#266 Can the Grid Survive Climate Change? | Mishal Thadani (Rhizome)

JOIN US FOR THE HACK SUMMIT!The HackSummit returns to Newlab on December 10-11, bringing together 500 founders, funders, and industry leaders in Climate Deep Tech. Together we’ll explore abundance, alongside Founders and Investors at Andreessen Horowitz, Brimstone, Crux, DCVC, Durin, Earth AI, Endolith, Navier, Radical AI, Rainmaker, Voyager Ventures and SOSV. Sign up for 10% off here.Hey everyone, welcome back to CleanTechies!Today, we’re diving into one of the most overlooked but fast-growing parts of climate tech right now: grid resilience. When we think about the clean energy transition, most of the attention goes to building more solar, more batteries, more generation. But what about protecting the systems we already have from extreme weather?That’s where Rhizome comes in.My guest today, Mishal Thadani, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Rhizome, a climate resilience software company helping utilities prepare for the future. Their platform helps grid planners and operators assess vulnerabilities, model investment scenarios, and understand how climate change will hit their systems over time.In simple terms: they’re helping utilities figure out where to spend every dollar smarter so they can keep the lights on when the next hurricane, wildfire, or heatwave hits.We dig into:How Rhizome turns weather data, climate projections, and utility failure history into real, actionable investment mapsWhy insurers and credit agencies are pushing utilities to start taking climate risk seriouslyThe behind-the-scenes of selling into utilities — and why a 6–12 month sales cycle isn’t for the faint of heartHow Mishal’s background in engineering and regulatory strategy shaped Rhizome’s design from day oneHow rising energy prices and the AI data center boom are reshaping utility priorities, putting a new spotlight on affordable solutions like energy efficiency and demand response.And here’s what I love best about this conversation: Mish shows how the climate tech space is expanding, showing adaptation and resilience. If you’re building in climate tech, especially in data, software, or infrastructure, this episode will give you a front-row seat into where the next wave of opportunity is.P.S. We’ve got a big announcement coming this quarter, stay tuned and keep listening so you don’t miss it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe