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Energy Impact Podcast

The Energy Impact Podcast features world-renowned experts across international energy policy and project finance along with regular news updates from leading journalists specializing in energy innovation and business.

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Ep 99: Aparna Shrivastava - Deputy Chief Climate Officer, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation

September 12, 2023

1. Aparna’s childhood in the wilderness of Oregon, her interest in working on cars, and some of the philosophies that guide her work.
2. A dive into Aparna’s time abroad - Why recognizing privilege, power and bias is important
3. Aparna’s journey to working as Deputy Chief Climate Officer for the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
4. An exploration of the DFC as a whole and its unique values

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Ep 98: Josh Posamentier - Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Congruent Ventures

August 14, 2023

1. Josh’s foray into West Coast living, physics, semiconductors, and more
2. How Josh got into energy and where the industry has led him in his career so far
3. A dive into Congruent Ventures and how they stand out in a growing universe of funds
4. Who Congruent Ventures partners with, how they help, and who makes up the Congruent team

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Ep 97: Jason Cheng - Founder and CEO, CelerateX

August 7, 2023

1. Jason’s path from economics to investment banking and hostile takeovers, as well as how these career jumps shaped his trajectory at a young age
2. The formation of CelerateX and the process and evolution behind it all
3. Diving deeper into CelerateX, Jason discusses investing, industry, and identification of platforms
4. An area of investment Jason is excited about and what makes CelerateX stand out as a capital provider

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Ep 96: Mike Lin - General Partner, Dangerous Ventures

July 19, 2023

1. Mike’s early fascination with science and how it lead him to Stanford, working in technology, the startup world, investing, and more
2. Working at Apple and how moving on transformed the rest of Mike’s career
3. How Mike landed in energy and what energy and energy needs look like around the world
4. The transition from operator to investor, as well as an exploration of all things Dangerous Ventures

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Ep 95: Michelle Patron - Senior Director, Sustainability Policy, Microsoft

July 11, 2023

1. Michelle’s impressive background, two important catalysts, and the start of her journey in policy and sustainability
2. Microsoft’s history and the beginning of a path to decarbonization
3. How public and private sector solutions to decarbonization interact - Microsoft’s process and how it compares to the U.S. Government
4. Microsoft’s net zero initiatives, carbon reporting, and sustainability accounting, as well as what the future might look like

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Ep 94: Josh Haacker - Chief Investment Officer, Climate Investment

June 23, 2023

1. Josh’s background in chemical engineering and how it led him to his current role at Climate Investment
2. How Josh made his way into one of the only dedicated funds thinking about clean energy, as well as how this space has evolved since the mid-2000’s
3. The start of Climate Investment, its mission and vision, and the next stage of the platform’s growth
4. How the Climate Investment team is structured, source investments, LPs, and a quick message about the future

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Ep 93: Tim Dunn - Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Terra Alpha Investments

June 14, 2023

1. Tim Dunn’s upbringing Washington, D.C. and his path to business school and eventually finance
2. A dive into public equities and what it’s like to work as a Portfolio Manager for large funds
3. Tim’s turn to nonprofit environmental organizations and the creation of Terra Alpha
4. A discussion of Terra Alpha’s mission and original thesis, portfolio allocation, consumer behavior, and Terra Alpha’s commitment to net zero

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Ep 92: Tony Rooke - Executive Director and Head of Transition Finance, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero

June 6, 2023

1. Tony’s upbringing in London and his journey into the world of physics, particle accelerators, and his first job in programming satellite control systems
2. How energy efficiency and carbon reduction work led Tony into incredibly interesting projects, such as working on the first and largest smart grid program in the UK
3. Tony’s work with GFANZ and how discussions of climate change have evolved throughout the years
4. Turning conversations surrounding retiring coal plants into reality - How we can globally work toward net zero

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Ep 91: Evelyn Wang - Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy

May 22, 2023

1. What sparked Director Wang’s interests in science and technology and how she got into the energy field
2. How innovation, discoveries, and ideas turn into real world applications
3. Examples of programs that have made the full journey from research and development to the commercial space
4. How ARPA-E encourages innovators and program directors to ponder potential policy and regulatory challenges, as well as some of ARPA-E’s goals

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Ep 90: Joel Makower - Chairman and Co-Founder, GreenBiz Group

May 15, 2023

1. How Joel found his way to his current vocation and the background that led him there
2. The story of how GreenBiz came to be and the keys to creating successful professional events, as well as the learning environment they help to foster
3. The expansive topic of trust and its relation to corporations, their leaders, and the sustainability narrative
4. The positive tipping points of climate change and how we get there - What’s in need of the biggest nudge forward

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Ep 89: Lissie Garvin - Foundation and Fellowship Program Director, 776 Foundation

May 9, 2023

1. How the 776 Fellowship Program came to be and Lissie’s journey to her current position as Foundation and Fellowship Director
2. A highlight of the first cohort of fellows and the impressive companies they’ve started
3. The process of choosing fellows and a glimpse into where they might take their companies and visions in the future
4. How Gen Z is impacting the road to net zero already, and how they might continue this trend in coming years

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Ep 88: Sheri Givens - President and CEO, Smart Electric Power Alliance

May 5, 2023

1. Sheri’s unique background and her fascinating journey from legislation to energy
2. How SEPA works to facilitate dialog and provide their members with honest information in the spirit of collaboration
3. The ways in which SEPA collaborates with the government and complements their efforts
4. SEPA’s mission to achieve equity in the carbon free transition and the projects which support this goal

PODCAST

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