, we are talking to Chinmay Malaviya and Charlie Depman from Ridepanda.

Micromobility isn’t a topic we’ve chatted about recently, and with the new congestion pricing in NYC, what better time to get two industry VETERANS on the pod to chat with us about it.

In this episode, we discuss…

* Why micromobility DESERVES a better rep and demand is actually booming

* How Chinmay’s experience at Lime and foodpanda and Charlie’s experience at Bird and Scoot Networks helps them design the optimal platform for micromobility

* How they’re successfully creative with their business model to overcome adoption challenges

& More. This one is a REAL treat.

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The Guest: Chinmay Malaviya

* Chinmay is the Co-founder & CEO of Ridepanda

* Chinmay's first internship at the World Wildlife Fund ignited his passion for impactful work, leading to his role in the early Foodpanda team

* Next, at Foodpanda, he founded the Singapore and Hong Kong regions, served as their Global VP of Business Development and transitioned the company from cash to online payments in Southeast Asia

* Most recently at Lime, Chinmay was the Head of New Modalities and led experimentation into new form-factors as well as overseeing a 500 car-share pilot in Seattle

* At Lime, he was also the Head of Strategy and Planning where he led market management, expansion and supply topics

The Guest: Charlie Depman

* Charlie is the Co-founder & CTO of Ridepanda

* Charlie started off his career in China where he witnessed firsthand environmental degradation that emboldened him to work at environmental nonprofits

* There, he also saw the mobility issues in big, unsustainable cities - when he was working at NYU Shanghai, he found programming and moved to SF to pursue it further

* He joined Scoot Networks, the first to offer shared micro-mobility via smartphones, and rose to their Backend Technical Lead

* When Scoot was acquired by Bird, he worked on their New Ventures Team exploring their first foray into multimodality

The Company:

One Liner: Offering employers a turnkey benefits platform for e-bike, pedal bike, and scooter subscriptions for their employees

Ridepanda initially launched as a direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketplace for e-scooters and e-bikes but pivoted to focus on enterprise customers like Amazon, offering subscriptions and leasing for micro-mobility solutions. The pivot was driven by the need for predictable, recurring revenue and the realization that D2C was challenging due to supply chain issues and customer service complexities.

Today, Ridepanda serves major companies like Google, Intuit, and Expedia, providing an end-to-end micro-mobility solution that includes a customized employee portal, vehicle servicing, and a robust data reporting dashboard.

The company recently raised $7.5M from well-known VCs Blackhorn Ventures and Yamaha Motor Ventures to expand its operations and aims to get 100,000 employees on micro-mobility vehicles by 2026.

Enjoying the CleanTechies PodLetter? Please show your support by subscribing!

📝 Show Notes:

Topics

* 03:23 Micromobility and its Reputation

* 12:10 Employer Business Model

* 20:43 Balancing Bike Production and Consumer Choice

* 23:42 Accepting Seasonality

* 28:55 Lessons from Foodpanda

* 32:40 Transitioning to Lime and the Transportation Space

* 35:21 Designing Software for Micro-Mobility

* 46:23 Advice for Founders

Links

* Ridepanda | Chinmay Malaviya | Charlie Depman

* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas

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

Asks 👋

* We recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.

* Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know.

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)

🚨🚨🚨 Early-stage founder looking for top-tier talent - reach out to Silas, and he’ll save you hundreds of hours (and tens of thousands of dollars) with your critical searches.

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

🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, VC edition.

Today, we are talking to Jessica Burley from Planet A.

If you have not already heard about Planet A, you are in the right place because you’re about to be in the know (do people still say that? 🤔)

Some of the core items we discuss are…

* How their fund’s carry (the ‘success fee’ they make) is tied to the environmental impacts of the investments they make

* How they use LCAs (you’ll hear more about it below) in their Due Diligence process

* And perhaps most importantly to this audience, some stories of successful DeepTech founders

We get into a lot more but those are the key topics covered - enjoy! (or if you’re actually really busy, skip to the relevant time stamps)

📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack Channel

Subscribe to get more episodes with leading climate entrepreneurs (and the detailed show notes) directly in your inbox

If you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work.

The Guest: Jessica Burley

* Jessica Burley is an Investor at Planet A who got her start at the UN. Then she parlayed that into supporting a family office with impact investing.

* From there she ended up at Planet A given her passion for the climate space and her focus on continuing to build network.

* It’s worth pointing out that she doesn’t have an environmental studies education. Which, I hope will give confidence to all the folks worried they won’t be able to land a DeepTech VC role. It’s very possible and Jessica is proof.

The VC: Planet A

One Liner: Investing in DeepTech ClimateTech startups and tying their carry to the environmental outcomes.

Yes, you jsut read that right. They don’t make money unless they can actually invest in companies that remove carbon from the earth and help solve the climate problem.

To achieve this, they perform life cycle analyais on how much carbon will be removed by the products their tentative portfolio companies. This is even more dificult when you consider that a lot of their investmetns are at the earliest stages where there is not a product to fully test.

It’s a fascinating problem and one that needs solving since there are not enough early stage deeptech VCs investing in solving climate change.

Enjoying the CleanTechies PodLetter? Please show your support by subscribing!

📝 Show Notes:

Topics

* 1:29 Introduction and Background

* 2:22 The Role of Life Cycle Assessments in Investing

* 8:44 Article 9 and the European Regulatory Landscape

* 10:27 Interest in Climate Tech Investing Outside of Europe

* 12:54 The Increasing Pace of Climate Tech Innovation

* 13:33 Jess's Journey to Climate Tech Investing

* 17:35 Transitioning from a Small Fund to a Larger Fund

* 21:43 The Role of Brand and Value in Climate Tech Investing

* 24:44 Sector Expertise and Operational Support in Investing

* 26:23 Geothermal Drilling for Renewable Heating

* 28:46 Investment Opportunities in Climate Tech

* 30:45 The Hardware Playbook: Investing in Hardware Startups

* 42:53 The German Climate Tech Ecosystem

* 49:18 Building Genuine Relationships in the Climate Tech Ecosystem

* 51:34 Takeaways

* Evaluating Life Cycle Assessment in Investment Decisions

* The Importance of the Hardware Playbook in the Investment Ecosystem

* De-risking Talent in Startups

Links

* Planet A | Jessica Burley

* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas

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

Asks 👋

* We recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear how we can improve the show and what you like most.

* Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know.

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)

🚨🚨🚨 Early-stage founder looking for top-tier talent - reach out to Silas, and he’ll save you hundreds of hours (and tens of thousands of dollars) with your critical searches.

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

What if Investors Only Made Money if they *actually* helped save the planet?

Welp... folks, we have the show for you because that's exactly what Planet A is doing.

Somil and Silas speak with Jessica Burley, a Berlin-based investor at the fund.

On top of learning how they are *actually* walking the talk, we found out how they use Carbon Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) in their investing due diligence process.

Tune in to get the whole thing today! 🌱🌎

---
🌎 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:
**01:29 Introduction and Background
**02:22 The Role of Life Cycle Assessments in Investing
**8:44 Article 9 and the European Regulatory Landscape
**10:27 Interest in Climate Tech Investing Outside of Europe
**12:54 The Increasing Pace of Climate Tech Innovation
**13:33 Jess's Journey to Climate Tech Investing
**17:35 Transitioning from a Small Fund to a Larger Fund21:43 The Role of Brand and **Value in Climate Tech Investing
**24:44 Sector Expertise and Operational Support in Investing
**26:23 Geothermal Drilling for Renewable Heating
**28:46 Investment Opportunities in Climate Tech
**30:45 The Hardware Playbook: Investing in Hardware Startups
**42:53 The German Climate Tech Ecosystem
**49:18 Building Genuine Relationships in the Climate Tech Ecosystem
**51:34 Takeaways
--- Evaluating Life Cycle Assessment in Investment Decisions
--- The Importance of the Hardware Playbook in the Investment Ecosystem
--- De-risking Talent in Startups

-----
Links:
**Jessica Burley | Planet A
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X 

Support the show

If you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less.

• 70+ Placements
• 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech)
• The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary)
• 90-day placement guarantee

It's really hard to say no to that.

Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company.

We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank.

Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. [email protected]

🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, SPECIAL EP edition 🚨

Today, we’re breaking down the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. 🔎

To do that, we are talking to Franz Hochstrasser from S2 Strategies & Raise Green

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) is a generational government program deploying $27B into clean energy projects across the US. But what is the bill really?

Franz Hochstrasser is an expert in financing projects in low-income areas and has a wealth of experience working on climate for the government - both of which are KEY for GGRF.

Franz started his career “giving his 20s” to the government, and with that doing some amazing work as the Special Advisor to the Special Envoy for Climate Change, Deputy Associate Director at the Council of Environmental Quality, and at the USDA.

Since then, Franz founded Raise Green where he democratizes the ability to invest in climate solution projects. Through this, he is an expert in sustainable finance for inclusive growth and financing projects for low-income residents.

He joined S2 Strategies to navigate GGRF and other landmark legislative movements. And it was an absolute blast to have him on.

📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack Channel

Subscribe to get these episodes and show notes directly in your inbox - if you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work.

📝 Show Notes:

Topics

* 01:55 Introduction and Background of Franz Hochstrasser  

* 03:43 Understanding the GGRF

* 06:39 The Structure of the GGRF

* 08:54 Role of Green Banks in Climate Finance  

* 13:32 Franz's Experience with the Obama Administration and the Paris Agreement  

* 20:52 Community-Driven Financing and Raise Green  

* 27:16 Impact of GGRF on Vulnerable and Low-Income Communities  

* 31:06 Stories of Successful Community Solar and Green Projects

Links

* Franz Hochstrasser | S2 Strategies | Raise Green

* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas

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

Enjoy the content but unable to support financially? Share the episode with your network and mention your favorite aspect of the show. 🙏

Asks 👋

* We have recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear from you how we can improve the show and what you like most. Please take 7 minutes to help us with this. It’s 7 minutes for you, but it makes a huge impact on how we can serve you.

* Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know.

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!

Somil chats with Vivas Kumar, CEO of Mitra Chem,  the first lithium-ion battery materials manufacturer focused on shortening the lab-to-production timeline by over 90%, addressing the largest barrier to innovation: R&D and scale-up speed.

Vivas was a phenomenal orator and if you take a second to learn about Mitra Chem, it’s easy to see why. By combining their knowledge of iron-based cathodes with an AI and data enhanced production capacity, they are able to manufacture quicker and more reliably than many of their competitors. 

As always, thanks so much for listening and enjoy the episode!

---
🌎 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:
**04:18 Starting as an Entrepreneur
**06:41 Near-Shoring
**10:18 Transitioning to Iron-Based Materials
**11:00 Trends and Challenges with Nickel, Cobalt, and Lithium
**14:49 Working at Benchmark's Mineral Intelligence Group
**24:50 Financing and Business Models in Climate Solutions
**27:32 Adapting Technology for Local Context
**31:31 Shifting from Innovation to Supply Chain
**35:13 Integration of AI and Automation in Production
**41:41 Longevity and Outlasting Competition
**44:08 Reducing Organizational Costs
**43:21 Finding the Right People
**45:23 The Importance of Curiosity and Motivation
**47:54 Takeaways

-----
Links:
**Vivas Kumar | Mitra Chem
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X 

Support the show

If you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less.

• 70+ Placements
• 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech)
• The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary)
• 90-day placement guarantee

It's really hard to say no to that.

Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company.

We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank.

Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. [email protected]

🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.

Today, we are talking to Vivas Kumar from Mitra Chem

In today’s conversation, we discuss…

* How iron-based materials have a more sustainable and reliable future

* What Vivas learned from negotiations at Tesla

* How AI is 10x’ing their production process

& More. Enjoy today’s episode, and let us know your thoughts in the comments

Subscribe to get more episodes with leading climate entrepreneurs (and the detailed show notes) directly in your inbox

If you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work.

📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack Channel

The Guest: Vivas Kumar

Vivas Kumar is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mitra Chem, the first lithium-ion battery materials manufacturer focused on shortening the lab-to-production timeline by over 90%, addressing the largest barrier to innovation: R&D and scale-up speed.

Previously, Vivas was a senior manager in Tesla's Battery Team, where he was the lead commercial negotiator for strategic contracts representing billions of dollars in aggregate multi-year spend along the battery materials supply chain (the company's largest BOM category). Throughout his career, he has conducted commercial negotiations and handled partnerships with executive and senior government counterparties in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.

Vivas earned degrees in engineering at Rice University, and an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is still actively involved at Rice University via mentoring students and, formerly through Board participation at the Rice Engineering Alumni and Association of Rice Alumni.

The Startup: Mitra Chem

Iron-based Cathodes, Onshoring, AI, Production

One-liner: the first lithium-ion battery materials product company focused on shortening the lab-to-production timeline by over 90%, addressing the largest barrier to innovation: R&D and scale-up speed

Mitra Chem is a company focused on 3 problems:

* Shifting the Western electric vehicle and energy storage industries' battery portfolio towards better, safer, cheaper iron-based battery cathodes

* Building production capacity in the USA to offset production asset overconcentration in China

* Accelerating by >90% the lab-to-market timeline for a portfolio of battery materials through a proprietary machine learning advantage

Enjoy the content but unable to support financially? Share the episode with your network and mention your favorite aspect of the show. 🙏

📝 Show Notes:

Topics

* 04:18 Starting as an Entrepreneur

* 06:41 Near-Shoring

* 10:18 Transitioning to Iron-Based Materials

* 11:00 Trends and Challenges with Nickel, Cobalt, and Lithium

* 14:49 Working at Benchmark's Mineral Intelligence Group

* 24:50 Financing and Business Models in Climate Solutions

* 27:32 Adapting Technology for Local Context

* 31:31 Shifting from Innovation to Supply Chain

* 35:13 Integration of AI and Automation in Production

* 41:41 Longevity and Outlasting Competition

* 44:08 Reducing Organizational Costs

* 43:21 Finding the Right People

* 45:23 The Importance of Curiosity and Motivation

* 47:54 Takeaways

Links

* Vivas Kumar | Mitra Chem

* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas

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

Asks 👋

* We have recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear from you how we can improve the show and what you like most. Please take 7 minutes to help us with this. It’s 7 minutes for you, but it makes a huge impact on how we can serve you.

* Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know.

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!

🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.

Today, we are talking to Josh Knauer from ReSeed

In today’s conversation, we discuss…

* Why regenerative ag is the best form of carbon capture

* How Josh is building both the technology and a global protocol to support their methodology

* What’s worked with them collaborating with smallholder farmers

& More. Enjoy today’s episode, and let us know your thoughts in the comments

📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack Channel

Subscribe to get these episodes and show notes directly in your inbox - if you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work.

Already a subscriber? Join our Patreon to support the show by becoming a patron! 🙏

The Guest: Josh Knauer

Josh is the Co-Founder of ReSeed, creating premium carbon assets that directly compensate farmers globally for drawing down carbon.

Josh has gone from deep in the Amazon rainforest and across the African Savanna to help indigenous tribes implement business strategies to protect their land and culture, to the board rooms of Fortune 100 companies, and startups, universities and non-profits in between. President Barack Obama asked him to join the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to help think through and implement open data initiatives throughout the federal government.He is also a serial tech entrepreneur, two companies of which were acquired by publicly traded companies.He has served on a wide range of local, national and international non-profit boards, including the Social Venture Network and WQED Multimedia. He also has been a frequent speaker at events like SXSW, AdWeek, the International Television Festival and many universities.

The Startup: ReSeed

Carbon Credits, Regenerative Agriculture, Smallholder Farms

One-liner: creating carbon assets that directly compensate farmers globally for drawing down carbon

ReSeed brings carbon credits directly from farmers to the market. They are an end-to-end platform that incentivizes farmers to protect and remove carbon. Their unique business partnership with farmers helps combat climate change at scale.

They believe that:

* There is still a viable window of time to solve the climate crisis

* Market forces can inspire billions of people and companies to participate in reversing climate change

* An auditable, transparent and trustworthy data ecosystem is critical to make these changes happen

Their vision is that soon, growing food will be recognized as essential to restoring the ecosystems that sustain us; farmers’ contributions to the health of the planet will be justly valued, and climate change can be stopped and reversed.

Enjoy the content but unable to support financially? Share the episode with your network and mention your favorite aspect of the show. 🙏

📝 Show Notes:

Topics

* 03:12 ReSeed

* 06:35 Engaging with Farmers through Local NGOs

* 08:03 Process of Onboarding Farmers and Issuing Credits

* 11:23 Stabilizing Farmers on the Land

* 30:07 Partnering with Farmers as Business Partners

* 33:40 Photosynthesis as Carbon Capture

* 35:42 The Trading Desk and Receipt Marketplace

* 40:53 Maintaining the Highest Integrity Carbon Credits

* 48:25 Announcing Partnership at COP28

* 51:43 Investing in Nature-Based Solutions

* 56:35 Takeaways

Links

* Josh Knauer | ReSeed

* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas

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

Asks 👋

* We have recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear from you how we can improve the show and what you like most. Please take 7 minutes to help us with this. It’s 7 minutes for you, but it makes a huge impact on how we can serve you.

* Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know.

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!

🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.

Today, we are talking to Tom Gauthier from AgTechLogic.

Heya! 👋 Welcome back to the pod — We’ve got a blooming episode to share with you today. We hope you’re eating something while you listen today. Here’s why…

What AgTechLogic is doing has a massive impact on reducing the use of herbicides on crops. If you’re eating something, chances are it, or many of its ingredients had a hefty dose of herbicides.

At the root of our discussion, we want to shine some light on three stems of thought.

* The mind-boggling amount of chemicals used in food production today and how we have the ability to fix that today.

* How this technology saves growers / farmers hundreds of hours per year, tons (literally) of water, and of course — will also save them a shed load of cash.

* The importance of crafting an offer that your customer can implement.

Enjoy the episode, and let us know in what ways you grow through listening (have we hit enough puns yet 🤣 🌱)

📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack Channel

Subscribe to get these episodes and show notes directly in your inbox - if you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work.

Already a subscriber? Join our Patreon to support the show by becoming a patron! 🙏

The Guest: Tom Gauthier

Tom is the Founder and CEO at AgTechLogic where they are reducing herbicide use by up to 90%, saving farmers days of time each year, and substantially reducing waterusage by retrofitting farming equipment with precision sprayers powered by computer vision.

After his time in the Army, Tom went on to have a long career in IT within CPG brands including P&G.

Eventually he shifted into consulting and drifted towards the agricutlure space.

Fast forward to 2018 and a chance conversation with an agronomist would set him on the path of founding AgTechLogic.

The Startup: AgTechLogic

AgTech, IoT, Retrofits, Water Efficiency

One-liner: making produce healthier and saving farmers time, money, and water by retrofitting spraying equipment.

In 2018, he connected with an agronomist who was a fellow boy scout parent, and their shared interest in the agriculture space would take root into a new mission for Tom—founding AgTechLogic.

Through Tom’s expertise, and this Agronomist’s network, they soon had plenty of conversations to understand the problem—the first step in building a solution.

Fast forward to present day (2024) they have completed a large scale demonstration with a grower in California. The results have demonstrated a savings of over $2,500 per day in chemical savings. This doesn’t even account for the dollar value of the time they save by taking fewer trips to the field or the cost of water. This is soley their savings from having to purchase fewer chemicals.

Using computer vision, their sensors identify weeds and only spray them, reducing usage and ‘overspray’ onto the produce. This has an added affect of preventing mutation of plants to become more resistant to agri-chemicals.

Nothing AgTechLogic is doing is dull—What is there not to love? Saving money. Saving water. Reducing harmful chemical usage. Saving time. And most importantly, saving the planet. 🌎

Enjoy the content but unable to support financially? Share the episode with your network and mention your favorite aspect of the show. 🙏

📝 Show Notes:

Topics

Busy? Jump to the topic that stands out most!

* 01:13 Introduction and Overview

* 01:43 Reducing Chemical Overuse in Agriculture

* 07:36 Validation and Early Discoveries

* 11:11 Market Research and Initial Trials

* 15:37 Concerns about Herbicide Usage

* 20:34 Case Studies and Cost Savings

* 24:04 Objections and Early Adoption

* 24:57 Reducing Water Usage and Regrowth

* 26:09 Building Trust and Landing the First Pilot

* 28:54 Entrepreneurship Later in Career

* 32:07 Collecting New Data

* 35:40 IP and Moat

* 37:38 Funding Journey

* 41:03 Responsible Growth

* 42:55 Future Plans and Getting the Message Out

* 45:48 Reaching Out and Educating Farmers

* 47:54 Takeaways

Links

* Tom Gauthier | AgTechLogic

* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas

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

Asks 👋

* Have you ever been asked to fill out a survey after getting dinner? Of course, you have—we all have been there. What a feeling—when the waiter did a great job, and you can tell this survey means a LOT to them… you can’t help but endure the inconvenience of filling it out when you get home. We might not be waiters, but we do really need your feedback. Of course, we are not asking you to rate our cooking skills but rather the experience of listening to this podcast. Over 8 hours go into producing each of these episodes across the two of us (yea… don’t ask us to hang out on a Saturday) — All the feedback you offer will help us ensure we spend those 8 hours in a way that is most valuable for you as a loyal listener. So, what do you say? Be a gem and fill out our listener survey. It takes ~7 min and means the world to us.

* Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know.

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: If you’re a ClimateTech founder looking to hire top talent but don’t like the cost of headhunters… reach out. For a fraction of the cost of traditional headhunters, I’ll help you find top talent for your ClimateTech startup. (booking here)

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

Each year, about 1 billion pounds of chemicals are sprayed on crops in the US alone - globally, that number is around 5.6 billion.

Our guest today is AgTechLogic, and they are solving this problem.

They do this by helping Farmers retrofit their existing machinery with precision sprayers that use computer vision to identify weeds and spray only on the weeds in a concentrated way that kills the weeds and won't overlap with the crops.

Today, nearly all farmers use broadcast spraying, or spraying everything. By implementing this tech, farmers can save a lot of money and produce healthier produce.

Let's get into it. 🌱🌎

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Topics:
**1:13 Introduction and Overview
**1:43 Reducing Chemical Overuse in Agriculture
**7:36 Validation and Early Discoveries
**11:11 Market Research and Initial Trials
**15:37 Concerns about Herbicide Usage
**20:34Case Studies and Cost Savings
**24:04 Objections and Early Adoption
**24:57 Reducing Water Usage and Regrowth
**26:09 Building Trust and Landing the First Pilot
**28:54 Entrepreneurship Later in Career
**32:07 Collecting New Data
**35:40 IP and Moat
**37:38 Funding Journey
**41:03 Responsible Growth
**42:55 Future Plans and Getting the Message Out
**45:48 Reaching Out and Educating Farmers
**47:54 Takeaways

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Links:
**Tom Gauthier | AgTechLogic
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn
**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X 

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🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition.

Today, we are talking to Adam Saghei from WeRecycleSolar.

Having a serial entrepreneur on was a ton of fun because he has picked up the tools over and over again until he’s gotten to this point.

In today’s conversation, we discuss a LOT, but some of the notable things are…

* The real lifespan of solar panels (vs the forecasted lifespan)

* How they are partnering with OEMs to improve the design with end-of-life in mind

* And something that sounds way too cool… Urban Mining

Enjoy today’s episode, and let us know your thoughts in the comments

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The Guest: Adam Saghei

Adam is the Founder and CEO at WeRecycleSolar, a company doing… you guess it - solar panel recycling.

Adam has always been an entrepreneur from the earliest days. Eventually, he built a successful business disposing of electronics in line with cyber security best practices.

Coming into 2020, they started to get more and more requests to dispose of solar panels.

That’s when they bet the farm on a hard pivot to serve that space exclusively.

In 2024 they are aiming to process 500k panels

The Startup: WeRecycleSolar

Solar Panel Recycling / Disposal, Circularity, Supply Chain

One-liner: refurbishing and recycling solar panels to increase the circularity of the industry.

Born out of Takovery Inc in 2020, WeRecycleSolar is now taking in solar panels and refurbishing them to sell into the secondary market or breadking down the panels to sell these materials into other supply chains.

Often solar panels are replace or upgraded early to increase the return for the investors on these solar farms. Since the panels still have life, WRS helps companies refurbish them and sell them at a discout to secondary markets where they desperatly need solar instalations.

In many cases, the panels are damaged or fully used up. They help breakdown these materials to get them to other supply chains. In the future, when the volume is high enough, we are likely to see a circular supply chain for the PV panel manufacturing spce.

Because of their experience at the end of life, WRS is able to work closely with OEMs to improve how they make things so these products become more circular in nature, and can be disasembled more easily in future iterations of the produt.

Enjoy the content but unable to support financially? Share the episode with your network and mention your favorite aspect of the show. 🙏

📝 Show Notes:

Topics

* 01:34 Intro and Background

* 03:15 The Problem of End-of-Life Solar Panels

* 08:52 Financial Implications of Shorter Lifespan

* 13:33 Recycling and Refurbishing Panels

* 16:21 Reusing Materials in the Supply Chain

* 21:06 Origins of We Recycle Solar

* 23:29 Introduction to Returns Management Programs

* 24:28 Starting the Refurbishing and Recycling Process

* 25:32 Pivoting to a New Business Model

* 26:44 Entrepreneurial Mindset and Taking Risks

* 28:14 Scaling the Business and Future Growth

* 30:51 Technology and Innovation in Recycling Processes

* 31:38 Intellectual Property and Strategic Components

* 32:34 Business Model and Potential Partnerships

* 35:54 Current Scale and Future Goals

* 38:24 Roadblocks and Challenges

* 39:15 Funding and Bootstrapping the Business

* 40:54 Acquiring Talent and Building Culture

* 43:38 Supporting the Future of the Industry

* 49:29 Takeaways

Links

* Adam Saghei | WeRecycleSolar

* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas

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

Asks 👋

* We have recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear from you how we can improve the show and what you like most. Please take 7 minutes to help us with this. It’s 7 minutes for you, but it makes a huge impact on how we can serve you.

* Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know.

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!