Everybody in the Pool

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re heading to Governors Island in New York Harbor, where a new anchor institution for climate solutions is taking shape. The New York Climate Exchange is a nonprofit backed by a coalition of universities, community organizations, corporations, and the City of New York, all working to make the city a front door for climate action and innovation. My guest is Shaina Horowitz, Director of Program Innovation and Acceleration at the New York Climate Exchange. Shaina explains how the Exchange is building both a physical climate campus and a year-round platform for climate tech founders, researchers, students, community groups, and policymakers. We talk about why New York is such a natural home for urban resilience work, how the Exchange’s Climate Tech Fellowship helps very early-stage innovators bridge the lab-to-market gap, and why communication, community engagement, and environmental justice have to be part of a climate startup’s strategy from the very beginning. We also get into what the Exchange is showcasing during Climate Week, including its newest fellowship cohort focused on energy innovation and urban resilience; why New York’s density, financial power, public-sector experience, and very real climate risks make it different from Silicon Valley; and what kinds of technologies are coming next, from long-lived batteries for environmental sensing to modular heat engines and compact turbines. Plus, Shaina shares the vision for the Governors Island campus itself: the largest mass timber project in New York, an undulating solar canopy, and a public invitation to see what climate solutions can look like in practice. LINKS: The New York Climate Exchange: https://www.nyclimateexchange.org/ Shaina Horowitz: https://www.nyclimateexchange.org/shaina-horowitz Governors Island: https://www.govisland.com/ All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/ Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/ Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/2EsDhwQC2z Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re talking about batteries — one of my favorite topics — but not the expensive, contractor-installed, whole-home kind that requires permits, electrical-panel upgrades, and homeownership. Pila Energy is building a plug-in, modular battery system designed to bring backup power, bill management, and grid flexibility to renters, condo owners, small businesses, and basically anyone with a wall outlet. Founder and CEO Cole Ashman, who previously worked on Tesla Powerwall and led product at Span, explains how Pila’s battery “nodes” can sit next to the appliances that matter most — a fridge, Wi-Fi router, sump pump, window AC, or media console — and provide backup power during outages, shift energy use away from expensive peak hours, and even help utilities manage grid stress through virtual power plant programs. We also get into why the product works locally even when the internet is down, how the batteries are designed for durability and safety, and why distributed batteries could become a whole new layer of climate resilience infrastructure. Links: Pila Energy: https://www.pilaenergy.com/ All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/ Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/ Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/2EsDhwQC2z Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re talking about solar: already the cheapest and fastest-growing source of energy on the planet, and still very much a frontier for innovation. Swift Solar is working on next-generation solar technology called perovskite-silicon tandems, which stack two different solar materials to capture more of the sun’s energy and push panels past the efficiency limits of conventional silicon. Founder and CEO Joel Jean explains why even “solved” climate technologies still need to get better, how perovskites could make solar panels more efficient, cheaper, lighter, and easier to deploy, and why Swift is taking a two-step path to market: first building proven, bankable silicon cell manufacturing in the U.S., then using that foundation to scale higher-performance tandem cells. We also get into the geopolitics and supply-chain challenge of domestic solar manufacturing, and why space — yes, space — could become a surprisingly important early market for next-gen solar. Links: Swift Solar: https://www.swiftsolar.com/ All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/ Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/ Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/2EsDhwQC2z Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re going way back in time to a company we first interviewed way back in 2024 — it was futuristic then, and still is. Swyft Cities is a startup that spun out of Google and is trying to reinvent urban mobility. And by that I mean they’re developing modular electric tram systems that would take passengers around dense urban areas, hospital or college campuses, or maybe, you know, Google, on a series of cables suspended above buildings and streets. This means reducing the number of cars on the road, sure, but it also means we can build new cities, housing developments, and urban centers that have density without resource-hogging skyscrapers, and which don’t need a ton of extra land for parking and multi-lane highways and such. Wild? Sure. Doable? We’ll see. Interesting? Absolutely. With Swyft Cities founder and CEO Jeral Poskey. Links: Swyft Cities: https://swyftcities.com/ All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/ Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/ Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/2EsDhwQC2z Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re revisiting one of the most interesting and impactful tools in the individual and corporate arsenal! The bummer news: your bank deposits could be funding the climate crisis? But we’d never give you bummer news without a solution! This week, Molly Wood speaks with Paul Moinester, founder of Topofinance, who reveals the shocking climate impact of conventional banking. Discover how just $10,000 in a major bank generates emissions equivalent to driving 10,000 miles yearly, and why moving your money to climate-friendly banks might be the easiest climate action you've never considered. Paul explains how corporations' banking emissions often exceed all their other emissions combined, and introduces innovative solutions that make greener banking both simple and profitable. Links: Topo Finance Paul Moinester All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/ Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/ Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/ Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/2EsDhwQC2z Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.