On the Road: Slush 2025 - A snapshot of the start-ups shaping the future of sustainability

What does sustainability innovation look like when you walk the exhibition floor of one of Europe's leading startup events?In this special episode of Matters of Consequence, Michael Hanf reports from Slush 2025 in Helsinki, speaking with founders building solutions across renewable energy, artificial intelligence, sustainable food systems and behaviour change. Rather than exploring a single topic in depth, this episode offers a series of conversations that together paint a picture of where sustainability innovation is heading and how entrepreneurs are translating ambitious ideas into practical businesses.Featured in this episode are:Giulio & Valentina Maellaro, CEO and Co-founder, GECO, developing wave energy technology that converts ocean movement into renewable electricity.Javad Hosseininia, Founder and CEO, Amertate Energy, working on decentralized wind energy solutions.Romain Menetrier, Co-founder and CEO, Dowgo, expanding access to renewable energy through innovative financing models.Vincent Marsland, CEO and Founder, Coeus AI, using artificial intelligence to accelerate renewable energy planning and deployment.Kim Oguilve, Head of Marketing & Communications, Synergi, helping build more flexible and resilient energy systems through virtual power plants.Stéphane Mac Millan, Founder and CEO, Verley, advancing precision fermentation to produce sustainable dairy proteins.Pia Oetjen and Charlotte Robens, Co-founders of WasteSide, encouraging more sustainable behaviour through gamification.Across these conversations, several common themes emerge. The transition to a more sustainable future depends not only on breakthrough technologies but also on better business models, smarter use of data, new financing approaches and solutions that make sustainable choices easier for individuals and organisations alike. Together, these founders demonstrate that sustainability is no longer confined to one sector. It is becoming an innovation challenge that spans energy, food, digital technology and human behaviour.Why listen?Discover some of the most promising sustainability startups showcased at Slush 2025. Learn how founders are tackling challenges across renewable energy, AI, sustainable food and behavioural change.Explore how technologies such as wave energy, decentralized wind power, virtual power plants, precision fermentation and artificial intelligence are shaping the future of sustainability.Understand how startups are combining technological innovation with new business models to accelerate sustainable transformation.Hear directly from the entrepreneurs building solutions for some of today's most pressing environmental and societal challenges.Whether you are an entrepreneur, investor, sustainability professional, policymaker or simply curious about the future of sustainable innovation, this special episode offers a unique perspective from one of Europe's leading startup events and the founders working to turn ideas into impact.Originally released as an episode of The Future of Sustainability, Season 1.Keywords: Slush 2025, The Future of Sustainability podcast, sustainability innovation, climate tech, renewable energy, clean technology, startup ecosystem, Helsinki, Gecko, wave energy, Amertate Energy, decentralized wind energy, Dowgo, renewable energy finance, Coeus AI, artificial intelligence, renewable energy planning, Synergi, virtual power plants, energy flexibility, Verley, precision fermentation, sustainable food systems, dairy alternatives, WasteSide, gamification, behaviour change, entrepreneurship, venture capital, sustainability startups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.