Climate CEOs
by Chris Wedding — CEO Coach | CEO, Entrepreneurs for Impact
The leading twice-weekly, ad-free podcast for entrepreneurs, investors, & executives in energy, infrastructure, & climate. Get practical insights on raising capital, commercialization, business strategy, scaling startups, project finance, M&A, corporate innovation, and executive leadership. Explore AI infrastructure, data centers, power and grid, nuclear energy, critical minerals, energy storage, industrial technology, advanced manufacturing and materials, geothermal, biotech, carbon removal, forestry, mobility, and climate tech. Plus, career advice, healthier habits, and book recommendations.
Episodes
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Climate Tech Is Getting Funded. Just Not for Climate.
20 recent climate, industrial, and energy tech fundraises teach us new lessons: Sell into AI infrastructure, national security, resource scarcity, and hard economics. Climate impact can still be enormous. But for now, it might belong in the appendices. Seven things you’ll learn in this episode…
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Your Sales Pipeline Is Fiction: "The Mom Test"
Your CRM probably contains millions of dollars in imaginary revenue. Climate tech and energy startups often mistake customer interest for buying intent. “Really interesting” and “this fits our decarbonization strategy” feel good, but they don’t pay the bills. This episode applies lessons from The...
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Can AI Find the Next Billion-Dollar Lithium Deposit? | Atana Elements
What if AI could find billion-dollar critical mineral deposits hiding in forgotten geological data? Atana combines oil-and-gas geology, proprietary datasets, and AI to discover and de-risk lithium and other critical mineral resources faster. Company bio: Atana uses AI, data science, and…
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The $1.5 Billion Solar Heat Project Replacing Fossil Fuels in Heavy Industry | GlassPoint
Industrial heat consumes more energy globally than electricity, yet it remains one of the hardest parts of the economy to decarbonize. GlassPoint has spent nearly two decades figuring out how to make solar heat cheaper than burning fossil fuels at industrial scale. Company bio: GlassPoint is an...
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The $440M Bet to Reinvent Climate Innovation | NY Climate Exchange
Climate change may be one of the biggest forces reshaping the global economy, yet we still treat climate collaboration like a pop-up event. The New York Climate Exchange wants to change that with a $440M first phase on Governors Island that brings business, universities, government, and…
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What 45 Climate CEOs Are Teaching Me About Leadership
Today I’m sharing a conversation where the tables are turned: I was a guest on the Supercool podcast with my friend Josh Dorfman, the cofounder of climate tech startup Plantd. We get into: Why I built Entrepreneurs for Impact, and what I’ve learned from working closely with 45 investor-backed…
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The Climate Investments Unlocking the Next 100 Projects
Most climate investors ask which project offers the best return. A better question: Which investment makes the next 100 projects easier, cheaper, and faster? This episode explores the Transition Acceleration Framework developed by CalSTRS, Generate Capital, and Rhodium Group, and why catalytic...
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70% of U.S. Substations Are Outdated...Here’s What's Next | NovaTech Automation
Roughly 70% of U.S. substations were built before modern digital technology. Now AI, renewables, batteries, and EVs are forcing a century-old grid to become something fundamentally different. Company bio: NovaTech Automation provides automation, monitoring, and control technology for electric...
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The 6 People You Should Never Hire
Hiring mistakes can cripple a startup in energy, infrastructure, or industrial technology. This simple three-trait framework helps CEOs spot great team players and six dangerous hiring archetypes before they join the company. The Frramework: Adapted from Patrick Lencioni’s "The Ideal Team…
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7 Lessons for Hard-Tech Startups | Vanessa Chan (Time100 List)
What kills hard-tech startups usually isn’t the technology. It’s everything surrounding it: unit economics, supply chains, customers, workforce, financing, and the long road from demonstration to deployment. Guest bio: Dr. Vanessa Chan is an entrepreneur, engineer, angel investor, and educator…
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15 Rules for Building Billion-Dollar Projects On Time, On Budget
Big projects routinely blow their budgets, schedules, and sometimes the companies building them. But research across 16,000+ projects reveals surprisingly consistent rules for getting them right. In this solo episode, I translate lessons from How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan...
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Can Microbes Replace $100B of Fertilizer? | Switch Bioworks
Nitrogen fertilizer feeds billions of people. But producing it consumes staggering amounts of energy. Switch Bioworks is engineering microbes that could replace industrial fertilizer with biological alternatives at a fraction of the cost. Company bio: Switch Bioworks is a biofertilizer company...
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The 40-Year VC Lesson: Relationships Beat Transactions | Brad Feld
Legendary venture capitalist Brad Feld, co-founder of Foundry Group and Techstars and author of Give First, explains how founders can use resilience, mentorship, long-term thinking, and non-transactional relationships to build stronger startups and startup communities, especially in climate tech...
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The Climate Tech Map: Where Capital and Innovation Are Still Missing | Speed & Scale, Doerr Capital
Climate tech is scaling fast. But the data shows huge gaps in industrial decarbonization, carbon removal, energy storage, and the capital needed to turn breakthrough technologies into profitable businesses. Company bio: Speed & Scale is a climate action initiative built around measurable…
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The CEO Vulnerability Paradox | Strong ≠ Invincible
Climate CEOs are expected to project confidence. But acting invincible can make investors, employees, and customers trust you less. This minisode explores the "vulnerability paradox" and why selective candor can be a leadership advantage. Confidence and vulnerability aren’t opposites — CEOs need…
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How to Get 30% More Power From Existing Nuclear Plants | Alva Energy
What if America could add gigawatts of nuclear power without building new nuclear plants? Alva Energy is upgrading existing reactors to produce 20–30% more power, potentially adding 200–300 megawatts per plant in just 3–5 years. Company bio: Alva Energy is developing technology to increase the...
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How CEOs Hire A-Players (#326)
Most hiring mistakes don’t happen because CEOs can’t recognize talent. They happen because interviews reward candidates who are good at interviewing. This minisode explores a more rigorous method for hiring executives (topgrading), and how climate CEOs can uncover performance patterns before…
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How to Buy Clean Energy Across 1,000 Buildings | VECKTA Energy (#325)
What if commercial businesses could cut clean energy project costs by up to 45%, all while someone else finds, buys, finances, and operates on-site systems on massive real estate portfolios? Company bio: VECKTA Energy is a technology platform that helps businesses design, procure, finance, and...
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Why Good Startup Acquisitions Go Bad (#324)
Most acquisitions don’t fail because the deal thesis was wrong. They fail because integration breaks exactly what made the company worth buying. This minisode explores why climate tech M&A goes sideways and four questions CEOs should ask before signing the deal. Why good deals go bad — The...
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The Half-Size Electric Truck Built to Replace Full-Size Pickups | TELO (#323)
Electric vehicles shouldn't just be gas trucks with batteries. They should be entirely different machines. That's the premise behind Tello Trucks' attempt to reinvent one of America's most iconic vehicles. Company bio: TELO Trucks is an electric vehicle company building a mini truck designed to...
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The Ocean's Billion-Ton Carbon Removal Opportunity | Gigablue (#322)
What if the cheapest, largest carbon removal machine on Earth isn't a factory, but phytoplankton in the ocean? Company bio: Gigablue is building MCFS (Microalgae Carbon Fixation and Sinking), a marine carbon removal method that uses phytoplankton and carbon carrier pods to capture and store…
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From OpenAI to $500M in Project Finance for Forests | Living Carbon (#321)
How do you turn degraded farmland into an investable climate asset? Living Carbon has raised $76M in equity and unlocked $500M in project finance by combining reforestation, biomass, and long-term infrastructure thinking. Living Carbon restores degraded agricultural and mine lands through...
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Why Smart Founders Still Make Bad Decisions (#320)
Smart CEOs make bad decisions all the time. Often, the problem isn't intelligence; it's solving the wrong problem. This minisode explores the Double Diamond framework, a decision-making tool that helps climate CEOs avoid premature conclusions and improve strategic choices. The first diamond:...
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The $230M Bet on Turning Homes Into Power Plants | Lunar Energy (#319)
What if your home could cut electricity bills by 60%, survive weeks without the grid, and earn money while you sleep? Lunar Energy is building an integrated home energy system combining solar, batteries, load controls, and AI-powered software. Its GridShare platform already manages 650+ MW across...
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When Founder Mode Becomes a Trap (#318)
The skills that help climate tech founders survive the early years can become liabilities as companies scale. This minisode explores the tension between founder mode and manager mode, and how CEOs can know when to optimize for speed versus systems. Founder mode creates momentum — Fast decisions,...
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The Robot Crew Building Solar Farms Faster Than Humans | Luminous (#317)
4,000-pound robots are helping solar developers install panels faster, safer, and with fewer defects…without changing how construction sites operate. Luminous is building an AI-powered automation platform that could reshape how renewable energy infrastructure gets built. Its robotic fleets handle...
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15 Energy Tech Startups to Watch (#316)
Most climate coverage focuses on companies that have already succeeded. This episode focuses on the next wave. From fusion and industrial heat to wildfire prevention, energy infrastructure, and climate adaptation, this minisode highlights 15 climate tech startups that could become important…
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190% Net Revenue Retention: The Software Layer for the Power Grid | Texture (#315)
Most grid modernization discussions focus on hardware. Texture is building the operating system that connects utilities' fragmented software, meter data, DERs, and workflows into a single system of action. Guest Bio: Sanjiv Sanghavi is co-founder and CEO of Texture. Before founding Texture, he...
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How Urgency Makes CEOs Worse Decision-Makers (#314)
Climate change is urgent. That does not mean every decision should be. Many climate CEOs operate in a constant state of urgency. This minisode explores how urgency can improve execution, but also distort judgment, team dynamics, and long-term company building. Urgency versus importance — Why...
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4 Lessons on Career, Habits, Books + Building a Better Life (#313)
Special episode? Maybe. Some listeners asked me this... How about you answer the four final questions that you ask each podcast guest? So I did. Here they are: Give some advice to your younger self for building a career of impact. What habits or routines keep you healthy and sane while building…
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10 Energy Tech Startups Raised Nearly $1B. Here's What They Have in Common (#312)
10 climate tech startups raised nearly $1B. But the bigger story is where capital is quietly concentrating across AI infrastructure, grid modernization, industrial decarbonization, and carbon removal. This Climate CEOs minisode breaks down ten notable climate tech financings from May 2026 and…
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The Man Who Invented Cradle to Cradle on AI + Industrial Design | William McDonough (#311)
William McDonough is one of the world's most influential sustainable design thinkers. His book, Cradle to Cradle, kick-started my career path. And I enjoyed working with him in environmental private equity for many years. Bill has advised companies, governments, and cities on regenerative design...
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The CEO Sabbatical Test (#310)
I discuss insights from recent discussions with EFI Climate CEO peer group on sabbaticals, burnout, and building companies that can thrive without the founder in every decision. Plus, why utilities spend roughly $8 billion annually managing vegetation near power lines, yet many still rely on…
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Can Nuclear Power Reach 3¢/kWh? | Aalo Atomics (#309)
Aalo Atomics is developing modular nuclear power plants designed for factory production. They seek to make nuclear energy scalable enough to support AI infrastructure, industrial heat, desalination, and synthetic fuels. Matt Loszak, founder and CEO of Aalo Atomics, discusses how his team is…
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95 Industrial Decarbonization Startups to Watch (#308)
Industrial emissions make up roughly a quarter of global CO₂ emissions, yet many of the most promising climate tech companies remain largely unknown outside specialized circles. This episode explores 95 startups attacking some of the hardest decarbonization challenges across steel, cement,...
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The $60M Bet on Battery-Powered Stoves | Copper (#307)
Embedding batteries into appliances to bypass big bottlenecks: home electrical upgrades. Instead of rewiring buildings, Copper turns induction stoves into distributed energy assets that can also support the grid. Copper is building appliances with integrated energy storage, starting with Charlie…
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7 Tactics Women CEOs Use to Scale Faster (#306)
Women founders receive just 2–3% of venture capital. So why do they consistently outperform on capital efficiency, revenue generation, and exits? Six climate tech leaders share the hard-earned tactics they use to navigate bias, build authority, and scale companies in an ecosystem that still...
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The Hidden Startup Governance Trap | Eric Ries (#305)
Eric Ries is the author of Lean Startup (millions of copies sold), serial founder, ex-EIR at Harvard, and author of a new book: Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great. Why is this relevant? Most climate startups optimize for growth and capital, not governance....
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What Top Energy Tech Investors Want Founders to Know | Voyager, SOSV + More (#304)
The discussion draws on insights from leading climate investors, including Voyager Ventures, Decarbonization Partners, MassMutual Ventures, SOSV, SJF Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Spring Lane Capital, Climate Insiders, and Tailwind. Examples of what we discussed: Clarity beats complexity – If…
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The 3,000-Year-Old Battery Replacing Industrial Gas | Cache Energy (#303)
This limestone battery can achieve 100+ hour heat storage without lithium and zero standby losses. Industrial heat is a $1T+ problem, but most solutions ignore storage, especially those using ancient chemistry. Arpit Dwivedi is the founder and CEO of Cache Energy, building thermal storage systems...
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Why Smart Founders Lose Focus (#302)
When expansion feels like productivity, climate CEOs often drift into adjacent markets, new products, and endless “opportunities” that quietly dilute execution. This episode breaks down three strategic traps: timid visions, distraction disguised as growth, and rebuilding too late. Here’s what we...
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Turning Waste Biomass Into Carbon Removal | Carba (#301)
Biomass waste is one of the largest unmanaged carbon flows, yet most climate solutions ignore it. This founder is turning landfills into carbon sinks using decentralized pyrolysis and biochar. Andrew Jones is the founder and CEO of Carba, a waste-to-value company converting biomass into permanent...
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The Startup Debt Most Energy Tech Founders Ignore (#300)
Vendor Financing Isn’t Free Money – Extending supplier payment terms can improve runway and reduce dilution, but concentrated climate supply chains create hidden dependency risk when critical vendors effectively become reluctant lenders. Working Capital Can Distort Reality – Better short-term…
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The $2B Investor View: Debt Should Be Your Second Round | Aligned Climate Capital (#299)
This 6x company founder and CEO explains how to structure smarter climate tech investment rounds and actually get renewable energy projects financed. Peter Davidson is CEO and founder of Aligned Climate Capital, a $2B AUM multi-strategy firm investing across venture and infrastructure. He...
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The Hidden Cost of Saying Yes to Every Opportunity (#298)
Three decisions that determine if climate tech founders scale or stall: Customer focus, sustainable intensity, and information diet all compound into capital efficiency and judgment. Antelope vs mice – Why chasing small, fast customers can accelerate learning but trap you in low-value revenue,...
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The Strange Carbon Removal Playbook: Waste Biomass + Public Parks | Graphyte (#297)
Scaling carbon removal through existing supply chains, community-aligned infrastructure, and signing up JPMorgan in the process. – Barclay Rogers is the founder and CEO of Graphyte, focused on low-cost, permanent carbon removal using biomass burial. Graphyte converts agricultural waste into dense...
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Why Cheap Power Is Becoming Data Centers' Biggest Advantage (#296)
Your data center project clears IRR. Investors nod. But it still doesn’t get built. In this episode, we break down decisions shaping climate CEOs right now: IRR vs. MCC — Affordability, not returns, is now a gating metric in project finance for data centers Cost to ratepayer — Higher bills signal...
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Stop Pretending Solar + Batteries = Firm Power | 247Solar (#295)
Did I get your attention? Bruce Anderson hopes so. He is the founder and CEO of 247Solar, an MIT-linked spinout, and has worked in solar for more than four decades. He completed his MIT master’s thesis on solar energy in 1973 and later authored early solar books, including The Solar Home Book....
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The New Energy Arbitrage: Megawatts vs. AI Market Cap (#294)
When will customers overpay for power? When delay costs them billions of dollars. AI demand is rewriting energy economics faster than regulators can react. This episode draws from real operator conversations across utilities, AI infrastructure, and venture-backed climate companies. We talked…
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Nuclear's Quiet AI Revolution: Already Powering 70 Reactors | Nuclearn (#293)
AI is scaling nuclear plants without touching the reactor, by automating thousands of required workflows behind the scenes. Nuclearn’s strategy is simple but rare: start painfully narrow, prove ROI fast, then expand across the plant. Bradley Fox and Jerrold Vincent are co-founders of Nuclearn,...
About this show
The leading twice-weekly, ad-free podcast for entrepreneurs, investors, & executives in energy, infrastructure, & climate. Get practical insights on raising capital, commercialization, business strategy, scaling startups, project finance, M&A, corporate innovation, and executive leadership. Explore AI infrastructure, data centers, power and grid, nuclear energy, critical minerals, energy storage, industrial technology, advanced manufacturing and materials, geothermal, biotech, carbon removal, forestry, mobility, and climate tech. Plus, career advice, healthier habits, and book recommendations.
Hosted by
Chris Wedding — CEO Coach | CEO, Entrepreneurs for Impact
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