Best Mcj Podcasts (2025)

1
Are Renewables Enough? Stanford’s Dr. Mark Jacobson Thinks So 47:42

Play Pause

1d ago47:42

47:42

Dr. Mark Jacobson is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Atmosphere Energy Program at Stanford University, where he’s been one of the most vocal advocates for powering the world entirely with wind, water, and solar energy. No nuclear, no carbon capture, no fossil fuels of any kind. His research team has created 10…

1
The Solar Recycling Boom is Coming with SOLARCYCLE 35:57

16d ago35:57

35:57

Suvi Sharma is the CEO and Co-Founder at SOLARCYCLE. SOLARCYCLE is an emerging leader in the nascent category of solar panel recycling. The astounding ramp of solar panels deployed across the world rivals almost any technology adoption curve in history, and it's far from over. There were only five gigawatts of solar deployed globally between 2000 a…

1
Turning Roads into Carbon Sinks with Carbon Crusher 37:58

23d ago37:58

37:58

Haakon Brunell is the CEO and Co-founder of Carbon Crusher, a Norwegian company turning traditional road construction on its head. Carbon Crusher refurbishes existing roads using bio-based binders and on-site recycling to create carbon-negative, cost-effective, and more durable infrastructure. In this episode, Haakon shares how their "Crushing-as-a…

1
Crusoe’s Big Bet on AI Infrastructure and Energy 53:30

29d ago53:30

53:30

Cully Cavness is the co-founder, president, and COO of Crusoe, an energy-first AI infrastructure company. In this live episode recorded in Austin, Texas, Cully shares how Crusoe evolved from capturing flared gas for Bitcoin mining to becoming a leading developer of hyperscale data centers. He discusses the company’s pivotal role in Project Stargate…

1
How the Budget Bill Could Reshape America’s Energy Future 45:22

1M ago45:22

45:22

Today on Inevitable, we’re joined by three guests to focus on the clean energy tax provisions currently at risk in the Congressional budget reconciliation process—what’s being called the One Big Beautiful Bill. This is our second episode on this topic this week. Our guests are Jeremy Harrell, CEO at the right-of-center clean energy policy firm Clea…

1
10,000 Projects, 1 Big Threat: What the Data Says About the IRA Rollback 47:23

1M ago47:23

47:23

Michael Thomas joins us to discuss the clean energy tax provisions and industrial stimulus in the Inflation Reduction Act, which have brought billions of dollars in private investment and added gigawatts of power. However, these provisions are at risk of being cut as the "One Big Beautiful Bill" makes its way through Congress. Michael is a repeat g…

1
Can We Slow the Doomsday Glacier? Arête on Glacial Intervention and Sea-Level Risk 49:55

1M ago49:55

49:55

Brent Minchew is Co-Founder, Executive Director, and Chief Scientist at Arête Glacier Initiative, a new nonprofit launched to close the gap between frontier glaciology research and actionable sea-level forecasts—and to probe whether “brake-tapping” inside Antarctic glaciers can slow their slide into the sea. Brent explains why current models still …

1
AI-Designed Materials to Cool and Decarbonize Data Centers with Orbital 37:25

2M ago37:25

37:25

Jonathan Godwin is co-founder and CEO of Orbital Materials, an AI-first materials-engineering start-up. The company open-sourced Orb, a state-of-the-art simulation model, and now designs bespoke porous materials—its first aimed at cooling data-centres while capturing CO₂ or water. Jonathan shares how his DeepMind background shaped Orbital’s “design…

1
Redesigning Nuclear Reactors for Mass Manufacturing with Aalo 42:54

2M ago42:54

42:54

Matt Loszak is CEO and co-founder of Aalo Atomics, a startup designing 50-megawatt nuclear power plants made of pods of five 10-megawatt reactors each, targeting the data center market. Inspired by the MARVEL test reactor that his CTO Yasir Arafat led at Idaho National Lab, Aalo pursues parallel DOE and NRC pathways, betting that factory-built, pad…

1
Inside Microsoft’s $1B Climate Fund Strategy to Hit Net Zero by 2030 40:27

2M ago40:27

40:27

Brandon Middaugh is the senior director of Microsoft’s $1 billion Climate Innovation Fund, created in 2020 to accelerate technologies that help Microsoft and the wider economy meet aggressive 2030 sustainability goals: carbon‑negative, water‑positive, zero‑waste and ecosystem‑protective. Five years in, Brandon shares how the fund’s “invest‑to‑procu…

1
How Euclid Power Streamlines Clean Energy Development at Scale 49:55

2M ago49:55

49:55

Jacob Sandry is the CEO and co-founder of Euclid Power, a platform for renewable energy project development, financing, and operations—with AI-enabled services layered on top. MCJ is proud to be an investor in Euclid, having joined the company’s seed round in mid-2022. Jacob has worked in renewable power his entire career, starting at Generate Capi…

1
Building the Future with Patrick Maloney, CIV 43:14

3M ago43:14

43:14

Patrick Maloney is the Co-founder and CEO at CIV, and this episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the UCLA Anderson School of Management as part of LA Climate Week. Patrick's firm, CIV, is a new venture capital investment firm based in Venice, California, that backs and builds companies at the nexus of industry and technology. Patrick …

1
How a $4 B Deep‑Tech Fund Tackles Emissions with DCVC 41:20

3M ago41:20

41:20

Zack Bogue is co‑founder and co‑managing partner at DCVC, a $4 billion deep‑tech venture firm spanning 13 funds. In late 2024, DCVC launched DCVC Climate, a dedicated vehicle backing technologies that slash emissions in heavy industry, hasten the energy transition, and bolster climate adaptation. In this episode, Zack unpacks how the firm’s strateg…

1
Underground Nuclear Reactors? Inside Deep Fission’s Energy Solution 36:21

3M ago36:21

36:21

Liz Muller is the CEO and Co-founder of Deep Fission, a company pioneering a new approach to the traditional light-water nuclear reactor. Rather than using concrete and constructed containment, Deep Fission places the reactor one mile underground, fundamentally changing the design paradigm. Liz was on the show over five years ago when she was build…

1
Building a Real-Time Wildfire Alert Platform with Watch Duty 1:06:25

3M ago1:06:25

1:06:25

John Mills is the Co-Founder and CEO of Watch Duty, the leading app for real-time wildfire alerts in the U.S. In this episode of Inevitable, John shares how Watch Duty became a vital public safety tool—rising to #1 in the App Store during the recent Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Watch Duty delivers live updates…

1
Securing the Energy Grid from Cyber Threats with Xage Security 38:31

4M ago38:31

38:31

Roman Arutyunov is the Co-founder and SVP of Products at Xage Security, a Series B startup focused on protecting critical infrastructure—including energy systems—from cyber threats. Xage is backed by investors like Chevron Technology Ventures, Aramco, Piva Capital, Valor Equity Partners, and Overture. Cybersecurity is a growing concern as our energ…

1
Mike Schroepfer: Lessons from Scaling Meta to Investing in the Energy Transition 1:01:45

4M ago1:01:45

1:01:45

Mike Schroepfer is Partner at Gigascale, a venture firm he founded and self-funded to back startups building venture-scale businesses with the potential for outsized climate impact. Previously, Mike served as CTO at Meta (Facebook’s parent company) from 2013 to 2022, having originally joined in 2008 as VP of Engineering. In this episode, Mike and C…

1
Accelerating Data Center and Renewable Energy Siting with Paces 49:09

4M ago49:09

49:09

James McWalter is the CEO and co-founder of Paces, an AI-powered software platform that helps clean energy project developers identify and evaluate the best sites for new projects. Paces streamlines the process by integrating interconnection, environmental, zoning, and legal data on land parcels—key factors developers must navigate when selecting v…

1
Building the EV Charging Network: Lessons from Former EVgo CEO Cathy Zoi 46:46

4M ago46:46

46:46

Cathy Zoi is a clean energy veteran with a career spanning leadership roles across government, industry, and investment. Most recently, she served as CEO of EVgo from 2017 to 2023, taking the company public in 2020. EVgo is now one of the largest EV charging networks in the United States. Today, Cathy is deeply engaged in the energy and climate spa…

1
Why Wildfire Insurance is Broken—And How Stand is Fixing It 44:06

5M ago44:06

44:06

Dan Preston is the co-founder and CEO of Stand, a brand-new startup property insurer providing homeowners insurance for climate-exposed properties. They’re launching with a go-to-market focus on higher-end properties in California—homes that are otherwise unable to obtain affordable rates or any coverage at all due to wildfire risk. Stand claims th…

1
Marc Mezvinsky on TPG Rise Climate’s $7B Fund & Impact 48:17

5M ago48:17

48:17

Marc Mezvinsky is a partner at TPG Rise Climate. TPG Rise Climate is among the largest pools of capital ever raised with a dedicated focus on climate tech. They announced a debut fund in 2021 at over $7 billion—and another very large fund currently in the works. Rise Climate is part of the broader TPG Rise platform, the impact arm of the publicly t…

1
How LineVision is Boosting Transmission Grid Capacity Without New Power Lines 39:38

5M ago39:38

39:38

Hudson Gilmer is the co-founder and CEO of LineVision. LineVision is a Series C-stage startup helping utilities monitor and increase the capacity of the vast network of transmission lines that serve as the vascular system of the U.S. electric grid. The U.S. transmission grid spans 600,000 to 700,000 circuit miles of high-voltage lines, connecting e…

1
Structured Capital 101: Keyframe’s Approach to Climate Finance 40:12

5M ago40:12

40:12

John Rappaport is the Chief Investment Officer at Keyframe Capital, a special situations fund manager. They help management teams solve complex asset and corporate financing requirements. In finance speak, this is often referred to as structured capital—the process of separating a company's capital structure into layers, enabling each layer to be f…

1
Designing Smart Heat Pumps That Work for Every Room with Quilt 47:50

6M ago47:50

47:50

Paul Lambert is the Co-founder and CEO of Quilt, a company designing smart ductless heat pumps for residential heating and cooling with intelligent room-by-room controls. Quilt was founded in 2022 and launched in the San Francisco Bay Area in spring 2024. Since then, they have achieved hundreds of deployments and are preparing to expand to their ne…

1
A New Framework for Family Offices with Integrated Capital Strategies 48:49

6M ago48:49

48:49

Sharon Schneider is the Founder of Integrated Capital Strategies, a consulting firm that helps founders and family offices drive positive social change. Her firm specializes in setting up or realigning family offices to better align with the values and evolving priorities of individuals seeking a more integrated approach to life. We invited Sharon …

1
Circular Solutions for Heavy Industry with Cocoon 33:38

6M ago33:38

33:38

Eliot Brooks is the CEO and co-founder of Cocoon. Cocoon is driving the industrial circular economy, starting with a process that helps the steel industry continue supplying a critical feedstock for cement production. This feedstock is increasingly at risk as steelmaking transitions from coal-based blast furnaces to lower-emission electric arc furn…

1
What’s Ahead for U.S. Energy and Climate Policy with Adrian Deveny 1:01:40

6M ago1:01:40

1:01:40

Adrian Deveny, former Director of Energy and Environmental Policy for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, was a key architect of the Biden-era climate policy agenda, including the landmark Inflation Reduction Act. In this conversation, we explore Adrian's perspective on what to expect from Washington, D.C., in the years ahead, as the federal…

1
Wildfires, Floods and Extreme Heat: Why Climate Adaptation Matters with Intact Centre 1:01:42

6M ago1:01:42

1:01:42

Kathryn Bakos is the Managing Director of Finance and Resilience at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, an applied research center within the faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Our conversation today is all about the inevitable impacts of climate change, including floods, wildfires, and heat waves in particular, as…

1
Simplifying Clean Energy Procurement with Verse 47:15

7M ago47:15

47:15

Seyed Madaeni is the co-founder and CEO of Verse. Verse develops software that helps organizations understand, plan, and manage clean energy. Their platform simplifies the complex clean energy procurement process, enabling companies to meet their emissions goals in the most economical way possible. MCJ is proud to be a repeat investor in Verse thro…

1
Inside the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office 40:58

7M ago40:58

40:58

Maria Robinson, outgoing Director of the Grid Deployment Office at the U.S. Department of Energy, joins us to share insights from her impactful tenure. Since stepping into the role in 2022, Maria has overseen $22 billion in federal funding to drive the development of new and upgraded electric infrastructure nationwide. Recorded in person at the rec…

1
Tin-Powered Energy Storage with Fourth Power 41:09

7M ago41:09

41:09

Arvin Ganesan is the CEO of Fourth Power, which is developing a flexible-duration thermal energy system designed to meet the needs of an electrical grid increasingly powered by renewables. Their system heats liquid tin to extremely high temperatures, circulates it through carbon blocks for heat storage, and converts that heat back to electricity on…

1
Frontier’s $1B Bet on Carbon Removal 1:00:16

7M ago1:00:16

1:00:16

Hannah Bebbington is the Head of Deployment at Frontier, an advanced market commitment created in 2022, that aims to purchase $1 billion or more of permanent carbon removal by 2030. Founded by Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey, Frontier has quickly become a leading force in the carbon removal space. Its portfolio includes a "who’s who" …

1
Stanford's Hydrogen and Natural Gas Initiatives 56:29

7M ago56:29

56:29

Dr. Naomi Boness is the managing director of the Natural Gas Initiative and co-managing director of the Hydrogen Initiative at Stanford University. With a Ph.D. in Geophysics from Stanford and over 13 years in technical and management roles at Chevron, Dr. Boness combines deep scientific knowledge with real-world experience in energy operations. In…

1
TELO’s EV Pickup for Urban Adventures 45:24

8M ago45:24

45:24

Jason Marks is the Co-founder and CEO at TELO. TELO is developing EV pickup trucks in the footprint of a Mini Cooper with a bed the size of a Toyota Tacoma and the power of a mainstream truck. They're focused on urban use cases for pickup trucks, whether that be a weekend adventurer who lives in a city or an organization whose employees need trucks…

1
This Giant Aircraft Aims to Break Wind Energy’s Size Limits 43:08

8M ago43:08

43:08

Mark Lundstrom is the founder and CEO of Radia. Radia is developing the WindRunner, the world’s largest aircraft, specifically designed to transport massive offshore wind turbine blades—some reaching the length of football fields—to onshore sites. This capability, termed "GigaWind," could redefine the scope and scale of onshore wind projects. Radia…

1
Building Trust in the Carbon Markets with Rubicon 45:33

8M ago45:33

45:33

Tom Montag, CEO of Rubicon Carbon, joins us to discuss the world of carbon credits. Tom has had an illustrious career, previously serving as Chief Operating Officer at Bank of America, President of Global Banking and Markets, and a member of the executive management team. He joined Merrill Lynch as Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sales …

1
Solar-Powered Data Centers with Exowatt 47:40

8M ago47:40

47:40

Hannan Parvizian is Co-founder and CEO of Exowatt. Exowatt turned heads earlier this year when it announced a $20 million Seed round with backers including Andreessen Horowitz, Atomic, and Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. The company has developed a novel combined solution for energy generation and storage that concentrates heat from the sun, stores …

1
Winning the Climate War with Tom Steyer 1:01:19

8M ago1:01:19

1:01:19

By now, you’ve likely noticed our refreshed look. We’re evolving the show to focus on the inevitable impacts of climate change and the groundbreaking solutions shaping our future. To kick off this next chapter our first guest on Inevitable is Tom Steyer, Co-executive Chair at Galvanized Climate Solutions, a multi-strategy investment firm focused ex…

1
Introducing: Inevitable, an MCJ podcast 1:32

9M ago1:32

1:32

Climate change is inevitable. It's already here. But at the same time, the energy transition–the rewriting of industries to be cleaner, more profitable, and more resilient–is also inevitable. Join MCJ Managing Partner Cody Simms each week as sits down with experts across sectors to explore the groundbreaking innovations and extraordinary people sha…

1
The Final Stop on My Climate Journey—And What’s Next 25:09

9M ago25:09

25:09

Today on My Climate Journey, we’re bringing back a familiar voice: Jason Jacobs, Founder and Venture Partner at MCJ. In this special episode, Cody and Jason reflect on the evolution of MCJ and its mission to drive climate innovation. While this is the last episode under the My Climate Journey name, don’t worry—the show isn’t going away. The format …

1
Geothermal for Big Buildings with Bedrock 49:08

9M ago49:08

49:08

Joselyn Lai is the Co-founder and CEO at Bedrock Energy. Bedrock uses geothermal energy to transform the heating and cooling of buildings. We've covered geothermal on the show a few times, but Bedrock brings a unique approach. On one end of the spectrum, we've explored large utility-scale geothermal projects, which aim to drill deep to tap into und…

1
Point Source Carbon Capture with Ardent’s Membrane Solutions 47:30

9M ago47:30

47:30

Erica Nemser is CEO at Ardent, a Series A stage startup that's aiming to help drive industrial decarbonization by developing and selling membranes to perform point source carbon capture. Point source capture differs from direct air capture in that it's focused on concentrated greenhouse gas emissions coming right out of the flue of an industrial sy…

1
Scaling Hydrogen for Heavy Industry with Hgen 36:02

9M ago36:02

36:02

Molly Yang is CEO and co-founder of Hgen, a company that develops clean hydrogen to decarbonize heavy industry. Specifically, they are working on alkaline electrolyzer technology to make it have higher efficiency and higher power density, which they claim will allow them to produce hydrogen with a smaller footprint and lower cost, using a modular, …

1
Crafting Landmark Climate Legislation with Russell Kenneth DeGraff 1:26:05

9M ago1:26:05

1:26:05

Russell Kenneth DeGraff spent 18 years as a staffer on Capitol Hill, including 12 years as the Chief Climate and Technology Advisor to Nancy Pelosi, notably during her second term as Speaker of the House. He was, as they say in the room where it happened when negotiating the landmark climate legislation of the last few years, including the Inflatio…

1
Startup Series: Battery-Powered Homes with Base 41:31

10M ago41:31

41:31

This My Climate Journey podcast episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Ion during Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week. Zach Dell is the Co-founder and CEO of Base Power Company. Base aspires to build a reliable and affordable home energy service powered by distributed batteries. Their technology supports the grid during times o…

1
A Conversation with Oxy CEO, Vicki Hollub 1:07:29

10M ago1:07:29

1:07:29

*This My Climate Journey podcast episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Ion during Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week. Our guest is, Vicki Hollub, CEO of Occidental Petroleum (Oxy), a century-old oil and gas company employing over 12,000 people globally with a market cap near $50 billion. Recently the company has made signific…

1
Election Special: Navigating the Climate Vote 1:12:02

10M ago1:12:02

1:12:02

The election cycle can feel overwhelming for the average person who is climate-concerned, but not deeply political enough to understand where and how to plug in. If you have money to give, where should it go? If you have time to contribute, what should you do? We could think of no better group than the experts we have here to help walk us through i…

1
Startup Series: Nuclear Micro-Reactors with Radiant 38:10

10M ago38:10

38:10

Doug Bernauer is the CEO and Co-founder of Radiant. Radiant is developing a portable nuclear micro-reactor to replace diesel generators. They raised a $40 million Series B in 2023 led by a16z, after previously raising capital from investors including USV, Founders Fund, and DCVC. They're targeting the development of a portable, mostly self-containe…

1
Startup Series: Designing the Future of Home Energy with Haven 47:45

11M ago47:45

47:45

Jeff Chapin is the Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Haven Energy. Haven aims to make it easier for homeowners to install home battery systems, including choosing the right battery, permitting and installation, tax credits, and virtual power plant setup. Haven recently began offering bundled installation of solar and batteries. Jeff has seen …

1
Startup Series: Battery-Electric Rail with Parallel Systems 47:17

11M ago47:17

47:17

Matt Soule is the CEO and Co-founder of Parallel Systems. Parallel Systems is re-imagining how goods can be transported via rail by building automated battery-electric freight rail vehicles. These vehicles resemble box cars that can drive independently and form on-the-fly connections with each other to create mini trains. According to Matt, the goa…