Inevitable

By an MCJ podcastBusiness Science Technology

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Inevitable episodes

August 22, 2019Ep 30: Andrew Beebe, Managing Director at Obvious Ventures
Today’s guest is Andrew Beebe, Managing Director at Obvious Ventures.
Andrew brings to Obvious Ventures a lifelong passion for building companies around sustainable systems and people power.
For over a decade, Andrew has focused on clean technology and clean energy solutions. He started down the clean tech path with Energy Innovations in 2003, which he grew from a business plan to a major solar developer serving customers like Google, Disney, Sony Pictures, and British Telecom.
After selling the company to Suntech in 2008, Andrew served as Chief Commercial Officer at Suntech as well as Vice President of Global Product Strategy. During his tenure, Suntech became the largest solar company in the world. After leaving Suntech, Andrew spent two years as Vice President of Distributed Generation for Nextera Energy, the largest clean energy developer in the US.
Before his clean tech career, Andrew spent a decade building companies in the early days of “Web 1.0.” In 1998 Andrew co-founded Bigstep.com, an e-commerce platform designed to serve the needs of small businesses entering the Internet age. He has been supporting the enterprising ideas of people power ever since.
A graduate from Dartmouth College, Andrew lives in Burlingame, CA with his wife and three children. When he's not helping to build early stage companies, Andrew builds wooden boats and furniture.
Andrew was born in New York City and spent his formative years on an avocado ranch in Ojai, California.
In this episode we discuss:
What Obvious Ventures does and the types of investments they make
How Andrew and Obvious Ventures think about and apply the term “purpose-driven”
Thoughts on investing in companies with science risk
Thoughts on time horizon and how that factors into investment decisions
Thoughts on upside potential and how that factors into investment decisions
How Obvious screens for purpose and impact, as applied to startups they back, members of their investment team, and LPs
Areas of investment they are excited about
Other areas outside of their investment focus Andrew thinks will be impactful in climate fight
Advice for anyone trying to find their lane to help with this problem
Links to the topics discussed in this episode:
Andrew Beebe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbeebe/
Andrew Beebe Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewbeebe
Obvious Ventures: https://obvious.com/
Beyond Meat: https://www.beyondmeat.com/
Diamond Foundry: https://diamondfoundry.com/
Amply Power: https://www.amplypower.com/
Good Eggs: https://www.goodeggs.com/sfbay/welcome/step/zip
Lillium: https://lilium.com/
Canvas Technology: https://canvas.technology/
Article that Andrew wrote with Diann Eisnor: https://worldpositive.com/a-tale-of-two-cities-2030-edition-c9bceb8ea1e3
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Enjoy the show!
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
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
38 min
August 19, 2019Ep 29: Bill Weihl, former Director of Sustainability at Facebook & Green Energy Czar at Google
Today’s guest is Bill Weihl.
Bill was the Director of Sustainability at Facebook where he focused on energy efficiency initiatives. Prior to joining Facebook in early 2012, he spent 6 years as the Green Energy Czar at Google, where he led efforts in energy efficiency and renewable energy, spearheading Google's drive to become carbon neutral, founding the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, and leading the Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal (RE
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
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
51 min
August 15, 2019Ep 28: Austin Whitman, Executive Director at Climate Neutral
Today’s guest is Austin Whitman, Executive Director of Climate Neutral.
Climate Neutral is an independent non-profit organization working to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon world by putting a price on carbon emissions. They are enlisting brands in the fight against climate change by showing them that measuring and paying for their carbon emissions is cheaper and easier than they think. Climate Neutral believes that brands, together with their consumers, can lead the transition to a low-carbon economy by placing a price on carbon within their business.
In today’s episode we discuss:
Overview of Climate Neutral
Intro to carbon neutrality
Intro to offsets
Founding story
Reason for being a non-profit
Process of raising money for non-profit
Pitch to brands
Traction to date
Future plans and long vision
'How it fits into broader climate fight
Where Austin would put $100B to maximize its impact in the climate fight
'Advice to people trying to find their own paths to help with this problem
Links to topics discussed in today’s episode:
Austin Whitman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinwhitman/
Climate Neutral Website: https://www.climateneutral.org/
Climate Neutral Twitter: https://twitter.com/climateneutral
Natural Capital Partners: https://www.naturalcapitalpartners.com/
UN Climate Neutral Now: https://unfccc.int/climate-action/climate-neutral-now
Science Based Targets Initiative: https://sciencebasedtargets.org/
Kleen Kanteen: https://www.kleankanteen.com/
Peak Design: https://www.peakdesign.com/
BioLite: https://www.bioliteenergy.com/
Alex Honnold: http://www.alexhonnold.com/
Connecticut Green Bank: https://ctgreenbank.com/
'Chris Van Hollen: https://www.lcv.org/environmental-facebook/chris-van-hollen/
Project Drawdown: https://www.drawdown.org/
Paul Hawken: http://www.paulhawken.com/
I hope you enjoy the show!
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
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
48 min
August 12, 2019Ep 27: Marshall Moutenot, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Upstream Tech
Marshall is the co-founder and Managing Director at Upstream Tech, a public benefit corporation that partners with nonprofit and for-profit organizations working towards ecological restoration, supply chain sustainability, and energy efficiency improvements goals, among others. Upstream Tech’s goal is to help translate data into better, faster resource use decisions. They use satellite data, sophisticated data processing, and easy-to-use applications to supercharge their customer’s conservation impact.
Marshall oversees the product development, growth and partnerships at Upstream Tech. Prior to co-founding Upstream Tech, he worked in a number of early- and late-stage technical companies that have collectively raised over $100M USD in venture capital. He was awarded Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy and has served on panels for the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Marshall holds a BA in Computer Science from Tufts University.
In today’s episode we discuss:
Upstream Tech overview and history
Marshall’s background prior to Upstream Tech, including what led him to care about climate, how he went about making the transition, and what led him to this opportunity specifically
Some projects they have worked on
Upstream Tech’s acquisition by Natel Energy and what the combined entity can do together
What are some other levers in the climate fight beyond Upstream Tech
Marshall’s advice for anyone looking to make a similar transition
Links to topics discussed in today’s episode:
Marshall twitter: https://twitter.com/marsh?lang=en
Marshall Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marshallmoutenot/
Upstream Tech: https://upstream.tech/
Natel Energy: https://www.natelenergy.com/
I hope you enjoy the show!
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
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
42 min
August 08, 2019Ep 26: Armond Cohen, Co-Founder and Executive Director at Clean Air Task Force
Today’s guest is Armond Cohen, co-founder and Executive Director at Clean Air Task Force, an organization whose task is to reduce climate change by applying an overwhelming amount of force to some of the biggest levers to reduce carbon and other climate warming emissions. Armond has led CATF since its formation in 1996.
In addition to leading CATF, Armond is directly involved in CATF research and advocacy on the topic of requirements to deeply decarbonize global energy systems. Prior to his work with CATF, Armond founded and led the Conservation Law Foundation’s Energy Project starting in 1983, focussing on energy efficiency, utility resource planning, and electric industry structure. Armond has published numerous articles on climate change, energy system transformation, and air pollution; he speaks and testifies frequently on these topics. He is a member of the Keystone Center Energy Board, co-Chair of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, and a member of the US Department of Energy Electricity Advisory Committee. Armond is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School and Brown University.
In today’s episode we discuss:
CATF overview and history
CATF current focus areas, how they prioritize, and measure success
Climate problem explained, including a look at various high leverage potential solutions, and barriers that make the issue difficult to solve
Policy vs innovation, and the role of each
How to make progress in a polarized world
Armond’d thoughts on the term ‘environmentalist’
Armond’s advice for listeners on how to help
Links to topics discussed in today’s episode:
Armond’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/armond-cohen-83a1484/
Armond’s twitter profile: https://twitter.com/armondcohen1?lang=en
CATF website: https://www.catf.us/
Carbon180 website: https://carbon180.org/
EDF website: https://www.edf.org
Bret Kugelmass: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/bret-kugelmass
USA Today article on Chernobyl and nuclear: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/06/17/hbo-chernobyl-tragic-nuclear-power-safe-clean-vital-column/1409096001/
Stewart Brand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Brand
Sheldon Whitehouse: https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/
I hope you enjoy the show!
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
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
56 min
August 05, 2019Ep 25: Rob Day, General Partner at Spring Lane Capital
Today’s guest is Rob Day, General Partner at Spring Lane Capital.
Spring Lane Capital partners with strong management teams who are selling or using distributed assets with compelling customer economics in the energy, water, food and waste sectors. In these sectors, they focus on solutions that have significantly positive impacts on the sustainability of our natural resources, which they believe offer advantaged long-term benefits economically and socially. They’ve found that in practice, most such solutions have major physical components – “distributed assets” are those solutions using equipment or facilities smaller and less concentrated than traditional project finance can address.
Rob has been a sustainable resources private equity investor since 2004, and acts or has served as a Director, Observer and advisory board member to multiple companies in the energy tech and related sectors. Rob also serves on the Board at the New England Clean Energy Council. From 2005-2016 he authored the column Cleantech Investing, which appeared on GreentechMedia.com, and co-hosted several conferences with that group on the topic of new investment models for the sustainability sector.
Formerly a consultant with Bain & Company, Rob has worked with companies and evaluated private equity transactions in the energy/ utilities, telecom, IT, medical/pharmaceutical, and retail industries. Earlier in his career, Rob was a member of the World Resources Institute's Sustainable Enterprise Program, where he co-authored the report The Next Bottom Line: Making Sustainable Development Tangible. Rob received his MBA at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University), and his BA at Swarthmore College.
In this episode we discuss:
Overview of Spring Lane Capital
Rob’s background & history and what got him initially caring about the planet and sustainability
Spring Lane Capital model, target customers, what alternatives existed before they came along, and how they are different
How they measure success, in terms of both financial returns and the mission
What Rob would be doing to focus on climate change if he wasn’t doing this
Rob’s advice to people trying to find their own ways to make a mark in this problem space
Links for topics discussed in this episode:
Aries Clean Energy: https://ariescleanenergy.com/
Generate Capital: https://generatecapital.com/
Ultra Capital: https://www.ultracapital.com/
Rob Day’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robday/
Rob Day’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/cleantechvc
I hope you enjoy the show!
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
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
44 min
August 01, 2019Ep 24: Diego Saez Gil, Co-Founder & CEO of Pachama
Today’s guest is Diego Saez Gil, co-founder & CEO of Pachama.
Diego Saez-Gil is Co-founder & CEO of Pachama, a company focused on restoring the forests to solve climate change. Prior to Pachama, Diego co-founded Bluesmart (acquired by TravelPro) and WeHostels (acquired by StudentUniverse). Diego was awarded MIT 35 Under 35 and was selected High Impact Entrepreneur by Endeavor. Pachama is working to help restore the forests to solve climate change. They are developing technologies to bring trust, transparency, and efficiency to the Forest Carbon Market. They are combining machine learning with satellite and drone data to accelerate the verification of carbon in forests and increase the flow of capital from those offsetting their carbon emissions to those protecting and restoring the forests. They are backed by some of the best investors in Silicon Valley including Chris Sacca, Paul Graham, Y Combinator, among others.
In this episode we discuss:
Overview of Pachama
Background on carbon offsets and how they work
Overview of reforestation and why it is important
Background on why reforestation has been difficult to certify land for historically, and how Pachama can help
Progress of the company to date, long vision, and what is coming next
What success looks like, and how it ties into broader climate fight
What else can be high leverage on climate change, besides reforestation
Role of policy, specific to Pachama and with broader lense in climate fight
Role of venture capital in climate fight, and what types of climate solutions are the right fit for VC
Advice to people trying to figure out how to help
Links for topics discussed in this episode:
Diego Saez Gil Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsaezgil/
Diego Saez Gil twitter: https://twitter.com/dsaezgil
Pachama website: https://www.pachama.com/
Project Drawdown: https://www.drawdown.org/
Why Forests? Why Now?: The Science, Economics, and Politics of Tropical Forests and Climate Change: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933286857/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.krdDbWWR127E
I hope you enjoy the show!
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics and guests.
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
39 min
July 29, 2019Ep 23: Noah Deich, Founder & Executive Director of Carbon180
Today’s guest is Noah Deich, the Founder & Executive Director of Carbon180.
Carbon180 is a new breed of climate-focused NGO on a mission to fundamentally rethink carbon. They partner with policymakers, scientists and businesses around the globe to develop policy, promote research, and advance solutions that transform carbon from a liability to an asset. Their vision is to build a prosperous, carbon-conscious economy that removes more carbon from the atmosphere than we emit.
Noah is a cleantech professional with a passion for fighting climate change. Prior to founding Carbon180, Noah worked in consulting, and gained experience with environmental market and carbon offset modeling, financial valuation of renewable and fossil energy power plants, energy efficiency and demand response program design and implementation, and corporate social responsibility strategy assessments.
Noah received his M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and his B.A. from the University of Virginia, and his writing has been published in GreenBiz.
In this episode we discuss:
Carbon removal defined & why we need it
Carbon180 overview, history, etc
Where they are the journey today, the long vision, and what is coming next
Types of projects they work on, some examples, and how they measure success
State of carbon removal and where it needs to go
Some barriers holding it back and the best way to unlock faster progress
Role of policy vs innovation
Carbon 180’s role
How you and I can help
What else matters in the climate fight
Advice to people trying to find their lane
Links for topics discussed in this episode:
Noah Deich LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahdeich/
Noah Deich Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecarbonsink
Carbon180: https://carbon180.org/
National Academy of Science: http://www.nasonline.org/
Carbon removal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide_removal
Occidental Petroleum: https://www.oxy.com/Pages/default.aspx
I hope you enjoy the show!
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and via email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
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
50 min
July 25, 2019Ep 22: Alicia Seiger, Managing Director, Lecturer, Sustainable Finance at Stanford University
Today’s guest is Alicia Seiger, a lecturer at Stanford Law School who leads sustainability and energy finance initiatives at Stanford Law, Graduate School of Business and the Precourt Institute for Energy. Alicia serves as Managing Director for both the Stanford Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance and the Sustainable Finance Initiative. Her work focuses on business and financial innovations to accelerate the transition to a decarbonized and climate resilient global economy.
In 2018, Alicia was appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to serve on the first-ever Decarbonization Advisory Panel for the $209 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund. She also serves on the boards of Ceres and PRIME Coalition, and co-founded Stanford Professionals in Energy (SPIE). In 2014, she created Investing in a New Climate, an investor workshop series to help asset owners manage climate risk and capitalize on innovation opportunities.
A serial entrepreneur and pioneer of new business models, Alicia has been designing and executing climate and energy strategies for businesses, foundations, investors, and NGOs since 2004. She has served on the management teams of multiple startups, including at TerraPass, a pioneer of the US carbon offset market, and Flycast Communications, one of the world’s first web advertising networks.
In this episode we discuss:
The type of work Alicia does at Stanford with the Stanford Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance and the Sustainable Finance Initiative
How the financial world is thinking of climate change, including the disconnect between valuations and climate risk
Where the US stacks up against the rest of the world in terms of sustainable investing
Advice for people trying to figure out how to find their place in the climate fight
What Alicia would do with a big pot of money, if she could put it to work to maximize its impact on deep decarbonization
I hope you enjoy the show!
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Edit notes from Alicia:
I failed to mention “minimum standards”, which was the third headline of our report. To read more on this check out the NYCRF climate action plan (https://www.osc.state.ny.us/pension/climate-action-plan-2019.pdf) or our panel’s recommendations (https://www-cdn.law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/newer.PDF-NYCRF_DAP_FinalReport_Full.pdf.pdf).
NYCRF did everything except adopt the headline. They didn’t actually publicly commit to 100% sustainable assets by 2030, but they started on the road towards that goal.
Links for topics discussed in this episode:
Alicia Seiger’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aseiger
Alicia Seiger’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/aaseiger
Alicia Seiger’s Stanford Bio: https://law.stanford.edu/directory/alicia-seiger/
Stanford Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance: https://law.stanford.edu/steyer-taylor-center-for-energy-policy-and-finance/
Stanford Sustainable Finance Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy: https://energy.stanford.edu/sustainable-finance-initiative
Ceres: https://www.ceres.org/
FSB, TCFD Website: https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/
FSB, Mark Carney Video on TCMD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvLsLJ7kl3E
Sarah Kearney: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/sarah-kearney
Matthew Nordan: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/matthew-nordan
Prime Coalition: https://primecoalition.org/
Cyclotron Road: https://www.cyclotronroad.org/
Tom Steyer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Steyer
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
47 min
July 22, 2019Ep 21: Pat Brown, CEO & Founder of Impossible Foods
Today’s guest is Pat Brown, CEO & founder of Impossible Foods, a company at the forefront of making nutritious, delicious meat and dairy products from plants to satisfy meat lovers and address the environmental impact of animal farming. Founded in 2011, the Bay Area-based company has now raised a total of $687.5 million from a host of backers including Khosla Ventures, UBS, Bill Gates, Serena Williams and singer Katy Perry.
In this episode we discuss:
Pat’s background as a chemist and the sabbatical that led him to founding Impossible Foods
What the company does, how it goes to market, and progress to date
Mission, long-term vision, and how it ties back to broader climate fight
What else can be impactful on climate change beyond the work of Impossible Foods
Pat’s advice to consumers on the most impactful things they can do to be helpful in the fight against climate change
I hope you enjoy the show!
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at [email protected], where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
Links for topics discussed in this episode:
Pat Brown’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-brown-338b467
Impossible Foods website: https://impossiblefoods.com/
Impossible Foods Impact Report 2019 https://impossiblefoods.com/mission/2019impact/
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
44 min

About Inevitable

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Join Cody Simms each week as he engages with experts across disciplines to explore innovations driving the transition of energy and industry. Inevitable is an MCJ podcast. This show was formerly known…