Rooted in Change

Data centers generate immense heat and require constant, energy-intensive cooling to run their servers. Those facilities typically vent that excess energy as waste, until now. NeoCarbon turns data centers into carbon capture machines by integrating Direct Air Capture technology directly into their infrastructure. By utilizing the servers' waste heat to power the process, NeoCarbon acts as a thermal buffer that drastically reduces cooling needs while actively capturing CO2. Tobias, NeoCarbon’s CEO, joins me to talk about this paradigm shift in collaboration, the holistic solution for facility operators and the company's commercial focus on the data center market. Tune in to learn what NeoCarbon's approach has to do with the German "Reinheitsgebot" for brewing beer.

NeoCarbon

Heavy industries need high temperatures to run their processes, making certain processes hard to electrify. Those companies continue to rely on fossil gas, until now. Meva Energy replaces fossil gas by building gasification plants directly on-site at the factory. By converting local biomass residue into clean, renewable gas, Meva provides the intense heat needed for industrial processes, cutting carbon emissions and stabilizing energy costs instantly. Thomas, Meva's Business Development Manager, joins the podcast to talk about the technology, applications and the company's future plans.

Meva Energy

Reaching Net Zero is one of the defining challenges of our time, but reducing emissions alone won't be enough - we also need to actively remove carbon from the atmosphere. That’s exactly where Carbo Culture comes in. Their team has developed a proprietary technology that converts waste biomass into stable biochar. In this episode, I talk with Hanna about how their technology works, the critical role of biochar in the climate equation and what it takes to scale a physical solution to a gigaton level. We also dive into a crucial but often overlooked angle: the lessons she brings from her background in the Prime Minister’s Office in Finland and how navigating the complex world of policy is just as vital as the engineering when building a deep-tech market from scratch.

Carbo Culture

Clean water is one of the defining challenges of our time and even its own Sustainable Development Goal. One essential piece of the puzzle is wastewater purification. That’s exactly where Stockholm Water Technology comes in. Their team has developed a chemical- and membrane-free purification technology that uses only electricity to remove contaminants and even recover valuable nutrients. In this episode, I talk with Karthik about how their technology works, why it matters and what it could mean for the future of water treatment. We also dive into an unexpected angle: the lessons he brings from his career as a professional athlete and how they shape his approach to building and scaling a deep-tech company.

Stockholm Water Technology

As the heating season kicks off, energy use and energy bills start climbing fast. In this episode, I talk with Felix, co-founder and CEO at viboo, who are tackling this challenge head-on. Their platform uses AI-driven heating control to help light commercial buildings save energy, cut costs, and reduce CO₂ emissions. We dive into how their solution works, why it’s particularly effective for light commercial buildings, and how it makes energy efficiency both smart and affordable and how buildings can become an active part of the energy transition.

viboo

Unbound Potential is rethinking batteries. By removing costly membranes and complex cell stacks, their membrane-free redox flow technology stores energy in two liquids with minimal hardware, lasting over 20,000 cycles. I chat with the company's CFO Emilio Dal Re about how it works, why it matters for the energy transition, and the recent pre-seed funding plus early pilots with companies like Amazon.

Unbound Potential

Waste streams are often overlooked, but they hold enormous potential. TreaTech has developed a technology that captures the full value of a broad range of end products - from renewable gas to clean water, salts and minerals - turning waste into valuable resources. In this episode, I chat with Frederic, co-founder of TreaTech, about how the technology works, why it’s a game-changer for the waste treatment industry and how it could help build a truly circular economy. We also dive into the challenges of scaling this approach and what’s next for the company.

TreaTech

Supercapacitors aren’t as well-known as batteries, but they play an important role in the energy storage landscape. Unlike batteries, they can charge and discharge almost instantly, making them ideal for applications that require short, powerful bursts of energy. In this episode, I chat with Lars Stegmann, CEO at CAP-XX, the company behind the world’s thinnest supercapacitors. We explore how the technology works, why it matters for the energy transition and how CAP-XX powers a green transition.

CAP-XX

What if we could build without cement? In this episode, one of the world’s most used, yet climate-damaging materials makes an appearance: cement. Gnanli Landrou, co-founder of Oxara, explains how the ETH Zurich spin-off turns demolition waste and clay into clean, circular building materials. With cement-free binders that cut emissions and reduce construction waste, Oxara opens the door to affordable, low-carbon housing. Tune in to hear how the team is building a future that’s cleaner and smarter - without cement.

Oxara

Enhanced weathering uses finely ground minerals spread on farmland to speed up a natural process: rocks reacting with CO2 to form stable carbon compounds. This process not only captures and stores C02 for thousands of years but also improves soil health and crop yields. Hannes, COO and co-founder at ZeroEx, explains how the company closes the loop in the enhanced weathering space. To issue the right carbon credits, the company models the expected CO2 sequestration potential based on data collected, implements the projects and has each certificate verified. ZeroEx is at an exciting moment in the scale-up journey. Tune in to learn more!

https://zeroex.com/en