Inevitable

This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by Jason Jacobs. This series explores a range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress.

David Aronoff is Chairman and General Partner at MCJ Collective. 

David has been in the venture space for nearly 28 years and joined MCJ a few years ago. His role has transitioned from LP to advisor to executive chair, and finally the last two years plus to his current role and chairman and general partner. 

Jason and David go in-depth, not only into David's journey, but also into the transition he made after a long career in traditional VC towards seeking more purpose, how he combines purpose and profit more squarely in this next chapter, plus his journey to finding MCJ. Then we have a fun grilling session where Jason gets to role play and ask David all the questions we get asked from LPs as the partners have been out raising the fund.

Enjoy the show! 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [3:56] David's background and decision to join MCJ Collective
• [9:42] His journey exploring climate and solutions 
• [13:00] David's thoughts on MCJ's early rolling funds 
• [20:02] His mission-driven transition back to full-time work and building MCJ Collective the firm 
• [24:01] The thought process behind the launch of MCJ's traditional fund structure 
• [29:32] David's previous fundraising role vs. his role at MCJ 
• [33:00] His thoughts on MCJ's stack, data room, and preparation
• [38:48] MCJ's overall strategy 
• [44:33] David's perspective on ownership and MCJ's portfolio math
• [49:04] The diligence process
• [55:21] Time allocation of MCJ's five partners
• [58:38] MCJ's decision-making process 
• [1:00:16] David's views on how the team will scale 
• [1:02:32] MCJ's fundraising status to date, investor breakdown, and closing plans
• [1:08:36] David's thoughts on the future of MCJ's venture fund 
• [1:20:10] The "why" behind his work at MCJ and who he wants to hear from

Get connected: 
David Aronoff Twitter / LinkedIn
Jason Jacobs Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on August 14, 2023 (Published on August 23, 2023) 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
• Visit mcj.vc
• Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

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

Bill Caesar is President at Generate Upcycle, a subsidiary of Generate Capital. 

Generate Upcycle reduces the environmental footprint of businesses, farms, cities and consumers by diverting organic waste from landfills and producing renewable fuels, electricity, and organic fertilizers. Bill's journey from the CIA to McKinsey to waste management, culminating in his role at Generate, is fascinating.

Cody and Bill talk about his journey and break down Generate Upcycle's key businesses, including anaerobic digestion, composting and mechanical vapor recompression, a relatively new method of wastewater management. Lastly, the conversation touches on areas that Bill is eyeing as disruptive technologies on the horizon. As the world population continues to grow, so will our waste footprint, and by finding profitable and lower emissions means of harnessing and reusing our waste, Generate Upcycle is betting that they can turn trash into treasure.

In this episode we cover: 

• [02:08]: Generate Upcycle's relationship with Generate Capital
• [04:30]: Bill's background: Russian studies, CIA, McKinsey, waste management
• [07:11]: His experience in waste management and recycling
• [14:01]: Moving from waste to Generate Capital
• [17:50] Bill's confidence in the anaerobic digestion business
• [23:08] His "waste to value" work at Generate Upcycle
• [26:21] An overview of anaerobic digestion
• [27:22] Generate's composting business
• [28:55] The company's wastewater treatment business
• [31:57] Logistics challenges in anaerobic digestion
• [37:47] Tipping fees
• [39:52] The percentage of waste going to landfills and the climate impact
• [43:44] Landfill diversion incentives
• [46:54] The energy outputs of Generate's digesters
• [50:44] What's on the horizon for Generate Upcycle and how folks can get in touch

Get connected: 
Bill Caesar Twitter / LinkedIn
Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on Jul 26, 2023 (Published on Aug 21, 2023)

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
• Visit mcj.vc
• Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

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

Josh Silverman is the CEO and founder of Windfall Bio, which transforms methane into nitrogen-rich organic soil nutrients using naturally occurring methane-eating microbes. With a strong background in biotechnology, Josh has founded multiple successful ventures in the field, raising over $300 million in equity financing and generating a cumulative exit value exceeding $1.7 billion.

After co-founding Calysta, a cellular agriculture company that converts methane into sources of protein for livestock and other food ingredients, Josh turned his attention to other ways to tackle the problem of atmospheric methane, which led him to start Windfall. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) gets the bulk of attention in the greenhouse gas removal space, but methane is responsible for a significant portion of the planetary warming that we are experiencing. Methane is up to 80 times more potent than CO2 from a heat-trapping perspective and is significantly more diffuse than CO2 in the atmosphere, making it challenging to capture or remove it once released. 

While there are growing sources of anthropogenic methane released via natural gas infrastructure, livestock, rice cultivation, as well as landfills and waste processing, there are also significant naturally occurring pockets of methane released in the oceans and arctic tundra, which are likely to only increase on a warming planet, a case study in feedback loops leading to climate change tipping points.

Josh and Cody dive into the problem of methane, as well as Windfall's solution and how Josh has grown the business. They also cover Josh’s background and experience in the space. The MCJ Collective Venture Fund is a proud investor in Windfall, and we’re grateful to Liron Gitig at EDF for introducing us to Josh as part of EDF's Climate Tech Convening event in the fall of 2022.  

In this episode, we cover: 

• [03:41]: CO2 vs. methane attention and short-term impact
• [06:03]: Methane breakdown into CO2 over time
• [07:18]: Sources of methane: natural and human-created
• [09:16]: Challenges with methane release and feedback loops
• [11:49]: Diffuse methane release sources like rice farming
• [12:58]: Connections to biological CDR solutions
• [14:46]: Windfall's work with methane-eating microbes (MEMS)
• [18:24]: Energy value and economics of methane capture
• [20:36]: Windfall's digester use on farms for methane reduction and fertilizer production
• [25:18]: Potential for branding "Low Greenhouse Gas" ag products
• [26:37]: Market for methane removal
• [28:05]: Decrease in natural MEMS despite methane increase
• [30:53]: Josh's biotech background and methane work
• [34:20]: Windfall's branding and company status
• [35:27]: Where the company stands today, scaling, and low technology risk
• [37:01]: Windfall's patented natural MEMS
• [38:58]: Scaling MEMS for diffuse methane sources
• [41:27]: Following and connecting with Windfall

Get connected:
Josh Silverman LinkedIn
Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on Aug 8, 2023 (Published on Aug 17, 2023)

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
• Visit mcj.vc
• Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

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

This episode is part of our Capital Series hosted by Jason Jacobs. This series explores a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. 

Ben Kortlang is a partner at G2 Venture Partners, or G2VP. Ben, alongside his partners, Brook Porter, David Mount, and Daniel Oros founded G2 Venture Partners in 2016 while working together as senior partners at Kleiner Perkins Green Growth Fund. 

Ben and Jason have a great discussion in this episode about Ben's path to venture capital and his path to climate investing, his thoughts on the Cleantech 1.0 wave and some of the lessons learned, the formation story of the firm, their investment approach, how that's evolved over time and what they look for when they make investments. They also discuss the broader investment landscape and the clean energy transition overall, some of the blockers and some changes that Ben thinks could unlock faster progress. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [02:13]: G2 Venture Partners’ origin story and overview
• [04:10]: Ben's initial interest in alternative energy
• [06:11]: Takeaways from his experience at VC firm Kleiner Perkens
• [14:51]: G2VP’s 2016 spinout during the darkest hour of the "cleantech winter" 
• [18:13]: Key lessons from cleantech investing
• [20:25]: Examples from Tesla's 20-year journey to success 
• [22:30]: Cleantech's hardware challenge, software vs. hardware dynamics
• [24:34]: The need for resilience after Cleantech 1.0 skepticism
• [26:54]: G2VP's fundraising process and "inflection point investing" strategy
• [30:13]: Their fund structure and expansion across verticals
• [33:27]: LP composition changes and other differences between Fund 1 and Fund 2
• [35:22]: Geography, capital intensity, and regulatory risk considerations
• [39:32]: Balance between thesis-driven and opportunistic investments
• [40:48]: How the firm and their LPs approach impact 
• [46:23]: Importance of deep research to identifying winners in B2B contexts
• [50:32]: Ben's thoughts on valuing companies and confidence in exits
• [53:43]: Addressing the "capital gap" for first-of-a-kind projects
• [55:38]: Climate's potential integration across sectors, similar to mobile tech
• [57:08]: "Additionality" in climate investing
• [59:24]: Ben's take on institutional capital's hesitance to invest in climate
• [01:03:10]: His take on whether we'll solve the climate crisis and how the world has to change  
• [01:06:31]: Ben's messages to CIOs of university endowments, founders of successful companies, and independently wealthy people

Get connected: 
Ben Kortlang LinkedIn
Jason Jacobs Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on Jul 25, 2023 (published on Aug 16, 2023) 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
• Visit mcj.vc
• Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

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

Danielle Deiseroth is the Executive Director of Data for Progress. Data for Progress produces polling, database messaging, and policy generation for progressive causes, campaigns and candidates. Danielle joined in 2020 and built the climate and environmental polling practice. She became interim executive director in December 2022 and was named executive director in June 2023.

We have a robust conversation on what polling is and how it works, and then we dive into what polls are revealing about climate change from a messaging perspective and from a policy perspective. Cody and Danielle touch on trigger words in climate messaging and talk about popular policies related to climate change and policies that still concern folks. Spoiler alert: range anxiety with EVs is still very real. Lastly, we talk about some focus group work that Data for Progress recently conducted to get local insights from community members in a handful of geographies that are being considered for the Department of Energy's direct air capture (DAC) hubs program. Political polling can feel like a dark art, but we're grateful to Danielle for taking the time to help demystify it.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [2:40] An overview of Data for Progress and Danielle's background
• [7:38] The organization's earned media success
• [9:02] How Data for Progress is structured and the skill sets that contribute to its rapid response
• [13:02] Polling results regarding climate messaging and trigger words
• [21:00] Polarization around electric vehicles
• [23:36] The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and popular electrification rebates
• [26:10] Polling results from states that are receiving financial benefits from the IRA
• [27:32] The role of resiliency messaging
• [30:46] Direct air capture (DAC) hubs and regional differences in sentiment
• [35:42] The importance of environmental justice and workforce development in the clean energy transition
• [37:29] What's next for Data for Progress leading up to the 2024 election
• [40:53] How people can help

Resources mentioned:

• New Bluegreen Alliance Data Visualization Identifies Hard-Hit Areas of the Country That Stand to Benefit from Federal Investments Share
• Yale Program on Climate Change Communications

Get connected: 
Danielle Deiseroth Twitter / LinkedIn
Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on August 3, 2023 (Published on August 14, 2023)

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
• Visit mcj.vc
• Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

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

This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by Jason Jacobs. This series explores a range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. 

Steve Simon is the founder of Simon Equity Partners and owner of the Indiana Pacers. 

Steve is not the ordinary guest you'd expect on a climate podcast. Beyond his professional pursuits, he has become more involved in climate-related matters behind the scenes for quite some time. This involvement spans various domains, including investment, advisory roles, and philanthropy. 

In this episode, Jason and Steve have a great discussion about Steve's journey to caring about climate, how he got started, how his thinking and activities have evolved, and where he'd like to see them go directionally, both for him and his family generationally. 

In this episode, we cover:

• [03:52]: Steve's real estate roots and early investments in retail and conscious consumer brands
• [06:43]: Transitioning from a traditional family office approach to impact investing with aligned values and returns
• [08:21]: Family office structures and how generational dynamics influence investment decisions
• [12:16]: Steve's early awareness of climate change and his involvement in conscious consumerism 
• [15:02]: Flexibility in investment flavors, ranging from returns-focused to impact-driven investments
• [17:19]: Opportunistic climate investing across various sectors, focusing on regenerative ag, waste, electrification
• [18:51]: Optimizing learning, accountability, and data-driven impact assessment in investments 
• [20:34]: The iterative process of investments driving learning, and learning influencing investments
• [24:23]: Leveraging family assets and competencies for positive impact on investments 
• [24:49]: How insights from Pacers Sports & Entertainment ownership inform impact strategies
• [25:31]: Mentorships and partnerships (Scott Jacobs at Generate, Nat Simons the Energy Foundation)
• [27:35]: Merging policy advocacy with investments for impactful outcomes, focusing on regenerative ag opportunities in Indiana
• [28:26]: Balancing short-term self-interest (sports and entertainment) with planetary well-being 
• [33:16]: Dealing with generational guilt and maintaining a positive mindset amid climate anxiety  
• [39:26]: Exciting opportunities in Indiana: wind/solar growth, coal retirement, ag reinvention 
• [41:13]: Why Steve became a MCJ Collective LP
• [45:26]: What Steve hopes to accomplish in the next 10 years 
• [46:25]: Who Steve wants to hear from  
• [47:13]: Steve’s call to action for other family offices  

Get connected: 
Steve Simon Twitter / LinkedIn
Jason Jacobs Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on July 13, 2023 (Published on August 9, 2023) 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
• Visit mcj.vc
• Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

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

Alan Leung is SVP of Threat Intelligence on the Global Security team at Macquarie Group, a global financial services firm. They're one of the world's largest infrastructure asset managers. 

Alan is an active MCJ community member who a year or so ago started writing his own personal newsletter on climate and geopolitical risk at securingclimate.substack.com. The conversation in this episode is inspired by much of what Alan has written and shared there. Cody and Alan cover a range of topics, starting with a framework for how to think about systemic climate risk, to climate change-influenced conflict, to national responses to the energy transition, and lastly to how Alan thinks adaptation and resiliency responses will evolve.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [02:01]: Alan’s framework for defining “hazard” and “risk”
• [04:23]: Examples of climate hazards and impacts
• [06:19]: Understanding climate's nuanced impact on security and conflicts
• [09:18]: Early warning signs and triggers for conflict; climate's role in exacerbating risks
• [10:25]: Water scarcity's role in conflicts in different regions (e.g., Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uruguay, India, South Africa)
• [14:52]: The need to accommodate for more extreme swings in weather
• [18:01]: Rebuilding with resilience and new tech after conflict
• [21:10]: Global cooperation vs. local protectionism and “geopolitical realities” in the energy transition
• [27:03]: The need for more investment in resilience and adaptation strategies
• [30:03]: How insurance companies are reacting to increasing climate risks
• [33:56]: How organizations can connect risks with opportunities
• [37:43]: Advice for other risk professionals looking to develop knowledge in the climate space
• [40:25]: COVID-19's impact on risk thinking, agility, and value of actionable insights
• [42:50]: An overview of Macquarie Group and Alan’s role in the firm
• [44:47]: Areas where Alan sees opportunities for risk analysis and security in climate solutions
• [46:39]: How traditional ecological practices especially among indigenous cultures may offer the most resilient solutions
• [48:41]: Water security and innovation in cooling systems

Resources mentioned: 

• Chatham House climate change risk assessment 2021

Get connected: 
Alan LinkedIn
Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on Jul 28, 2023 (Published on Aug 8, 2023)

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
• Visit mcj.vc
• Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

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

Leopold Spenner is CEO and Co-founder of alcemy, which is accelerating the decarbonization of cement and concrete via software. 

Concrete is one of the most abundant manmade materials on earth, and it's exceedingly hard to decarbonize. Most of its emissions footprint comes from the production of cement, the materials that provide concrete with its strength. By most estimates, cement is responsible for upwards of 8% of global emissions. Cement production generates emissions in two major ways. One is from a chemical reaction during the cracking of limestone that's used to produce cement. And the other is from the extreme heat that this process requires. 

Many cement plants around the world have begun employing carbon capture technologies on premises to get to net-zero. Beyond that, there are companies working to lower cement emissions by changing the ingredients mix or by trying to take away the need for extreme heat. It's a hard problem, but alcemy introduces another possible solution: efficiency. Their software helps cement and ready-made concrete producers to create product more efficiently, which should result in less waste and in less limestone that needs to be heated and cracked. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, we cover: 

• [2:07] Leo's background and how he got involved in decarbonizing cement
• [5:57] Innovation in the cement and concrete industry 
• [10:39] The production challenges of cement and concrete 
• [13:34] An overview of limestone
• [16:28] The 28-day quality sampling process for cement and concrete 
• [18:58] Emissions reductions potential for both 
• [21:24] alcemy's predictive analytics software 
• [23:35] How the company's tech improves quality, cost, and emissions reductions 
• [25:09] alcemy's results to date 
• [26:03] How the company helps to create concrete mixes
• [29:30] The scaling hurdle of integrating with legacy software systems 
• [33:55] The role of clinker efficiency and what it entails 
• [37:02] alcemy's traction to date and funding milestones 
• [38:12] Who Leo wants to hear from and what's next for alcemy 
• [41:20] How the market is evolving around lower carbon cement, including the carbon market 

Episodes mentioned: 

• Startup Seres: Sublime Systems
• Startup Series: Enhanced Rock Weathering w/ Lithos Carbon & Eion Carbon
• Episode 224: Rebecca Dell, ClimateWorks Foundation

Get connected:
Leopold Spenner LinkedIn
Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on July 27, 2023 (Published on August 3, 2023) 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
• Visit mcj.vc
• Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

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

This episode is part of our new Capital Series hosted by Jason Jacobs. This series explores a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. 

James Lindsay is a principal on the Builders Initiative Investment Team, which is part of Builders Vision. 

In late 2021, Walmart heir Lukas Walton publicly launched Builders Vision, a platform that combines philanthropy, direct investment, and advocacy in four key areas: food, ocean health, energy transition, and community building. At Builders Initiative, James leads an investment vehicle focused on the energy transition and climate justice, in addition to co-leading a key effort to promote innovative funding in the ocean space. Both platforms attempt to provide innovative solutions and invest in emerging venture capital and private equity fund managers, accelerators, and emerging startups. 

We have a great discussion in this episode about James' journey, the important work that they're doing at Builders Vision, and most importantly, how to get other significant family offices to pursue similar work, putting impact front and center.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [02:13]: An overview of Builders Vision (BV), its mission, and origin story
• [07:18]: Collaboration among BV's teams and programs
• [08:25]: BV’s involvement in the 1000 Ocean Startups coalition tracking ocean sector investments
• [11:29]: How BV is distinct among family offices
• [13:10]: James’ transition from oil and gas to impact investing
• [18:04]: Overlaps and distinctions between BV and Seed 2 Growth (S2G) 
• [24:18]: BV's core fund size preference 
• [26:33]: How the company measures impact and thinks about returns
• [32:23]: BV's distinct strategies for oceans (opportunistic) and energy (thesis-driven)  
• [36:33]: Accelerating adoption of new technologies in hard-to-abate sectors 
• [39:35]: Potential for market-rate investors with creative structuring
• [44:08]: Barriers holding back other ultra-wealthy families from impact investing, including generational divides and reluctance towards hard tech  
• [47:53]: BV's approach to the built environment, with a focus on retrofits and microgrid improvements
• [50:50]: BV’s involvement in policy discussions and the need for clearer federal and regional policies
• [54:35]: The importance of investing in harder tech solutions to accelerate the transition
• [55:40]: Parting words: Builders Vision is hiring!

Get connected: 
James Lindsay LinkedIn
Jason Jacobs Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on Jul 3, 2023 (Published Aug 2, 2023) 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
• Visit mcj.vc
• Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

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

Antti Vihavainen is the Co-founder and CEO of Helsinki-based Puro.earth, a leading crediting platform and registry for engineered carbon removal. In 2021, NASDAQ acquired a controlling stake in Puro, helping further establish its credibility in the marketplace. Puro is actively offering engineered carbon removal credits today for a few dozen projects that primarily consist of biochar and bio-construction initiatives.

In addition, Puro has an initiative called Puro Accelerate that enables buyers to purchase essentially futures credits for other forms of carbon removal that still need to produce at scale, but which Puro has deemed highly credible and likely to produce in the near term. Puro Accelerate’s projects include efforts in direct air capture, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (or BECCS) geologically stored carbon, woody biomass burial, and additional biochar projects.

Antti and Cody trace how Puro came to be, and cover the details of their current registry offerings and futures offerings. They discuss Puro's business model and how they compare to other carbon credit and offset registries. Additionally, Antti shares his thoughts on how he sees carbon removal scaling in the years to come. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [02:46]: Antti's background and climate journey
• [04:14]: Starting Puro.earth and creating a new asset class 
• [06:29]: Puro's focus on projects with measurable atom-level carbon removal
• [07:26]: The company’s initial methodologies, including biochar, carbonated building materials, and woody elements
• [10:52]: Collaboration with NASDAQ 
• [11:56]: How Puro issues CO2 Removal Credits (CORCs)
• [14:52]: How Puro Accelerate supports emerging carbon removal technologies
• [17:34]: Risks and benefits for companies buying pre-CORCs
• [21:18]: Qualification process for pre-CORC futures credits
• [23:02]: Early demand for pre-CORCs from pioneers and future market expansion
• [25:25]: Potential for third-party innovation to address verification, payment, and capitalization bottlenecks
• [29:36]: Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS)
• [31:41]: Speculative buying in pre-CORC space and innovations in bottleneck problems
• [34:59]: Potential for blockchain-based solutions in this space
• [37:05]: Research listings and supporting R&D for emerging technology, like enhanced rock weathering 
• [39:08]: Antti's invitation to large companies and capital deployers to engage with Puro

Get connected: 
Antti LinkedIn
Puro.earth Twitter / LinkedIn
Cody Simms Twitter / LinkedIn
MCJ Podcast / Collective

*You can also reach us via email at [email protected], where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Episode recorded on Jun 14, 2023 (Published on Jul 31, 2023)

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at [email protected].

Connect with MCJ:

• Cody Simms on LinkedIn
• Visit mcj.vc
• Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter

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