Sharon Schneider is the Founder of Integrated Capital Strategies, a consulting firm that helps founders and family offices drive positive social change. Her firm specializes in setting up or realigning family offices to better align with the values and evolving priorities of individuals seeking a more integrated approach to life.

We invited Sharon on the show after being inspired by one of her posts, where she highlighted a growing trend: younger generations of high-net-worth families are rethinking their relationship with family wealth, especially in light of climate change.

In this conversation, we explored the distinctions between impact capital, aligned capital, and catalytic capital, and how family office strategies can incorporate these concepts. We also discussed key considerations for entrepreneurs and fund managers when engaging with family offices, how family offices can structure loan guarantees to address the first-of-a-kind project finance gap—and much more.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [2:13] Sharon’s journey to founding Integrated Capital Strategies
• [8:42] Her perspective on catalytic capital
• [12:27] Feedback from family offices: privacy and urgency
• [16:14] Fiduciary duties of family offices
• [19:25] How Sharon collaborates with family offices
• [23:30] Tips for high-net-worth individuals
• [27:23] Guidance for founders approaching investors
• [28:53] Advice for GPs raising capital
• [32:55] Underutilized tools in catalytic capital
• [37:40] More advice for founders seeking funding
• [41:57] The role of corporate strategics in startups
• [44:11] Sharon’s outlook on the future of family office investments

Episode recorded on Dec 19, 2024 (Published on Jan 20, 2025)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Eliot Brooks is the CEO and co-founder of Cocoon. 

Cocoon is driving the industrial circular economy, starting with a process that helps the steel industry continue supplying a critical feedstock for cement production. This feedstock is increasingly at risk as steelmaking transitions from coal-based blast furnaces to lower-emission electric arc furnaces. 

Cocoon was founded on the realization that as industries decarbonize, certain process changes disrupt circular supply chains. The connection between the slag byproduct of steelmaking and the demands of cement production is their starting focus. Earlier this year, Cocoon announced a $5.4 million pre-seed round led by Wireframe, Gigascale, SOSV, and Celsius Industries.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [1:33] Introduction to Cocoon
• [3:13] The challenge steel decarbonization poses for the cement industry
• [9:56] Cocoon's process for transforming steel slag into a cementitious material
• [10:51] Eliot’s background and journey to working on this technology
• [15:46] Cocoon's business model and go-to-market strategy
• [19:43] Decarbonization pathways for steel and the role of electric arc furnaces
• [21:10] Cocoon's current technology readiness and near-term deployment plans
• [22:05] Building industrial expertise at Cocoon
• [25:07] Comparing the US and Europe as initial target markets
• [27:57] Cocoon's recent $5.4 million pre-seed funding round
• [30:00] Eliot’s perspective on bringing expertise from other industries to address challenges in steelmaking

Episode recorded on Nov 20, 2024 (Published on Jan 16, 2025)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Adrian Deveny, former Director of Energy and Environmental Policy for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, was a key architect of the Biden-era climate policy agenda, including the landmark Inflation Reduction Act. In this conversation, we explore Adrian's perspective on what to expect from Washington, D.C., in the years ahead, as the federal government transitions to Republican control of the executive branch and both chambers of Congress.

We discuss the likely fate of the climate and clean energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act over the next couple of years and whether there are viable pathways for new clean energy policy in the near term. Given the ambitious policies rolled out in recent years, Adrian also shares insights on the "unfinished business" he sees as critical. Spoiler alert: he believes we need to more than double our policy efforts to meet U.S. emissions targets. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [3:36] Adrian’s background and  journey in the Senate
• [8:26] Republican trifecta’s impact on climate policy
• [11:47] Regulatory challenges, including Supreme Court rulings
• [17:48] Challenges in EPA funding and appropriations
• [19:53] Defending clean energy tax credits under the IRA
• [24:08] IRA’s impact on manufacturing and the EV supply chain
• [31:48] Bipartisan opportunities in geothermal, nuclear, and defense projects
• [45:28] Debates on permitting reform for energy projects
• [52:00] Future clean energy growth and market forces
• [55:12] Adrian’s focus on advancing federal climate policy

Recommended listening: 

• Crafting Landmark Climate Legislation Russel Kenneth DeGraff

Episode recorded on Nov 20, 2024 (Published on Jan 13, 2025)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Kathryn Bakos is the Managing Director of Finance and Resilience at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, an applied research center within the faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in Canada. 

Our conversation today is all about the inevitable impacts of climate change, including floods, wildfires, and heat waves in particular, as these phenomena are Kathryn's main focus. We talk about the increasing severity of each of these, the preventative efforts that individuals and communities can each take to avoid their worst effects and how risk and insurance industries are navigating these perils. And lastly, we have a conversation about why adaptation measures have seemingly lagged behind decarbonization efforts in the public consciousness about climate change. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [0:00] Overview of the Intact Centre
• [1:30] Canada’s climate vulnerability
• [2:44] Kathryn’s career path
• [4:00] Major risks: flooding, wildfires, heat waves
• [9:59] Responses to flooding: individuals, communities, industries
• [16:55] Updating flood maps and using AI
• [26:07] Wildfire risks: actions for homes and communities
• [34:53] Wildfire insurance and resilience challenges
• [37:42] Balancing adaptation and mitigation
• [41:28] Political will for adaptation measures
• [45:50] Cost-effectiveness of adaptation
• [46:41] Don River and Waterpark Project
• [48:34] Innovation in resilience technologies
• [51:58] Heat risks and urban solutions
• [58:34] Final reflections on resilience efforts

Resources from Intact: 

• Three Steps to Cost-Effective Home Flood Protection
• Three Steps to a Cost-Effective FireSmart™ Home
• Three Features of a Wildfire-Ready Community
• Three Steps to Cost-Effective Apartment and Condo Heat Protection
• Three Steps to Cost-Effective Home Heat Protection

Episode recorded on Dec 2, 2024 (Published on Jan 6, 2025)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Seyed Madaeni is the co-founder and CEO of Verse. Verse develops software that helps organizations understand, plan, and manage clean energy. Their platform simplifies the complex clean energy procurement process, enabling companies to meet their emissions goals in the most economical way possible. 

MCJ is proud to be a repeat investor in Verse through our venture capital funds, including participation in their recent Series A round alongside GV and Coatue. To us, Verse embodies the inevitable shift where large companies must integrate clean energy management as a core business capability.

Hyperscalers have led this trend, driven by their insatiable need for electricity to power data centers—a demand that’s only growing with AI. We believe this focus on clean energy will expand across major corporations, much like the widespread adoption of IT and cloud technologies over the past two decades. But enough from us—let’s hear directly from Seyed about what he’s building with Verse.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [1:43] Overview of Verse’s mission and focus
• [2:05] How Seyed founded Verse
• [4:54] Lessons from Seyed’s time at Fluence
• [6:02] Insights into the buyer side of the market
• [10:03] Rising demand on the U.S. energy grid
• [13:02] Breakdown of Verse’s customer base
• [17:44] Challenges corporate buyers face with energy and emissions
• [19:14] Overview of virtual PPAs and additionality
• [25:14] How Verse helps buyers make energy decisions
• [27:28] Importance of data in pricing and forecasting
• [30:40] 24/7 carbon-free energy vs. carbon matching
• [35:00] The role of batteries in increasing emissions
• [38:56] How Verse is expanding its offerings
• [41:15] Understanding Verse’s approach
• [44:00] Verse’s funding history and goals

Episode recorded on Oct 17, 2024 (Published on Jan 2, 2025)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Maria Robinson, outgoing Director of the Grid Deployment Office at the U.S. Department of Energy, joins us to share insights from her impactful tenure. Since stepping into the role in 2022, Maria has overseen $22 billion in federal funding to drive the development of new and upgraded electric infrastructure nationwide.

Recorded in person at the recent Deploy conference in Washington, DC, hosted by the DOE, Maria and Cody discuss her background, the mission of the Grid Deployment Office, and the initiatives she’s championed. We also dive into the complexities of the U.S. electric grid, including transmission, interconnect queues, permitting reform, and enhancing grid resilience amidst extreme weather and climate challenges.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [4:57] Maria’s background and work with Rep. Jay Inslee
• [7:33] The complexity of the U.S. electric grid
• [10:19] Funding sources for transmission projects
• [11:54] Renewables’ impact on grid design
• [15:13] The role of NEPA in grid projects
• [22:37] Powering data centers and grid distribution
• [25:37] Interconnect queue backlogs
• [27:08] The benefits of reconductoring
• [28:15] Grid resiliency and local utilities
• [33:34] Maria’s vision for the next administration
• [35:09] Cybersecurity challenges for the grid
• [36:32] Federal permitting reform for transmission

Episode recorded on Dec 5, 2024 (Published on Dec 19, 2024)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Arvin Ganesan is the CEO of Fourth Power, which is developing a flexible-duration thermal energy system designed to meet the needs of an electrical grid increasingly powered by renewables. Their system heats liquid tin to extremely high temperatures, circulates it through carbon blocks for heat storage, and converts that heat back to electricity on demand via thermal photovoltaics. The technology aims to address both short-duration energy storage (5–10 hours) and long-duration needs (100 hours or more), with the ability to discharge power within seconds.

At the end of last year, Fourth Power raised a Series A led by DCVC, with participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Arvin’s fascinating career includes time in the U.S. Senate as a senior policy advisor to the late Senator Frank Lautenberg, over five years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and nearly six years at Apple as the head of global energy and environmental policy.

In this episode, we explore Arvin's career path, his decision to join Fourth Power, and why the company’s work matters for the future of energy storage.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [1:49] Arvin's career journey: From the EPA to Apple and beyond
• [8:13] Why Arvin chose to become CEO of Fourth Power
• [10:29] Focusing on electricity storage over industrial heat
• [12:06] Fourth Power’s thermal energy storage system explained
• [17:11] How Fourth Power uses photovoltaics for efficient energy conversion
• [20:36] Trade-offs between Fourth Power's technology and lithium-ion batteries
• [25:03] Co-location strategies and powering renewable energy
• [28:21] Collaborating with utilities to meet grid demands
• [31:09] Fourth Power’s milestones and current progress
• [32:57] Arvin’s transition to a CEO role and what he’s learning
• [34:59] Market optimism and the potential impact of Fourth Power’s solution

Recommended Listening: 

• Onshoring Clean Energy with Giulia Siccardo, MESC

Episode recorded on Aug 20, 2024 (Published on Dec 12, 2024)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Hannah Bebbington is the Head of Deployment at Frontier, an advanced market commitment created in 2022, that aims to purchase $1 billion or more of permanent carbon removal by 2030. 

Founded by Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey, Frontier has quickly become a leading force in the carbon removal space. Its portfolio includes a "who’s who" of innovators pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in carbon removal—many of whom have been guests on this show. 

Cody catches up with Hannah to explore how Frontier’s program is structured, what they’ve learned so far, and her perspective on the state of carbon removal today.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [2:03] What is Frontier? An intro to its $1B commitment to carbon removal
• [7:00] The scale of the carbon removal challenge and future funding needs
• [10:42] Gaps in the industry: demand, investment, and measurement
• [13:21] Hannah’s background and role as Head of Deployment
• [16:10] Frontier’s advanced market commitment model explained
• [18:05] How Frontier supports early-stage companies through pre-purchases
• [21:32] Tips for startups applying to Frontier’s programs
• [27:19] Frontier’s offtake track for scaling larger projects
• [30:16] The importance of measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV)
• [35:05] Frontier’s criteria for funding: scale, cost, and permanence
• [42:14] Microsoft’s role as a leader in carbon removal
• [47:24] Key terms in Frontier’s offtake agreements
• [55:08] The impact of the data center boom on carbon removal
• [57:01] Carbon removal’s bipartisan support and policy outlook

Recommended Listening:

• MCJ Startup Series: Charm Industrial
• Permanent Geologic Carbon Storage with Vaulted Deep
• Enhanced Rock Weathering with Lithos Carbon
• Carbon Removal and Climate Policy with Heirloom and Senator Scott Wiener

Episode recorded on Nov 22, 2024 (Published on Dec 9, 2024)

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• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Dr. Naomi Boness is the managing director of the Natural Gas Initiative and co-managing director of the Hydrogen Initiative at Stanford University. With a Ph.D. in Geophysics from Stanford and over 13 years in technical and management roles at Chevron, Dr. Boness combines deep scientific knowledge with real-world experience in energy operations.

In this episode, we dive into the molecule side of energy, focusing on the evolving roles of natural gas and hydrogen in a decarbonizing world. Topics range from geopolitics and energy security to emissions challenges and the future of these key resources in the energy mix.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [1:38] Dr. Boness' work and focus at Stanford 
• [5:10] Corporate involvement: utilities, investment firms, and oil majors
• [7:12] Natural gas in the global energy mix and its role as a coal alternative
• [9:09] Addressing the critical issue of methane leaks
• [11:42] Incentives for midstream players to participate 
• [13:53] Dr. Boness' pov on the idea of halting oil and gas production entirely
• [16:04] Geopolitical dynamics of natural gas production and exportation
• [20:59] Breakdown of the global gas production mix
• [22:55] Effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the European gas market
• [27:10] DPower vs. heat transition and natural gas' role
• [29:49] Vision for the future of natural gas in a renewable energy landscape
• [33:55] Challenges and trade-offs in transitioning from natural gas and investing in infrastructure
• [39:25] Potential role of hydrogen in decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors
• [43:38] Environmental impacts of hydrogen as a potential greenhouse gas
• [47:33] Policy and regulatory hurdles for clean hydrogen production
• [50:39] Issues surrounding the "45V rule" in the Inflation Reduction Act
• [54:21] Dr. Boness' top policy priorities and wish list

Episode recorded on Aug 14, 2024 (Published on Nov 21, 2024)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Jason Marks is the Co-founder and CEO at TELO. TELO is developing EV pickup trucks in the footprint of a Mini Cooper with a bed the size of a Toyota Tacoma and the power of a mainstream truck. 

They're focused on urban use cases for pickup trucks, whether that be a weekend adventurer who lives in a city or an organization whose employees need trucks for work in urban environments but are fed up with navigating giant vehicles through traffic, parking, and underground lots.

We were eager to hear Jason’s perspective on why now is the right time to build an electric vehicle from the ground up, what makes TELO’s approach uniquely positioned for a significant market opportunity, and why existing truck manufacturers haven’t pursued this segment. Plus, we dive into the fascinating history of why today’s pickup trucks have become so massive in the first place.

MCJ is proud to support TELO as an investor through our venture capital fund, backing founders like Jason who are reshaping industries to be cleaner, more profitable, and more resilient.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [2:26] Jason's background in automotive
• [4:37] An overview of TELO and its purpose
• [6:13] How pickups have grown significantly larger over the past 15-20 years
• [11:15] The current EV truck market
• [12:47] Truck density in urban environments and challenges
• [15:51] TELO's approach to building EV an pickup
• [17:58] China's EV phenomenon and landscape
• [23:08] Current US EV market
• [24:51] TELO's unique approach to EV pickups
• [28:09] The company's battery chemistry
• [29:49] TELO's progress to date
• [32:05] Big milestones Jason and his team are working towards including homologation
• [35:59] TELO's go to market
• [38:20] Jason's vision for the future of his business
• [39:24] TELO's latest Seed Round led by Neo
• [41:08] Where TELO needs help
• [41:44] Biggest surprises in building a vehicle company

Episode recorded on Oct 4, 2024 (Published on Nov 21, 2024)

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• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant