Consensus in Conversation

In the more than a century since humans first took to the skies with powered flight, still only about 20% of the world’s population has actually flown on an airplane. But that demand is on the rise, and air travel’s CO2 emissions are set to triple by 2050. So Benjamin Stabler and Heart Aerospace have a groundbreaking solution: decarbonize and democratize flight for all.

Ben, who joined Heart as CTO earlier this year, has been leading technical work on the ES-30, an innovative, battery-electric hybrid regional aircraft. Heart Aerospace is building a system of decarbonized, short-haul aircrafts that are cheaper to operate and more energy-efficient than traditional air travel. Founded in 2019, the startup has raised over $140 million to date developing and scaling its revolutionary technology, which is not only more sustainable, but, given its significant reduction in direct operating costs per trip, potentially more profitable too, allowing for the development and revitalization of regional air travel networks that help create a more connected world.

Prior to leading technical development for Heart’s newly established North American operations, Ben received an M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University, led software and hardware teams for the SpaceX Crew Dragon program, and co-founded Parallel Systems, an automated, battery-electric freight rail vehicle startup.

Hear Ben talk about his lifelong love for aviation, how the ES-30 actually works, and why electrified, short-distance flights could change the future of aviation as we know it.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 Benjamin Stabler on decarbonizing short distance flights 
• 00:49 Conor Gaughan introduces Ben and Heart Aerospace
• 05:28 Passion for airplanes, Stanford engineering, and SpaceX
• 16:07 Origin of Heart Aerospace, joining as CTO, and electric aviation
• 26:39 Hybrid electric regional aircraft, efficiency, and the U.S. markets
• 30:17 Decarbonizing flight and democratizing air travel
• 38:11 Rising aviation demand, the long-term horizon, and exciting climate tech
• 45:43 Remaining optimistic and where to learn more
• 49:48 End credits

Marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and teacher Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is in love with climate solutions, and her new book, What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures, offers a refreshing, inspiring look at what our best possible climate future could look like through contributions and conversations with leading voices in art, poetry, economics and science.

Ayana studied environmental science and public policy at Harvard University, where she also forged a lifelong friendship with host Conor Gaughan. She later received a Ph.D. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography before co-founding Urban Ocean Lab, a non-profit think tank for the future of coastal cities that she still leads today. Ayana, the Roux Distinguished Scholar at Bowdoin College, has co-edited the bestselling climate anthology All We Can Save, co-founded The All We Can Save Project, and even co-created and co-hosted the How to Save a Planet podcast.

More recently, she has co-authored a roadmap for integrating the ocean into climate-related policy called the Blue New Deal, developed U.S. federal ocean policy at the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and served on the board of directors for both Patagonia and GreenWave. Honestly, listing all of her climate-focused initiatives, policies, and accomplishments would take an entire podcast itself.

Hear Ayana talk about falling in love with the ocean, the secret importance of being good at attending cocktail parties, and how she’s merging science, policy, culture, and social justice to envision our best possible climate future.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on visions of climate futures.
• 00:53 Conor Gaughan introduces Ayana
• 03:57 Early interests, Harvard University, and passion for the ocean
• 14:32 Designing a fishing device, Caribbean conservation, and How To Save a Planet
• 24:16 Founding Urban Ocean Lab and the core ideas of What If We Get It Right?
• 34:21 Problems and possibilities, reimagining infrastructure, and actionable climate policy
• 45:24 Climate tech unicorns, looking for local solutions, and being an optimistic realist
• 51:47 Conclusion and where to learn more
• 52:52 End credits

Knowing whether or not to invest in a startup isn’t easy – it’s a skill that makes VCs like Zal Bilimoria extremely valuable. And Zal, the co-founder and solo GP of seed-stage VC firm Refactor Capital, is leveraging his knowledge to build a portfolio of human and planetary health-focused startups merging profits, sustainability, and technology.

Zal honed his skills and eye for the market working for tech industry giants like Microsoft and Google through pivotal moments in their history, and even created a new role for himself at Netflix, pioneering their dedicated mobile platform, before turning his hand to investing at a16z. It was there that he recognized his passion for health, biotech, and other impact-oriented industries, and in 2016, Zal struck out on his own to launch Refactor Capital. The firm has since invested in over 100 companies – four of which have gone on to reach unicorn status – and recently finished raising its fourth $50M fund.

Hear Zal share key insights from his time at tech and VC behemoths, the importance of believing in founders over ideas, and which startups and technologies could literally change the world for the better.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 Zal Bilimoria on super responsiveness
• 00:44 Conor Gaughan introduces Zal and Refactor Capital
• 07:03 Early passion for computers, UPenn, and Microsoft
• 11:36 Google, head of mobile at Netflix, and product management
• 18:05 Biotech and health, angel investing, and shifting investment strategy
• 21:49 Launching Refactor Capital, being a solo GP, and hard tech
• 28:47 Getting deals done, communication, and managing portfolios
• 36:20 Aligning profit and impact, exciting tech, and sci-fi vs science reality
• 42:53 Climate tech and human health, urgency, and Checkerspot
• 47:42 Aether Biomachines, founder dinners, and entrepreneurship
• 52:15 Leaving a legacy and defeating defeatism
• 56:01 Conclusion and end credits

Soli Organic grows approximately 120,000,000 units of fresh herbs and greens every year, making it the number one grower of fresh, organic, culinary herbs in the U.S. That’s an impressive agriculture story on its own, but Soli has an even more amazing twist – they grow it all indoors! Led by CEO Matt Ryan, former head of brand management at Disney and chief marketing officer at Starbucks, the company is taking the indoor agriculture sector by storm (or rather, soil) with its commercial-grade organic growing systems and sustainable soil-based technology.

Founded over 30 years ago as Shenandoah Growers, the Virginia-based company has grown under Matt’s leadership to serve over 20,000 retail locations across the country while developing an integrated platform of farms, production, and logistics facilities. As the only controlled-environment producer to use soil-based technology, Soli is still growing rapidly, even launching a 140,000-square-foot soil-based vertical farm in Texas earlier this year.

Hear Matt Ryan share his business wisdom from game-changers like Disney and Starbucks, the revolutionary potential of precision fertilizers for indoor, soil-based growing, and how Soli is working to make flavorful, nutritious, and affordable organic produce available to all.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 Matt Ryan on indoor organic technology
• 00:46 Conor Gaughan introduces Matt and Soli Organic
• 05:30 Harvard studies, history, and passion for business
• 09:47 Working at Disney and marketing at Starbucks
• 13:57 Joining Soli’s board, becoming CEO, and its origin
• 17:30 The elevator pitch, soil tech, and precision organic fertilizer
• 24:10 Defining organic, sustainability in farming, and climate tech
• 29:57 Raising capital, critical storytelling, and the triple bottom line
• 36:03 Community engagement and leaving a legacy
• 38:20 Where to learn more
• 39:23 Conclusion and end credits

60 billion board feet of wood products are used in the U.S. every year, a majority produced by fresh logging and shipped from across the globe, while simultaneously, millions of tons of local wood waste ends up in landfills off-gassing carbon as it rots. But that inefficiency could rapidly change thanks to Cambium and its CEO and co-founder, Ben Christensen, who are revolutionizing lumber supply chains with their Carbon Smart Wood™ and Traece operating system.

Cambium reclaims fallen or removed trees that would typically end up in landfills and turns them into a locally sourced, carbon negative material that could potentially cut global carbon emissions by 4%. The firm is also using new technology to better track the trees during the supply chain process, increasing transparency, traceability, and sustainability. Cambium is also just getting started, partnering with mega brands like Microsoft and Patagonia in recent years and continuing to develop their clean technology and expand their markets.

Ben Christensen is an accomplished ultra marathon runner, so it’s probably fitting that the company he runs is built with long-haul sustainability and scalability in mind. Surrounded by forests and the outdoors as a child, Ben went to Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies to pursue his passion, and it was there that the idea for Cambium first took root. Not long after, Ben and his co-founder, Theo Hooker, a childhood friend and fellow ultra marathon runner, were racing to transform waste wood into valuable building materials.

Hear Ben share how his love for the outdoors turned into a revolutionary sustainable materials startup, why wood waste is such a massive problem (and also a potential market), and what carbon smart wood means for the future of lumber, supply chains, and our planet.

Episode Highlights

• 00:00 Ben Christensen on wood waste 
• 00:51 Conor Gaughan introduces Ben and Cambium
• 06:34 Early passion for wood, a childhood co-founder, and ultra running
• 16:37 Yale’s Forestry Program, natural climate solutions, and carbon sinks
• 22:42 Launching Cambium, wood’s waste issue, and carbon smart materials
• 29:09 The potential market, building with scalability in mind, and evaluating impact 
• 35:33 Brand partnerships, remaining unique, and aligning purpose with profits
• 44:37 Innovations to watch, the blue carbon space, and staying optimistic 
• 49:20 Leaving a legacy and where to learn more
• 51:57 End credits