This Week in MCJ (6/27/20)
It’s all about the people.
This Week in MCJ is a free weekly email curating news, jobs, new MCJ episodes, and other noteworthy happenings in the MCJ community.
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🌳Become an MCJ member
Hey all,
We recently put out our first MCJ member survey this week. For me, the takeaways were threefold:
1) Our initial slate of paying members is generally pretty happy, so far (a bit self-selecting, since they wouldn’t have become members if this wasn’t the case).
2) >80% are in MCJ slack at least weekly, and 90% listen regularly to the pod (~40% listen to every episode as it comes out!)
2) The overwhelming consensus (>80% of respondents) listed programs/events as the #1 area they’d like to see us lean into over time.
This is a relief, since that is the area I am most excited about, as well. MCJ programming will initially include 3 primary kinds of events: ones members put on for each other, ones the MCJ team puts on for members, and ones MCJ puts on for members in collaboration with outside partners. I mentioned a few examples in the last newsletter of some types of events we have coming, and we are really excited to crank up those efforts. And as you can see from the events section below, some great MCJ event initiatives are already underway. We discussed this in more depth at our monthly MCJ Town Hall yesterday. In case anyone is interested, the recording is here.
With so many new members joining MCJ slack, another priority initiative is getting the member directory in order. We set up an Airtable, so please fill out this member info form (only takes a minute), so other members can better navigate the community. Filling this form out will be part of the on-boarding flow for new members, going forward.
Lastly, if you like climate tech startups, stay tuned! We have a new initiative we are gearing up to roll out that we aren’t ready to talk about quite yet, but we are very excited about it. Can’t wait to share more.
That’s all, for now!
Jason
📼Episodes
Here’s this week’s episode, in case you missed it.
Episode 109: Danny Kennedy, CEO of New Energy Nexus
Danny is a clean energy veteran, who has worked in environmental advocacy, solar entrepreneurship and in the public sector. The nonprofit he leads, New Energy Nexus, is an organization that connects entrepreneurs globally with capital for the purpose of building an abundant clean energy economy. Danny has also served as the managing director of the California Clean Energy Fund (an early-investor in Tesla), which includes overseeing the $25 million Cal Seed Fund. He's an advisor to young green tech entrepreneurs in China with the Asia Society as well as the president of Cal Charge, a public private partnership working to advance energy storage. In 2007, he cofounded Sungevity, which worked on remote solar design.
We have a great discussion in this episode, covering a wide range of topics including Danny's background and experience, what led him to become an activist -> entrepreneur -> investor, and his perspective on climate change and how it has evolved over the years. Danny is a legend, you won’t want to miss this one!
💼Climate Jobs
Here are some jobs shared by members of the MCJ community that we think might be of interest to you.
Software Engineer, Data Engineer, Sr. Geologists at KoBold Metals in Berkeley, CA (remote possible) (career page). To learn more about KoBold Metals, check out Ep. 97, featuring CEO & Co-Founder Kurt House.
Software Engineer / Data Scientist at (carbon)plan (remote available for PST/MST time zones) (job listing).
MCJer Simi Singh has created a new #early-careers channel in MCJ slack, with the “intention…to explore potential career paths that intersect with climate (like informational interviews, but in a group setting). These conversations will be targeted at those who consider themselves early in their career or career-switchers and are looking for guidance on paths they can explore and skillsets to work on.” Simi is interested in getting feedback on future events; you can join the channel if you’re interested in participating.
Interested in sharing a job or internship with the community? Use the button below to let us know, or just post it in #climatejobs in the MCJ slack room.
🛠Startup Resources
Below are helpful resources for entrepreneurs and their startups.
Applications for Petri Cohort II are now open
Health and sustainability accelerator, Petri, is accepting applications for its second cohort. As detailed in a recent Medium post, Petri invests in early-stage health and sustainability companies with up to $250,000. Due to COVID-19, the program is currently conducted virtually. For those interested, applications are due by August 1st.
Applications for Third Derivative are due by June 30th
A collaboration between The Rocky Mountain Institute and New Energy Nexus, Third Derivative is an accelerator focused on investing in climate innovation. You can submit an application here.
Applications for The Clean Fight are due by July 19th
Powered by New Energy Nexus, The Clean Fight is an accelerator focusing on growth-stage companies who seek to scale their business in New York State.
Applications for EV & Battery Challenge are due by August 28
Supported by LG Chem and Hyundai, EV & Battery Challenge is an accelerator that invests in mobile and energy storage startups.
📢Climate News
In Memoriam: Tragically, Terrafuse.ai CEO and founder, Adrian Albert, recently passed away. Adrian was a well-respected figure in the climate tech space, and those that knew him are honoring his life by sharing their tributes. You can learn more about Adrian’s remarkable life in this remembrance published by Activate. As Tommy Leep shared in his most recent issue of Breeze, a GoFund me has been organized to help Adrian’s family cover the cost of returning him to his native Romania. Please consider making a contribution here.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that “Amazon to Launch $2 Billion Venture Capital Fund to Invest in Clean Energy.” (PDF Link). This fund comes in addition to the $10 billion commitment Amazon’s founder has pledged toward combatting climate change. MCJer Rodrigo Prudencio will be leading the new Climate Pledge Fund, for which Seattle’s KeyArena will be renamed. And you will hopefully see Rodrigo soon on an episode of MCJ!
📰🎧Recommended Reading/Listening
Below are recently published articles and content that we find interesting and/or that were shared by fellow MCJers.
Medium: “It’s Time for Business to Aim Higher. Here’s One Way to Do It — Natural Climate Solutions”
MCJer Mark Tercek, the former CEO of The Nature Conservancy, writes how corporations, under pressure from investors and employees alike, are not waiting for government to take action on climate change. In his piece, he explores the role the private sector is playing in developing natural climate solutions (NCS).
The New York Times: “Your Climate Disaster Tax Bill Is Growing”
This piece discusses how federal spending, to address the symptoms of climate change, is rising and represents a looming threat for both the government and tax payers.
The Wall Street Journal: “Green Energy Is Finally Going Mainstream” (PDF Link)
With renewable energy prices falling and competitive with fossil fuel, green energy, as this article reports, is seen by investors as an industry that’s here to stay.
BBC: “Who is really to blame for climate change?”
This article speaks to why pointing the exact blame for climate change may be challenging and not very useful (h/t Glen Peters).
Wired: “The Auto Industry Is Wrecked—Let’s Rebuild It With Electric”
With the pandemic having wrecked havoc in the automotive industry, this article argues there’s an opportunity to rebuild the industry with green objectives in mind (h/t Gene Berdichevsky).
Bloomberg: “Big Oil’s Long Bet on Hydrogen Offers a Climate Lifeline”
This article delves into how fossil fuel companies have been investing in clean-burning fuel, hydrogen, and how this represents a boon to addressing climate change (h/t Akshat Rathi).
🎟Climate Events
Past and upcoming events organized or surfaced by your fellow MCJers.
Upcoming
MCJ Study Group: Net-Zero Buildings (Monday, June 29th, 1 PM EST)
MCJer Amy Wang shared that an upcoming study group will feature a talk with Brett Webster of The Rocky Mountain Institute to discuss net-zero buildings. Join #study-group to stay updated and if you'd like a calendar invite, feel free to comment with your email.
MCJ Idea Jam (Wednesday, July 1st, 8 PM EST)
MCJers Candice Ammori and Nicolo Giorgi are kicking off a new event series to surface great startup ideas, connect MCJ members interested in solving similar problems, and inspire industry veterans to advise and guide eager climate newcomers. The plan is to host the event the first Wednesday of every month. The MCJ Ideas Jam is a space where MCJ members can pitch their climate startup idea(s). A guest panel of experts will be first to give you feedback and helpful direction, and space will be opened for the general MCJ community to provide their feedback and collaborative ideas, both during the event and after. You can RSVP here.
Meet a MCJer with Icebreaker (Monday, July 6th, noon EST)
Having recently demoed Icebreaker (thanks Cody Simms!), we’re organizing an opportunity for members to meet one another. Icebreaker is a service that connects attendees randomly in brief 5-minute video sessions in which they can casually meet a new face in the community and learn about their background. Thai (MCJ CoS) and I found it to be a fun way to meet others, especially during a time when many of us face limited social activities. If you’re interested, RSVP and we’ll add you to the invite list.
MIT Webinar: “Scaling up low-carbon energy: Economic, geopolitical, and environmental impacts” (Tuesday, July 7th, 10 AM EST)
The energy sector is facing unprecedented challenges, with the global Covid-19 pandemic complicating an already challenging transition toward a low-carbon future. One of the key elements in addressing both the current pandemic and climate change is with forward-looking collaborations in technology development and innovation—which have long been a hallmark of MIT’s approach to problem solving. You can register here.