Invested In Climate Jason Rissman

If you think of Mastercard as simply a piece of plastic that enables you to buy stuff, you’re not seeing their vast network of businesses, their billions of customers, or the potential influence they have on consumer behavior.
There have been countless efforts over the years to encourage consumers to shop more sustainably, but when it comes to the reach and data savvy that Mastercard brings, it’s a whole different ballgame. 
I’ve known Mastercard’s Chief Sustainability Officer Ellen Jackowski for many years, and I was delighted to sit down with her to understand Mastercard’s sustainability strategy. 
We talk about Ellen’s background and approach to leadership, the current moment in sustainability, Mastercard’s effort to encourage sustainable consumption at scale, how they’ve spread sustainability goals across their entire company, and much more. 
Ellen is a widely respected thought leader in corporate sustainability and this conversation offers a peek inside an ambitious and very challenging effort to create real impact. Mastercard is a NationSwell member and we’ll soon share a summary of this conversation as part of NationSwell’s Sustainability Next series. Enjoy!
In today’s episode, we cover:[02:13] Ellen’s background & passion for sustainability [04:14] Ellen’s role at Mastercard[06:13] Present moment in sustainability - trends & concerns[08:13] The reach of Mastercard’s network[10:58] Sustainable consumption as a systems problem[12:29] Areas of opportunity & challenge[14:00] The Priceless Planet Coalition video drop[15:32] Mastercard’s carbon calculator[16:50] Influencing large emitting purchases[17:32] Promoting sustainable consumption around the world & US[18:52] The biggest challenge in reaching net-zero goals[21:00] Best ways to organize sustainability leaders[23:24] Tackling Scope 3 emissions[26:08] Mastercard’s Priceless Planet Coalition[27:53] Mastercard’s Community Pass Platform[29:21] Mastercard’s Start Path in Solidarity[30:52] How Ellen’s thinking in leadership has evolved[33:18] Resources to stay informed on sustainability[34:22] What else needs to change
Resources MentionedMastercard: Priceless Planet CoalitionNationSwell: Next SeriesMastercard: Carbon CalculatorMastercard: Community PassMastercard: In SolidarityOutrage and OptimismProject Drawdown
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Earthshot Ventures isn't just any climate tech venture firm. Having grown out of the Elemental Excelerator, one of the biggest and best-reputed accelerators in the industry, Earthshot is deeply rooted in the early-stage ecosystem. And it turns out there's something else that sets them apart.
Managing Partner Mike Jackson has a knack for coaching founders on what he thinks of as the art and science of fundraising. We're joined today by Mike and Earthshot Partner Ramsay Siegal to hear about their firm, approach, portfolio, and outlook on the market. We dive deep into Mike's insights to helping founders raise money. We talked about non-dilutive project financing and hard-to-abate sectors, the opportunities AI is bringing to climate tech, several of their portfolio companies, and much more. If you're interested in early-stage climate investing, or startups, there's lots to learn in this one. Hope you enjoy. Here we go.
In today’s episode, we cover:[02:47] Mike’s background & experience[04:52] Ramsey’s background & expertise[07:51] The relationship between Earthshot VC & Elemental Excelerator[09:39] Earthshot’s investment thesis, what they’re interested in & what sets them apart[12:22] Earthshot’s network[14:13] Mike’s approach to fundraising & coaching the portfolio[17:54] Fundraising tips and tricks for founders[22:17] Earthshot’s success stories[24:38] How is AI showing up[30:41] Investing in hard-to-abate sectors and Kanin Energy[33:06] Kanin Energy's business model and non-dilutive funding[38:15]  Earthshot’s commitment, DEI & tips for achieving a diverse portfolio[42:38] Outlook & opportunities for climate tech investing
Resources MentionedEarthshot VenturesElemental ExceleratorMitra ChemKanin EnergyGenerate CapitalWestly Group
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We know that motivating homeowners to invest in energy efficiency retrofits and home upgrades is hard. Energy efficiency might not sound glamorous, but across the US, retrofits can actually cut our residential energy usage in half. 
That’s why when I met Scope Zero CEO Lizzy Kolar, I was excited to learn about her company’s novel way of motivating home upgrades. What Lizzy and her co-founder realized is that our homes are now workplaces.  
And, with employers having to account for emissions for remote workers, they now have an incentive to help homeowners invest in upgrades. Enter the Carbon Savings Account (CSA). Modeled after FSAs and HSAs, the CSA can scale quickly and help millions of homeowners across the US to begin investing in upgrades they’ve been putiing off. 
In this episode, we hear about Lizzy’s background, the founding story of Scope Zero, the problems they’re trying to solve, the best home upgrade investments, how the home upgrade ecosystem has been evolving, and much more. This is a fast and to-the-point episode. Hope you enjoy it.
In today’s episode, we cover:[03:02] Lizzy’s background, what sparked her interest in climate & founding Scope Zero[05:50] Key needs that Scope Zero is addressing[07:17] The HSA model & how it works[08:24] How the HSA model translates to climate action[09:20] How someone might use the money they put in a Scope Zero account[10:15] What holds homeowners back from making investments[11:40] Evidence that consumers will invest in CSAs[12:23] The benefits of government incentives - Inflation Reduction Act[12:53] What home upgrades should be prioritized[14:43] The benefits of a Scope Zero CSA for employers[16:34] ROI for employers[17:53] CSAs in practice & the response[18:27] How far along is Scope Zero & the growth plan[19:44] Scope Zero’s total addressable market & opportunity[20:27] Quantifying impact in terms of emissions reduced & environmental benefits[21:06] Tracking the impact of CSAs using dashboards & data[21:44] Customers’ access to a partner vendor network[22:14] How the ecosystem surrounding home upgrades is evolving[23:08] How Scope Zero is financed & raising funding[23:47] Opportunities for aligning interests & motivating change
Resources MentionedScope ZeroTomKat Center for Sustainable Energy - StanfordCaltech Rocket FundCollaborative Fund
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We know that addressing climate change will take trillions of dollars of investment. According to the Climate Policy Institute, we’ll need to spend over $10 trillion annually for decades. and we only just exceeded $1 trillion for the first time in 2022. 
I’ll confess, I find these big numbers hard to conceptualize and I’m always glad for more nuanced ways to break them down. That’s why when I saw Oxford’s Climate Tech Initiative’s recent report, I reached out to one of its authors Jamil Wyne. The Oxford report builds on recent climate finance data by asking almost 150 climate investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers what they're seeing. It's a snapshot from inside climate tech that identifies gaps, promising opportunities, and five recommended changes for climate finance. In this interview, Jamil and I cover all that and more. We go far beyond just talking about the numbers and I think you’ll appreciate the global perspective and ability to zoom in and out that Jamil and the Oxford report brings. Enjoy.
On today's episode, we cover:[01:15] Introduction to the Oxford Climate Tech Initiative’s report & Jamil[02:31] Jamil’s portfolio & what's been energizing[04:19] How Climate Tech Initiative’s report got started[06:20] Growth & breakdown of climate finance investments[10:02] The mismatch in climate investing[12:43] Investor interest in transportation[15:20] Under investment in heavy industry, built environment & adaptation[17:41] The best investment opportunities within the energy sector[20:39] Overview of recommendations from the report [22:31] Growing climate funding recommendation[23:06] The role of governments & corporations[25:27] Building talent & workforce pools for climate[28:27] Focusing on solutions for vulnerable communities[30:30] Funding for adaptation[33:20] What is Riffle Ventures[36:08] Climate Tech Boot Camp, who it’s for & how it’s changed[41:27] Future projects & initiatives
Resources MentionedOxford’s Climate Tech InitiativeThe Climate Tech Opportunity ReportRiffle VenturesClimate Tech Bootcamp
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At the center of climate progress are scientists. They’re developing new technologies with which we can build a new, more sustainable global economy. Moving inventions from a lab to startup companies to scaled products, however, takes more than science. 
Research scientists had long lacked a support structure to help them build successful businesses. That’s where Activate came in. Founded in 2015 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Activate is a fellowship program that has helped almost 200 science fellows create companies that have now collectively created about 2,000 jobs and have raised about $1.5 billion. 
To learn more about Activate’s important work, we’re joined today by Activate CEO Cyrus Wadia. Cyrus brings a unique background spanning time in the Obama Administration, academia, Nike, and Amazon. We talk about how Activate works, lessons they’re gathering across climate tech verticals, examples of companies emerging from their fellowship, opportunities, gaps, and much more. I’m a big fan of the work Activate is doing and I’d guess you’ll soon be too. Enjoy.
In today’s episode, we cover:[3:13] Cyrus’ background & career journey[6:01] Activate & the problem that its aiming to solve[9:47] The ideal Activate Fellow[12:38] The support that Fellows get & how the Fellowship works[14:25] Activate’s achievements[16:41] Success stories & companies that have emerged from the Fellowship[20:02] What's coming & gaps[22:20] Examples of where friction is lower for climate tech to scale[26:35] Applications of AI [31:54] The involvement of corporate partners & how they can show up[34:36] How else do we need to change our approach to addressing climate change
Resources MentionedActivateSublime SystemsCalWaveFervoProject RedNoon EnergySoneraLawrence Berkeley National LabCyclotron Road
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If you’re listening to this podcast you’ve probably heard of the Sierra Club. It’s one of the largest environmental organizations in the United States, with about 4 million members and a history of advocacy going back to 1892.
But what do you know about the Sierra Club Foundation? It’s a $200m organization that, as you’d guess, supports the Sierra Club. It also takes on ambitious initiatives to leverage its resources to protect the environment, transform the energy system, and more. One of those initiatives focuses on shifting trillions of dollars out of the fossil fuel economy. It’s a good example of the level of ambition of these organizations.
To learn more, I sat down with Dan Chu and Pedro Henriques Da Silva. Dan is the Executive Director of the Foundation. Pedro is the Director of the Shifting Trillions Program. We had a fascinating conversation about the history, role, and accomplishments of both organizations, the goals and strategy of the Shifting Trillions program, being a 21st-century fiduciary, the upcoming election, and much more. This episode will push your thinking about the role of the Sierra Club and environmental organizations more generally. Enjoy. 
In today’s episode, we cover:[02:54] Background on Sierra Club[05:15] Sierra Club’s history & how the Foundation and Club are different[06:56] Size & funding of the organizations[08:09] Focus issue areas, how they are decided & how they inform capital allocation[10:23] Sierra Club Foundation & its broader role[12:37] The Shifting Trillions program & what it’s aiming to solve[13:54] The Foundation’s three roles & what it’s doing[18:21] How the roles of the Club & Foundation are distinct[22:36] What progress has been achieved so far with Shifting Trillions[23:57] Exciting goals being pursued[25:29] Progress & achievements that Dan has seen during his tenure[29:58] The state of the U.S. environmental nonprofit field[32:32] Support for climate through philanthropy[36:02] The importance of this election from an environmental perspective[39:02] Harnessing climate for young voter turnout
Resources MentionedSierra ClubSierra Club FoundationShifting TrillionsImpactAlpha Article by Pedro: Fiduciaries have a duty of care to their investors and to the world
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