Climate Hive presents What Do You Solve?

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Climate Hive presents - What Do You Solve? Global Conversations with Climate Game Changers

  1. Sep 25

    What If Water Could Warn Us - Nature Dots is Building Prdeictive INtelligence for Water

    What if water data were as accessible as weather data? In this episode of Climate Hive: What Do You Solve?, Kevin Drolet and Mike Higgins sit down with Snehal Verma, CEO and Co-Founder, and Mohammad Aatish Khan, COO and Co-Founder of NatureDots. NatureDots is building predictive intelligence for water, helping aquaculture businesses, water utilities, energy companies, conservation organizations and researchers understand what is changing in a water system before it becomes expensive or catastrophic. The conversation starts with small-scale fish farmers, whose entire harvest can be lost when water quality shifts in a matter of hours. From there, we explore how NatureDots uses AI, digital twins, virtual sensors and billions of data points to make water intelligence more accessible, affordable and actionable. They also unpack why water remains a massive data gap, how predictive insights can support risk mitigation and insurance, and what it takes to build a water-tech company at the intersection of climate, nature and AI. Learn more about NatureDots: https://naturedots.com/ In this episode: 💧 Why water data should be as accessible as weather data 🐟 How real-time alerts can help fish farmers avoid devastating losses 🌎 What changing water regimes mean for communities and industry 🤖 How NatureDots combines AI, digital twins and virtual sensors 📈 Predicting water risks from hours to months ahead 🏗️ Why water intelligence has applications across aquaculture, utilities, energy, conservation and insurance 📚 Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:23 Solving water intelligence through AI 04:14 Why NatureDots began with fish farmers 12:40 Expanding water intelligence across industries 14:52 Climate change and changing water regimes 22:59 How NatureDots technology works 30:02 The origin story behind NatureDots 35:34 Founder challenges and bootstrapping 👉 Like, comment and subscribe for more global conversations with climate game changers. #ClimateHive #WhatDoYouSolve #NatureDots #WaterIntelligence #WaterTech #AI #Aquaculture #ClimateTech

  2. Sep 9

    The Super Pollutant Hiding in Wastewater | Jose Porro, Cobalt Water Global

    Every day, wastewater treatment plants are doing essential work most of us never think about. But in the process, they can also release nitrous oxide, or N₂O, a largely overlooked super pollutant with roughly 273 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over 100 years. In this episode of Climate Hive: What Do You Solve?, Kevin Drolet and Mike Higgins sit down with Jose Porro, CEO & Founder of Cobalt Water Global, to unpack one of the least-discussed climate problems hiding inside wastewater treatment. Jose has spent years studying nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater systems and is now building an AI-powered emissions intelligence platform designed to help treatment plants identify, understand and reduce those emissions. The surprising part? Reducing nitrous oxide isn't only a climate win. Because N₂O production is closely linked to how the biological treatment process is operating, the same changes that lower emissions can also improve plant performance and, in some cases, reduce energy consumption and operating costs. Jose explains why wastewater facilities often aren't already doing this, and the answer isn't necessarily a lack of motivation. In many cases, they simply don't have enough visibility into what they're emitting. Cobalt Water Global combines emissions measurement, wastewater data and AI to help operators understand when emissions are occurring, why they're happening and what operational changes could reduce them. We also get into the bigger picture: • Why nitrous oxide receives so little attention compared with CO₂ and methane • How wastewater treatment produces N₂O • Why the same biological process can produce very different emissions under different conditions • How AI can mimic the analysis of a wastewater emissions expert • Why reducing emissions can also reduce operating costs • How cities in the US, Canada and Europe are approaching wastewater emissions • Why Europe is moving faster on N₂O monitoring and reduction • The relationship between nitrous oxide and agriculture • Why methane could be the next major layer of Cobalt Water Global's platform • How wastewater could become a source of recovered energy, nutrients and water • Where carbon credits could fit into emissions reduction • Why Jose describes himself less as an entrepreneur and more as a missionary solving a problem The long-term vision is bigger than nitrous oxide alone. Jose sees Cobalt Water Global evolving into a broader wastewater emissions intelligence platform, providing visibility into N₂O, methane, CO₂ and other emissions while helping utilities operate more efficiently. 🎥 Subscribe to Climate Hive for a new episode of What Do You Solve? each week: @climatehiveconnect Connect with Jose -https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-c-porro-13893752 Learn more about Cobalt Water Global - https://cobaltwater-global.com/

  3. Aug 24

    This Serial Entrepreneur is Levering AI to Solve Our Massive Food Waste Problem

    What if one of the biggest opportunities to cut food waste isn't at the trash can, but before the food is even served? In this episode of Climate Hive: What Do You Solve?, we sit down with Fengmin Gong, CEO of Metafoodx, to explore how artificial intelligence, computer vision, sensors, and better data could transform the way commercial kitchens plan, prepare, and serve food. Globally, roughly 30% of food produced is lost or wasted somewhere between the farm and our plates. But Fengmin argues that preventing waste upstream is one of the most important opportunities. The challenge? Kitchens often don't have accurate, real-time information about what they're producing, how much people are actually consuming, portion sizes, food temperatures, or how demand changes from one day to another. Metafoodx is building an AI-powered data layer designed to change that. Fengmin takes us inside the technology, including a portable AI scanner that can recognize food, measure weight and food area, capture temperature information, and generate operational data in seconds, without asking already-busy kitchen teams to manually track everything. We also explore why the human side of technology matters. Fengmin shares how feedback from chefs and kitchen operators changed Metafoodx's product design and why technology has to fit into existing workflows if it's going to create meaningful impact. The conversation goes far beyond restaurants. We discuss the potential applications across universities, corporate dining, healthcare, senior living, hotels, resorts, cruise ships, food suppliers, and eventually even cooking robotics. Fengmin also shares his unexpected journey from cybersecurity and building technology companies to tackling food waste, and why he believes AI's next major chapter will happen when it moves beyond chatbots and deeper into the physical world. In this episode: • Why so much food is wasted before it ever reaches the consumer • How inaccurate forecasting leads to overproduction • Why food operations still contain major data blind spots • How AI and computer vision can recognize and track prepared food • Why preventing food waste matters more than simply managing it afterward • How real-time data can improve kitchen planning and efficiency • Why Metafoodx designed its technology around kitchen workers • What universities and large-scale dining operations can teach food-tech companies • The opportunity for AI across cruise ships and institutional dining • How food consumption data could eventually improve the wider supply chain • Why AI's biggest impact may come when it connects with the physical world The future of food may not simply be about producing differently. It may be about finally understanding, in real time, what we actually need to produce. Subscribe to Climate Hive for more conversations with the founders, scientists, operators, investors, and innovators working on some of the world's biggest climate challenges. What Do You Solve? asks one simple question: What problem are you solving, and why does it matter? Learn more www.metafoodx.com Contact@metafoodx.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/metafoodx/

  4. Aug 11

    Why Hyperlocal Temperature Data Will Become So Valuable | Jay Sadiq, FortyGuard

    What if the temperature data guiding critical business and city decisions isn’t nearly precise enough? In this episode of Climate Hive: "What Do You Solve?*, we speak with Jay Sadiq, founder and CEO of FortyGuard, about why hyperlocal temperature intelligence will become increasingly important as the climate changes and extreme heat reshapes our cities, infrastructure, energy systems, and daily lives. Jay explains the crucial difference between temperature data and traditional weather data—and why conditions can vary dramatically from one neighborhood, street, or building to the next. FortyGuard’s AI-powered technology transforms data from satellites, sensors, weather stations, and other sources into highly localized temperature insights that organizations can use to make smarter decisions. We discuss: • Why accurate temperature data is becoming critical climate infrastructure • The business case for FortyGuard • How FortyGuard’s temperature intelligence technology works • Why hyperlocal data can reveal what traditional weather forecasts miss • How heat affects energy, infrastructure, logistics, public health, and urban planning • How Jay’s experience as a four-time founder led him to the temperature problem • Why FortyGuard evolved from developing cooling materials into a data-driven technology company • How the company is already engaging cities, businesses, developers, and other market stakeholders As rising temperatures create new risks and costs, FortyGuard is working to turn heat from an invisible problem into actionable intelligence. Learn more about FortyGuard: https://www.fortyguard.com/ Connect with Jay Sadiq on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jihadsadiq/ Subscribe to *What Do You Solve?* for more conversations with founders, innovators, and leaders developing solutions for people and the planet. #ClimateTech #TemperatureIntelligence #ExtremeHeat #UrbanHeat #ClimateAdaptation #ArtificialIntelligence #SmartCities #ClimateResilience #FortyGuard #WhatDoYouSolve

  5. Aug 2

    The Future of Solar Technology - Visiting the Tandem PV Factory In Fremont California

    What does it take to move next-generation solar technology from a laboratory breakthrough to commercial manufacturing in the United States? In this live, on-location episode of *What Do You Solve?*, we sit down with Tandem PV CEO Scott Wharton inside the company’s new 65,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Fremont, California. Scott discusses the challenges of reaching this milestone, what the factory means for the future of American solar manufacturing, and how Tandem PV’s breakthroughs in perovskite-silicon technology could transform the performance and economics of solar energy. The conversation explores: • Tandem PV’s journey from research and pilot production to commercialization • How perovskite-silicon tandem panels capture more of the solar spectrum and generate more power from the same footprint • The rapidly growing electricity demands of AI data centers and an increasingly electrified economy • Why domestic manufacturing matters for energy security, supply-chain resilience, innovation, and job creation • The challenges of turning promising laboratory results into repeatable manufacturing • Tandem PV’s roadmap for customer validation, commercial production, and high-volume manufacturing Tandem PV’s Fremont factory has approximately 40 megawatts of annual nameplate capacity and is designed to demonstrate reliable production of large-format tandem solar panels. The company has begun producing initial modules, plans to support customer validation trials, and is targeting high-volume manufacturing in 2028. Tandem PV combines a thin perovskite light-absorbing layer with conventional silicon solar technology. The company has reported nearly 30% panel efficiency in internal testing, along with accelerated durability results showing less than 1% average annual power loss. Recorded live inside the operating factory, this interview offers a firsthand look at the people, technology, equipment, and manufacturing infrastructure working to shape the next era of solar energy. ### Learn More About Tandem PV Website: https://www.tandempv.com/ Factory announcement: https://www.tandempv.com/news/tandem-pv-opens-california-factory-for-next-generation-solar-manufacturing Partnership and general inquiries: [info@tandempv.com](mailto:info@tandempv.com) Press inquiries: [press@tandempv.com](mailto:press@tandempv.com) Tandem PV 3500 Gateway Boulevard Fremont, CA 94538 Watch the full interview to learn how Tandem PV is working to restore U.S. leadership in advanced solar manufacturing while helping meet the world’s rapidly increasing demand for electricity. #TandemPV #Perovskite #SolarEnergy #SolarManufacturing #USManufacturing #CleanEnergy #ClimateTech #EnergyInnovation #AIDataCenters #RenewableEnergy #MadeInAmerica

  6. Jun 26

    Scaling Community Based Clean Energy Projects To End Energy Poverty

    In this episode of Climate Hive: What Do You Solve?, we sit down with Emily Teitsworth, Executive Director of the Honnold Foundation, to explore how clean energy can transform lives, strengthen communities, and help address energy poverty around the world. ☀️🌍 Emily shares the story behind the Honnold Foundation, how it began through the vision of legendary climber and founder Alex Honnold, and how the organization has grown its global impact in under a decade. We talk about what it takes to build resilient, community-led clean energy projects, why energy access is so closely tied to opportunity, and the challenges facing communities still living without reliable power. ⚡ We also reference insights from the 2025 Impact Report, highlighting the Foundation’s expanding reach and the meaningful outcomes being created through its work. 📊 And yes, this episode includes a very special cameo from show co-host Mike Higgins’ senior pug, Eddie. 🐶✨ Learn more about the Honnold Foundation and their mission: https://www.honnoldfoundation.org/#mission In this episode: ☀️ The origin story of the Honnold Foundation 🧗 Alex Honnold’s vision for climate and energy access 🌱 How community-led clean energy projects create lasting resilience ⚡ The global challenge of energy poverty 📊 Highlights from the 2025 Impact Report https://www.honnoldfoundation.org/news/2025impact 🐾 Eddie the pug’s unforgettable guest appearance #ClimateHive #WhatDoYouSolve #HonnoldFoundation #CleanEnergy #EnergyAccess #ClimateAction #EnergyPoverty #AlexHonnold #Sustainability #Podcast #ClimateSolutions #RenewableEnergy

  7. Jun 10

    Rethinking Water Demand, Supply and Management - What You Need To Know

    In this episode of Climate Hive’s What Do You Solve? Show, we sit down with Heather Cooley, Chief Research and Program Officer, and Nicole Wickenhauser, Chief Growth Officer, from the Pacific Institute — a globally respected, nonpartisan water think tank founded in 1987. For nearly four decades, the Pacific Institute has helped advance practical, science-based solutions to some of the world’s most pressing water challenges. Together, we explore how water demand, supply, and management are changing in real time — and how governments, businesses, and communities can respond with resilience, equity, and action. Heather and Nicole share how the Pacific Institute advises organizations and decision-makers, highlights success stories, and supports meaningful change across sectors. We discuss the Colorado River crisis, behavior change, international collaboration through the UN Global Compact CEO Water Mandate / Collective Action work, and how our personal relationship with water shapes broader climate resilience. Throughout the conversation, one theme comes through clearly: water is not just part of the climate conversation — it is where climate change becomes visible, urgent, and deeply human. Learn more about the Pacific Institute: https://pacinst.org/ In this episode, we cover: – How Pacific Institute supports governments, companies, and organizations – Real-world shifts in water demand, supply, and management – Lessons from the Colorado River crisis – Global water stewardship and collective action – Stories of behavior change and systems change – Why water is central to climate resilience – What gives the Pacific Institute hope Featured guests: Heather Cooley — Chief Research and Program Officer, Pacific Institute Nicole Wickenhauser — Chief Growth Officer, Pacific Institute About Climate Hive: Climate Hive brings together leaders, innovators, and problem-solvers working on the most important climate challenges of our time. #ClimateHive #PacificInstitute #WaterSecurity #ClimateAction #WaterStewardship #ColoradoRiver #ClimateResilience #Sustainability #WhatDoYouSolve

  8. Jun 3

    The Future Of Solar Is A Game Changer

    🌍 What Do You Solve? | Scott Wharton, CEO of Tandem PV | Perovskite Solar & The Future of Clean Energy In this episode of Climate Hive: What Do You Solve?, we sit down with Scott Wharton, CEO of Tandem PV, to explore the future of Perovskite solar technology and its role in accelerating the clean energy transition. Scott shares his journey from successful tech entrepreneur to clean tech innovator, explains why he joined Tandem PV, and breaks down what makes Perovskite solar such a promising advancement in renewable energy. We dive into his perspective on the current state of the energy transition, the challenges ahead, and what gives him hope for a sustainable future. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:09 The Stanford Origins 04:05 Coming Full Circle to Solar 06:29 What is Perovskite Solar? 08:51 Solving for Durability 10:34 The "Holy Grail" of Solar 11:37 The 3-Phase Manufacturing Plan 13:39 The "Solar of Things" 15:28 Indoor Use & Abundant Materials 17:42 A Hopeful Global Outlook 19:35 Winning on Economics 23:34 China's Solar Deployment 25:43 How to Compete with China 28:18 Why Focus on Utility-Scale? 29:47 Innovation vs. "Doom-and-Gloom" 33:20 The "Valley of Death" 35:38 How to Help & Driving the Market Forward 👉 Topics Covered: What is Perovskite solar technology? Why Scott Wharton joined Tandem PV How Tandem PV is changing the solar game Scott’s entrepreneurial background What gives Scott hope about the climate future 📌 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell icon to stay updated on more interviews with leaders tackling the climate crisis. 🔗 Learn more about Tandem PV: https://www.tandempv.com/ Scott Wharton CEO Scott is the CEO of Tandem PV, a disruptive solar panel company based in Silicon Valley. Prior to Tandem, Scott was the Vice President and General Manager of Logitech for Business, a division that generates ~$2 billion in annual revenue and includes all products, software, and services for business and enterprise customers. Before leading the B2B group, Scott drove 25x growth in the Video Collaboration division, starting as a small player in 2015 ($62m) to over $1 billion in revenue, becoming the global market leader for video equipment. Under his leadership, Logitech has developed award-winning products recognized by CES, iF Design, Red Dot, and IDA for design innovation. For product excellence, the honors include TIME Best Inventions in 2022 and 2024 and Fast Company Next Big Thing in Tech for two consecutive years. Scott has held market-leading roles throughout his career in the communications space including as the founder of Vidtel, a pioneer in cloud-based video conferencing services. Vidtel had a successful exit in 2013. Scott was an early executive at BroadSoft (IPO; acquired by Cisco) and VocalTec (IPO) where he spearheaded numerous groundbreaking initiatives, including the development of the first commercial VoIP product, the creation of the cloud PBX market, and the VoIP service provider industry. Scott holds an MBA from Yale University. #PerovskiteSolar #CleanEnergy #ClimateTech #ScottWharton #TandemPV #EnergyTransition #Entrepreneurship #WhatDoYouSolve #ClimateHive #SustainableFuture

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Climate Hive presents - What Do You Solve? Global Conversations with Climate Game Changers

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