#164 Net-Zero Cement, Surviving the Startup Valley-of-Death, Timing a Pivot, & More w/ Ryan Gilliam (Fortera)

In this episode, Silas and Somil chat with Ryan Gilliam, CEO of Fortera, a company focused on paving the way to zero CO2 cement backed by leading investors including Khosla Ventures and Temasek. What makes Fortera so exciting is that they’ve successfully raised all the way to their Series B, making them one of not many later stage companies in climate. We talked about his experience fundraising, the ins-and-outs of their tech, how to win over customers, his experience working with project developers, the current state of supply chain dynamics, the climate capital stack, and more.---🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview.  ---🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox 🌐 Join the CleanTechies Slack Channel ----- Topics: **01:44 Intro**05:08 Experience with the Cement Industry**09:40 The Problem of CO2 Emissions in Cement**13:34 Making the Technology Fit Within the Ecosystem**19:46 Changing Customer Mindsets**25:50 Integration with Cement Producers**29:56 Starting Fortera and Convincing Investors**33:55 Fundraising and Shifting Capital Stack**37:05 Raising Early Rounds and Bringing in New Investors**41:28 Transitioning to Project Financing**44:07 Project Development vs Licensing IP**46:28 Key Considerations for Commercial Projects**48:08 Importance of Planning and Preparation**48:35 Challenges in Supply Chain Management----- Links: **Ryan Gilliam | Fortera**Check out our Sponsor, NextWave Partners**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less.70+ Placements5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech)The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary)90-day placement guaranteeIt's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. [email protected]