Climate Cowboys

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The HackSummit returns to Newlab on December 10-11, bringing together 500 founders, funders, and industry leaders in Climate Deep Tech. Together we’ll explore abundance, alongside Founders and Investors at Andreessen Horowitz, Brimstone, Crux, DCVC, Durin, Earth AI, Endolith, Navier, Radical AI, Rainmaker, Voyager Ventures and SOSV. Sign up for 10% off here.

Silas here! 👋 Before we jump into today’s episode, quick shoutout to Goodwin Law, CSC Leasing, and ErthTech Talent, the backbone behind our CleanTechies Live Podcast at Climate Week. (If you haven’t listened to that yet, check it out first — I’ll be referencing it a lot in this recap.)

Quick plug: We also caught a bunch of raw takes from founders and investors between panels and events through candid man on the street interviews you’ll definitely want to see.

I’ve finally had some time to process New York Climate Week. This solo episode is part recap, part reflection, but more importantly, it’s my honest take on where we are as a space and why I’m more bullish than ever on clean tech, and here are some of the things that stood out: I’ve never seen founders and investors this locked in.

Everyone there was focused, sharp, and hungry. It honestly felt different this year, like the movement finally grew up.

Let me walk you through it.

Over the past year-ish, people have been asking:

“Is the hype gone?”

“Will funding drying up?”

“Is the climate space cooling off?”

What I saw at Climate Week says the exact opposite.

Now is the best time to build if you’re a founder.

In this episode, I break it down into a few key reasons, but before you dive in, chew on this:

“When things get harder, only the best founders stay at the party.”

The hype-cycle might be over, but that’s because we’re entering a much more mature version of the movement.

So stick around for the mission.P.S. CleanTechies, we have some exciting news for you in the coming weeks/months, so be sure to stick around for that.

Check Out Our Sponsor!

ErthTech Talent: Affordable CleanTech Search Firm

To build a successful CleanTech startup, you need the right people. Affordable: Our search fee is 12-15% of first-year base salary (most charge 25-30%).Specialized: We ONLY work with CleanTech startups. Proven: 70+ placements since 2020 (Aypa Power, ChargeScape, QCells, & more).

Save time and money when you work with ErthTech Talent. Plus, Silas runs it, so you already know him. — Reach out today and tell him you saw this ad.

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

📝 Show Notes:

Topics

00:00 – Intro and Sponsor Shoutouts

02:35 – Energy Recap of Climate Week 2024

Why this year felt “different” — investors and founders were laser-focused, no fluff, no tourists.

04:55 – From Insecurity to Certainty

How the climate space matured — no longer driven by hype, but grounded in conviction and real results.

06:10 – Oil, Defense, and Climate Tech?

A fascinating shift, former “outcasts” from oil and defense now welcome in clean tech spaces, blending worlds for impact.

07:13 – Inside the Climate Capital Summit

One of my personal favorites event this year— a reunion of world-class founders and investors

09:40 – Founders More Bullish Than Ever

The main-character energy is real — the best founders are staying in the game and hungrier than ever.

10:30 – Why Now Is the Best Time to Be a Climate Tech Founder

Where I break down the five powerful reasons driving opportunity right now.

11:00 – Reason #1: A Mature Capital Stack

Investors have learned, the ecosystem is organized, and strong capital flows continue despite a cooling market.

11:50 – Reason #2: Energy Prices Fuel Adoption

High costs are pushing consumers and corporations toward electrification and renewables faster than ever.

13:00 – Reason #3: Co-Motivating Factors Beyond Climate

National security, insurance, supply chain, and convenience are all now aligned with climate tech solutions.

14:44 – Reason #4: Ruthless Competition Breeds Excellence

17:30 – “Climate Tech” Is Dead — Long Live the Chameleon Era

The term “climate tech” no longer fits. Founders are now building in energy, defense, materials, and national security , adapting like chameleons to each industry they serve.

19:30 – The Challenge of Fragmentation

With so many new labels, finding “your people” might get trickier, but the mission remains united.

Links

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.

Below are the show notes for the audio RSS feed version of the episode.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts

Episode Summary:

With the massive increase in demand for electricity, having the capacity to flex the grid is more important than ever. To date, utility-scale energy storage uses lithium-ion technology, but there's a problem: lithium-ion needs perfect conditions to work.

There is a solution, and that's what we're talking about today. Cameron Dales, co-founder of Peak Energy, is pioneering sodium-ion utility-scale battery storage to solve the needs of the grid. He discusses the economics of battery storage, the advantages of sodium-ion technology, and Peak Energy's strategy for scaling up.

NY Climate Week Event: How to Win in the Anti-Climate Era

Join our panel during climate week with Augustus from Rainmaker, Liz from Endolith, Grant from 8090, and Joel from Climate Finance Solutions. Register Today

Shout out to our sponsors: ErthTech Talent, Goodwin, and CSC Leasing.

Sponsor:

ErthTech Talent: Affordable CleanTech Search Firm

To build a successful CleanTech startup, you need the right people. ErthTech Talent is an affordable and specialized search firm that works ONLY with CleanTech startups. Reach out today and tell them you saw this ad.

Support the show!

Upgrade to paid today! It’s just $10/month or $100/year. Upgrade to Paid

Links:

Cameron Dales: LinkedIn | Peak Energy

Connect with the hosts: Somil on LinkedIn | Silas on LinkedIn

Follow the podcast: CleanTechies on LinkedIn

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

Episode Title: How to Win in the Anti-Climate Era (Live from NY Climate Week!)

This week, we're sharing our live audience podcast from NY Climate Week: "How to Win in the Anti-Climate Era."

We assembled a fantastic panel to discuss the strategies founders need to thrive in this new landscape:

Augustus Doricko (Founder, Rainmaker)

Liz Dennett (CEO, Endolith)

Grant Brown (Partner, 8090 Industries)

Joel Armin-Hoiland (Founder, Climate Finance Solutions)

🔑 Key Discussion Topics Include:

Strategies for Winning in the Anti-Climate Era

Adapting to Talent & Hiring Challenges

Navigating Government Relations and Bipartisan Issues

Critical Minerals, National Security, and Public Perception

The Role of Tech and Innovation

⚠️ Producer's Note on Audio Quality: Due to unexpected technical difficulties, the audio quality for this episode is below our usual standard, as we had to use a backup recording. We are confident the exceptional content will make up for the low audio. Thank you for your understanding!

SPONSORS: This live event was supported by:

Goodwin (goodwinlaw.com) — Legal partner for Climate Tech.

CSC Leasing (CSCleasing.com) — Non-dilutive equipment financing.

ErthTech Talent (ErthTechTalent.com) — Specialized climate tech recruiting.

Mark Your Calendars! We're partnering with Climate Hack at HackSummit NYC (Dec 10-11) for founders & funders in Climate Deep Tech. Get 10% off your sign-up [link to sign-up for 10% off].

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts

This podcast is NOT investment advice.

Below are the show notes for the audio RSS feed version of the episode.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts

Episode Summary:

With the massive increase in demand for electricity, having the capacity to flex the grid is more important than ever. To date, utility-scale energy storage uses lithium-ion technology, but there's a problem: lithium-ion needs perfect conditions to work.

There is a solution, and that's what we're talking about today. Cameron Dales, co-founder of Peak Energy, is pioneering sodium-ion utility-scale battery storage to solve the needs of the grid. He discusses the economics of battery storage, the advantages of sodium-ion technology, and Peak Energy's strategy for scaling up.

NY Climate Week Event: How to Win in the Anti-Climate Era

Join our panel during climate week with Augustus from Rainmaker, Liz from Endolith, Grant from 8090, and Joel from Climate Finance Solutions. Register Today

Shout out to our sponsors: ErthTech Talent, Goodwin, and CSC Leasing.

Sponsor:

ErthTech Talent: Affordable CleanTech Search Firm

To build a successful CleanTech startup, you need the right people. ErthTech Talent is an affordable and specialized search firm that works ONLY with CleanTech startups. Reach out today and tell them you saw this ad.

Support the show!

Upgrade to paid today! It’s just $10/month or $100/year. Upgrade to Paid

Links:

Cameron Dales: LinkedIn | Peak Energy

Connect with the hosts: Somil on LinkedIn | Silas on LinkedIn

Follow the podcast: CleanTechies on LinkedIn

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

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts

Hey folks! It’s that time of year again. Prepare for NY Climate Week 2025!

Last year, one of our most popular episodes was our “Pre climate week podcast” on how to get the most out of climate week.

We are back this year, but with two incredible (and popular) guests!

Nick van Osdol — creator of the Keep Cool newsletter & podcast, and climate investor at Climate Capital.

AND

Steven Zhang — creator of ClimateTechList.com and now his new project Interconnection.fyi

We cover what we are looking forward to — what to avoid — what topics we want to see discussed — what events we are excited for — and much more!

Don’t forget to sign up for the live podcast — “How to Win in the Anti-Climate Era”

Register Today

Shout Out To Our Sponsors!

Goodwin

For all your legal needs, turn to Goodwin. They were the first major practice to create a dedicated climate practice. We are big fans of their work. Goodwin.com

ErthTech Talent

When it comes time to find top talent for your clean tech startup, reach out to ErthTech Talent. We’ll save you a fortune. ErthTechTalent.com

Links

Nick van Osdol:

Keep Cool Newsletter

Keep Cool Podcast

Climate Capital

Events:

Climate Proof X Keep Cool Adaptation Happy Hour

Climate Adaptation: Moving to Action

Steven Zhang:

Climate Tech List (job board of all public jobs in climate)

Interconnection.FYI

Climate Week Directory

Somil Aggarwal:

Schmidt Futures

Silas Mähner:

ErthTech Talent

Events:

Climate Capital Summit

New Climate Futures

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

Winning as a Climate founder has always been tough. It’s even tougher with the current administration.

Despite that, there are many founders and investors who are winning.

We’re bringing some of those together for our live podcast during NY Climate Week.

When: Tuesday, September 23rd, from 2:00 to 4:30 pm

Where: Chelsea (address revealed upon accepted registration)

Panelists: Augustus Doricko (Rainmaker Technologies) | Liz Dennett (Endolith) | Grant Brown (8090 Industries) | Joel Armin-Hoiland (Climate Finance Solutions)

Who: Climate Founders, Investors, and Ecosystem Supporters

Format:

* 2:00 pm — Welcome and Refreshments

* 2:30 pm — Live Podcast Begins

* Networking / Hangout After Pod

* 4:30 Depart

Shoutout to our Sponsors

This event is made possible by:

Goodwin: your go-to for all legal needs. They were the first major law firm to develop a climate-specific practice. As a result, they have a huge number of resources specific to climate founders.

ErthTech Talent: hire the best talent in the market and save time without it costing you a fortune.

See you all there!

University Climate Incubators: Can They Really Drive the Next Wave of Innovation?

Are universities just ivory towers—or can they actually launch climate startups that scale? At NYU’s Urban Future Lab, the answer is clear: yes.

In this episode, we sit down with Austin Evarts, Director of the Acre Incubator, the longest-running cleantech incubator in New York. Austin has mentored hundreds of founders, raised billions in follow-on funding through UFL’s programs, and seen firsthand what separates the winners from the rest.

He shares why adaptation startups are suddenly outpacing mitigation, how universities give founders an unfair advantage, and why “anti-hustle culture” might be the smartest path to scale.

💥 Key Takeaways

Adaptation Rising: Year-over-year, adaptation startups in UFL’s pipeline grew 33%, and are showing 2× the revenue of mitigation peers.

Founder First: Austin breaks down what traits he looks for most—coachability, passion, and commercial muscle.

The Anti-Hustle Incubator: Why working smarter, not harder actually produces more resilient founders.

NYU’s Edge: Access to labs, researchers, and grants gives climate startups non-dilutive R&D and real validation.

NYC as the Testbed: Utilities, real estate giants, and state agencies make New York a launchpad for pilots.

Listen to the full episode now to understand how universities can be the hidden powerhouse behind the next generation of climate tech.

Episode Topics:

(00:44) What the Acre Incubator Does(05:32) How Skiing Shaped Austin’s Entrepreneurial Mindset(09:37) Anti-Hustle Culture & Founder First Lessons(15:16) UFL’s Programs Beyond the Incubator(20:36) The Shift Toward Adaptation Startups(26:22) Novel Startups: Aquaria & Levitree(28:32) Mapping the Adaptation Landscape (Flood, Fire, Heat)(32:58) Common Misconceptions About Incubators(39:06) The Power of NYU Partnerships(43:40) Why New York Is Becoming the Climate Commercialization Capital(45:34) Skills for Program Managers & Future of UFL

SPONSOR:

ErthTech Talent: Fast, Accurate, and Affordable Headhunting for your CleanTech Startup.👉 Get Started Today

Disclosures: This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your own due diligence.

The Trump Administration's Critical Minerals Grant: What's the Real Story?

Is the Trump administration really putting a billion dollars into critical minerals? Not exactly. Most of it is just a re-packaging of existing funds.

But this isn't about politics—it's about opportunity.

In this episode, we sit down with Joel Armin-Hoiland, founder of Climate Finance Solutions, who has secured over $1.6 billion in grants for climate tech companies. He's here to reveal where the real grant money is, how to get it, and what language you absolutely must avoid in your applications.

💥 Key Takeaways

The "Billion Dollar" Announcement: We break down what's really behind the headlines and where this funding is coming from.

The Control-F Problem: Joel shares a shocking insight: grant applications are being rejected for using certain "trigger words." Find out what to avoid.

Strategic Partnerships: Learn why a startup's best move might be to partner with an established company to unlock government funding.

A-to-Z Funding: Discover a surprising list of energy and tech sectors the current administration is actively funding, from nuclear to AI.

Meet Joel! He'll be at our NY Climate Week Event on Sep 23rd, 2-4:30 pm. Space is limited, so grab your spot now!

➡️ Register for the NY Climate Week Event

Listen to the full episode now to get a competitive edge in securing your next grant!

Episode Topics:(07:00) What Climate Finance Solutions Does

(12:30) Overview of the Five Notices of Intent (NOIs)

(23:30) The Rationale for US Onshoring Supply Chains

(25:20) The Importance of Language in Grant Applications

(29:40) The Likelihood of Funding Going Through

(49:10) Future Funding Predictions and Priorities

SPONSOR:ErthTech Talent: Fast, Accurate, and Affordable Headhunting for your CleanTech Startup.

Get Started Today

Connect with Us:Connect with Silas on LinkedInConnect with Somil on LinkedIn

Disclosures: This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your own due diligence.

Today’s episode dives into the nuanced world of climate finance and infrastructure with Brendan Bell, Chief Operating Officer and Partner at Align Climate Capital. Unlike most investors who play in either venture or infrastructure, Align straddles both worlds—backing early-stage companies while also owning and operating clean energy assets.

Brendan shares his unusual path from the Sierra Club to the U.S. Senate, the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, and now into the private sector. Along the way, he offers candid insights into what makes a strong infrastructure investment, how venture-backed technologies eventually scale into bankable assets, and why understanding both sides of the capital stack is critical to accelerating the clean energy transition.

This is a masterclass on the interplay between policy, venture innovation, and hard infrastructure. If you’ve ever wondered how moonshot technologies meet the realities of capital markets and project finance, this conversation will give you the inside view.

How can we fight climate change by focusing underground?

It turns out one of the biggest untapped climate solutions isn’t in the air—or in the trees, it’s in the soil beneath our feet. Today’s guest has developed a game-changing way to measure and protect soil organic carbon, helping farmers, agribusinesses, and carbon markets work together for climate impact and economic resilience.

Our guest is Chris Tolles, Founder & CEO of Yard Stick PBC.

Some quotes to hook you:

“Soils store way, way more carbon than all the trees and plants and animals combined.”

“If you want to sell soil carbon credits, you’ve got to measure soil carbon—accurately and at scale.”

“Healthy soils aren’t just about climate—they’re about keeping Cheerios on the shelves.”

“Identify the application of your technology that helps someone make money or save money—that’s what all businesses do.”

Check Out Our Sponsor!

ErthTech Talent – Expert, Affordable CleanTech Search FirmGet the best CleanTech talent without paying absurdly high prices.

Affordable: Search fee is 12–15% of first-year base salary (most charge 25–30%).

Specialized: ONLY works with CleanTech startups.

Proven: 70+ placements since 2020 (Aypa Power, ChargeScape, QCells, & more).

Save time and money when you work with ErthTech Talent.

Plus, Silas runs it—so you already know him. Reach out and tell him you saw this ad.

Show Notes: Topics

05:50 – What Yardstick does and how the tech works

08:07 – Why soil organic carbon matters for climate and food security

09:31 – Is higher soil carbon concentration always better?

09:31 – Yardstick’s two main revenue streams

14:02 – Climate product or economic solution?

17:21 – How big companies will make the change

30:12 – Is framing as a “climate solution” a dead end?

36:45 – Balancing production and soil health

42:16 – Revisiting emissions per calorie in agriculture

49:10 – Messaging Yardstick to different audiences

Links- Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas- Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn- This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.