#290 Is This What a Kitchen Stove Would Look Like If Steve Jobs Designed It? | Sam Calisch | Copper

#290 Meet The Hottest Grid Solution... A Kitchen Stove? w/ Sam Calisch | CopperHow Copper is bypassing expensive electrical panel upgrades and grid bottlenecks by hiding smart battery storage inside beautiful induction stoves.Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket CastsSelect Quotes From This Episode:“You could have free wind and solar out on the grid, and you’d still be paying about as much as you are today just to get it to your house.” – Sam Calisch“Installing the best home batteries are like 1200, 1500 bucks a kilowatt hour... If we instead put batteries into an appliance that already has efficient sales channels... we cut out that extra 10x.” – Sam Calisch“What you see is what you get. There’s an authenticity in material... It’s real California walnut. It’s not spray-painted plastic.” – Sam Calisch“For too long homes have been just a consumer of electricity... We’re entering a world where homes have the opportunity to be bi-directional consumers and producers of power.” – Sam CalischWhat’s the solution to rising electricity prices? Kitchen stoves.Despite dropping solar and wind generation costs, home electric bills continue to surge—with up to 70% of utility costs going toward delivery infrastructure.In this episode, Sam Calisch, co-founder of Copper, breaks down how putting smart batteries inside induction stoves bypasses expensive 240V panel upgrades, avoids peak grid demand, and elevates the home cooking experience while turning homes into active grid participants.Check Out Our Sponsors!Lehmann’s Terms: Media and pitch training for clean tech founders and executives preparing for high-stakes media, TV, and investor appearances.Climate Finance Solutions (CFS): Global consulting firm helping climate tech companies secure non-dilutive government grant funding ($1.6B+ secured with >90% success rate).Roosevelt Talent: Specialized headhunting and recruitment for energy tech, battery, and frontier startups—delivering top talent at half the traditional recruiter cost.📝 Show Notes & Timestamps:00:00 – Intro & Sam’s background in math, physics, and early climate tech.04:33 – The grid’s delivery problem: Why cheap solar doesn’t mean cheap electricity bills.08:18 – The “Trojan Horse” Strategy: Why Copper put a battery inside an induction stove.10:35 – Bypassing the electrician shortage and avoiding 240V panel upgrades.14:00 – Building Emotional Value: Why a product needs to be more than just a spreadsheet ROI.16:00 – The Design Philosophy: Authentic materials, California walnut, and the “walk-up test.”24:47 – Expanding the Vision: Selling to apartments and licensing tech to legacy appliance OEMs.33:21 – Timing the Market: Why legacy companies couldn’t build this 10 years ago (The battery cost curve).38:43 – Escaping “throwaway culture” and building durable, high-quality hardware.47:04 – The Bi-directional Home: Transforming houses from passive consumers to active grid participants.51:06 – Manufacturing in the U.S. and reigniting the American builder’s spirit.Links & Resources:Connect with Sam Calisch | CopperConnect with Silas Mähner on LinkedInFollow Climate Cowboys on LinkedInDisclaimer: This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit climatecowboys.substack.com/subscribe