Climate Cowboys

Today we speak with Ran Roth, the Co-Founder and CTO of Sensibo, an IoT device company that connects your AC units to various services to help you use your AC unit more efficiently.

Ran started with a tech background, focused on data and with his co-founder, decided he wanted to start a business. They didn't specifically focus on climate, but did want to do something good for the world.

Of course, as implied, they eventually ended up building a ClimateTech company.

In today's conversation, we discuss how they got started, their experience raising funds back in wake of the death of CleanTech 1.0, and the future of indoor climate control.

Punchy episode with a lot of great content.

Enjoy the Episode! 🌎

📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.

📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter.

Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5

-----

Topics:

**1:07 Intro

**2:43 How he got into Sensibo

**6:56 Stats: 1/3 of energy goes into heating and cooling globally

**12:30 How the tech works

**17:21 How they started

**19:48 Going from software to hardware

**22:23 When they took off & the funding process

**26:21 Financial Model

**28:57 Advice for Utility Partnerships

**31:54 Indoor climate / air quality & health

**34:36 Talent

**37:00 Future of indoor climate control

**39:58n Final thoughts

Links:

**Ran on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ran-roth/

**Sensibo Website: https://sensibo.com/pages/smartac-usa

**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners:

https://www.next-wavepartners.com/

**Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/email

**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/

**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner

-----

Other episodes you might enjoy:

**Most Recent Episode: Extracting Precious Metals from Catalytic Converters to Solve Climate Change w/ Greg Pendura (Regenx)

**Similar Topic Episode: Electrifying Homes, Home Air-Quality & Health, Merging Blue & White Collar Talent w/ DR Richardson (Elephant Energy)

**Something Totally Different: How CorporateVCs are Playing a role in the Climate Revolution w/ Erik Terjesen (Silicon Foundry)

Today we speak with Ran Roth, the Co-Founder and CTO of Sensibo, an IoT device company that connects your AC units to various services to help you use your AC unit more efficiently.

In today's conversation, we discuss how they got started, their experience raising funds back in the wake of the death of CleanTech 1.0, and the future of indoor climate control.

Punchy episode with a lot of great content.

Enjoy the Episode! 🌎

📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.
📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter.
Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel.

-----
Topics:
**1:07 Intro
**2:43 How he got into Sensibo
**6:56 Stats: 1/3 of energy goes into heating and cooling globally
**12:30 How the tech works
**17:21 How they started
**19:48 Going from software to hardware
**22:23 When they took off & the funding process
**26:21 Financial Model
**28:57 Advice for Utility Partnerships
**31:54 Indoor climate/air quality & health
**34:36 Talent
**37:00 Future of indoor climate control
**39:58 Final thoughts

-----
Links:
**Ran on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ran-roth/
**Sensibo Website: https://sensibo.com/pages/smartac-usa
**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners:
**Join the Slack Channel: 
**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn:
**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner

-----
Other episodes you might enjoy:
**Most Recent Episode: Extracting Precious Metals from Catalytic Converters to Solve Climate Change w/ Greg Pendura (Regenx)
**Similar Topic Episode: Electrifying Homes, Home Air-Quality & Health, Merging Blue & White Collar Talent w/ DR Richardson (Elephant Energy)
**Something Totally Different: How CorporateVCs are Playing a role in the Climate Revolution w/ Erik Terjesen (Silicon Foundry)

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]

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks with the CEO of publicly traded, Regenx, Greg Pendura. Regenx is a metals recycling company recovering precious metals from catalytic converters and selling it on the market or providing the service directly to OEMs.

Greg explains the problem they are solving, how they are solving it, the back story of the company, how they funded the project, and where he sees the future going.

If you dream of a future where everything can be broken down and made into either the same or another product, this is a great episode for you.

Enjoy the Episode! 🌎

📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.

📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter.

Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5

-----

Topics:

**1:19 Intro to Greg

**6:03 The Problem

**14:38 The Solution

**17:14 Offtake of the Materials

**21:39 Total Recovery

**24:28 Business Model

**34:22 The R&D Process

**38:58 Funding

**50:54Final Thoughts

-----

Links:

**Connect with Greg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-pendura-301bb01b1/

**Regenx Website:

https://www.regenx.tech/

**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners:

https://www.next-wavepartners.com/

**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/

**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner

-----

Other episodes you might enjoy:

From 30% to 90% Li Recovery, Founding a ClimateTech Co, & Talent Moat w/ Teague Egan (EnergyX)

Mineral Availability, Sustainable Mining, & ClimateTech Supply Chain Challenges w/ Nick Rohleder

Endings, Endineering, Circular Economy, & the Customer Experience w/ Joe Macleod

The Future of Clean Energy, Materials/Mfg, & the Circular Economy with Author, Peter Leyden

Cleaning up Steel Production with Boston Metal's Adam Rauwerdink

In this episode Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks with Andreas Lehner (@lehner_a) about what he's doing with his new company PowerBlocks to capture methane that is just being flared, using that energy to power data centers or bitcoin mining, how he got interested in Climate, how to build an MVP with a hardware business, a short discussion around AI and the energy grid, and how he stays focused on one thing at a time.Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter.Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5

-----Topics:**1:19 What he's doing today and his backstory.**19:47 Bitcoin & Climate Compatibility.**25:50 How to win a pilot project?**31:27 How they finance the projects.**34:28 Should AI be allowed to touch the energy grid?**43:44 What is their funding mostly used for?-----Links:[email protected]Connect with Andreas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lehnerandreas/PowerBlocks Website:

https://powerblocks.co/

Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners:

https://www.next-wavepartners.com/

Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner-----Other episodes you might enjoy:#74 Utilizing Carbon in Everyday Products w/ Aaron Fitzgerald of Mars Materials#83 From 30% to 90% Li Recovery, Founding a ClimateTech Co, & Talent Moat w/ Teague Egan (EnergyX)#2 Reimagining Carbon as a Useful Product w/ Apoorv Sinha (Carbon Upcycling Technologies)

Support the show

In this episode Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks with Andreas Lehner (@lehner_a) about what he's doing with his new company PowerBlocks to capture methane that is just being flared, using that energy to power data centers or bitcoin mining, how he got interested in Climate, how to build an MVP with a hardware business, a short discussion around AI and the energy grid, and how he stays focused on one thing at a time.

Enjoy the Episode! 🌎

📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.

📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter.

Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5

-----
Topics:
**1:19 What he's doing today and his backstory.
**19:47 Bitcoin & Climate Compatibility.
**25:50 How to win a pilot project?
**31:27 How they finance the projects.
**34:28 Should AI be allowed to touch the energy grid?
**43:44 What is their funding mostly used for?

-----
Links:
[email protected]
Connect with Andreas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lehnerandreas/
PowerBlocks Website: https://powerblocks.co/
Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/
Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/
HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner

-----
Other episodes you might enjoy:
#74 Utilizing Carbon in Everyday Products w/ Aaron Fitzgerald of Mars Materials
#83 From 30% to 90% Li Recovery, Founding a ClimateTech Co, & Talent Moat w/ Teague Egan (EnergyX)
#2 Reimagining Carbon as a Useful Product w/ Apoorv Sinha (Carbon Upcycling Technologies)

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]

Today we have a really energetic (no pun intended) conversation with Andy Frank, the founder of Sealed.They are an energy efficiency company that pays for home infrastructure upgrades and then gets paid back over time by their customer. The more efficiency they produce, the more they make which creates a great incentive structure.We discussed a lot but the best part for me was going through how he built the company from an idea, to an MVP, and eventually to a very robust and successful business.The most impactful advice he shared was about speaking with your customers to understand what they need and what they will buy. There is a lot of other advice in there, but that was the most impactful thing on their success.Enjoy the Episode! 🌎📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter.Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5

-----Topics:(2:03) Andy's Climate Journey(7:12) Early Career & Finding his clarity of Purpose(12:15) The initial seed of Sealed(16:27) What Sealed Does(29:28) Raising money initially(33:49) Real proof & the Business taking off(44:37) Getting the real funding(46:47) Fundraising from different people(49:28) Future view(54:45) IRA Homes Program(59:17) Talent-----Links:Connect with Andy: Check out Sealed: Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/Join the Slack Channel: Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks with Anas Al Kassas the founder and CEO of INOVUES where they are helping solve heat loss for buildings. Their tech is essentially a retrofit solution to single-pane glass that can be achieved at scale.

They are also partnering with other companies such as solar glass and tinting services to act as a platform for them to sell their tech.

The key things in this conversation are 1) how their tech works 2) how he got started and the process of going through accelerators and getting the initial round of funding, 3) how the IP process works and his experience there, and 4) how they are using creative financing models to remove the friction from buying.

Enjoy the Episode! 🌎

📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.

📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter.

Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5

-----

Topics:

(00:17) Intro & how he got the Idea for the Tech

(10:00) What INOVUES doing

(13:30) How their tech works

(19:30) How they. get the glass installed at scale

(24:00) Building the business & funding

(35:30) IP, the Process, and Learnings

(40:45) Universities and IP

(43:00) Funding the business continued

(47:45) Managing partnerships

(53:00) Financing options to their clients

(56:00) Final thoughts

-----

Links:

Connect with Anas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anaskassas/

Inovues Website:

https://www.inovues.com/

Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners:

https://www.next-wavepartners.com/

Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/email

Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/

HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner

__________

We are proud to continue working with NextWave as our official show sponsor for this podcast. NextWave and all of its staff are highly motivated to advance the ClimateTech revolution and are constantly innovating ways that they can help affect that transition. From experts in the talent space to ESG experts, NextWave is taking on Climate and Social responsibility head-on and helping companies build great cultures that not only make the world a better place but also increase workplace satisfaction. Reach out to NextWave Partners today to learn more about how we might partner with you today.

https://www.next-wavepartners.com/

/ [email protected]

Today we have a really energetic (no pun intended) conversation with Andy Frank, the founder of Sealed.

They are an energy efficiency company that pays for home infrastructure upgrades and then gets paid back over time by their customer. The more efficiency they produce, the more they make which creates a great incentive structure.

We discussed a lot but the best part for me was going through how he built the company from an idea, to an MVP, and eventually to a very robust and successful business.

The most impactful advice he shared was about speaking with your customers to understand what they need and what they will buy. There is a lot of other advice in there, but that was the most impactful thing on their success.

Enjoy the Episode! 🌎

📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.

📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter.

Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5

-----
Topics:
(2:03) Andy's Climate Journey
(7:12) Early Career & Finding his clarity of Purpose
(12:15) The initial seed of Sealed
(16:27) What Sealed Does
(29:28) Raising money initially
(33:49) Real proof & the Business taking off
(44:37) Getting the real funding
(46:47) Fundraising from different people
(49:28) Future view
(54:45) IRA Homes Program
(59:17) Talent
-----

Links:
Connect with Andy: 
Check out Sealed: 
Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/
Join the Slack Channel: 
Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: 
HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner

-----
Other episodes you might enjoy:
#16 Using all the CaCao Plant with Shannon Neumann from CaPao
#58 The Future of Clean Energy, Materials/Mfg, & the Circular Economy with Author, Peter Leyden
#57 Soap, Carbon Capture, Boilers, and

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]

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) speaks with Anas Al Kassas the founder and CEO of INOVUES where they are helping solve heat loss for buildings. Their tech is essentially a retrofit solution to single-pane glass that can be achieved at scale.

They are also partnering with other companies such as solar glass and tinting services to act as a platform for them to sell their tech.

The key things in this conversation are 1) how their tech works 2) how he got started and the process of going through accelerators and getting the initial round of funding, 3) how the IP process works and his experience there, and 4) how they are using creative financing models to remove the friction from buying.

Enjoy the Episode! 🌎

📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.

📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter.

Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://tinyurl.com/mwkn8zk5

----- 

Topics:
(00:17) Intro & how he got the Idea for the Tech
(10:00) What INOVUES doing
(13:30) How their tech works
(19:30) How they. get the glass installed at scale
(24:00) Building the business & funding
(35:30) IP, the Process, and Learnings
(40:45) Universities and IP
(43:00) Funding the business continued
(47:45) Managing partnerships
(53:00) Financing options to their clients
(56:00) Final thoughts

-----

Links:
Connect with Anas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anaskassas/
Inovues Website: https://www.inovues.com/
Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners: https://www.next-wavepartners.com/
Join the Slack Channel:  https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/email
Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/

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]

Today we had a really fun, but also impactful, and very transparent conversation, one that is slightly different than a lot of the guests we've had on. Someone who is a lot earlier in her journey of building her company.

I wanted to have her on as an opportunity to showcase the life of someone deep in the grind of building their startup with the hope to one day make a massive impact on climate change. There are so many startup founders out there in the midst of building their projects. And certainly, there can be moments of doubt and uncertainty. We wanted to have today's episode to show you that you're not alone - you're not the only one with those feelings of uncertainty and insecurity. Hopefully, it's a bit of encouragement and grounding to reality so you remember that nothing is perfect - and everyone is out there figuring it out.

Today's episode is with Alina Liu who is the founder of Disco, a Chrome extension that shows a re-sale option for the product you're currently looking at.

I encourage you to reach out to Alina and connect with her. To any founders listening, it's important that you all support each other so we can help solve climate change together.

Enjoy the Episode! 🌎

📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube.

📫 Interested in written summaries and takeaways from the episode? Subscribe to the newsletter.

Want to be part of the community and engage further? Check out the Slack Channel. https://cleantechies.slack.com/join/shared_invite/zt-pd2drz6d-N~9nURU5JlyMXv2ZiO5bAQ#/shared-invite/email

-----

Topics:

**1:42 Intro and backstory

**3:10 Going from big-ish tech to founding a climate startup

**13:40 Building the company and getting started

**18:12 Advice to others starting out

**22:05 Starting Disco

**27:00 How to Maintain Mental Energy

**29:10 Raising from Friends and Family

**35:24 Experience as a solo female-founder

**38:49 Future, Excitement, and Closing Thoughts

-----

Links:

**Connect with Alina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinacliu/

**Get Disco:

https://www.usedisco.io/

**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners:

https://www.next-wavepartners.com/

**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-techies/

**HMU on Twitter: @silasmahner

-----

Other episodes you might enjoy:

**#23 ClimateTech VC Investing w/ Heidi Lindvall (Pale Blue Dot)

**#74 Utilizing Carbon in Everyday Products w/ Aaron Fitzgerald of Mars Materials

**#83 From 30% to 90% Li Recovery, Founding a ClimateTech Co, & Talent Moat w/ Teague Egan (EnergyX)

**#2 Reimagining Carbon as a Useful Product w/ Apoorv Sinha (Carbon Upcycling Technologies)