Climate CEOs: Scaling Startups

Dr. Chris Wedding — Climate Tech CEO Coach | CEO @ EFI
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Weekly briefing for climate founders, investors, and operators. Hosted by Dr. Chris Wedding, executive coach and CEO of Entrepreneurs for Impact (EFI), a peer group with 100+ CEOs & investors representing $40B+ in enterprise value and AUM. Climate CEOs delivers playbooks from the front lines of climate tech, with insights on raising capital, scaling startups in clean energy, batteries, carbon capture, and the circular economy, plus the founder mindset, mindfulness, daily habits, book recommendations, and resilience needed to thrive.

  1. Circular Carbon: $50M Raised by Serial Founder for DAC-Supplied Cost-Competitive Industrial CO2 [👏 Interview]

    12/17/2025

    Circular Carbon: $50M Raised by Serial Founder for DAC-Supplied Cost-Competitive Industrial CO2 [👏 Interview]

    Project finance for carbon removed from the atmosphere to supply beverage and heavy industry customers in the US and abroad. 🎧 Episode Summary Aircapture creates and scales modular Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems that harvest carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere for on-site application or storage. The company fosters a circular carbon economy by supplying this clean CO2 to industrial and commercial customers for uses ranging from carbonating beverages to permanent underground sequestration. Recently securing $50 million in Series A funding, Aircapture is currently focused on expanding its manufacturing capabilities to improve system reliability and reduce deployment costs. Matt Atwood is the Founder and CEO of Aircapture, a technologist and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in renewable and climate technology development. Before his current role, he founded Algae Systems, where he developed the world's first energy-positive wastewater treatment platform. His career in carbon removal began with biofuel research in 2002, leading him to discover Direct Air Capture in 2009 as a scalable solution for diverse global markets. ----------- Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group: Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets. 👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com Get my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOs For entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice. 👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com Leave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.) No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it. 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviews About the Host: Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding

    41 min
  2. Fungi Solving the Climate Crisis & $100M for DAC that Produces Fresh Water [💡 5 Ideas]

    12/11/2025

    Fungi Solving the Climate Crisis & $100M for DAC that Produces Fresh Water [💡 5 Ideas]

    Here are today’s five NEW topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership: 1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA Fungi: the overachievers of the climate crisis 2. 💡 CEO TO KNOW Will Kain @ Avnos ($100M for DAC producing fresh water) 3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT Dmitriy Antropov @ Partners Group ($8B for smart infrastructure) 4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT Let AI try to embarrass you (before reality does) 5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT Churchill’s guide to finding your psychic TNT ------------ Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group: Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets. 👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com Get my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOs For entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice. 👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com Leave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.) No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it. 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviews About the Host: Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding --- Cover credit: Matt Ferrell's YouTube channel Undecided

    13 min
  3. Pollution Tracker for 740 Million Emissions Sources & Why We Make Excuses [💡 5 Ideas]

    12/08/2025

    Pollution Tracker for 740 Million Emissions Sources & Why We Make Excuses [💡 5 Ideas]

    Here are today’s five NEW topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership: 1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA Pollution tracker: 740 million emissions sources 2. 💡 CEO TO KNOW Ben Parker @ Lightship 3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT Micah Kotch @ Blackhorn Ventures 4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT Dear ChatGPT, what do you know about me? 5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT Everything is figure-out-able. ------------ Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group: Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets. 👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com Get my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOs For entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice. 👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com Leave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.) No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it. 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviews About the Host: Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding

    16 min
  4. 50 Million Miles of Power Transmission Lines by 2040. Is That a Joke? [💡 5 Ideas]

    12/04/2025

    50 Million Miles of Power Transmission Lines by 2040. Is That a Joke? [💡 5 Ideas]

    Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership: 1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA 50 million miles of transmission lines are needed by 2040 to achieve climate goals. 2. 💡 CEO TO KNOW Cam Halliday @ Mantel ($32M for carbon capture) 3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT Dave Kirkpatrick @ SJF Ventures ($435M for impact startups) 4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT AI as speechwriter for critical moments (in a rush) 5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT Misery or strength: same workload, different ROI ------------ Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group: Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets. 👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com Get my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOs For entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice. 👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com Leave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.) No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it. 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviews About the Host: Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding -- Cover image credit: BloombergNEF, 2023. (Note: Their projections for transmission lines go out to 2050, not 2040 as IEA does.)

    12 min
  5. $7 Trillion on Data Centers by 2030 + VC Lessons from $220M Across 36 Companies [💡 5 Ideas]

    12/01/2025

    $7 Trillion on Data Centers by 2030 + VC Lessons from $220M Across 36 Companies [💡 5 Ideas]

    Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership: 1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA $7 trillion on data centers by 2030 2. 💡 CEO TO KNOW Tod Hynes @ Maigent & MIT 3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT Kareem Dabbagh & Joe Goodman @ VoLo Earth 4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT AI as “Cognitive Reframing Coach” 5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT “Despair is a failure of imagination.” ------------ Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group: Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets. 👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com Get my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOs For entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice. 👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com Leave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.) No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it. 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviews About the Host: Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding -- Cover image source: McKinsey & Company, 2025.

    11 min
  6. The $30B Market Nobody Thinks About: Greening the RV [👏 Interview]

    11/24/2025

    The $30B Market Nobody Thinks About: Greening the RV [👏 Interview]

    Ex-Tesla engineers raise $60M for solar and battery-powered RVs, creating tomorrow's camping today and relevant for 1 in 10 Americans.🎧 Episode SummaryBen Parker is the Co-Founder of Lightship, an electric RV company that’s reimagining how we hit the road sustainably. Lightship builds aerodynamic, all-electric travel trailers with onboard solar and battery systems that can provide 5-7 days of clean power. Before founding Lightship in 2020, Ben was an EV engineer at Tesla. He and his co-founder Toby Kraus (also ex-Tesla) have raised over $60 million from investors like our friends at Prelude Ventures, Congruent Ventures, and Obvious Ventures. In short: Parker and 120 + team members are building the Airstream of the net-zero era: sleek, solar-powered, and silent. ----------- Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group: Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets. 👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com Get my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOs For entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice. 👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com Leave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.) No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it. 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviews About the Host: Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding

    47 min
  7. 329,000 robots for our net-zero future: China vs. USA [💡 5 Ideas]

    11/14/2025

    329,000 robots for our net-zero future: China vs. USA [💡 5 Ideas]

    Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership: 1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA Robots: Building a net-zero future (not just stealing jobs) 2. 👏 CEO TO KNOW Bill Flederbach @ ClimeCo (45M tons of CO2e reduced, avoided, or removed) 3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT Howard Fischer @ Gratitude Railroad (from hedge fund to impact investor) 4. 🤖 AI INSIGHT People are OK with AI taking 58% of our jobs. 5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT Believe it or not, data shows the world is getting better. ------------ Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group: Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets. 👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com Get my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOs For entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice. 👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com Leave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.) No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it. 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviews About the Host: Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding -- Cover image source: Friis and Riley at Harvard University. 2025.

    11 min
  8. Carbon Capture: $32M Invested, 50% Lower Costs, MIT Tech [👏 Interview]

    11/10/2025

    Carbon Capture: $32M Invested, 50% Lower Costs, MIT Tech [👏 Interview]

    Discover why Shell, Eni, and MCJ invested in this molten borate carbon capture tech led by an MIT PhD. 🎧 Episode Summary Mantel Capture is a Boston-based climate technology company developing the first molten-salt (molten borate) carbon capture system designed to operate at the high temperatures found inside boilers, kilns, and furnaces. Their technology cuts the energy penalty of carbon capture by recovering useful heat (steam or electricity) and can reduce costs by roughly half compared with conventional systems. Mantel raised $30 million in Series A funding, led by Shell Ventures and Eni Next, to deploy a demonstration plant at a pulp & paper mill that will capture around 1,800 tons of CO₂ per year. Cam Halliday holds multiple degrees from MIT, including a PhD in Chemical Engineering, an MS in Chemical Engineering, and an MBA from MIT Sloan. Originally from the UK, he co-founded Mantel in 2022 after years of carbon capture research in MIT’s Hatton Lab. You’ll also be lulled into submission by his very sophisticated British accent, especially in contrast to my Southern drawl. 😅 ------------ Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group: Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets. 👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com Get my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOs For entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice. 👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com Leave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.) No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it. 👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviews About the Host: Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding

    48 min
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About

Weekly briefing for climate founders, investors, and operators. Hosted by Dr. Chris Wedding, executive coach and CEO of Entrepreneurs for Impact (EFI), a peer group with 100+ CEOs & investors representing $40B+ in enterprise value and AUM. Climate CEOs delivers playbooks from the front lines of climate tech, with insights on raising capital, scaling startups in clean energy, batteries, carbon capture, and the circular economy, plus the founder mindset, mindfulness, daily habits, book recommendations, and resilience needed to thrive.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Chris Wedding — Climate Tech CEO Coach | CEO @ EFI
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    266
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dr. Chris Wedding — Climate Tech CEO Coach | CEO @ EFI
  • Show Website
    Climate CEOs: Scaling Startups

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