Impact at Scale

In this episode of Impact at Scale, Zal Dastur speaks with Luke Henning, Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder of Circ, a company on a mission to eliminate textile waste through cutting-edge recycling technologies.Luke shares Circ’s journey from bio-based chemicals to becoming a global leader in textile-to-textile recycling, the brutal challenges of scaling hard tech, and the role of brands, consumers, and regulation in reshaping the fashion industry.

In this episode of Impact at Scale, Zal Dastur speaks with Michael Gryseels, founder of Antares Ventures, a deep tech investment fund. Michael shares how a thesis-driven strategy helps identify and solve major challenges in Asia’s energy, healthcare, and water sectors. From transformers to renewables, Michael explores what it takes to make deep tech investments work and why commercial focus, research, and founder partnerships matter for scaling impactful solutions.

In this episode, Zal Dastur speaks with Al Simpson, COO of OpenStar, about the race to bring fusion energy to life.They discuss why the company’s differentiated levitated dipole approach might be the breakthrough we’ve been waiting for.They explore the difference between fusion and fission, why fusion is often called the holy grail of clean energy, and how OpenStar’s approach is simple, safer, and more scalable than traditional fusion concepts. Fusion energy isn’t just a lab experiment anymore. It’s a serious candidate for powering the world by the early 2030s.OpenStar hopes to be at the forefront of a brand new energy revolution

In this episode, Zal Dastur speaks with Amy Carter-James, CEO of Raaise, a platform designed to help pro-planet startups raise capital with confidence and clarity. Amy shares her journey from running an eco-resort in Africa to impact entrepreneurship and offers a candid look at the challenges founders face when fundraising for climate solutions. From understanding investor psychology to the importance of storytelling, this episode is packed with actionable insights for founders, investors, and anyone passionate about scaling climate tech.

In this episode of the Impact at Scale podcast, Zal Dastur sits down with Anthony DeOrsey, Research Manager at CleanTech Group, to explore the future of sustainable innovation. They delve into the CleanTech Forum Asia and the group's mission to promote cutting-edge technologies, while emphasizing the importance of positive narratives around sustainability. The conversation touches on emerging trends in electric mobility, energy, and AI-powered solutions for data centers. Anthony also highlights the challenges and opportunities presented by political shifts, localized solutions in developing markets, and the crucial role of critical materials in the energy transition.