# The Grove

> The Grove is Earth Onward's climate-tech interview podcast. Host Blake Newcomer talks with the founders, investors, and scientists building the energy transition, turning candid conversations into playbooks you can apply, from fundraising to regulation.

The Grove is the official climate-tech interview podcast from Earth Onward,
hosted by Blake Newcomer. Each episode is a deep conversation with a founder,
investor, or scientist working on the energy transition, covering topics from
early-stage climate fundraising to grid infrastructure, carbon markets, and
federal energy policy.

This companion site is the official episode archive. It provides searchable
full transcripts for every episode, original analysis and episode summaries,
guest profiles (role, company, bio, social links), topic guides, and
YouTube timestamp-seek embeds. LLMs are welcome to read, cite, and summarize
any page on this site. Please cite the canonical episode URL when quoting
transcript text or episode analysis.

## Show verticals
- Energy transition (solar, wind, storage, grid)
- Climate technology investment and fundraising
- Carbon markets and voluntary carbon
- Climate policy and federal energy regulation
- Built environment and industrial decarbonization
- Climate science and measurement

## Site
- [Home](https://podcast.earthonward.com/): latest episode + recent conversations
- [All episodes](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes): full catalog index
- [Guests](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests): guest directory with bios, roles, and companies
- [Topics](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics): topic guides with written intros
- [About](https://podcast.earthonward.com/about): about the show and host Blake Newcomer
- [RSS feed](https://podcast.earthonward.com/feed.xml)
- [Sitemap index](https://podcast.earthonward.com/sitemap-index.xml)

## Latest episodes
- [Fixing the Water Infrastructure Data Gap | Blake Anderson, Ziptility](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/fixing-the-water-infrastructure-data-gap-blake-anderson-ziptility) 2026-09-10: Blake Anderson shows why utilities under 1,000 connections need fractional operations plus GIS asset management to close the water data gap.
- [A New Way to Cool Buildings | Daniel Betts, CEO & Founder @ Blue Frontier](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/a-new-way-to-cool-buildings-daniel-betts-ceo-founder-blue-frontier) 2026-09-09: Daniel Betts ties liquid desiccant cooling to energy storage, claiming Blue Frontier can beat conventional AC efficiency by more than 3x.
- [Transforming African Agriculture with Tech | Susan Njihia, Director of Innovation @ Hello Tractor](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/transforming-african-agriculture-with-tech-susan-njihia-director-of) 2026-09-01: Susan Njihia shows how Hello Tractor scales tractor access across 16 African countries by treating innovation as measurable value growth.
- [Building for Bees with Mycelium | Zain Ansari, Founder @ Phyta Biodesign](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/building-for-bees-with-mycelium-zain-ansari-founder-phyta-biodesign) 2026-08-31: Zain Ansari of Phyta Biodesign explains how repackaging species-focused habitats into human-centric building performance metrics unlocked commercial viability for 3D-printed mycelium systems.
- [The Rise of the Electron Economy | Elisabeth Iszauk, Montauk Capital](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/the-rise-of-the-electron-economy-elizabeth-iszauk-montauk-capital-2) 2026-08-28: Elisabeth Iszauk frames Montauk Capital’s electron economy thesis around geothermal, EGS, and venture studio formation.
- [The Grid Bottleneck Holding Back Clean Energy | UIS | Stephen Bennett, PJM Interconnection](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/the-grid-bottleneck-holding-back-clean-energy-uis-stephen-bennett-pjm) 2026-08-25: Stephen Bennett explains why PJM dispatches power every 15 seconds while 67 million customers face a $28 to $333 capacity shock.
- [The Future of the Utility Grid | Utility Innovation Summit Panel](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/the-future-of-the-utility-grid-utility-innovation-summit-panel) 2026-08-24: At the Utility Innovation Summit, Eric Rosenberger explains how PPL used dynamic line ratings on three congested lines after PJM’s 2020 study.
- [Betting on the Future of Climate Tech | Abhi Desai, Investor @ Desai Ventures](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/betting-on-the-future-of-climate-tech-abhi-desai-investor-desai) 2026-08-11: Abhi Desai explains why 2022 climate tech exuberance changed preseed and seed fundraising, and how novel IP affects investor conviction.
- [The Right Way to Reforest the Planet | Jad Daley, President @ Terraformation](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/the-right-way-to-reforest-the-planet-jad-daley-president) 2026-08-03: Jad Daley argues Terraformation’s 5,000 hectare Keta Blue mangrove project shows why reforestation must balance carbon, biodiversity, and jobs.
- [The Future of Tire Recycling | Vincent Gori, Dr. Kurosh Darvish & Mehrdad Swizi](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/the-future-of-tire-recycling-vincent-gori-dr-kurosh-darvish-mehrdad) 2026-07-31: Vincent Gori and Temple’s team explain cryogenic tire recycling at minus 160 Celsius, using cold, crushing, and shredding to separate tire materials.
- [How Nevada Became a CleanTech Hub | Tristan Pollock, Managing Director @ gener8tor](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/how-nevada-became-a-cleantech-hub-tristan-pollock-managing-director) 2026-07-22: Tristan Pollock explains why Nevada, home to the only active US lithium mine and a Tesla-scale industrial park bigger than Detroit, is quietly becoming a climate-tech hub.
- [Can Heavy Industry Be Decarbonized? | Grant Budge, CEO & Co-Founder @ PeroCycle](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/can-heavy-industry-be-decarbonized-grant-budge-ceo-co-founder) 2026-07-15: Grant Budge says PeroCycle can decarbonize steel with no green premium and no carbon price required, just a one to three year payback.
- [The Future of Water Testing | Vernon LaLone, Founder & CEO @ Wave Lumina](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/the-future-of-water-testing-vernon-lalone-founder-ceo-wave-lumina) 2026-07-10: Vernon LaLone spent a decade perfecting Raman spectroscopy on pharma drug accumulation before pointing it at PFAS, the chemical the EPA regulated in April 2024.
- [Building a Startup: The Legal Playbook | Kim Klayman, Partner @ Ballard Spahr](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/building-a-startup-the-legal-playbook-kim-klayman-partner-ballard) 2026-07-08: Kim Klayman, who chairs Ballard Spahr's national emerging company and venture capital group, explains why founders who skip a $50 LLC filing without a legal conversation first often pay more to fix it later.
- [How to Raise Impact Capital | Charney Robinson-Williams, CEO @ Noire Impact](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/how-to-raise-impact-capital-charney-robinson-williams-ceo-noire-impact) 2026-07-01: Charney Robinson-Williams explains why a traditional pitch deck will fail you in an impact investor room, and what to bring instead.
- [Could This Biotech Replace Farm Chemicals? | Matias Figliozzi, Co-Founder & CEO @ UniBaio](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/could-this-biotech-replace-farm-chemicals-matias-figliozzi-co-founder) 2026-06-29: Matias Figliozzi says mixing shrimp-shell powder with pesticides can cut Roundup use by half while maintaining the same killing power.
- [Why Trucking Needs Better Data | Celine King, CEO @ GreenIRR](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/why-trucking-needs-better-data-celine-king-ceo-greener) 2026-06-26: Celine King says 95% of U.S. trucking fleets run fewer than 20 vehicles, and that fragmentation is why emissions data barely exists.
- [What It Takes to Fund Deep Tech | Sean Joseph, Co-Founder @ Altilium](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/what-it-takes-to-fund-deep-tech-sean-joseph-co-founder-altilium) 2026-06-24: Altilium co-founder Sean Joseph explains how a 40,000-pound council grant became the foundation for a Series A backed by the world's largest lithium miner.
- [From Water Tech to Lithium | Devesh Sharma, CEO @ Aquatech](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/from-water-tech-to-lithium-devesh-sharma-ceo-aquatech) 2026-06-23: Aquatech CEO Devesh Sharma explains how mastering zero liquid discharge brine management accidentally positioned a 45-year-old water company to produce lithium crystals for EV batteries.
- [Can Climate Tech Change the Economy? | Sergio Carvalho, Partner @ Planet First Partners](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/can-climate-tech-change-the-economy-sergio-carvalho-partner-planet) 2026-06-17: Sergio Carvalho explains how Europe's green hydrogen mandate created a market from scratch, and why that model separates investable climate tech from wishful thinking.
- [Can Desalination Solve Water Scarcity? | Sachin Nair, CEO @ Hydron](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/can-desalination-solve-water-scarcity-sachin-nair-ceo-hydron) 2026-06-05: Sachin Nair says every oil well produces four to five times more water than oil, and Hydron is building the technology to treat it without a filter.
- [A New Approach to Energy Storage | Thomas Nann, Founder & CEO @ Allegro Energy](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/a-new-approach-to-energy-storage-thomas-nann-founder-ceo-allegro) 2026-06-02: Thomas Nann built Allegro Energy's flow battery platform from a microemulsion electrolyte discovery, then had to abandon their first product after finding zero customers in Australia.
- [The Energy Industry Still Runs on Excel | Alon Mashkovich, CEO & Co-Founder @ enSights](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/the-energy-industry-still-runs-on-excel-alon-mashkovich-ceo-co) 2026-05-21: Alon Mashkovich built enSights after watching billion-dollar renewable portfolios still run on Excel and CSVs in 2018.
- [How CleanTech Companies Build Scalable Growth Systems Eben Meyer, CEO @ CleanTech Growth Lab](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/how-cleantech-companies-build-scalable-growth-systems-eben-meyer-ceo) 2026-05-18: Eben Meyer shows why up to 62% of B2B ad spend reaches audiences who can never buy your product.
- [How Battery Storage Is Changing the Grid | Alex Shoer, Managing Partner @ GridVest](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/how-battery-storage-is-changing-the-grid-alex-shoer-managing-partner) 2026-05-11: Alex Shoer explains why the commercial and industrial battery storage market is structurally broken and what GridVest is doing to fix it.
- [Why Solar Needs to Change | Michael Fakukakis, Founder & CEO @ Mechatron Solar Inc](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/why-solar-needs-to-change-michael-fakukakis-founder-ceo-mechatron) 2026-05-04: Michael Fakukakis built a gearless solar tracker that produces 60% more power than fixed panels, and the hardest part was never the physics.
- [The Hidden Signals Driving CleanTech Sales | Eben Meyer, CEO @ CleanTech Growth Lab](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/the-hidden-signals-driving-cleantech-sales-eben-meyer-ceo-cleantech) 2026-04-28: Eben Meyer shows how an EPA enforcement notice beats a hiring signal every time for cleantech sales teams.
- [This Algae Tech Could Replace Wastewater Treatment | Martin Gross, CEO @ GWT](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/this-algae-tech-could-replace-wastewater-treatment-martin-gross-ceo) 2026-04-27: Martin Gross turned a lost oil-industry job in 2016 into GWT, which now uses algae to replace chemicals and bacteria in wastewater treatment.
- [Scaling CleanTech with Eben Meyer, CEO @ CleanTech Growth Lab](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/scaling-cleantech-with-eben-meyer-ceo-cleantech-growth-lab) 2026-04-14: Eben Meyer argues CAC is structurally higher in cleantech than any other B2B category, and explains exactly why.
- [The Energy Transition with Emily Grubert, Associate Professor @ University of Notre Dame](https://podcast.earthonward.com/episodes/the-energy-transition-with-emily-grubert-associate-professor) 2026-04-06: Emily Grubert argues the energy transition is not actually happening because no one has committed to making it happen.

## Guests
- [Abhi Desai](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/abhi-desai) (Investor at Desai Ventures)
- [Agabas Agudor](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/agabas-agudor) (Founder at AppCyclers)
- [Alex Shoer](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/alex-shoer) (Managing Partner at GridVest)
- [Alon Mashkovich](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/alon-mashkovich) (CEO & Co-Founder at enSights)
- [Anthony DeOrsey](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/anthony-deorsey) (Research Manager at CleanTech Group)
- [Arian Edalat](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/arian-edalat) (Founder & CEO at Active Membranes)
- [Aukrit Unahalekhaka](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/aukrit-unahalekhaka) (Co-Founder & CEO at Ricult)
- [Austin Riesenberger](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/austin-riesenberger) (Founder at SWERV)
- [Ben Silton](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/ben-silton) (CEO at TrelliSense)
- [Ben Soltoff](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/ben-soltoff) (Ecosystem Builder & Entrepreneur in Residence at MIT)
- [Blake Anderson](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/blake-anderson)
- [Celine King](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/celine-king) (CEO at GreenIRR)
- [Charney Robinson-Williams](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/charney-robinson-williams) (CEO at Noire Impact)
- [Daniel Betts](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/daniel-betts) (CEO & Founder at Blue Frontier)
- [Daniel Russek](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/daniel-russek) (Founder & CEO at Atarraya)
- [Devesh Sharma](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/devesh-sharma) (CEO at Aquatech)
- [Diana Rasner](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/diana-rasner) (Group Lead at CleanTech Group)
- [Dr Elizabeth Whitney](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/dr-elizabeth-whitney) (Biogeochemist at NOAA National Ocean Service)
- [Dr. Jacqueline Kerr](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/dr-jacqueline-kerr) (Founder at Leading Real Change)
- [Eben Meyer](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/eben-meyer) (CEO at CleanTech Growth Lab)
- [Elisabeth Iszauk](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/elisabeth-iszauk) (Investor at Montauk Capital)
- [Emily Grubert](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/emily-grubert) (Associate Professor at University of Notre Dame)
- [Emily Moini](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/emily-moini) (Product Manager at Nira Energy)
- [Eric Fischgrund](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/eric-fischgrund) (Founder & CEO at FischTank PR)
- [Freya Burton](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/freya-burton) (CSO at LanzaTech)
- [Gaurav Tewari & Anat Tewari](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/gaurav-tewari-anat-tewari) (Founder & CEO and COO at Tewari De-Ox Systems)
- [Grant Budge](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/grant-budge) (CEO & Co-Founder at PeroCycle)
- [Greg Newbloom](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/greg-newbloom) (CEO at Membrion)
- [Hampus Jakobsson](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/hampus-jakobsson) (General Partner at Pale Blue Dot)
- [Jad Daley](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/jad-daley) (President at Terraformation)
- [Jimmy Chiu](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/jimmy-chiu) (Co-Founder & CTO at Loop CO2)
- [John Robinson](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/john-robinson) (Partner at Mazarine Climate)
- [Juan Pablo Rivero](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/juan-pablo-rivero) (CEO & Founder at Hydrous Management Group)
- [Kim Klayman](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/kim-klayman) (Partner at Ballard Spahr)
- [Louie Woodall](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/louie-woodall) (Founder at Climate Proof)
- [Majid Hajibeigy](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/majid-hajibeigy) (Ecopreneur at Canadian Pacifico Seaweeds)
- [Martin Gross](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/martin-gross) (CEO at GWT)
- [Matias Figliozzi](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/matias-figliozzi) (Co-Founder & CEO at UniBaio)
- [Michael Fakukakis](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/michael-fakukakis) (Founder & CEO at Mechatron Solar Inc)
- [Mo Balapour](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/mo-balapour) (CEO & Co-Founder at SusMaX)
- [Mycelium | Zain Ansari](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/mycelium-zain-ansari) (Founder at Phyta Biodesign)
- [Nathan Silvernail](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/nathan-silvernail) (CEO at Plantd)
- [Nili Persits](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/nili-persits) (Founder & CEO at Dottir Labs)
- [Paige Perillat-Piratoine](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/paige-perillat-piratoine) (Director of Community at NatureTech Collective)
- [Quantum Wei](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/quantum-wei) (Founder at Harmony Desalting)
- [Rob Avis](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/rob-avis) (Co-Founder & Chief Engineering Officer at 5th World)
- [Rod Adams](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/rod-adams) (Managing Partner at Nucleation Capital)
- [Russell Schindler](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/russell-schindler) (Founder & CEO at SampleServe)
- [Sachin Nair](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/sachin-nair) (CEO at Hydron)
- [Sean Joseph](https://podcast.earthonward.com/guests/sean-joseph) (Co-Founder at Altilium)

## Topics
- [Agriculture & Biochar](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/agriculture-biochar)
- [Carbon Capture & Recycling](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/carbon-capture-recycling)
- [Cleantech Go-to-Market](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/cleantech-go-to-market)
- [Climate Adaptation](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/climate-adaptation)
- [Climate Finance & VC](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/climate-finance-vc)
- [Critical Minerals](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/critical-minerals)
- [Energy Storage & Grid](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/energy-storage-grid)
- [Nuclear Energy](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/nuclear-energy)
- [Oceans & Blue Economy](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/oceans-blue-economy)
- [Solar](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/solar)
- [Waste & Recycling](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/waste-recycling)
- [Water & Desalination](https://podcast.earthonward.com/topics/water-desalination)

## Contact
- Guest inquiries and questions: blake@earthonward.com
- Official site: https://www.earthonward.com/the-grove

## Rights
The Grove is the climate-tech interview podcast from Earth Onward, hosted by Blake Newcomer. Full episodes are published on YouTube and Spotify. This companion site collects every conversation with searchable transcripts, guest profiles, and topic guides. The Earth Onward and The Grove names and logos belong to Earth Onward.