The S2G Podcast

S2G Investments
  • 4.9 (37)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Semimonthly

This is the S2G Podcast, where we talk to business leaders, investors, policymakers, and thought leaders who have a transformative vision for the future. We’ll explore how their experiences and perspectives offer lessons into scaling the food, agriculture, oceans, and energy transitions. 

  1. The Illusion of Crowds with Francis O’Sullivan

    Jun 18

    The Illusion of Crowds with Francis O’Sullivan

    On paper, capital is pouring into the energy transition. But where is it actually going? In this episode, Sanjeev Krishnan sits down with S2G Managing Director Francis O'Sullivan to unpack his new paper, "The Illusion of Crowds," a five-year, data-driven look at how $88 billion across 6,400+ deals has really been deployed, and why the market is far more concentrated than the headline numbers suggest. They get into why so-called "growth" rounds are often just large venture checks, how big funds co-investing with each other creates hidden risk for LPs who think they're diversified, and why the sector is absorbing three to four times more capital than it's returning. Along the way, they trade hot takes on what zero rates did to power markets, whether the AI-driven energy trade is the next halo waiting to crack, and the lessons Frank took from the shale boom. If you allocate capital, raise it, or build companies in this space, this one's worth a close listen. Chapters 3:20 - Revisiting the Missing Middle: Three Years Later 8:10 -  How Zero Rates Distorted Energy Markets 15:50 - Can You Raise Capital If You're Not Levered to AI? 17:30 - Introducing the Illusion of Crowds Paper 26:20 - The Wisdom of Crowds Framework 30:30 - The Capital Crowding Problem: Picking Winners Too Early 34:00 - Value Creation vs. Value Realization 37:00 - From Shale to Clean Energy: Lessons From Frank's Research Arc This content is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, business, tax or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investor or potential investor in any investment vehicle sponsored by S2G. Investing involves risk, including the risk of loss. Specific companies mentioned in this podcast are for educational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement of any kind. S2G holds positions in the companies referenced, but this podcast is for information purposes only and is not intended to promote any such company. All views of the guests on this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of S2G. Any past performance discussed is not indicative of future results. The views expressed herein are opinions based on certain assumptions and subject to change. For more important information, please see s2ginvestments.com/disclosures.

    43 min
  2. Financing Reality with Sanjeev Krishnan

    Jun 4

    Financing Reality with Sanjeev Krishnan

    The old playbook built on cheap capital, globalization, and asset-light software is breaking down, and Sanjeev Krishnan thinks most investors haven't fully registered what may come next. In this episode, fresh off S2G's ninth annual Summit and the close of Solutions Fund I at $1B, Tonya Bakritzes sits down with Sanjeev to unpack the five secular forces he believes are reshaping the global economy right now: AI, geopolitical multipolarity, an uncertain price of money, entropy, and demographic aging. He makes the case that the real opportunity isn't in betting on what's already obvious, but in financing the gap between an emerging economic reality and the financial infrastructure that doesn't yet exist to serve it. Sanjeev shares what it actually took to close a fund in one of the hardest fundraising environments in recent memory, what he learned from the market builders on stage at Summit, and why the interlinkages between these five forces may matter more than any one of them in isolation. If you're an asset allocator, entrepreneur, or just trying to understand where the next decade of returns will actually come from, this one is worth your full attention. Chapters:  2:20 — The Financing Reality Report 5:00 — The 1970s Playbook: Four Forces That Shaped the Last Era 7:10 — The Five Secular Forces Defining Today 11:10 — The Most Underestimated Forces: Aging & Price of Money 13:40 — Why the Old Playbook Is Breaking Down 17:50 — Early Market Signals & the Case for Diversifiers 21:30 — S2G's Three-Pronged Approach: Growth Equity, Structured Finance & Bespoke Funds 25:30 — Closing the Solutions Fund in the Hardest Fundraising Environment 28:30 — Summit Takeaways  34:50 — Building for an Emerging Reality This content is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, business, tax or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investor or potential investor in any investment vehicle sponsored by S2G. Investing involves risk, including the risk of loss. Specific companies mentioned in this podcast are for educational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement of any kind. S2G holds positions in the companies referenced, but this podcast is for information purposes only and is not intended to promote any such company. All views of the guests on this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of S2G. Any past performance discussed is not indicative of future results. The views expressed herein are opinions based on certain assumptions and subject to change. For more important information, please see s2ginvestments.com/disclosures.

    40 min
  3. How Sofar Ocean is Reshaping Weather Prediction and Shipping

    May 21

    How Sofar Ocean is Reshaping Weather Prediction and Shipping

    When a ship needs to reroute around the Strait of Hormuz, when forecasters try to predict short and long-term weather, or when scientists model the impacts of a changing climate, it all comes down to ocean data. Yet the ocean remains one of the most undermeasured environments on Earth. In this episode, Chuck Templeton sits down with Tim Janssen, co-founder and CEO of Sofar Ocean, to explore why real-time ocean intelligence is one of the most consequential unsolved problems of our time, and how companies like Sofar are finally moving the needle at scale. Tim breaks down how Sofar's network of sensor-loaded buoys is helping to close the ocean data gap, why AI is making that data exponentially more valuable, and how shipping giants are already using Sofar's Wayfinder platform to optimize routes, cut emissions, and respond in real time to disruptions happening right now. Chapters:  5:10 — The Compounding Cost of Not Measuring 7:40 — What to Measure and Why: Waves, Wind, and Beyond 10:10 — Turning Ocean Data Into Products People Actually Use 11:30 — Wayfinder: Google Maps for the High Seas 15:30 — Geopolitical Disruption: Hormuz, Suez, and Real-Time Rerouting 19:40 — Spotter Scout: The Ocean's New Autonomous Eye 26:10 — Why AI Makes Ocean Data More Valuable, Not Just Cheaper 32:20 — The Holy Grail: Ocean Intelligence at Atmospheric Scale This content is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, business, tax or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investor or potential investor in any investment vehicle sponsored by S2G. Investing involves risk, including the risk of loss. Specific companies mentioned in this podcast are for educational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement of any kind. S2G holds positions in the companies referenced, but this podcast is for information purposes only and is not intended to promote any such company. All views of the guests on this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of S2G. Any past performance discussed is not indicative of future results. The views expressed herein are opinions based on certain assumptions and subject to change. For more important information, please see s2ginvestments.com/disclosures.

    40 min
  4. The Overlooked Diversifier: A New Playbook for American Farmland

    May 7

    The Overlooked Diversifier: A New Playbook for American Farmland

    American farming is under real pressure. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent synthetic fertilizer prices spiking, and 70% of US farmers say they can't afford the inputs they need for this planting season. But this isn't just a recent shock. Farm margins have been shrinking for years, and the US has lost almost 150,000 farms in the last five years alone. The commodity model that defined American agriculture for decades simply wasn't built for the volatility we're living through now. In this episode, Justin Bruch, CEO of Clear Frontier, and Iowa farmer Bryce Irlbeck join Sanjeev Krishnan to make the case that this moment of disruption is also an opportunity for farmers willing to rethink how they operate and for investors paying attention. They explain why the shift toward organic and regenerative farming isn't just an environmental story but also a financial one, and why soil health is a surprisingly important factor in the long-term value of farmland as an asset. If you've never thought seriously about farmland as part of a diversified portfolio, this conversation will change that. Chapters 07:20 The Super Cycles That Shaped American Ag  10:20 How Policy Locked Farmers Into Corn & Soybeans  11:30 Is the Commodity Model Breaking Down?  15:30 A Vision for the Next 30 Years  24:10 Farmland as a Diversifier Asset Class  28:30 Soil Health as the New Value Driver  31:10 Capital in Rural America  36:00 What Does "Regenerative" Actually Mean?  40:20 Anti-Fragility & the Strait of Hormuz This content is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, business, tax or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investor or potential investor in any investment vehicle sponsored by S2G. Investing involves risk, including the risk of loss. Specific companies mentioned in this podcast are for educational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement of any kind. S2G holds positions in the companies referenced, but this podcast is for information purposes only and is not intended to promote any such company. All views of the guests on this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of S2G. Any past performance discussed is not indicative of future results. The views expressed herein are opinions based on certain assumptions and subject to change. For more important information, please see s2ginvestments.com/disclosures.

    44 min
  5. The Case for Automating American Factories With Formic

    Apr 23

    The Case for Automating American Factories With Formic

    This episode will change the way you see American manufacturing and showcase why it's both more vulnerable and more adaptable than you may think. Saman Farid, CEO and founder of Formic, sits down with Chuck Templeton to pull back the curtain on a pressure point hiding in plain sight: hundreds of thousands of U.S. factories are running behind schedule or turning down orders, not because they lack machines or materials, but because they simply can't find people to run them. Saman introduces Formic's "robotics as a service" model, a subscription-based approach that lets manufacturers deploy robots to factories without the massive upfront capital investment, and explains why this is the unlock that the industry needs. He breaks down where AI in robotics actually stands today, why the Tesla vs. Waymo training data debate maps directly onto the future of physical AI, and why the next decade of American manufacturing isn't about replacing workers. It's about making factories more efficient and profitable, making manufacturing jobs safer and more sustainable, and rebuilding the industrial pyramid from the ground up. Chapters 4:50 — The Two Big Misconceptions About Robotics 7:40 — Why American Factories Are Stuck in the Past 10:10 — The Labor Crisis Quietly Killing Manufacturing 13:00 — Why Factories Are Turning Down Business 16:30 — Full-Service Robotics: The Subscription Model Explained 21:10 — The Three Waves of Robot Technology 32:10 — The Waymo vs. Tesla Playbook for Robot Training Data 35:10 — Financing a Robot Fleet: Building a Smarter Capital Stack 41:40 — Will Robots Take Jobs? What the Data Actually Shows This content is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, business, tax or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investor or potential investor in any investment vehicle sponsored by S2G. Investing involves risk, including the risk of loss. Specific companies mentioned in this podcast are for educational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement of any kind. S2G holds positions in the companies referenced, but this podcast is for information purposes only and is not intended to promote any such company. All views of the guests on this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of S2G. Any past performance discussed is not indicative of future results. The views expressed herein are opinions based on certain assumptions and subject to change. For more important information, please see s2ginvestments.com/disclosures.

    49 min
  6. The Global Energy Order Has Changed. Now What?

    Apr 9

    The Global Energy Order Has Changed. Now What?

    Gas prices at the pump are just the beginning of what the war with Iran means for global energy. In this episode, Sanjeev Krishnan sits down with S2G's energy co-leads Frank O'Sullivan and Bala Nagarajan to unpack what the war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz actually mean for the global energy system, not just this week, but over the next decade. From gas shortages hitting stoves in India and setting coal prices at all-time highs, to what this means for industries from electric vehicles to data centers, Frank and Bala trace the long arc of where this crisis leads. They dig into whether this moment could finally shock Europe, Asia, and even the US into building the energy systems they've been putting off for decades, and why this disruption might be the most powerful accelerant for renewable energy in a generation.  Key Takeaways The US is no longer insulated from global gas prices. Frank explains that because the US is now the world's largest LNG exporter, domestic gas prices are increasingly coupled to international markets, with real consequences for industrial competitiveness, power costs, and the relative economics of solar and nuclear.This crisis is hitting East Asia hardest and fastest. Bala points to a 30x spike in demand for induction stoves on Amazon India as an indicator that consumers in Southeast Asia are moving toward alternatives from the bottom up.Europe's energy crisis is a de-industrialization crisis. Bala notes that much of Europe's demand drop after the Russia-Ukraine war wasn't efficiency or transition, it was factories and refineries shutting down. Real recovery requires cheap electricity first, and Europe doesn't have it.Data centers will absorb higher gas prices, but not forever. Frank argues that at current prices, hyperscalers will take power anyway they can get it. But as data centers look more like infrastructure than tech products, the cost of input energy may increasingly matter.Crisis is a powerful forcing function for building new energy infrastructure. Bala highlights that Germany went from permitting 4 gigawatts of onshore wind per year before the Russia-Ukraine war to 16 gigawatts after, proof that energy security pressure can act as a real accelerant. Resources:  The Price of War: A Perspective on Why the Iran Conflict Demands a True Energy Emergency Response.  This content is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, business, tax or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investor or potential investor in any investment vehicle sponsored by S2G. Investing involves risk, including the risk of loss. Specific companies mentioned in this podcast are for educational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement of any kind. S2G holds positions in the companies referenced, but this podcast is for information purposes only and is not intended to promote any such company. All views of the guests on this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of S2G. Any past performance discussed is not indicative of future results. The views expressed herein are opinions based on certain assumptions and subject to change. For more important information, please see s2ginvestments.com/disclosures.

    39 min
  7. The Business Case for Sustainability: Lessons from 20 Years at Mars

    Mar 26

    The Business Case for Sustainability: Lessons from 20 Years at Mars

    For large corporations, sustainability sits at the intersection of long-term strategic necessity and short-term financial pressure, and most companies are still trying to figure out how to make it work. In this episode, Kevin Rabinovitch, Global VP of Sustainability at Mars, joins Sanjeev to make the business case for why Mars has been betting on sustainability for decades. He breaks down how the company thinks about risk, supply chain resilience, and long-term value creation and walks through Mars' internal Compass framework, how real supply disruptions and unexpected ancillary benefits have validated the strategy, and why sustainability goals are most useful when treated like R&D investments rather than compliance obligations. He also gets honest about the challenges, such as the persistent gap between what consumers say they care about and how they actually shop, the difficulty of selling a problem and a solution in the same breath, and how to get an organization to apply existing skills toward new sustainability goals. With regulatory tailwinds shifting and food and agriculture facing compounding supply chain pressures, this conversation offers an honest look at what it takes to embed sustainability in the core of a business that intends to be around for generations. Chapters: 04:00 - What Mars Does 05:34 - Business Case for Sustainability 07:31 - Mars Compass Framework 11:24 - Supply Chain Climate Risks 13:08 - Future Proofing Value Chains 17:30 - Sustainability’s Competitive Advantage  19:39 - The Consumer Contradiction 23:21 - Innovation Pace and Potential 26:04 - Frictions 31:40 - Advice for Companies Selling to Mars  35:09 - Past and Future Reflections This content is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, business, tax or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investor or potential investor in any investment vehicle sponsored by S2G. Investing involves risk, including the risk of loss. Specific companies mentioned in this podcast are for educational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement of any kind. S2G holds positions in the companies referenced, but this podcast is for information purposes only and is not intended to promote any such company. All views of the guests on this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of S2G. Any past performance discussed is not indicative of future results. The views expressed herein are opinions based on certain assumptions and subject to change. For more important information, please see s2ginvestments.com/disclosures.

    37 min
  8. How to Build Intelligent, Flexible Manufacturing with Sojo

    Mar 12

    How to Build Intelligent, Flexible Manufacturing with Sojo

    We are at an inflection point in manufacturing where artificial intelligence, robotics, and data are converging to fundamentally change what's possible in the physical world. In this episode, Barak Bar-Cohen, founder and CEO of Sojo Industries, joins Chuck Templeton to explore what that transformation actually looks like on the ground, using one of the most deceptively complex problems in consumer goods: the variety pack. What starts as a story about putting different flavors into one box quickly opens up into a much bigger conversation about why traditional manufacturing is so difficult to innovate in, and how mobility, automation, and AI can finally change that. Together, they dig into what it really means to layer AI throughout a physical business, capturing everything from machine error codes to engineering conversations, and let the whole operation learn from itself and rapidly improve. It's a conversation that will change the way you think about the snack aisle and the future of physical AI. Chapters:  2:29 — The Variety Pack Problem 9:20 — The Door to Floor Model 11:38 — Business Model Breakdown 15:20 — Sojo Shield and Traceability 19:01 — Layering AI Into the Organization 28:10 — The AI Culture Shift 34:17 — Sojo and Sustainability 26:47 — Sojo’s Futurę Vision This content is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, business, tax or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investor or potential investor in any investment vehicle sponsored by S2G. Investing involves risk, including the risk of loss. Specific companies mentioned in this podcast are for educational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement of any kind. S2G holds positions in the companies referenced, but this podcast is for information purposes only and is not intended to promote any such company. All views of the guests on this podcast are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of S2G. Any past performance discussed is not indicative of future results. The views expressed herein are opinions based on certain assumptions and subject to change. For more important information, please see s2ginvestments.com/disclosures.

    40 min
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About

This is the S2G Podcast, where we talk to business leaders, investors, policymakers, and thought leaders who have a transformative vision for the future. We’ll explore how their experiences and perspectives offer lessons into scaling the food, agriculture, oceans, and energy transitions. 

Information

  • Creator
    S2G Investments
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    60
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The S2G Podcast
  • Show Website
    The S2G Podcast

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