Green Hydrogen Development: Pre-IRA Bets → Post-IRA Boom (+ $1.1B Cleantech Track Record)

Discover how Ambient Fuels is building green hydrogen projects for heavy industry — and how CEO Jake Susman blends cleantech VC chops, perfect timing, & startup grit to scale the sector.My guest today is Jake Susman, Cofounder and CEO of Ambient Fuels.Ambient Fuels is a pure-play developer of green hydrogen projects, guiding heavy industry through the great green upgrade.In addition, he is the:Executive Advisory Board Member at Activate CapitalBoard member of Urban Resiliency Advisory Board with the Partnership Fund for New York CityBoard Member at SolarKal, the largest commercial solar marketplace in the U.S.Board President & Co-Founder at Cleantech Leaders RoundtableIn this episode, we talked about:How Ambient Fuel was focused on green hydrogen before the Inflation Reduction Act made it super attractive to be in this sectorThe kinds of sectors that Ambient helps the most – e.g., refining, chemical, and fertilizersHis prior development firm, Own Energy, and its origin as one of the earliest VC-funded renewable energy project developers, which was later purchased by EDFThe genesis of his entrepreneurial journey via “el jefe” at AES in SpainWhy timing can be so important in determining whether a deal gets done, or dies on the vineThe fact that not all investor capital is created equal and a gross analogy with fast foodWhy premortem analysis exercises can help reduce future startup failure risksHis commitment to meditation 4x per week and sweating in some kind of physical activity every dayAnd lots moreHope you enjoy it.And give Jake and Ambient fuels a shout-out on LinkedIn, Slack, or Twitter by sharing this podcast with your people.---Entrepreneurs for Impact is on a mission to help climate innovators grow faster with new investment capital, share best practices among peers, expand their networks, and reach their full potential.Our two offerings include:Climate CEO Mastermind Peer Groups — Our invite-only cohorts of 12 executives catalyze personal development and business growth via monthly meetings, annual retreats, and 1:1 coaching and strategy calls. Today’s highly curated Mastermind members represent over $8B in market cap or assets under management.Newsletter — A 3-minute weekly summary of climate tech, startups, better habits, and deep work.Programs are led by Dr. Chris Wedding — 4x founder, $1B of investment experience, and Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill professor, with 70,000+ professional students taught, 25 years of meditation, an obsession with constant improvement, and far too many mistakes to keep to himself.