Pitching Progress
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From turning food waste into energy, to recycled fashion and low-emission aviation fuel: Pitching Progress brings you the stories of innovators working to decarbonize the industries that power our world. On this show from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the founders of some of the world’s most inventive green-tech startups take part in an in-depth pitch session that challenges them to demonstrate their products' environmental impact, and the value they create for investors.
We’ll show you that commerce and climate consciousness don’t have to be at odds with one another. That renewable energy, sustainability, and circular economies represent a leap forward for society, and incredible investment opportunities. In the process, we’ll introduce you to the people and stories behind the firms revolutionizing the modern economy.
What does it take for an idea to go from the lab to the marketplace? What sort of fiscal barriers exist for green-tech entrepreneurs on their path to success? And will they be able to convince Vinay that their product, business plan and value propositions are strong enough to get them there?
Join us as we demystify the world of green-tech and sustainable commerce, and inspire the next wave of forward-thinking investors and entrepreneurs to build on the burgeoning green economy.
About Our Host:
Pitching Progress is hosted by Vinay Shandal, who leads BCG’s sustainable finance and investing business. Vinay draws on his experience at the intersection of finance and sustainability to ask founders the tough questions about their operations, and challenge them to convince investors that the business is good for the world and good for their wallets.
We’d Love to Hear From You:
We’d love to hear your feedback on how we can produce the best content possible, please share any episode ideas, and general thoughts at PIPE@bcg.com.
Pitching Progress by BCG empowers listeners to think differently about the relationship between sustainability and commerce. For more information and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/overview
New episodes of Pitching Progress are available every two weeks wherever you get your podcasts. Get a look inside the business of building a better future.
We’ll show you that commerce and climate consciousness don’t have to be at odds with one another. That renewable energy, sustainability, and circular economies represent a leap forward for society, and incredible investment opportunities. In the process, we’ll introduce you to the people and stories behind the firms revolutionizing the modern economy.
What does it take for an idea to go from the lab to the marketplace? What sort of fiscal barriers exist for green-tech entrepreneurs on their path to success? And will they be able to convince Vinay that their product, business plan and value propositions are strong enough to get them there?
Join us as we demystify the world of green-tech and sustainable commerce, and inspire the next wave of forward-thinking investors and entrepreneurs to build on the burgeoning green economy.
About Our Host:
Pitching Progress is hosted by Vinay Shandal, who leads BCG’s sustainable finance and investing business. Vinay draws on his experience at the intersection of finance and sustainability to ask founders the tough questions about their operations, and challenge them to convince investors that the business is good for the world and good for their wallets.
We’d Love to Hear From You:
We’d love to hear your feedback on how we can produce the best content possible, please share any episode ideas, and general thoughts at PIPE@bcg.com.
Pitching Progress by BCG empowers listeners to think differently about the relationship between sustainability and commerce. For more information and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/overview
New episodes of Pitching Progress are available every two weeks wherever you get your podcasts. Get a look inside the business of building a better future.
10 Episodes
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You're used to hearing Vinay ask CEOs the tough questions about paths to scalability and profitability. Today, we're flipping the script, as Vinay joins Lora Jakobsen on her podcast, Navigating Zero, to explore the challenges and opportunities in decarbonizing global trade.Vinay talks about the state of sustainable investment, and emphasizes the need for more capital to accelerate the energy transition. He also discusses the importance of changing the narrative around sustainable investments, and recognizing that they're not purely altruistic, but real drivers of profit. --------------------------------------------------------------------You can find more episodes of Navigating Zero at: https://zeronorth.com/podcast If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at: PIPE@bcg.comFor more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity
Underneath the streets of downtown Toronto, there exists a massive system of pipes that use water drawn from the depths of Lake Ontario to help cool the skyscrapers above. This system, the largest of its kind in the world, is just one of a slate of creative solutions employed by Enwave, one of North America’s foremost district energy operators.Carlyle Coutinho is the CEO of Enwave, a company that works in concert with governments and real-estate developers to help Canadian cities identify more efficient and sustainable ways to heat and cool themselves.As Canada looks to build more housing to serve its growing population, finding more energy efficient ways to power these new developments will be critical. So will this focus on housing lead to new contracts for Enwave? Or could a downturn in the Canadian real estate market make governments and developers less likely to invest in new energy solutions?Let’s find out.—------------------------------------------------------------------------------To learn more about Enwave, you can check them out at: https://www.enwave.com/If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at: PIPE@bcg.comFor more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity
Today’s guest runs the most important piece of infrastructure that Californians have never heard of.Vince Godfrey is the CEO of Olympus Terminals, a company that operates a massive fuel storage facility at the Port of Long Beach. Olympus specializes in the offloading, blending, and storage of fuels shipped from overseas, including renewable diesel and biodiesel.Vince’s facility plays a vital role in Southern California, where refinery capacity is decreasing, and imported fuels will be needed to keep the people and economy moving during the transition to renewables.So how robust is the demand for renewable diesel in California? What makes the state’s energy market so idiosyncratic? And why is Olympus so well positioned to capitalize on all of it?Let's find out.—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------To learn more about Olympus, you can check them out at: https://olympusterminals.com/If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at: PIPE@bcg.comFor more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity
What started as a group of Spider Man enthusiasts, is now a company capable of producing synthetic silk on a commercial scale. And not only does their silk feel and perform exactly like the natural material, but it can be modified to suit the needs of virtually any industrial application. Ulrich Scherbel is the CEO of AMSilk, a Germany-based company that specializes in the creation of lab-grown silk products. Their products are now in use in a range of industries, including shampoo, home care, and luxury textiles. The focus on performance and sustainability has attracted the attention of several large luxury fashion retailers, including several stores where you’ll be able to find AMSilk products this holiday season. So what makes silk such a sought-after material? Will consumers accept a synthetic alternative for a fabric that’s become synonymous with luxury? And what applications for silk exist beyond the luxury market? Let’s find out. —----------------------------------------------------------------------------To learn more about AMSilk, you can check them out at: https://www.amsilk.com/If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at: PIPE@bcg.comFor more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity
Billions of dollars are being spent on new CapEx to satisfy the growing energy needs of AI data centres. But one firm is convinced that the answer isn’t building new capacity, but being smarter in utilizing the power we already have. Varun Sivaram is the Founder and CEO of Emerald AI, a company whose software aims to make data centres more ‘flexible’, by intelligently modulating their computational load, and avoiding demand spikes that could overload the grid. So what does a truly flexible data centre look like? How much capacity could Emerald’s software actually hope to free up? And what happens to everyone who bet big on an explosion in power demand that may never materialize?Let’s find out. -------------------------------------------------------To learn more about Emerald AI, you can check them out at: https://www.emeraldai.co/If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at PIPE@bcg.comFor more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity
After years of skyrocketing investment, the renewables industry seems to have lost some of its lustre. With tax credits that once supercharged new wind and solar development being rolled back, and general enthusiasm waning, are we witnessing the bubble burst on renewable energy? Mark Noyes definitely doesn't think so. He's the CEO of TerraForm Power, a fully integrated renewables business with 3 gigawatts of existing capacity and 6 more currently in development. Despite shifting political and economic winds, Mark remains confident that renewables will play a pivotal role in meeting America's exploding energy demands.So how have policy shifts impacted the viability of solar and wind development? Will battery storage fix the intermittency issues that have limited adoption? And how much of the supposed spike in demand from AI data centers will actually materialize? Let’s find out. -------------------------------------------------------To learn more about TerraForm Power, you can check them out at: https://www.terraform.com/If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at PIPE@bcg.comFor more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity
1To build the low-carbon economy of the future, we’re going to need a lot more steel. But right now, most steel is produced from high-carbon-emitting blast furnaces, and there’s nowhere near enough recyclable steel to meet global demand. So how do we make more steel, without pumping more carbon into the atmosphere? Parker Meeks is the President and CEO of Utility Global, a company leveraging their revolutionary tech to decarbonize global steel production. Utility’s platform can be incorporated into existing facilities, requires relatively minimal capital expenditure, and here’s the kicker: no new energy infrastructure is needed, because the whole process powers itself. So how does it actually work? What are its advantages over other methods of producing ‘green steel’? And most importantly, can global steel producers be convinced that Utility is the way to go when it comes to decarbonization? Let’s find out. ------------------------------------------------------------------To learn more about Utility Global, you can check them out at: https://www.utilityglobal.com/If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at PIPE@bcg.comFor more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity
Roughly a third of all food produced in the United States ends up in a landfill. A lot of that comes from dumpsters behind grocery stores, where food that could otherwise be marked down or donated ends up rotting in the trash.Ryan Begin is the CEO of Divert, a company that's using its incredible trove of data to keep food out of landfills. At the core of their pitch is some simple in-store infrastructure that allows retailers to see exactly what's ending up in the trash, and empowers them to make smarter choices. But what makes solving the issue of food waste so complex in the first place? Why would a company partner with Divert instead of, say, paying a hauler to bring it to the landfill? And what about the current US regulatory environment makes this an attractive proposition?Let's find out.------------------------------------------------------------------To learn more about Divert, you can check them out at: https://divertinc.com/If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at PIPE@bcg.comFor more information on BCG’s commitment to sustainable investing, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity
Commercial aviation has completely altered the nature of life on Earth, and forever changed the way humans think about distance. But in 2023, the industry was responsible for 2.5% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, and given the difficulties of electrifying heavy transport, other solutions are clearly needed. Today's guest is Robert Schuetzle, the CEO of Infinium, a company specializing in the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Instead of petroleum, Infinium's fuels are made using waste CO2, renewable energy and water, and can be used in planes without requiring any changes to existing infrastructure. But how robust is the market for sustainable aviation fuels? How do you convince airlines to enter into long-term offtake agreements when margins within the industry are already razor-thin? And how does the SAF industry move from the proof-of-concept phase to the production volumes needed to really make a dent in emissions? Let's find out.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------To learn more about Infinium, you can check them out at: https://www.infiniumco.com/If you have any feedback on today's episode, shoot us an email at PIPE@bcg.comFor more information on BCG PIPE, and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/sustainability-in-private-equity
From turning food waste into energy, to sustainable steel and low-emission aviation fuel: Pitching Progress brings you the stories of leaders working to decarbonize the industries that power our world. On this show from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the founders and CEOs of some of the world’s top green companies take part in an in-depth pitch session that challenges them to demonstrate their business’s environmental impact, and the value they create for investors.Pitching Progress is hosted by Vinay Shandal, who leads BCG’s sustainable investing business. Vinay draws on his experience at the intersection of capital and climate to ask his guests the tough questions, and challenges them to convince investors that the business is good for the world and good for their wallets.Join us as we demystify the world where the world’s largest investors are deploying capital, and inspire the next wave of forward-thinking investors and entrepreneurs to scale the new economy.Keep an eye out for our first episode, releasing on Thursday, October 2nd, and new episodes coming in the feed every two weeks.
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'Pitching Progress,' huh? Seeing how folks like Parker Meeks are aiming for a low-carbon future for steel makes you wonder what other innovations are brewing. I bet even in a sandbox game, like Melon Playground https://melonplayground.run/en/ , you could simulate these solutions!