Podcast
Scaling Green-Tech
Hosted by Matt Jaworski and Katherine Keddie · EN
Scaling Green-Tech by Adopter is a podcast for people shaping the future of climate technology - founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders at the forefront of adaptation and resilience solutions. As part of Adopter’s mission to accelerate the adoption of high-impact climate innovation, the podcast aims to amplify real voices and practical insights that can help others navigate the startup journey. Our conversations go beyond the hype to bring real, unfiltered stories - the wins, the roadblocks and everything you need to know in between.
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Dr Robert Sorrell (Henry Royce Institute) - Unlocking the Hydrogen Economy Through Materials Innovation
Yesterday00:47:35Tap to summarizeDr Robert Sorrell, CEO of the Royce Hydrogen Accelerator at the Henry Royce Institute, discusses materials innovation and the hydrogen value chain on Episode 26 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.Sorrell treats hydrogen as one part of the wider energy mix rather than a fix-all. The strongest near-term use is as a feedstock for ammonia, fertilisers and industrial chemicals. Long-duration storage of surplus offshore wind is another priority, particularly in the UK. Shipping and aviation also stand out, because batteries cannot match the energy density needed for large vessels or long-haul flight. The episode also covers the $1-2 per kilogramme cost target for green hydrogen, the materials problem of cryogenic storage at -253°C, and the funding gap atthe proof-of-concept and prototyping stages.The episode is useful for hydrogen founders, deep tech investors, electrolyser and fuel cell developers, and policymakers working on the UK's hydrogen strategy.
Transcribe →Karen Polizzi (NAPIC) and Prithvi Kodialbail (Extracellular) - Scaling Cultivated Meat from Lab to Market
3w ago00:49:16Tap to summarizeKaren Polizzi, Co-Director of NAPIC (the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre), and Prithvi Kodialbail, Head of Partnerships at Extracellular, discuss the commercialisation of cultivated meat on Episode 25 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.The first cultivated meat burger cost approximately $27,000 to produce. Since then, regulatory approvals have come through in Singapore and the US, cultivated products have appeared in restaurants, and an infrastructure layer of companies has begun filling the gap between R&D and commercial scale. Polizzi and Kodialbail trace where the bottlenecks remain - manufacturing costs, regulatory harmonisation, and access to facilities - and describe how NAPIC and Extracellular are each working to close those gaps in the UK. The conversation also makes the case for food security, rather than sustainability, as the most compelling argument for alternative proteins, set against real long-term agricultural risk in the UK.This episode is relevant for cultivated meat founders, alternative protein investors, food science researchers, and policymakers working on UK novel foods regulation.Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/Explore NAPIC here: https://napic.ac.uk/Discover Extracellular here: https://www.extracellular.com/
Transcribe →Mahima Sukhdev (GIST Impact) - Building the Next Evolution of ESG Data
Apr 2801:04:58Tap to summarizeMahima Sukhdev, Chief Growth Officer at GIST Impact, discusses the evolution from ESG 1.0 to ESG 2.0, nature value at risk, and what it takes to grow a data company in an emerging market on Episode 24 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.Sukhdev argues that ESG 1.0 was designed to produce glossy numbers for glossy reports, and was never intended to change how decisions are made. GIST Impact was built on a different premise: that climate, nature, and social data should be traceable, methodologically rigorous, and fed directly into the places where decisions happen - portfolio construction, stewardship, capital allocation. Founded 18 years ago as a research lab, GIST has watched this shift play out in real time. A major Indian bank is already seeing default rates rise in its agricultural loan book in ways that can only be explained by climate and nature risk. Clients like Allianz and StoreBrand are now using nature data to build portfolio-level analyses that would have seemed out of reach just a few years ago. GIST's recently launched Nature Value at Risk (NVaR) Solution - built on 25 critical ecosystem services and the Natural History Museum's Biodiversity Intactness Index - is its most detailed attempt yet to put a financial number on what happens when ecosystems fail.This episode is for asset managers, impact investors, corporate sustainability leads, and founders building in the ESG data or nature risk space.Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/Explore GIST Impact here: https://www.gistimpact.com/
Transcribe →Rami El Geneidy (EnergyHub) - What It Really Takes to Build and Exit in Energy Flexibility
Apr 1401:00:43Tap to summarizeRami El Geneidy, Technical Director at EnergyHub and exited co-founder of Kapacity.io, discusses energy flexibility, heat pump control, and the startup journey on Episode 23 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.El Geneidy traces how Kapacity.io grew from PhD research at the London-Loughborough Centre for Energy Demand Studies, through Conception X and Y Combinator, to acquisition by EnergyHub. Kapacity.io built technology to reduce energy costs and emissions from heat pumps in commercial and residential buildings. The company validated demand by selling building readiness surveys before the product existed, then built first for commercial real estate before pivoting to residential heat pumps when per-building integration barriers limited growth. To crack the conservative energy company market, Kapacity.io first released a consumer product that demonstrated real cost savings to homeowners - then used that proof to sell through energy companies. After five years, the founders accepted an acquisition by EnergyHub, where the two companies' visions for energy flexibility at scale aligned.This episode is relevant for energy technology founders building hardware-adjacent software, PhD researchers considering the startup route through programmes like Conception X or Y Combinator, and climate tech operators navigating pivots, fundraising timing, and acquisition decisions.Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/Explore EnergyHub here: https://www.energyhub.com/
Transcribe →Dr Simon Thomas (Paragraf) - Scaling Graphene from Cambridge Lab to World-First Foundry
Apr 101:10:38Tap to summarizeDr Simon Thomas, Co-Founder and CEO of Paragraf, discusses scaling graphene from a Cambridge University invention to a commercial semiconductor foundry on Episode 22 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.Thomas traces Paragraf's eight-year journey from university spin-out to opening the world's first graphene foundry in Huntingdon, UK. The company's core breakthrough is the ability to deposit uniform, wafer-scale graphene directly onto substrates compatible with standard semiconductor manufacturing equipment - solving the "lab to fab" problem that has blocked graphene commercialisation since the material was first isolated at the University of Manchester in 2004. Paragraf has raised approximately $150 million in total across seed, Series A, Series B ($60 million led by New Science Ventures), and Series C ($55 million led by Mubadala), and has expanded internationally with operations in San Diego, Shanghai, and Abu Dhabi. Thomas argues that graphene devices could reduce the computing industry's share of global energy consumption from approximately 20% to under 2%, while also enabling new product categories in medical diagnostics and next-generation battery technology.This episode is relevant for deep tech founders navigating multi-stage fundraising, semiconductor and advanced materials investors, climate technology founders building hardware companies, and anyone working on energy-efficient computing, point-of-care diagnostics, or graphene electronics.Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/Explore Paragraf here: https://www.paragraf.com
Transcribe →Theresa Hoffmann (Nanoplume) - Rethinking Thermal Insulation with Bio-Based Materials
Mar 1701:01:33Tap to summarizeTheresa Hoffmann, CEO and Co-founder of Nanoplume, discusses bio-based aerogel insulation, deep tech commercialisation, and the realities of early-stage founding on Episode 21 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.Hoffmann explains how 80% of the insulation market remains dependent on petrochemical materials, despite the thermal insulation industry growing toward a $100 billion market by 2030. Nanoplume's answer is a bio-based nano-porous material that is three times as insulating, 60% lighter and thinner, and 100% biocompatible - and around 75% cheaper than silica aerogels and other super-insulating materials. Rather than targeting the built environment first, Hoffmann describes a deliberate beachhead strategy in pharmaceutical cold chain logistics, chosen for clearer economics and lower mechanical requirements, with a roadmap toward truck insulation, warehousing, and eventually buildings. The episode also covers co-founder dynamics, founder identity, and how to validate market assumptions through early customer case studies.This episode is relevant for deep tech founders at pre-seed and seed stage, materials science entrepreneurs, cold chain and pharmaceutical logistics investors, built environment innovators, and anyone navigating co-founder relationships, accelerator programmes, or early-stage commercialisation strategy.Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/Explore Nanoplume here: https://www.nanoplume.com/Connect with Theresa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-hoffmann/
Transcribe →Martin SFP Bryant (PreSeed Now) - How To Win Attention From Investors and Journalists at Pre-Seed
Mar 400:55:33Tap to summarizeMartin SFP Bryant, Founder of PreSeed Now, discusses what investors and journalists look for from early-stage startups on Episode 20 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.Bryant draws on nearly 17 years as a technology journalist - including covering ElevenLabs before the launch of ChatGPT - to explain what separates pre-seed startups that attract backing from those that stall. He argues that the strongest founders compress their value proposition into a one-to-two sentence "micro-pitch," citing Stripe's early line ("take payments on your website with a single line of code") as an example of a pitch that immediately communicates both the product and its scale potential. The conversation covers why climate tech companies lose traction when they lead with environmental impact rather than economic value, how the contraction of the tech media landscape has changed founder media strategy, and what Bryant looks for when selecting startups to profile on PreSeed Now from a pipeline of hundreds.This episode is relevant for pre-seed and seed-stage founders preparing to raise investment. It is also useful for climate technology companies refining how they communicate value to investors, customers, and the media. Matt Jaworski hosts.Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/Explore PreSeed Now here: https://preseednow.com/
Transcribe →Paul Domjan (ENODA) - Resolving the Energy Trilemma
Feb 1800:50:38Tap to summarizePaul Domjan, Founder and Chief Policy and Global Affairs Officer at ENODA, discusses grid infrastructure modernisation and the energy trilemma on Episode 19 of Scaling Green Tech, a podcast by Adopter.Paul argues that the electricity grid designed by Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse, and William Stanley 138 years ago was built for one-directional power flow from large centralised generators to passive consumers - a model fundamentally incompatible with distributed renewable energy that flows in both directions. He traces how this infrastructure gap manifests as renewable curtailment, harmonic distortion, and voltage instability, particularly at the distribution level where the grid meets homes and businesses. In Poland, more than 90% of renewable curtailment results from system balancing limitations rather than grid capacity constraints. ENODA's response is the Prime Exchanger, a device that replaces the distribution transformer serving 60 to 120 homes with digitally controlled infrastructure capable of managing voltage, correcting harmonics, and enabling reverse power flow in real time.This episode is relevant for energy technology founders, grid infrastructure innovators and policymakers looking for the inside scoop on what the energy transition looks like today and in the future. Find out more about Adopter here: https://www.adopter.net/ Explore ENODA here: https://www.enoda.com/
Transcribe →Cam Ross (Green Angel Ventures) - What Makes Climate Tech Investable
Feb 401:01:43Tap to summarizeIn Episode 18 of Scaling Green-Tech, Katherine Keddie and Matt Jaworski are joined by Cam Ross, CEO of Green Angel Ventures, one of the UK’s leading early-stage climate tech investors.Cam breaks down how Green Angel evaluates over a thousand companies each year to find those with the potential to deliver both strong financial returns and meaningful climate impact. They explore what makes a great pitch, why founders matter so much at the earliest stages, and how angel networks can help startups navigate the rigours of growth.The conversation also dives into the realities of scaling climate solutions in capital-intensive and highly regulated industries, and why truly investable climate tech must stand on its own two feet - even if regulation changes. Cam shares top insights on the current funding environment and what founders should focus on when raising capital in 2026.If you’re looking for the inside scoop on raising capital, straight from the investors themselves, this episode’s for you.Find out more about Adopter here.Discover Green Angel Ventures here.Explore the EIS Climate Change Fund here - currently open to investment.
Transcribe →Amandeep Kalra (GreenFlip) - Unlocking the ROI in Decarbonising Homes
Jan 2101:07:03Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Scaling Green-Tech, Katherine Keddie and Matt Jaworski speak with Amandeep Kalra, Co-Founder and CEO of GreenFlip, about what it really takes to decarbonise homes at scale - and why leading with sustainability alone often misses the mark.Amandeep discusses his journey founding GreenFlip, which helps investors identify the homes that deliver the highest ROI from energy upgrades. They explore why comfort, cost, and value are far more powerful drivers of change than carbon targets, and how reframing retrofit as an infrastructure investment can unlock capital, improve tenant outcomes, and future-proof housing stock.The conversation also dives into building a company in public, learning through deep customer discovery, and selling before the product is fully built. Along the way, Amandeep offers candid advice for founders in climate tech, property, and retrofit on messaging, hiring, and scaling in a tougher market environment.If you’re building in housing, retrofit, or climate tech - or grappling with how to turn impact into real-world adoption - this episode is for you.Find out more about Adopter here.Find out more about GreenFlip here.Follow Amandeep on LinkedIn here.
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