In this episode we host Carlos Härtel, an expert in innovation and strategy within the applied sciences. Carlos holds a Habilitation in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zürich and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Munich. Currently, he is a Venture Partner at Spacewalk VC, investing in deep tech startups, and a Senior Advisor at Carbon Removal Partners, focusing on carbon withdrawal technologies. He also chairs the Board at Science|Business, fostering collaboration between industry, research, and policy. Previously, Carlos served as CTO at Climeworks, a leader in carbon dioxide air capture technology, and held significant roles at General Electric, including CTO and Chief Innovation Officer for Europe. Additionally, he was a Non-Executive Director at Futurice, a digital consultancy, and Chairman at EUROGIA2020, promoting low-carbon energy technologies.

Carlos joins us in our Ecosystem category. We dive into CO2 capturing technologies and their role in climate innovation. Key takeaways include the cost-effectiveness of capturing CO2 at industrial sources, the advanced direct air capture methods Carlos developed at Climeworks, and the challenges of ocean-based CO2 capture. Drawing from his experience, Carlos furthermore discusses the critical factors for advancing hard technical innovations in climate and deep tech. He highlights how market demand drives innovation, addresses the chicken-and-egg dilemma of reliability versus adoption, and emphasizes the role of government policies in creating market demand. His insights reveal what’s needed to overcome barriers and implement complex solutions effectively.