#254 The Path to Cost Parity Between Sustainable Fuels & Fossil Fuels | Conor Madigan, Aether Fuels

CleanTech founder Conor Madigan (Aether Fuels) reveals sustainable fuel tech breakthroughs, smart hiring, & building resilient climate startups. Join us as Conor Madigan, Founder and CEO of Aether Fuels, shares how their innovative tech is set to decarbonize aviation and shipping by drastically cutting costs and boosting fuel yield from waste streams. A second-time founder, Conor also unpacks his proven strategies for building high-talent, low-ego teams and fostering constructive tension for optimal results. Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts Memorable Quotes: "The overall result of that is to cut the capex of a plant by about 50%." — Conor Madigan "Until you've built a big network of your own... it's pretty invaluable to have a top-notch recruiter." — Conor Madigan "If you compare an electrified system versus a fired system, you can boost the output by about 20%." — Conor Madigan "I… try to create a constructive sort of tension inside of an organization by pairing together certain personality traits." — Conor Madigan In this episode, we discuss: 00:53 - Introduction to Conor Madigan and Aether Fuels 03:55 - Aether Fuels' core technology and market 05:27 - The innovation: cutting CAPEX and boosting yield 28:00 - The year-long "funnel" to choose the right climate problem 30:59 - Conor's philosophy on team building: high talent, low ego 32:00 - Creating constructive tension in R&D vs. Engineering 38:35 - Why senior hires need to be "player-coaches" at startups 40:30 - Transparent communication during challenging times 46:00 - Policy trends and market drivers for SAF 49:50 - Cost parity expectations for Aether Fuels' product Links Conor Madigan | Aether Fuels Connect with Somil on LinkedIn | Connect with Silas on LinkedIn Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast. Support the show If 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+ Placements 5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech) The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary) 90-day placement guarantee It'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]