Andrew Chang and Marilyn Waite / Recognizing China as the Real Battlefront Against Climate Change

Niraj Swami / The Intersection of AI, Healthcare, and Climate

They might seem like two different worlds, but the reality is, there is a close relationship between health and climate. Once we peel back some of the layers, the similarities are ever-present.

In this episode, Cody chats with Adaptrack CEO Niraj Swami, who is also part of the Nature Conservancy with Conservation Technology Strategy & Enablement, about the intersection of health and climate, and how they have parallel models with a common customer — humans.

“What excited me about climate data was that the planet doesn't lie. You ask somebody how they feel, they’ll tell you no good, so-so, but when you ask the planet how it feels, it gives you a number. That's good stuff for AI, the numbers are good things for AI.”

Cody and Niraj also talk about AI’s ability to empower scientists so they could accelerate their climate-related work through smart solutions and decision-making support, and the potential collaboration of space tech and climate tech. Don’t miss the pair discussing the mitigation aspect of AI and predicting outcomes in a much more measured and confident fashion.

Follow Niraj on Twitter @nswami

Follow Cody on Twitter @codysimms

Listen & subscribe to The Techstars Climate Tech Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brett Brohl, Managing Director of Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator

Everybody’s got to eat. That’s the mantra of the Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator and the Bread and Butter Ventures. Managing Director Brett Brohl is passionate about food: cooking it, eating it, and investing in the next group of startups in this area, which has only gained popularity in the past two years despite being a huge market and full of opportunities. “What are the natural spaces to go to when you talk about impact and sustainability? Well, it’s food, because the food system has such an impact on the planet.”

In this episode, Cody chats with Brett about the accelerator and VC company, which invest in tech-enabled hardware and software from biotech on farms all the way to the future of food retail. They also discuss what Brett calls “the messy middle”: logistics, transportation, automation, and manufacturing that get produced food out to the world in a sustainable way.

Cody and Brett also talked about regional commodities versus global commodities, plant-based and cell-based proteins with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and how food waste plays a huge role in the climate impact.

Follow Brett on Twitter @BrettBrohl & on YouTube Brett’s Brain

Follow Cody on Twitter @codysimms

Listen & subscribe to The Techstars Climate Tech Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Chang and Marilyn Waite / Recognizing China as the Real Battlefront Against Climate Change

China will reach peak carbon emissions in 2030, and expects to be carbon-neutral by 2060. One-quarter of the world’s emissions are from China, but without China, there is no solving climate change.

In 2020 alone, China outperformed the U.S. in wind and solar, including high-emitting and hard-to-abate sectors. By leveraging AI, carbon capture, big data and more, climate tech startups in China are giving the world hope for significant decarbonization. Opportunities for investment are plentiful, gateways to access funding are open, and pilot projects are in development like never before.

Listen to Marilyn and Andrews' China Cleantech Podcast and subscribe to their newsletter

Follow Cody on Twitter @codysimms

Listen & subscribe to The Techstars Climate Tech Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stacy Kauk / Democratizing Sustainability to Build Accessibility for Carbon Removal Technologies

About two years ago, Shopify was looking to go the extra mile on its environmental footprint by purchasing carbon credits or offsets. Through discovery, the company realized how limited the market was for this type of sustainability method and how it needed growth.

In this episode, Cody chats with Stacy Kauk, Shopify’s director of Sustainability Fund, which makes an annual commitment of $5 million toward entrepreneurial breakthrough technologies and companies to advance sustainability. Stacy shares how the fund tries to identify and support those solutions that all of humanity is going to need in the long run (“We’re playing the long game.”), and gives us insights into what exactly is emission reduction versus carbon removal.

Cody and Stacy also discuss how climate change is a real threat to entrepreneurship, how they are trying to kickstart the market and democratize sustainability, and how buyers can find these products to help their carbon offset.

Follow Cody on Twitter @codysimms

Check out the Shopify Sustainability Fund here: https://www.shopify.com/about/environment/sustainability-fund

Listen & subscribe to The Techstars Climate Tech Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Derek Handley / Investing in the Next Sustainable Startup for a Competitive Marketplace

At the dawn of mobile, Derek Handley wanted to be an innovator, building a global company. About a decade ago, he had an existential crisis: What would happen if his business, his identity all went away? From this, Derek moved fully into sustainability and founded Aera VC to pick up where the climate pioneers left off. 

Now, Aera VC is investing in sustainability leaders that are tackling carbon in chemicals, reduction of industrial reliance on fossil fuels, the struggle for a plastics replacement, and how concrete is negatively affecting global emissions despite it being a more climate change champion.

Cody and Derek also discuss the industrial revolution and how though it changed the world for the positive, the early warning signs of the fossil fuels’ destructive nature didn’t come to the forefront for a very long time. 

Connect with our guest:

Derek Handley, Aera VC: https://www.aera.vc/team-member/derek-handley/

Aera VC LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aera-vc

Follow Cody on Twitter @codysimms

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.