It’s the holidays and, in the spirit of sharing, I swapped episodes with Tarmo Virki, founder and host of NatureBacked podcast in Tallinn. I’m airing one of my favourite of his interviews: his conversation with Jana Budkovskaja, CEO of Beamline Acccelerator.

They talked about:

🌲 Jana's evolution from aspiring panda-rescuer to cleantech accelerator founder

🔬 Why deep tech startups need non-equity funding in their early stages to bridge the gap between lab and market

♨️ An innovative project using abandoned mines for low-temperature heating systems in the Estonian village of Kiikla

🚀 Why startups, not governments or corporations, are best positioned to drive climate innovation

#climatetech #cleantech #deeptech #baltics

Andreas Sedlmayr is co-founder and co-CEO of Instagrid, makers of portable power stations for mobile workforces with heavy power needs. His company has grown from €500k to €30M+ in revenue and recently achieved B Corp certification while expanding into North America.

In this episode we talked about:

☠️ Why diesel and gas generators are silent killers

🇩🇪 What it means to revive Germany’s strong tradition of industrial innovation

🇺🇸 Why hiring local leadership was crucial for US expansion and how cultural nuances matter more than you might think

💼 How to expand smartly after raising $95 million

🌱 Why achieving B Corp certification was important to prove their commitment to social and environmental best practices

#climatetech #cleanenergy #sustainabletech #batteries

"I was sitting at a cafe in Prague with my headphones on and just laughing like a crazy person." -Ryan, watching Matt’s TEDx talk.

Matt Winning is an environmental researcher and stand-up comedian who combines his expertise in climate change with humor to engage audiences.

In this episode we talked about:

🌍 How climate change became Matt's focus due to its urgency and lack of widespread attention

🎭 Using comedy as a tool to start conversations about climate change and make people comfortable discussing the topic

📚 Matt's book "Hot Mess" and its portrayal of climate action as a choose-your-own-adventure

🔬 The importance of active decision-making in addressing climate change at all levels

🎤 Matt's upcoming projects, including a new comedy show and a children's book about climate change

#Standup #Comedy #Climate #ClimateTech

Yossi Quint is the founder and CEO of Ark Biotech, a startup focused on computational bioprocessing in the cultivated meat industry.

In this episode we talked about:

🧬 Ark's role in accelerating the development of cultivated meat products

🏭 How the bioeconomy could reshape traditional geographic advantages in food production

🌍 The global landscape of cultivated meat regulation and its impact on industry growth

🇺🇸 The potential consequences of state-level bans on cultivated meat in the US

💼 The decision to pursue entrepreneurship over activism for maximum impact

#CultivatedMeat #CleanMeat #AltProteins #BioProcessing #ClimateTech

Jessica Droujko is a passionate kayaker and lover of rivers. So it’s fitting that she should combine that passion and her PhD from ETH Zürich to launch Riverkin, a startup that monitors river health.

In this episode we talked about:

🌊 How rivers shape landscapes and their importance in global ecosystems

🔬 How Riverkin monitors water levels and sediment flows

🏞️ Jessica's adventures on some of the world's most interesting rivers, including the Boiling River in Peru

🚣‍♀️ The balance between responsible tourism and river conservation. Think: Grand Canyon

🌍 The River Collective's mission to create changemakers through events like the Students for Rivers camp

🔌 Opportunities for citizen science in river monitoring through mini hydrological stations

#ClimateTech #Rivers #Water

Promo partner for this episode is Grizzle, helping B2B ClimateTech companies generate demand and customers through high-quality content, social media, and SEO services. Podcast listeners can book a free consultation here.

Max Boykoff is a professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado. His research focuses on the cultural dimensions of climate change, with a particular interest in how media and various stakeholders communicate about the issue.

In this episode we talked about:

☯️ How firsthand experiences of climate events can contrast with media coverage

🎭 The power of comedy in connecting people to climate change information and ideas

🌏 Cultural perspectives on climate change ranging from Singapore and Jerusalem

🎬 The climate-themed standup comedy video competition he runs

👥 His excitement around younger generations' engagement with climate issues

#ClimateComedy #ClimateEducation #ClimateTech

More:

Climate comedy work from Inside the Greenhouse at CU Boulder
The 10th annual climate comedy video competition
The Media and Climate Change Observatory

Marissa Beatty is the co-founder and CEO of Turnover Labs, a startup developing technology to convert CO2 into valuable chemicals. With a background in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, Marissa is tackling the challenge of carbon utilization in the petrochemical industry.

In this episode we talked about:

🧪 Turnover Labs' approach to converting CO2 into useful chemical building blocks

💼 The challenges and opportunities for female founders in the climate tech space

💰 How Marissa secured backing from notable climate tech investors for her pre-seed round

🔬 The importance of corporate partnerships in developing and scaling carbon utilization technologies

🎯 Turnover Labs' strategy for narrowing their focus and identifying potential customers

🤝 Why I’m missing out by not going to Climate Week NYC

#CarbonUtilization #CleanChemistry #ClimateTech #netzero

Jessica Burley is an investor at Planet A Ventures, a €160 million fund pioneering a science-based approach to venture capital. Jessica is passionate about impact measurement and, as she says: "If there's not a significant positive environmental impact, the deal is off.”

In this episode we talked about:

🔬 Planet A Ventures' use of life cycle assessments to evaluate potential investments

🚫 The fund's in-house science team's veto power on deals lacking significant environmental impact

🤝 Collaboration with Speedinvest and Norrsken VC to create a climate hardware playbook

📊 The importance of impact measurement for businesses to demonstrate sustainability claims

🌡️ How climate risk is increasingly becoming a business risk

🚀 Her optimism in climate tech thanks to transformative technologies and dedicated talent

#VC #Hardware #Sustainability #Investing #ClimateTech