OnClimate

Many highly successful tech founders continue building within the familiar realms of software and AI after major exits. But Co-Founder and CEO at Fourier, Siva Yellamraju, following multiple AI startup acquisitions by giants like Google and Apple, deliberately pivoted towards a far more complex challenge: energy resilience. He recognized that solving fundamental atomic-level problems, like efficient hydrogen production and storage, requires more than just innovation; it demands true engineering audacity.Acting upon this realization, Siva co-founded Fourier not just to create a product, but to fundamentally reimagine how we approach energy infrastructure. By applying a software-defined, first-principles mindset learned in tech to the physical world of hydrogen, Fourier aims to bypass policy bottlenecks and build scalable, practical solutions for a resilient energy future, tackling what they see as the ultimate constraint on future progress.CHAPTERS:00:00 Intro01:26 From AI Startups to Energy Resilience03:48 Why Energy Is the Ultimate Engineering Challenge06:56 The Personal and Professional Case for Climate Work10:15 Applying First Principles to the Hydrogen Problem15:09 Rethinking Hydrogen Infrastructure Through Modularity21:22 How Fourier Cuts Hydrogen Costs in Half26:34 Learning Hydrogen’s Hidden Value30:19 Hydrogen as Long-Duration Storage for Grid Resilience32:45 A Data Center Approach to Hydrogen Architecture40:41 Why Now Is the Time for Modular Hydrogen45:53 Scaling Hydrogen from Industrial Sites to Gigawatt Grids50:36 Debunking the Hydrogen Efficiency Myth58:24 What Must Happen for Hydrogen to Scale Globally1:03:08 Startup Challenges: Ecosystem Complexity and Public Perception1:07:04 Convincing Top Talent and Investors Without Riding the AI Hype1:24:08 Advice to Climate Founders: Start With Market-Backed Value🔗 CONNECT WITH SIVA YELLAMRAJU & FOURIER:Fourier Website: https://fourier.earth/Siva's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siva-yellamraju/#EnergyResilience #Hydrogen #ClimateTech

In this inaugural episode of OnClimate, host Khyati Varma explores why climate action can't wait with Katie McGinty, a visionary whose remarkable career spans from the White House to Johnson Controls. From her early days as a chemistry student to becoming a pioneering force in environmental policy and corporate governance, Katie dives deep into how hands-on experience shaped her mission to transform climate challenges into practical solutions.The conversation cuts through the noise around ESG to reveal a stark reality: climate change isn't a future scenario—it's already reshaping our world. "If you're a company and you're not leaning into decarbonizing your operations, you're burning cash—and you're burning the planet," Katie warns.Yet, this episode is also about seizing enormous opportunities. Katie’s insight that “ESG is JGB—it’s just good business” highlights how sustainable practices drive profitability through enhanced efficiency, job creation, and market expansion. She explains how radical collaboration across technology, capital, and policy is accelerating the energy transition and paving the way for companies to thrive in a low-carbon future.Join us for an eye-opening discussion about why climate action isn't just an environmental imperative—it's a business necessity that's reshaping industries and opening new horizons for growth and innovation.00:00 - The Energy Transition01:36 - Why Urgency, Clarity, and Collaboration Matter02:05 - Meet Katie McGinty02:27 - Lessons from Childhood04:04 - From Chemistry to Law05:35 - Working with Al Gore07:04 - Climate Change Explained09:11 - Climate Change is Science, Not Politics10:04 - The Top 3 Solutions to Cut Carbon Emissions10:59 - How Energy-Efficient Buildings Can Reduce Emissions12:42 - AI’s Energy Problem13:49 - Collaboration is Key18:35 - Lessons from the Ozone Crisis31:30 - The Inflation Reduction Act & Climate Policy Uncertainty34:36 - How Business Can Drive Climate Solutions35:25 - ESG is Just Good Business36:58 - Johnson Controls’ Strategy for Decarbonization41:59 - Climate Action in Schools44:42 - Ensuring Equity in Clean Energy51:31 - COP29 & the Trillion-Dollar Climate Financing Gap56:54 - Are We Headed for a Sustainable Future?To hear more of Katie’s perspective and how Johnson Controls continues to lead the industry in transforming buildings with AI and data driven technologies—empowering industries to create safe, healthy, and sustainable spaces:Johnson Controls Sustainability Report https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/-/media/project/jci-global/johnson-controls/us-region/united-states-johnson-controls/corporate-sustainability/reporting-and-policies/documents/2024-sustainability-report.pdfDavos - Katie McGinty on decarbonizing buildings https://www.johnsoncontrols.com/insights/2025/feature-story/katie-mcginty-on-decarbonizing-buildingsJohnson Controls Data Center Insights Guide https://www.johnsoncontrols.co.uk/-/media/project/jci-global/johnson-controls/uki-region/united-kingdom/insights/2023/files/ea2310003_data_centre_insight_guide_v7.pdf🔗 CONNECT WITH KATIE:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-katie-mcginty-a9818560/#EnergyTransition #Sustainability #ClimateAction

For four billion years, our planet has been telling a story. A story of balance beauty and life flourishing against all odds. Then, in just ten thousand years—a mere heartbeat in Earth's history—we’ve written a new chapter. We’ve reshaped continents transformed skies and altered the chemistry of our home.And now we face a choice. Not in some distant future. Right here. Today.I’m Khyati Varma. For over two decades in the technology sector, I’ve had a front row seat to how bold ideas can turn the impossible into reality. And now, I’m asking: Can we bring that same human ingenuity to rebuild our relationship with the planet we call home?When future generations look back at this moment, they'll ask: Did we find the courage to take bold, decisive action? This burning question led me to create OnClimate.A podcast that strips away complexity. That cuts through the noise to focus on what truly matters. The solutions we need already exist, but they’re scattered across silos— In laboratories and boardrooms, In policy chambers and community gardens. OnClimate brings visionaries and pragmatists together to ignite action. Here, we connect the dots. Because real transformation happens when these worlds collide.This isn’t just about averting a crisis; it’s about seizing an opportunity. And while the headlines focus on what we’re losing This is about hope, about what we’re building. Together. This is OnClimate. Bold ideas. Pragmatic solutions. Real People. Our future begins now.