Plastic doesn’t have to be the villain of the story anymore, Rheom Materials is flipping the script. From brewing kombucha to brewing up a whole new way of thinking about sustainable plastics, they’re proving that bio-based, biodegradable materials can hold their own against petrochemical giants. In this chat, you’ll hear about the wild ride from Zimri T. Hinshaw’s beginnings to Rheom’s breakthrough materials that work with existing manufacturing setups, why Houston’s energy hub is a hot spot for climate tech, and what it takes to scale a startup that’s shaking up an industry. If you’ve ever wondered how innovation meets practicality in the fight against plastic waste, this one’s for you.

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Click here to view the episode transcript.

00:00 - EnergyTech Nexus Ad
00:16 - Intro
00:24 - Rio Materials
02:18 - Moving Away from Plastic
05:26 - Scaling with Existing Infrastructure
08:12 - Customer Collaboration at Rio Materials
16:15 - Keeping Costs Competitive
20:00 - Bio-based vs. Petrochemical Pricing
21:35 - Rebranding to Rheom Materials
27:15 - Differentiating Rheom Materials
30:45 - Insights from Customer Testing
33:09 - Why Choose Houston?
35:45 - Building Houston's Future
37:46 - Lessons for Investors in Hard Tech
43:29 - Tips for New Entrepreneurs
45:20 - Getting Involved in Startups
49:27 - Future Plans for Realm
51:03 - Future Plans for Cove

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