The Keep Cool Podcast

Nick and Katie McClain, Partner and COO at Energize Capital, a venture fund focused on climate and energy technologies, discuss what’s ‘hot’ right now in climate venture capital, besides for, you know, the rate at which the Earth is warming. Nick and Katie also take a keen look at what to expect in 2024 and beyond. Specifically, Nick and Katie dive deep on:The past five years of climate tech and electrification in the U.S.The outlook for climate tech venture capital and electrification in 2024What it’s like to both invest and operate in venture capital Policy levers ranging from the IRA to EuropeWhy sustainability is about much more than building ‘green’ solutions and systemsDon't miss out on this podcast if you’re interested in learning more about the state of climate tech, climate tech venture capital, electrification, and more! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, Google, or your favorite podcast platform to catch all the latest episodes.Timestamps:00:03:06 - Energize's Edge Platform for Portfolio Companies00:07:49 - Looking Forward to 2024 in Climate Tech00:09:06 - Evolution of Renewable Energy Industry Challenges00:14:13 - Exciting Portfolio Companies: Banyan Infrastructure and more00:18:28 - Demand-Side Efficiency and Electrification00:22:11 - The Future of Climate Tech and the IRA's Impact00:25:57 - Challenges and Opportunities in Project Deployment00:27:55 - Differences in Climate Tech Between North America and Europe00:32:02 - Differences Between Cleantech 1.0 and Climate Tech Today00:34:56 - Sustainability Beyond Emissions Reduction00:38:04 - Bringing Expertise from Other Sectors to Climate TechMore Notes:Follow Katie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-mcclain-91033650/If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcoolThank you so much! Plus, stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool here: https://keepcool.co/ and follow Nick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasvanosdol/

Nick and Tom Quigley, co-founder and Managing Director of Superorganism, a venture firm focused on biodiversity, discuss what biodiversity is, why it matters to the world, and how it fits into the burgeoning climate tech ecosystem. Specifically, Nick and Tom dive deep on:The evaluation process behind creating a venture firm focused on biodiversityWhy biodiversity loss is about much more than just global warming and climate changeHow venture-scale businesses are being built to address biodiversity loss Don't miss out on this podcast if you’re interested in learning more about climate tech beyond well-covered sectors like energy and transportation! Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, Google, or your favorite podcast platform to catch all the latest episodes.00:00:13 - The first venture firm focused on biodiversity00:04:51 - What is biodiversity, what drives biodiversity loss, and why is that a problem 00:10:30 - How venture capital can support biodiversity-focused businesses00:13:25 - Company examples: Discussing Inversa, lionfish, and invasive species00:18:00 - The many benefits of supporting biodiversity and its overlap with climate00:26:42 - Exploring more companies and tech trends at the forefront of biodiversity00:31:20 - Request for start-ups: Opportunities for innovation in biodiversity00:36:06 - Zooming out: the future growth of the biodiversity tech market00:41:15 - What it means to be "nature tech" vs. "climate tech"Learn More About Superorganism: https://www.superorganism.com/Follow Tom on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommquigleyIf you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcoolThank you so much! Plus, stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool here: https://keepcool.co/ and follow Nick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasvanosdol/

Discover how Mast Reforestation (formerly Drone Seed) is revolutionizing reforestation efforts to combat climate change. In this episode, Matthew Aghai, VP of R&D Mast Reforestation, explores the company's mission to scale reforestation and reestablish the reforestation supply chain, all while expanding the variables used to evaluate successful ecosystem stewardship. You’ll learn about their use of equal parts big data and ground truthing to restore large, impacted landscapes and ensure the resilience of ecosystems.  Matthew also discusses how the company’s work will support making markets for biodiversity and broadening the scope of services inherent to ecosystem restoration. Don't miss this insightful conversation on the future of reforestation and the role of different stakeholders in driving that change. 00:00:07 - Scaling Reforestation to Combat Climate Change00:01:49 - Drone Seed: Revolutionizing Reforestation Efforts00:06:34 - Montana Reforestation Project Funded by Carbon Offsets00:14:50 - Restoring Ecosystems in a Changing Climate00:20:26 - The Future of Hardware Technology00:29:27 - Building Trust in the Emerging Marketplace00:35:10 - Mast's Integration of Biodiversity Metrics00:39:22 - The Importance of Conserving Dry Forests00:42:41 - Measuring Success for Long-Term Growth00:49:07 - The Future of Reforestation with Drones Learn more about Mast Reforestation: Website: https://www.mastreforest.com Follow Matthew: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-aghai-a49317178/ If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol

Discover the future of ecosystem regeneration and biodiversity work as Nick sits down with Colin Averill, CEO and Founder of Funga, to discuss their groundbreaking approach to reforestation. By harnessing and unlocking fungal biodiversity insights, Colin's team introduces diverse fungal and bacterial communities to the reforestation process, helping to revitalize degraded soil microbiomes by establishing extensive mycelium networks that fuel plant growth. With a background in forest carbon cycle science, Colin's team is responsible for designing projects spanning thousands of acres that utilize rigorous scientific precision to achieve ecological restoration. Join Nick as he and Colin explore Funga's journey to amplify forest health, build a massive database of fungal biodiversity, and combat climate change through nature-inspired biotechnology. Learn More About Funga: Website: https://www.funga.earth Follow Colin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinaverill/ If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol

In this week’s pod, Nick chats with Sam Wevers, the Head of Software Product for Lunar Energy, as they dive into the heart of Lunar Energy's mission to revolutionize global home energy.Sam unveils how Lunar's state-of-the-art home electrification system seamlessly melds solar technology with home batteries, transcending analytics to offer customers deep insight into their home's energy rhythms and the larger ecosystem of energy they fit into.From there, Nick and Sam zoom out to discuss how electrification scales and the role that data can play in harmonizing endless clean energy around the globe.Learn more about Lunar Energy: Website: https://www.lunarenergy.com Follow Sam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samwevers/ If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol 

It may sound like something straight out of science fiction, but hyperspectral satellites have been around for decades, measuring the spectral profile of things like methane gas and other things that are otherwise out of view from the human eye.In this week’s podcast, Nick chats with Dan Katz, CEO and co-founder of Orbital Sidekick, about how the company is turning hyperspectral satellites into a commercially viable technology that helps solve some of the planet’s most pressing operational, environmental, and safety issues in real-time. Dan also discloses how hyperspectral technology benefits companies seeking carbon credit opportunities, the difficulties in delivering climate tech that scales, and why spreading yourself too thin too soon can spell death for any early-stage startup.Learn More About Orbital Sidekick: Website: https://www.orbitalsidekick.com/careersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orbital-sidekick/Twitter: https://twitter.com/OrbitalSidekickFollow Dan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katzdaniel34/ If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol 

Meet the man trying to make electric vehicle charging stations more accessible, affordable, and reliable than ever before. Quincy Lee is a former mechanical engineer at SpaceX turned fast-charging renegade. He understands the importance of the EV revolution to make a positive environmental impact, and the key challenges facing the EV industry today. His mission? To accelerate the decarbonization and electrification of the transportation industry by designing EV fast charging stations that are reliable, can be deployed quickly, and don’t put undue pressure on the electricity distribution grid.In this episode, Nick and Quincy talk about how Quincy’s company, Electric Era, is deploying a full-stack EV charging solution that leverages energy storage as a wedge between the distribution grid and EV charging. Nick and Quincy also discuss how the software layer on top of the hardware is a key leverage point, as is thinking about the entire customer experience and all components of operating a charging station.  Follow Electric Era:Website: https://electriceratechnologies.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/ElectricEraTechLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/electric-era/ Follow Quincy: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/quincy-lee/ If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol 

On this week’s pod, Nick sits down with Agilitas Energy’s CEO and President, Barrett Bilotta to chat about the state of grid-connected battery energy storage in the U.S. What are the challenges facing energy storage development, and how do energy storage developers and operators manage to balance the needs and concerns of countless stakeholders, ranging from regulators to utilities? Barrett also explains the advantages of operating the assets they build themselves, the limitations of lithium-ion technology, and how Agilitas Energy aims to capture and deploy as many clean kilowatt hours in the future as possible.Plus, stay tuned to hear about Agilitas Energy’s concrete future targets and why Barrett predicts a resurgence of hydroelectric power in the U.S. Learn more about Agilitas Energy:Website: https://www.agilitasenergy.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/agilitas-energy-inc/ Follow Barrett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrett-bilotta-8257034/ If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol 

On this week’s pod, Nick’s sitting down with Ample co-founder and president John de la Souza to chat about the future of modular battery-swapping technology for EVs.  By swapping rather than charging an electric vehicle’s battery, Ample can deliver a 100% charge in 5 minutes or less — and with considerable other benefits for the grid. Is this a push that will help accelerate EV adoption and address common driver pain points? Or is it too much of a burden to develop the infrastructure?How will Ample make its solution more adaptable to OEMs? John and Nick dive into the nitty-gritty details of what implementation looks like and whether it’s a cost-efficient, sensible solution. Find Out More About Ample: https://ample.com Follow John:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johndesouza1/ If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol 

Meet the company trying to make use of wasted food: Divert. Determined to create a zero-waste future, Divert’s CEO Ryan Begin sits down to chat with Nick about how the company utilizes advanced technology to turn wasted food that would turn into methane in a landfill into renewable energy instead.How do they have the confidence that their solution is truly a climate-positive solution for waste? How much work goes into preparing wasted food (e.g., removing microplastics)? And are there positive signs to indicate this technology will take off in the US as it has in other countries across Europe?  Tune in to find out! If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol 

What does a model-and influencer-turned-activist have to do with nuclear energy, and why should we care?As it turns out, quite a lot, and she has plenty of data, insight, and wisdom to impart when it comes to advocating for nuclear energy as a climate solution. Isabelle Boemeke, founder of the Isodope brand, drops in to chat with Nick about the common misconceptions surrounding nuclear energy and why it’s one of the safest and most effective sources of clean energy— generating more power than solar and wind combined globally. Then, they dive into the reasons why support for nuclear power is the highest it’s ever been (but still not high enough), how other countries are implementing nuclear technology into their power sectors, and where the future of nuclear tech is headed. Follow Isodope (and subscribe to her newsletter!): Website/Newsletter: https://isodope.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/i_sodope/?hl=enTwitter: https://twitter.com/i_sodope_ Follow Isabelle: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isabelleboemeke/?hl=enTwitter: https://twitter.com/isabelleboemeke If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol

Has anyone ever told you to be more mindful of your waste?  Meet the man who believes that waste isn’t just waste— and why he feels that humans have a lot to learn from mother nature.  Michael Place, CTO of Chapul Farms, stops by the studio to talk about how regenerative insect agriculture is redefining how we think of waste disposal. After witnessing a hoard of black soldier fly larvae making quick haste of his compost pile one morning, Michael realized the insect's immense potential to solve waste byproduct disposal problems. Now, insect agriculture is a multi-million-dollar industry capable of producing alternative protein sources for animals and humans across the world by upcycling waste by-products from the ethanol industry into bio-fertilizer soil products (FRASS).  Michael discusses the versatility of insects as food, the promising future of insect agriculture, and the challenges it faces to widespread scalability.  If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol  

How does a theoretical physicist studying black holes and the nature of spacetime find his way to the field of artificial intelligence and battery manufacturing? In this week’s episode, Nick sits down with Chemix cofounder Jason Koeller, an AI researcher working to revolutionize the battery industry. After realizing that energy storage was in desperate need of better technical solutions, Jason sought to build an AI-driven platform to optimize the battery manufacturing industry by collecting large amounts of data and automating complex research and development processes.   Tune in to discover Jason's journey and learn how Chemix is leading the way in working with battery manufacturers to address industry gaps and achieve sustainable, high-volume manufacturing capabilities. Follow Chemix: Website: https://www.chemix.aiLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chemix-inc/ Follow Jason:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-koeller/  If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol

Carbon removal wasn’t even in our vocabulary a few years ago. But now, thanks to companies like Climeworks, direct air capture technology is being brought to the forefront of climate change technology. CMO of Climeworks, Julie Gosalvez, sits down to chat with Nick about how direct air capture works by capturing CO2 particles from the air, why it’s critical to use the technology as we race to control climate change, and the challenges carbon removal tech faces in the quest to implement it on a global scale.  Plus, find out how and why carbon removal is poised to become a trillion-dollar industry in the near future. If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Thank you so much! Follow Julie:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliegosalvez/?originalSubdomain=fr Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol Timestamps:0:00 Intro and Background3:45 Explaining Climeworks8:03 Scaling with an Invisible Product10:04 Challenges to Climeworks Buyers15:02 Negotiating with Policymakers18:07 Plans for Expansion20:36 Collaborating with Other DAC firms22:42 Scalability in Direct Air Capture Tech24:49 Biggest Risks 26:21 Bringing the Individual Consumer into DAC29:39 Economic Impact of DAC36:46 Other Exciting Technology37:56 Outro 

The energy transition is in full swing, find out how Tyler Lancaster is helping lead the way as an investment partner in innovative climate tech startups.Tyler is a partner at Energize Ventures, a leading investor in capital-light climate tech solutions , partnering with best-in-class innovators to accelerate the energy transition.Nick and Tyler discuss how even in the last five years climate tech innovation has changed exponentially, areas of the climate tech space they’re particularly focused on , and whether the current climate tech boom has momentum to last.If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcoolThank you so much!Follow Tyler:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-lancaster-2108/Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol

How do you measure the impact of net zero targets and climate change on large corporations? Step forward Shanu Mathew.Shanu is Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager/Analyst - US Sustainable Equity at Lazard Asset Management.Nick and Shanu get into how to catch the inflection points in innovation and rapid growth in markets, how these impact climate tech investments, and  what role ESG and other investment analysis frameworks will play in years to come.Plus, you’ll hear why Nick and Shanu believe we can be optimistic about systems level changes that will improve the world.If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcoolThank you so much!Follow Shanu:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanugmathew/Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShanuMathew93Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol

Tim is Managing Partner at Mercy Corps Ventures: The unique investment fund ploughing hundreds of thousands of dollars into innovative startups.Helping the most vulnerable communities become more resilient to climate and financial change, Tim works throughout South East Asia and LatAm and West Africa.Nick and Tim get into why he has a particular passion for agriculture, how to use Web3 to create radical transparency in the carbon markets, and the intersection between climate tech and fintech.If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcoolThank you so much!Follow Tim:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-rann/Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol

Earth’s resources are running low, so how do you choose the smart software and digital investments that maximize productivity and deployment of climate technologies?Micah Kotch is an investor at Blackhorn Ventures, the early-stage venture capital firm investing in digital solutions that accelerate the energy transition and tackle other problems, too. .Nick and Micah talk grid resiliency and alternatives to fossil fuels, the high caliber of breakthrough ideas coming through, and discuss where investors are getting over their skis just a little bit.Plus you’ll hear Micah’s predictions on the number of unicorns finding their way into the climate tech space and why we’re going to see way more action at federal level when it comes to mitigating climate change.If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcoolThank you so much!Follow Micah:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micahjason/Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol

It’s easier than ever to launch a climate tech startup. But getting noticed can be harder. Meet the investor who’s allocating capital and helping businesses tell their story.Jay Kapoor is General Partner at VSC Ventures, the award-winning comms firm that also invests at Seed and Series A stage and tells the stories of climate tech startups and their exceptional founders.Nick and Jay discuss topics like why VCs and founders need to roll up their sleeves to work with governments, why the grid needs to grow up to unlock the power of EVs, and the rest of the cool tech VSC Ventures is backing.Plus, you’ll hear Jay’s views on where he’d build a business if he weren’t investing..If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcoolThank you so much!Follow Jay:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaykapoor/Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayKapoorNYCStay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol

Measuring and tracking emissions is a great start, but how do companies make long term plans for effective change? They require more sophisticated modeling technology as well as policy expertise.Ela leads Actual’s efforts in the areas of policy, industry affairs, and research at Actual, supplementing the company’s state-of-the-art modeling software and ESG strategies across industries with deep policy research.Nick and Ela dive into what it takes to go from data to real world impact, why Actual is the missing piece in the corporate ESG puzzle, and how smart modeling is helping New Zealand sheep farmers produce wool more sustainably.You’ll also hear Ela’s thoughts on interesting climate policy to look out for in 2023..If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcoolThank you so much!Follow Ela:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ela-j-32436386/Stay up-to-date on all things Keep Cool: https://workweek.com/discover-newsletters/keep-cool/ or follow Nick Van Osdol on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickvanosdol