1 00:00:01,294 --> 00:00:06,574 Welcome to another episode of Innovate Presents Entrepreneurs in Tech. 2 00:00:06,574 --> 00:00:10,314 And we're delighted to have our guest today, Matt Misunis. 3 00:00:10,314 --> 00:00:12,354 Matt, pleasure to have you, buddy. 4 00:00:13,054 --> 00:00:14,094 Absolutely. 5 00:00:14,094 --> 00:00:19,274 Before we get started and dive into it, I would like you to give us a small 6 00:00:19,274 --> 00:00:25,274 introduction of yourself and a little bit about your insight in the tech industry or 7 00:00:25,274 --> 00:00:27,258 background. 8 00:00:27,258 --> 00:00:34,278 So for myself, I'm a co -founder with a European based climate analytics startup. 9 00:00:34,278 --> 00:00:40,738 I also mentor a few other startups, either being involved with Innovate or through 10 00:00:40,738 --> 00:00:42,298 Clean Tech Open. 11 00:00:42,498 --> 00:00:49,058 Had a long history in public service, not as any sort of elected official or 12 00:00:49,058 --> 00:00:53,818 anything like that, but just seeing public policy and how it intersects with clean 13 00:00:53,818 --> 00:00:55,610 energy and sustainability. 14 00:00:55,610 --> 00:00:57,650 get me involved in that sort of realm. 15 00:00:57,650 --> 00:01:01,742 So that's probably the direction of our conversation, I'm guessing, today. 16 00:01:01,742 --> 00:01:04,902 Absolutely, absolutely. 17 00:01:04,902 --> 00:01:09,642 Well, we'll start by you sharing your journey with us in promoting electric 18 00:01:09,642 --> 00:01:14,162 vehicle adoption and running a campaign and what were the key challenges that you 19 00:01:14,162 --> 00:01:15,078 faced. 20 00:01:15,866 --> 00:01:20,846 Yeah, so talk about a passion of mine for a while there. 21 00:01:20,846 --> 00:01:26,866 I can actually date that back to maybe 2010, reading a Time Magazine article 22 00:01:26,866 --> 00:01:28,526 about electric vehicles. 23 00:01:28,526 --> 00:01:33,036 It was like GM's EV1 and by the way, the Volt and the Leaf are about to come out, 24 00:01:33,036 --> 00:01:33,946 right? 25 00:01:33,966 --> 00:01:36,496 And so that's what kind of sparked the interest right there. 26 00:01:36,496 --> 00:01:38,466 Like, I really like this sort of thing. 27 00:01:38,466 --> 00:01:41,466 My next vehicle, maybe. 28 00:01:41,466 --> 00:01:44,786 Well, it turns out it was like maybe... 29 00:01:44,826 --> 00:01:48,806 2015, picked up a used Nissan Leaf. 30 00:01:48,886 --> 00:01:53,866 I was working for like an environmental clean tech type organization, the 31 00:01:53,866 --> 00:01:55,446 Connecticut Green Bank at the time. 32 00:01:55,446 --> 00:02:00,926 And I was kind of this exemplar, the only one bold enough to get a short range 33 00:02:00,926 --> 00:02:05,646 electric vehicle and test the bleeding edge of range adequacy around like, I'll 34 00:02:05,646 --> 00:02:07,106 be at small state, right? 35 00:02:07,106 --> 00:02:11,846 And so that's what got me into electric vehicles, really paying attention to that 36 00:02:11,846 --> 00:02:13,006 space. 37 00:02:13,026 --> 00:02:14,778 Kind of the next, 38 00:02:14,778 --> 00:02:18,678 at that moment in time, almost 10 years ago, like the next big thing in clean 39 00:02:18,678 --> 00:02:19,328 tech, right? 40 00:02:19,328 --> 00:02:22,818 Like, okay, what do you do to solve climate change? 41 00:02:22,818 --> 00:02:28,258 Well, you know, shift off fossil fuels, go to electricity, try to jump a bunch of 42 00:02:28,258 --> 00:02:31,458 sectors of the economy onto electricity, and then transportation is the big one, 43 00:02:31,458 --> 00:02:31,938 right? 44 00:02:31,938 --> 00:02:37,858 So doing the Gretzky move, going to where the puck was going to skate to, right? 45 00:02:37,858 --> 00:02:43,002 So to that effect, I wanted to run a few different programs there. 46 00:02:43,002 --> 00:02:49,362 One of them, I partnered with Nissan to run a group campaign selling electric 47 00:02:49,362 --> 00:02:49,732 vehicles. 48 00:02:49,732 --> 00:02:51,101 Of course, it was their electric vehicle. 49 00:02:51,101 --> 00:02:57,612 I was partnering with them on the leaf, selling to largely solar power customers, 50 00:02:57,612 --> 00:03:02,702 people we knew who already had solar, like me, so that they could just make their own 51 00:03:02,702 --> 00:03:03,282 fuel, right? 52 00:03:03,282 --> 00:03:05,802 The value prop is just there all day. 53 00:03:05,802 --> 00:03:07,506 Even if you're in... 54 00:03:07,514 --> 00:03:12,154 a state with high retail electricity rates, you could still beat it, right? 55 00:03:12,154 --> 00:03:20,334 So the best thing for yourself, both in terms of economics and environmentalism, 56 00:03:20,334 --> 00:03:26,314 as I was seeing it at that moment in time, go all in, you know, make the power, drive 57 00:03:26,314 --> 00:03:27,154 on it. 58 00:03:27,154 --> 00:03:29,314 So sold over 100 Nissan Leafs. 59 00:03:29,314 --> 00:03:30,714 That was a lot of fun. 60 00:03:30,714 --> 00:03:34,298 For a moment in time earlier on, 61 00:03:34,298 --> 00:03:36,248 Before the market started taking off. 62 00:03:36,248 --> 00:03:40,658 There's a whole bunch of Teslas in my town now Whenever I saw one driving around on 63 00:03:40,658 --> 00:03:44,698 the road I would have that same pride that like a car dealer might have like that was 64 00:03:44,698 --> 00:03:45,918 one of mine, right? 65 00:03:45,918 --> 00:03:52,588 So that was great I ran this other program It was really experimental. 66 00:03:52,588 --> 00:03:58,818 It was involving the voluntary carbon markets trying to create carbon offset 67 00:03:58,818 --> 00:04:02,522 credits from electric vehicle charging so like turning 68 00:04:02,522 --> 00:04:08,282 kilowatt hours into avoided tons of emissions using this complex methodology 69 00:04:08,282 --> 00:04:12,482 is actually relatively simple methodology, but like complex to implement. 70 00:04:12,542 --> 00:04:16,482 And we were doing something that was really cutting edge on that tip. 71 00:04:16,482 --> 00:04:18,911 Electrify America was first to base with that. 72 00:04:18,911 --> 00:04:23,382 We were kind of second, but we were having a group campaign that wasn't just our 73 00:04:23,382 --> 00:04:23,862 assets. 74 00:04:23,862 --> 00:04:25,818 And so this was 75 00:04:25,818 --> 00:04:28,828 kind of head spinning, right, of a project. 76 00:04:28,828 --> 00:04:34,518 Like I was involved in trying to draft the legal agreements that would bind over like 77 00:04:34,518 --> 00:04:38,018 30 ,000 partner assets to us. 78 00:04:38,018 --> 00:04:42,037 Like, okay, we'll lend you the environmental attributes of these avoided 79 00:04:42,037 --> 00:04:45,218 emissions so that you can turn them into offset credits so that then maybe you 80 00:04:45,218 --> 00:04:48,918 could sell those offset credits and then maybe you could remit those proceeds and 81 00:04:48,918 --> 00:04:50,202 then speed up. 82 00:04:50,202 --> 00:04:55,242 the market for getting more electric vehicle chargers out there faster. 83 00:04:55,242 --> 00:04:55,402 Right. 84 00:04:55,402 --> 00:04:56,792 Like that was the whole premise. 85 00:04:56,792 --> 00:04:59,102 So it was complex. 86 00:04:59,102 --> 00:05:01,482 It involved utility partners. 87 00:05:01,482 --> 00:05:06,562 It involved app developers and involved network owner operators. 88 00:05:06,562 --> 00:05:08,032 And it was a blast. 89 00:05:08,032 --> 00:05:13,242 I mean, talk about like soldiering through a murky environment that you're not used 90 00:05:13,242 --> 00:05:13,662 to. 91 00:05:13,662 --> 00:05:17,512 Like California, they had a government run program for something very similar. 92 00:05:17,512 --> 00:05:19,246 A few more states have it now. 93 00:05:19,246 --> 00:05:19,822 Yeah. 94 00:05:19,822 --> 00:05:22,462 was something where it was like the program wasn't even there yet. 95 00:05:22,462 --> 00:05:26,682 It wasn't even like developed and you're just like testing things out. 96 00:05:26,682 --> 00:05:28,642 Are they going to work on the front end? 97 00:05:28,642 --> 00:05:34,102 It very much resembled startup world actually, which I'm sure we'll get to. 98 00:05:34,102 --> 00:05:38,322 Like it resembled being at a startup and trying something new for the first time in 99 00:05:38,322 --> 00:05:38,662 tech. 100 00:05:38,662 --> 00:05:39,486 It was fascinating. 101 00:05:39,486 --> 00:05:42,045 very interesting, very interesting. 102 00:05:42,045 --> 00:05:47,426 I mean, what inspired you to start the also clean energy revolution? 103 00:05:47,426 --> 00:05:56,250 And, you know, and what impact you would hope it have in the energy space? 104 00:05:56,250 --> 00:06:02,570 So I knew there was all sorts of like hunger out there for information about the 105 00:06:02,570 --> 00:06:03,670 clean economy, right? 106 00:06:03,670 --> 00:06:06,590 Like everyone wants to know a little something. 107 00:06:07,150 --> 00:06:10,690 There's a collaborator team that was international. 108 00:06:10,890 --> 00:06:13,490 They were willing to be authors on this. 109 00:06:13,710 --> 00:06:16,060 They all had different specialties and interests. 110 00:06:16,060 --> 00:06:20,030 They were all kind of rowing in the same direction, but it would be like battery 111 00:06:20,030 --> 00:06:20,986 storage. 112 00:06:20,986 --> 00:06:25,606 electric vehicles, environmentalism, carbon management, you know, whatever it 113 00:06:25,606 --> 00:06:27,106 is, solar and wind. 114 00:06:27,146 --> 00:06:31,746 And so we would just, you know, have a good time getting our feet wet, 115 00:06:31,746 --> 00:06:33,026 practicing. 116 00:06:33,326 --> 00:06:36,366 What's the term for the music industry like behind you? 117 00:06:36,366 --> 00:06:39,346 Practicing your chops, getting a chop. 118 00:06:39,466 --> 00:06:46,506 When it comes to writing and authorship and with myself, trying to combine 119 00:06:46,506 --> 00:06:49,114 generative AI, like I'd be having a lot of fun. 120 00:06:49,114 --> 00:06:53,574 in the early days of having AI make these images. 121 00:06:53,574 --> 00:07:00,954 They were just past the three -legged and six -fingered picture outputs that you 122 00:07:00,954 --> 00:07:03,434 would get, and good enough to pair with some articles. 123 00:07:03,434 --> 00:07:08,994 And so I was having some fun with the written word and trying to find the right 124 00:07:08,994 --> 00:07:10,254 image for it. 125 00:07:10,254 --> 00:07:15,954 And then putting that out there in a way that we could just educate people and have 126 00:07:15,954 --> 00:07:17,210 that content running. 127 00:07:17,210 --> 00:07:21,170 There's a lot of different places you can find that sort of thing, but you know, it 128 00:07:21,170 --> 00:07:25,026 was our effort to make a contribution in that space, for sure. 129 00:07:25,062 --> 00:07:27,682 I mean, two things already we talked about you involved with. 130 00:07:27,682 --> 00:07:36,378 Now, what about Weather Trade Nets mission and how it fights climate change? 131 00:07:36,378 --> 00:07:42,898 So with Weather TradeNet, what I like to say is the world probably should have 132 00:07:42,898 --> 00:07:46,638 attacked climate change mitigation in the 1990s. 133 00:07:46,638 --> 00:07:48,578 And now it's an adaptation game. 134 00:07:48,578 --> 00:07:49,358 Like, it's here. 135 00:07:49,358 --> 00:07:51,638 You know, we got our postcard from the future last year. 136 00:07:51,638 --> 00:07:56,818 We're like record breaking extremes every year, kind of possibly the new normal now. 137 00:07:56,818 --> 00:08:02,898 And so fighting climate change, I guess it's less about us bringing the brass 138 00:08:02,898 --> 00:08:05,188 knuckles than bringing the armor, right? 139 00:08:05,188 --> 00:08:05,946 Like by... 140 00:08:05,946 --> 00:08:11,386 forewarning, foreshadowing people, educating them in advance of what might 141 00:08:11,386 --> 00:08:12,686 happen on their property. 142 00:08:12,686 --> 00:08:18,266 So Weather TradeNet is a physical climate risk analytics firm formed by climate data 143 00:08:18,266 --> 00:08:23,946 scientists who decided to, they want to write, still write some papers, but make 144 00:08:23,946 --> 00:08:26,046 products while they're at it, right? 145 00:08:26,046 --> 00:08:29,722 And there was an opening space for this really. 146 00:08:29,722 --> 00:08:34,682 that was being driven not only by corporates that want to analyze their own 147 00:08:34,682 --> 00:08:40,742 risk, like what's my uptime downtime profile and years to come due to wildfires 148 00:08:40,742 --> 00:08:42,152 or floods or things like that. 149 00:08:42,152 --> 00:08:47,082 Can my employees access my property or should I take a long holding position on 150 00:08:47,082 --> 00:08:48,942 these like shoreline resorts, right? 151 00:08:48,942 --> 00:08:50,522 If it was sea level rise. 152 00:08:50,522 --> 00:08:56,722 It's not only for voluntary like mitigation reasons like that, but also 153 00:08:56,722 --> 00:08:57,978 like, 154 00:08:57,978 --> 00:09:04,098 80 governments around the world are now implementing regulations that are pushing 155 00:09:04,098 --> 00:09:07,138 in that direction in the interest of investor transparency. 156 00:09:07,138 --> 00:09:09,530 Like, all right, how is your balance sheet exposed? 157 00:09:09,530 --> 00:09:13,210 to the physical risks that are driven by climate change, right? 158 00:09:13,210 --> 00:09:18,210 And so all sorts of corporates as of really it's kicking in this year and next 159 00:09:18,210 --> 00:09:19,510 year in a lot of big ways. 160 00:09:19,510 --> 00:09:23,940 The SEC in the US, it's on pause right here, but all of Europe is moving forward. 161 00:09:23,940 --> 00:09:28,090 There's a lot of other countries around the world, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, I 162 00:09:28,090 --> 00:09:32,830 could just run a list that are saying, hey, large enlisted corporates, banks, 163 00:09:32,830 --> 00:09:35,386 insurers, et cetera, get smart on this. 164 00:09:35,386 --> 00:09:38,626 So this is a space where we feel like we can play. 165 00:09:38,626 --> 00:09:43,646 And it's a blessing I could contribute on this team, helping them out as a kind of 166 00:09:43,646 --> 00:09:49,646 B2B spot player strategy, Swiss army knife, to the extent I could support. 167 00:09:50,086 --> 00:09:54,066 So Weather Trade Net, yeah, that's what they do. 168 00:09:54,066 --> 00:09:58,926 They'll kind of forewarn with regards to that sort of thing. 169 00:09:58,926 --> 00:10:04,314 I'd be remiss, Bob, if I didn't even mention we made a free web app. 170 00:10:04,314 --> 00:10:09,154 It's the simplest possible depiction of our product you can imagine, but it's 171 00:10:09,154 --> 00:10:11,014 still informative as to the type of thing we can do. 172 00:10:11,014 --> 00:10:16,014 You can go to yourclimaterisk .com and just see what it looks like for your area. 173 00:10:17,774 --> 00:10:23,214 Yourclimaterisk .com, your greatest risk, now your greatest risk in 10 years. 174 00:10:23,214 --> 00:10:24,174 Absolutely. 175 00:10:24,174 --> 00:10:28,494 You know, before I jump into your green bank that you, you know, the project that 176 00:10:28,494 --> 00:10:32,464 you worked on at Green Bank, I want to ask one thing. 177 00:10:32,464 --> 00:10:39,974 I want to go back to the electric cars, you know, and again, I'm not a scientist 178 00:10:39,974 --> 00:10:41,674 or an engineer. 179 00:10:42,174 --> 00:10:50,594 Why a lot of these electric car companies, they're not doing self charge through 180 00:10:50,594 --> 00:10:53,451 solar, whether it's in the paint. 181 00:10:54,030 --> 00:10:59,390 Or the V or in the glass, like the roof, like, why don't they make it a, is it, it 182 00:10:59,390 --> 00:11:02,330 doesn't generate enough power for it to run. 183 00:11:02,330 --> 00:11:08,830 Does it have to be always plugged in by regular electricity and you know, and 184 00:11:08,830 --> 00:11:14,490 always, you know, electricity, we all know how electricity being generated. 185 00:11:14,490 --> 00:11:15,630 So. 186 00:11:15,630 --> 00:11:19,700 I mean, you want clean air and clean energy and all of that. 187 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:22,502 Would it, wouldn't it be that kind of really. 188 00:11:22,894 --> 00:11:27,914 kind of saying, okay, now we are kind of with the message. 189 00:11:27,914 --> 00:11:29,794 Like the message is accurate. 190 00:11:29,794 --> 00:11:32,054 let's have clean air, but we need to plug in electricity. 191 00:11:32,054 --> 00:11:33,524 But how is electricity being charged? 192 00:11:33,524 --> 00:11:34,934 Being generated. 193 00:11:35,074 --> 00:11:36,470 So you know what I mean. 194 00:11:36,470 --> 00:11:38,990 in some jurisdictions still, right? 195 00:11:38,990 --> 00:11:44,390 It's still cleaner to drive electric, even on that basis, than a gas -powered 196 00:11:44,390 --> 00:11:47,570 vehicle, but still the emissions are somewhere in that case, right? 197 00:11:47,570 --> 00:11:48,910 be at least for vehicles? 198 00:11:48,910 --> 00:11:55,510 Forget about trucks, trains, ships, fire jet fighters, airplanes. 199 00:11:55,510 --> 00:11:58,520 It doesn't have maybe the power yet to power that. 200 00:11:58,520 --> 00:11:59,070 I don't know. 201 00:11:59,070 --> 00:12:00,390 Again, I'm not an engineer. 202 00:12:00,390 --> 00:12:01,750 I'm just saying. 203 00:12:01,790 --> 00:12:02,794 But could we... 204 00:12:02,794 --> 00:12:04,554 do know, because you hit on the right answer. 205 00:12:04,554 --> 00:12:09,134 So going back to that Time Magazine article I was reading in 2010, like the 206 00:12:09,134 --> 00:12:14,094 sort of depiction that they would have, and this is still true, for these cross 207 00:12:14,094 --> 00:12:19,914 -country single -person racers, those are the sorts of things that have electric, or 208 00:12:19,914 --> 00:12:22,106 sorry, solar panels on the roofs, right? 209 00:12:22,106 --> 00:12:26,806 On the spoiler of my retro style Nissan Leaf, I got some solar panels, but it's 210 00:12:26,806 --> 00:12:30,586 really meant to recharge like the car battery and the AC, that's not the 211 00:12:30,586 --> 00:12:35,986 traction battery, because that requires too much power for just a single solar 212 00:12:35,986 --> 00:12:38,146 module pasted onto a roof, right? 213 00:12:38,146 --> 00:12:41,886 There's a lot of experimentation going on about that. 214 00:12:41,906 --> 00:12:47,106 There's other sorts of formats going, if you'll let me, into the heavy duty sector 215 00:12:47,106 --> 00:12:48,186 that folks are trying. 216 00:12:48,186 --> 00:12:51,290 Over in Europe, they got the catenary lines for the heavy duty. 217 00:12:51,290 --> 00:12:58,830 Going back to my nerding out on my video game days like the F -Zero recharge strip, 218 00:12:58,830 --> 00:12:58,940 right? 219 00:12:58,940 --> 00:13:04,950 Like you drive over this sort of road embedded electricity conveyance and you 220 00:13:04,950 --> 00:13:06,370 know, you can charge the battery a bit. 221 00:13:06,370 --> 00:13:11,110 So some, you know, like roundabout town transit buses, they already do that sort 222 00:13:11,110 --> 00:13:12,190 of thing. 223 00:13:12,190 --> 00:13:17,270 Generally speaking, yeah, it's that the electric grid, they've got the 100 % 224 00:13:17,270 --> 00:13:18,010 uptime. 225 00:13:18,010 --> 00:13:21,010 they've got the volume of power that they could push out to a vehicle that you need 226 00:13:21,010 --> 00:13:23,478 for a traction battery, which just takes more. 227 00:13:23,478 --> 00:13:25,278 Got it. 228 00:13:25,278 --> 00:13:32,478 Let's talk about the project that you worked on at Green Bank and how did they 229 00:13:32,478 --> 00:13:33,762 advance energy? 230 00:13:34,714 --> 00:13:39,834 Ooh, so there was a few projects, like during my last few years over there, it 231 00:13:39,834 --> 00:13:44,234 was like my title just kind of changed depending on what I was trying to do, you 232 00:13:44,234 --> 00:13:51,054 know, like as kind of a strategic projects guy for the most part. 233 00:13:51,314 --> 00:13:52,538 One of them. 234 00:13:52,538 --> 00:13:56,418 had to do with being involved in solarized campaigns, right? 235 00:13:56,418 --> 00:13:59,598 I mean, some of the earlier campaigns I was talking about with electric vehicles, 236 00:13:59,598 --> 00:14:00,738 that was all under them too. 237 00:14:00,738 --> 00:14:02,478 It's an innovation agency. 238 00:14:02,478 --> 00:14:09,838 They deal with financing commercializable clean tech, like finding the gaps where 239 00:14:09,838 --> 00:14:12,178 some deployment multiplier is needed, right? 240 00:14:12,178 --> 00:14:13,558 So that's what they do. 241 00:14:13,858 --> 00:14:19,358 When it comes to campaigns other than electric vehicles, the solarized 242 00:14:19,358 --> 00:14:20,858 campaigns, I was involved in that. 243 00:14:20,858 --> 00:14:22,992 I was actually involved in that from the community. 244 00:14:23,064 --> 00:14:26,224 the year before I went to the Green Bank trying to knock on doors and get other 245 00:14:26,224 --> 00:14:31,024 people to go solar because then when I got solar the group purchase would become that 246 00:14:31,024 --> 00:14:31,844 much more affordable. 247 00:14:31,844 --> 00:14:37,564 It was this kind of time limited group purchase offer to make everything more 248 00:14:37,564 --> 00:14:39,804 affordable when it comes to the acquisition of solar. 249 00:14:39,804 --> 00:14:45,884 And so involved on that side with community campaigns involved in trying to 250 00:14:45,884 --> 00:14:48,570 pass some laws because they were 251 00:14:48,570 --> 00:14:52,470 what's called a, it's like a half state agency. 252 00:14:52,470 --> 00:14:54,170 They're like a creature of law. 253 00:14:54,170 --> 00:14:57,240 So if you want to play offense or defense on anything, you need to pass a law. 254 00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:57,480 Right. 255 00:14:57,480 --> 00:14:59,970 So we did some creative stuff over there. 256 00:14:59,970 --> 00:15:04,490 I can't lay claim to any of this, even though I was the go between like 257 00:15:04,490 --> 00:15:09,390 intergovernmental guy, because that's always been my area, you know, studying 258 00:15:09,390 --> 00:15:12,050 public administration, politics, things like that. 259 00:15:12,050 --> 00:15:17,570 And so for that reason, I'd be the guy on the grounds trying to talk to lawmakers 260 00:15:17,570 --> 00:15:18,770 like, all right, 261 00:15:18,938 --> 00:15:24,878 let's establish a program that could create renewable energy credits from 262 00:15:24,878 --> 00:15:31,538 people's solar that they have on their residences, which wasn't a thing up to 263 00:15:31,538 --> 00:15:35,578 that moment in time, and then use those proceeds to help finance more people 264 00:15:35,578 --> 00:15:37,898 getting solar on their residences, right? 265 00:15:37,898 --> 00:15:43,354 So all sorts of innovative things like that, augmenting... 266 00:15:43,354 --> 00:15:49,794 CPACE, the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program, we were doing that. 267 00:15:49,794 --> 00:15:53,774 Writing into our charter, so to speak, what's called environmental 268 00:15:53,774 --> 00:15:59,413 infrastructure, so kind of expanding out the Green Bank's mandate just from clean 269 00:15:59,413 --> 00:16:03,706 energy to being more like a pan -environmental. 270 00:16:03,706 --> 00:16:11,366 sort of financing organization because that's where as clean tech is maturing, 271 00:16:11,366 --> 00:16:13,856 you're actually finding these other areas. 272 00:16:13,856 --> 00:16:16,826 There's like, can we apply financing to this too? 273 00:16:16,826 --> 00:16:22,326 Can we use those same principles to help out with, let's say, nature conservation, 274 00:16:22,326 --> 00:16:26,726 biodiversity, low carbon agriculture, you know, whatever it is. 275 00:16:26,726 --> 00:16:28,472 And so, you know, 276 00:16:28,634 --> 00:16:30,714 That was a lot of fun, right? 277 00:16:31,094 --> 00:16:33,904 There was also a lot of not fun places, right? 278 00:16:33,904 --> 00:16:37,734 Passing laws is not like the easiest thing in the world. 279 00:16:37,734 --> 00:16:41,874 And they have that stereotype about sausage making. 280 00:16:41,874 --> 00:16:43,534 You don't want to see how it happens. 281 00:16:43,534 --> 00:16:44,444 You don't like the result. 282 00:16:44,444 --> 00:16:45,304 You don't want to see how it's. 283 00:16:45,304 --> 00:16:49,994 So, you know, there's that sort of aspect to it and it's hit or miss just like 284 00:16:49,994 --> 00:16:50,674 anything else is. 285 00:16:50,674 --> 00:16:52,434 But we had some good times. 286 00:16:52,434 --> 00:16:53,614 We got some laws passed. 287 00:16:53,614 --> 00:16:56,890 We ran some community campaigns, got a lot more people. 288 00:16:56,890 --> 00:17:02,220 around Connecticut involved in clean energy with adopting that for their home, 289 00:17:02,220 --> 00:17:03,860 their business, their institution. 290 00:17:05,292 --> 00:17:12,902 How do policy marketing and outreach intersect in clean energy and what 291 00:17:12,902 --> 00:17:19,362 strategies are effective in driving the change? 292 00:17:19,362 --> 00:17:23,072 So, you know, a lot of this is driven by policy. 293 00:17:23,072 --> 00:17:24,652 That's what's upstream, right? 294 00:17:24,652 --> 00:17:25,946 Like... 295 00:17:25,946 --> 00:17:29,955 Is clean energy affordable in your neighborhood? 296 00:17:29,955 --> 00:17:31,126 Well, that kind of depends. 297 00:17:31,126 --> 00:17:32,976 What do the tax credits look like? 298 00:17:32,976 --> 00:17:37,116 Are there state or utility incentives to adopt that sort of thing? 299 00:17:37,116 --> 00:17:40,586 What does the rate structure look like to reimburse you, right? 300 00:17:40,586 --> 00:17:47,126 If you're feeding power back to the grid, these all layer together and they form the 301 00:17:47,126 --> 00:17:51,526 ecosystem for, okay, it doesn't make sense to adopt one form of clean tech or 302 00:17:51,526 --> 00:17:52,410 another. 303 00:17:52,410 --> 00:17:59,230 And so this is like, you could even observe that like writ large with 304 00:17:59,230 --> 00:18:02,370 inflation reduction act from the feds, right? 305 00:18:02,630 --> 00:18:08,890 Like Biden administration, 10Xing the Obama administration's investments into 306 00:18:08,890 --> 00:18:09,670 clean tech, right? 307 00:18:09,670 --> 00:18:11,690 Like this generational investment. 308 00:18:11,690 --> 00:18:13,594 And now it's on them to sell it. 309 00:18:13,594 --> 00:18:15,034 right, to the electorate. 310 00:18:15,034 --> 00:18:19,794 And that's where the marketing comes into play following from the policy. 311 00:18:20,054 --> 00:18:24,694 That's where the outreach comes into play following from the policy is, all right, 312 00:18:24,694 --> 00:18:26,154 make people aware of it. 313 00:18:26,154 --> 00:18:30,694 Now that we've enabled it in their jurisdiction, now the monies are there to 314 00:18:30,694 --> 00:18:33,614 make things economic, now make it happen. 315 00:18:34,134 --> 00:18:43,098 An example that I think might be good right here is seeing solar PV 316 00:18:43,098 --> 00:18:48,826 salesman at Home Depot or like your local hardware store. 317 00:18:48,826 --> 00:18:53,866 as opposed to like Whole Foods or like the Granola Co -op. 318 00:18:53,866 --> 00:18:59,746 Like they're selling solar modules at Home Depot because it's economical for the 319 00:18:59,746 --> 00:19:01,246 everyday person, right? 320 00:19:01,246 --> 00:19:05,886 Like no matter what, we could find a way to make this work for you, to make clean 321 00:19:05,886 --> 00:19:07,266 energy work on your roof. 322 00:19:07,266 --> 00:19:09,076 That's policy right there. 323 00:19:09,076 --> 00:19:14,306 That's governed by how policy sets the upstream considerations for the adoption 324 00:19:14,306 --> 00:19:15,966 of those sorts of technologies. 325 00:19:15,966 --> 00:19:18,418 So that's how I see that sort of nexus. 326 00:19:18,606 --> 00:19:19,466 Got it. 327 00:19:19,466 --> 00:19:20,166 Interesting. 328 00:19:20,166 --> 00:19:21,146 Very interesting. 329 00:19:21,146 --> 00:19:32,446 I mean, I would say extremely insightful for our viewers and for me. 330 00:19:32,446 --> 00:19:38,086 How have your degrees influenced your approach in addressing climate and 331 00:19:38,086 --> 00:19:41,658 sustainability challenges? 332 00:19:41,658 --> 00:19:44,218 So, hmm. 333 00:19:44,998 --> 00:19:51,878 My degrees earlier on, it was political science in the early years, bachelor's, 334 00:19:51,878 --> 00:19:55,148 and then public administration for a master's. 335 00:19:55,148 --> 00:19:59,478 At least with a master's, I tried to move in the direction of some electives, like 336 00:19:59,478 --> 00:20:04,258 energy law and business, where you could layer some stuff in that starts to relate. 337 00:20:04,458 --> 00:20:06,074 And so you could see why... 338 00:20:06,074 --> 00:20:08,324 Like yourself, you were telling me you're no engineer. 339 00:20:08,324 --> 00:20:09,344 Like I'm no engineer either. 340 00:20:09,344 --> 00:20:11,694 I'm not going to invent your widget. 341 00:20:11,894 --> 00:20:15,574 Like I'm dealing with the policy side where it's how does this interact with 342 00:20:15,574 --> 00:20:16,294 society? 343 00:20:16,294 --> 00:20:16,494 Right? 344 00:20:16,494 --> 00:20:20,674 Like that's kind of the lens on which I'm taken. 345 00:20:20,674 --> 00:20:25,674 And that's informed by the academic approach that I was doing earlier on. 346 00:20:25,674 --> 00:20:30,354 Like since then, it was during the pandemic, there was this all virtual 347 00:20:30,354 --> 00:20:33,844 certificate that Yale started offering for financing and deploying clean energy. 348 00:20:33,844 --> 00:20:36,028 So that's kind of in the wheelhouse right there. 349 00:20:36,028 --> 00:20:40,188 I had to learn a lot of energy physics and finance that I thought I already knew but 350 00:20:40,188 --> 00:20:41,168 I didn't. 351 00:20:41,168 --> 00:20:49,868 But for the most part, it was in the political societal sort of area there that 352 00:20:49,868 --> 00:20:53,508 my academics came in and informed that. 353 00:20:54,328 --> 00:20:55,854 Yeah, that's what I got there. 354 00:20:55,854 --> 00:20:58,214 Interesting. 355 00:20:58,214 --> 00:21:05,674 You provide flexible support to early stage tech startup teams. 356 00:21:05,674 --> 00:21:09,254 And how do you navigate the uncertainties of it? 357 00:21:09,254 --> 00:21:12,734 Inheriting startup... 358 00:21:12,734 --> 00:21:15,854 Should I say this in a simpler way? 359 00:21:16,054 --> 00:21:20,574 How do you navigate, let's say, the uncertainties of the inherited startup 360 00:21:20,574 --> 00:21:23,106 world? 361 00:21:23,106 --> 00:21:29,026 So I'm saying this not because my wife got home and she might be within earshot, but 362 00:21:29,026 --> 00:21:34,686 I have a spouse with a salary for starters because I'm not salaried anymore. 363 00:21:34,686 --> 00:21:35,996 Like I'm in the startup world, right? 364 00:21:35,996 --> 00:21:39,045 So like, you don't know, here's one piece of advice. 365 00:21:39,045 --> 00:21:44,386 You don't know how long you're going to be in that sort of scenario, right? 366 00:21:44,386 --> 00:21:49,666 Where it's feast or famine, grow what you eat. 367 00:21:50,650 --> 00:21:56,790 make this machine work whatever it is that you're trying to construct and what that 368 00:21:56,790 --> 00:22:00,150 runway is going to look like until self -sufficiency, right? 369 00:22:00,150 --> 00:22:07,610 And so sometimes it's fun, sometimes that can be hard, but number one, credit where 370 00:22:07,610 --> 00:22:13,510 it belongs with the family right there because I've got the ability to not go 371 00:22:13,510 --> 00:22:15,630 instantly into bankruptcy. 372 00:22:15,630 --> 00:22:17,670 Working in the startup world, right? 373 00:22:17,670 --> 00:22:19,834 You got to fall back on the cushion. 374 00:22:19,834 --> 00:22:23,464 that you've tried to build up through that moment in time. 375 00:22:23,464 --> 00:22:28,134 And so that's, you know, not to skip ahead, but number one, like a piece of 376 00:22:28,134 --> 00:22:32,614 advice for potential entrepreneurs, you know, be ready for that slog, right? 377 00:22:32,614 --> 00:22:35,554 So that's a piece of it right there. 378 00:22:35,793 --> 00:22:36,894 Let's see. 379 00:22:36,894 --> 00:22:44,294 As far as the rest, I mean, some ideas that are out there from entrepreneurs and 380 00:22:44,294 --> 00:22:48,890 startups, they could beat others, but for how... 381 00:22:48,890 --> 00:22:52,870 I assess that, I mean, I just get better with experience. 382 00:22:53,050 --> 00:22:59,250 Over time, just you see more, there's more observations and you can integrate that in 383 00:22:59,250 --> 00:23:03,630 better in terms of assessing the potential, the capacity, the risk factors 384 00:23:03,630 --> 00:23:07,090 that are involved in jumping in on something, right? 385 00:23:07,090 --> 00:23:09,138 Whether it's... 386 00:23:09,146 --> 00:23:13,666 we think we've engineered a widget or is one -tenth of what goes into that widget 387 00:23:13,666 --> 00:23:15,306 and to make it incrementally better. 388 00:23:15,306 --> 00:23:17,185 Is there a market for that, right? 389 00:23:17,185 --> 00:23:21,606 Is it a sole supplier market or do you have a million potential customers out 390 00:23:21,606 --> 00:23:23,446 there in 15 years time? 391 00:23:23,646 --> 00:23:27,826 Like, it's not like anyone knows that instantly right off the bat, but like 392 00:23:27,826 --> 00:23:34,626 being able to assess the particulars and the attributes of a situation as one is 393 00:23:34,626 --> 00:23:38,938 examining what these brilliant innovators are trying to do out there, you know, 394 00:23:38,938 --> 00:23:43,088 It helps over time figuring that out. 395 00:23:43,088 --> 00:23:47,666 Yeah, if you could do it at a glance great, you know that much faster 396 00:23:47,694 --> 00:23:54,448 what techniques they use to help climate startups to grow and reach their audience. 397 00:23:55,002 --> 00:23:56,122 Hmm. 398 00:23:56,322 --> 00:24:02,302 Well, I've certainly jumped in on, like I said before, I was a spot player, right? 399 00:24:02,302 --> 00:24:04,452 Or I am a bit of a Swiss army knife. 400 00:24:04,452 --> 00:24:08,022 I'm not going to invent your widget, but like I've jumped in on like grant writing 401 00:24:08,022 --> 00:24:13,042 plenty of times that requires continual refinement. 402 00:24:13,982 --> 00:24:19,382 There's you know, I've run into some entrepreneurs who strike it rich the first 403 00:24:19,382 --> 00:24:20,250 time like, 404 00:24:20,250 --> 00:24:24,710 We just got $200 ,000 from a science lab and it was our first application. 405 00:24:24,710 --> 00:24:25,050 Great. 406 00:24:25,050 --> 00:24:26,710 Like that's an outlier right there. 407 00:24:26,710 --> 00:24:26,900 Right. 408 00:24:26,900 --> 00:24:30,470 Most of the time you're going to be knocking on 20, 30 doors before you get 409 00:24:30,470 --> 00:24:30,990 your winner. 410 00:24:30,990 --> 00:24:31,610 Right. 411 00:24:31,610 --> 00:24:37,590 So as you're going through that process, you could refine your pitch, figure out 412 00:24:37,590 --> 00:24:41,330 what works and keep on moving along. 413 00:24:41,330 --> 00:24:44,050 So, you know, that was one way of doing it. 414 00:24:44,050 --> 00:24:46,938 A lot of it is supporting not. 415 00:24:46,938 --> 00:24:50,938 necessarily with product development, but without bounds, right? 416 00:24:51,318 --> 00:24:56,318 Figuring out the strategy behind targeting and segmentation and then what are the 417 00:24:56,318 --> 00:24:59,834 tactics that are most effective in getting. 418 00:24:59,834 --> 00:25:03,294 one's product or service in front of an audience, right? 419 00:25:03,294 --> 00:25:07,674 One of those, one of our favorite actually is LinkedIn, right? 420 00:25:07,674 --> 00:25:13,374 You can find all the decision makers, you could do personal organic outreach, that 421 00:25:13,374 --> 00:25:14,474 sort of thing. 422 00:25:14,474 --> 00:25:19,674 It's an assessment of which traction channel and marketing is going to be 423 00:25:19,674 --> 00:25:25,210 working best, whether it's like bulk cold outbound, if anyone responds to that. 424 00:25:25,210 --> 00:25:29,630 or if you're actually striking with it or if it's just one -on -one sounding out the 425 00:25:29,630 --> 00:25:34,630 market, asking for meetings and requesting things on that basis. 426 00:25:35,050 --> 00:25:37,650 You get better over time. 427 00:25:37,650 --> 00:25:40,450 But what I've learned, two things. 428 00:25:40,610 --> 00:25:48,290 Number one, when you are bootstrapping a company, your pre -revenue, revenue, but 429 00:25:48,290 --> 00:25:53,370 pre -investment, then your considerations are vastly different. 430 00:25:53,370 --> 00:25:57,250 from if you got play money, like here's a million dollars, you know, the seed money 431 00:25:57,250 --> 00:26:01,910 came in, like then you could respond to all these vendors who are offering you 432 00:26:01,910 --> 00:26:03,410 this, that and the other. 433 00:26:03,710 --> 00:26:09,050 Until then, you need to learn from them and then do essentially the function that 434 00:26:09,050 --> 00:26:14,430 they're doing or at least test it out to figure out, okay, the overarching general 435 00:26:14,430 --> 00:26:21,110 contractor -esque strategy of assembling things or the pieces together and then the 436 00:26:21,110 --> 00:26:22,778 tactical implementation of... 437 00:26:22,778 --> 00:26:26,958 which traction channel for B2B outbound are you picking? 438 00:26:27,558 --> 00:26:28,978 There's a lot behind that. 439 00:26:28,978 --> 00:26:33,078 But the other thing I've learned is that once you're out there as a company founder 440 00:26:33,078 --> 00:26:38,278 or some involvement in a startup and a co -founder basis, you're on everyone's 441 00:26:38,278 --> 00:26:39,248 marketing list, right? 442 00:26:39,248 --> 00:26:41,298 And so you can actually learn from that. 443 00:26:41,298 --> 00:26:44,838 Like pro tip, you could take those calls. 444 00:26:44,838 --> 00:26:48,238 I understand their pain because I'm trying to reach out to other people to take my 445 00:26:48,238 --> 00:26:48,638 calls. 446 00:26:48,638 --> 00:26:50,618 So I'll take other people's pitches. 447 00:26:50,618 --> 00:26:52,758 and then just learn what they're doing and how they do it. 448 00:26:52,758 --> 00:26:57,058 And then eventually try to, if not integrate that, at least remember them so 449 00:26:57,058 --> 00:27:01,378 that with the other startups I try to help, I'll at least be able to give a nice 450 00:27:01,378 --> 00:27:05,438 referral to this, that, or the other company in this sector, that sector, that 451 00:27:05,438 --> 00:27:06,078 sector. 452 00:27:06,078 --> 00:27:07,440 So that's the approach I take. 453 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:11,610 that leads to the next question, which really relates to what he just said is 454 00:27:11,610 --> 00:27:15,890 building client relationships and partnership is crucial for startup. 455 00:27:15,890 --> 00:27:19,330 The same thing, take their calls, build that relationship, see what you can 456 00:27:19,330 --> 00:27:23,540 benefit from, how you can help because you feel their pain and any business to me, 457 00:27:23,540 --> 00:27:28,609 not just startup, it's all about client relationships and partnerships. 458 00:27:28,609 --> 00:27:34,450 And for startups, at least what's your advice for founders who's looking to 459 00:27:34,450 --> 00:27:35,598 establish that type of. 460 00:27:35,598 --> 00:27:39,738 you know, a nurture, a meaningful relationship or connection or 461 00:27:39,738 --> 00:27:45,178 partnerships, you know, for the climate and sustainability, you know, in that 462 00:27:45,178 --> 00:27:45,984 sector. 463 00:27:46,042 --> 00:27:47,342 Hmm. 464 00:27:48,002 --> 00:27:50,522 so this would probably go all over the place. 465 00:27:50,522 --> 00:27:54,462 Like, there's a lot of stream of consciousness available between, that 466 00:27:54,462 --> 00:27:55,982 prompt and my answer. 467 00:27:55,982 --> 00:28:03,422 so, meet other founders, for starters, there's even if it's, you're in the middle 468 00:28:03,422 --> 00:28:04,338 of, I don't know. 469 00:28:04,442 --> 00:28:07,742 Gary, Indiana or Duluthers, you're not in New York City. 470 00:28:07,742 --> 00:28:12,782 You can still find places in the online space like Slack channels, Discord, 471 00:28:13,482 --> 00:28:14,302 WhatsApp. 472 00:28:14,302 --> 00:28:18,342 There's listservs out there where you can connect with other people who are trying 473 00:28:18,342 --> 00:28:23,262 to do the same thing and the resource providers who are involved with that. 474 00:28:23,622 --> 00:28:27,002 Lots of free content out there for startups either. 475 00:28:27,002 --> 00:28:32,702 on a freemium basis or just like out of the goodness of everyone's hearts, right? 476 00:28:32,702 --> 00:28:37,262 Like there's no shortage of people who are trying to spur the economy because they 477 00:28:37,262 --> 00:28:42,902 know small to medium enterprises are like the heartblood, the lifeblood or the heart 478 00:28:42,902 --> 00:28:44,352 of American business, right? 479 00:28:44,352 --> 00:28:46,902 So everyone's trying to make more of them. 480 00:28:46,902 --> 00:28:51,462 There's going to be a lot of resources out there to be supporting startups in that 481 00:28:51,462 --> 00:28:52,422 regard. 482 00:28:53,022 --> 00:28:55,282 I guess number... 483 00:28:55,450 --> 00:29:02,630 two of a main point right there is when it comes to approaching potential clients, do 484 00:29:02,630 --> 00:29:07,950 you wanna not necessarily go to them like here's my solution, I know the solution 485 00:29:07,950 --> 00:29:10,830 for you, this has gotta be it, right? 486 00:29:10,830 --> 00:29:18,950 Use humility and an open ear about that and just ask them like how do you work and 487 00:29:18,950 --> 00:29:21,030 what do you work on and what are your pain points, right? 488 00:29:21,030 --> 00:29:24,058 That's the main factor is trying to resolve. 489 00:29:24,058 --> 00:29:26,658 those pain points and then just listen, right? 490 00:29:26,658 --> 00:29:32,858 And be ready to pivot and be modular as far as what you think you're working on 491 00:29:32,858 --> 00:29:37,038 versus what is actually needed in the market after some validation. 492 00:29:37,938 --> 00:29:43,798 You know, there's a temptation, I guess, like if you encounter a little gem of 493 00:29:43,798 --> 00:29:48,198 advice from somebody like, okay, let me spend the next 72 hours straight remaking 494 00:29:48,198 --> 00:29:48,798 my product. 495 00:29:48,798 --> 00:29:49,768 Like, don't do that. 496 00:29:49,768 --> 00:29:53,274 Like it's unbalancing acts, just incorporate. 497 00:29:53,274 --> 00:29:59,834 that form of feedback though People people buy from people right? 498 00:29:59,834 --> 00:30:03,814 They don't necessarily buy a sentence on a website, right? 499 00:30:03,814 --> 00:30:09,294 So Don't be afraid to go out meet anyone in any sector. 500 00:30:09,294 --> 00:30:16,034 Just talk to people like learn Learn how they work how they think but more so like 501 00:30:16,034 --> 00:30:20,858 who they are right and who you let them know who you are as a person because 502 00:30:20,858 --> 00:30:25,598 that can only accrue to your benefit over time, assuming you're on board, right? 503 00:30:25,718 --> 00:30:30,598 Everything's above board with you as a person, then you're all good. 504 00:30:30,598 --> 00:30:39,238 Because there's no shortage of opportunities out there for people in like 505 00:30:39,238 --> 00:30:41,338 a given diaspora to intermingle. 506 00:30:41,338 --> 00:30:42,878 years down the road. 507 00:30:42,878 --> 00:30:44,898 Let me use an example. 508 00:30:44,898 --> 00:30:46,638 I'm going back to my political days. 509 00:30:46,638 --> 00:30:52,858 Like working at the Capitol, there'd be people working in the mail room or like 510 00:30:52,858 --> 00:30:54,818 janitorial cafeteria, something like that. 511 00:30:54,818 --> 00:30:57,058 And then they decide, I'm going to take a leap. 512 00:30:57,058 --> 00:30:58,778 I'm going to do something different. 513 00:30:58,778 --> 00:31:01,468 I'm going to try to run for office now. 514 00:31:01,468 --> 00:31:03,038 I'm not just going to clean this building. 515 00:31:03,038 --> 00:31:05,128 I'm going to help run a committee or something like that. 516 00:31:05,128 --> 00:31:06,088 And it actually works. 517 00:31:06,088 --> 00:31:08,078 Like there are some people who do that. 518 00:31:08,078 --> 00:31:10,874 So you never know if the person who you're meeting, 519 00:31:10,874 --> 00:31:15,614 in a given spot, even if they're not helpful to you right there when it comes 520 00:31:15,614 --> 00:31:21,114 to the whatever it is you're trying to develop, they can still be helpful for you 521 00:31:21,114 --> 00:31:24,394 later on down the road in ways that you don't even imagine, right? 522 00:31:24,394 --> 00:31:27,724 In their next job or in the next role, something like that. 523 00:31:27,724 --> 00:31:32,874 So just get out there and be known, even if you're not putting your product in 524 00:31:32,874 --> 00:31:36,394 their face or validating it per se. 525 00:31:37,034 --> 00:31:39,634 You know, find people to talk to. 526 00:31:39,866 --> 00:31:42,106 I guess is the right thing right there. 527 00:31:42,106 --> 00:31:49,526 And you know, don't shy away from coaching on a variety of fronts, right? 528 00:31:49,526 --> 00:31:53,446 Career, personal, whatever it is, just find sources of strength and people that 529 00:31:53,446 --> 00:31:57,198 are willing to make you better and then lean into that. 530 00:31:57,198 --> 00:32:01,078 Yes, I agree totally agree. 531 00:32:01,078 --> 00:32:07,978 so, you know My next thing matt is what aspiration and goals you have for the 532 00:32:07,978 --> 00:32:13,838 future both personally and professionally You know in in terms of driving, positive 533 00:32:13,838 --> 00:32:19,130 change in the climate and sustainability landscape 534 00:32:19,130 --> 00:32:24,690 So I'm not going to tell you like, I want to be the VP of whatever for whatever, you 535 00:32:24,690 --> 00:32:25,530 know? 536 00:32:25,530 --> 00:32:27,710 It's not going to look like that. 537 00:32:27,710 --> 00:32:31,380 It is just like more generalistic, like I want to drive positive change, right? 538 00:32:31,380 --> 00:32:39,330 Like net zero, climate adaptation, any sort of capacity that I might bring to 539 00:32:39,330 --> 00:32:44,290 make connections for others or mobilize like people and capital toward a more just 540 00:32:44,290 --> 00:32:44,880 society. 541 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:46,850 I'm down for it, right? 542 00:32:46,850 --> 00:32:52,950 like it's kind of that approach that I would take, when it comes to just like you 543 00:32:52,950 --> 00:32:58,650 actually, I mean, what would innovate or, my work with clean tech open, or, or 544 00:32:58,650 --> 00:33:03,030 whatever it is, just helping others achieve their dreams, helping other 545 00:33:03,030 --> 00:33:10,310 innovators, find those places for success and, lending one's, own knowledge and 546 00:33:10,310 --> 00:33:14,554 expertise, toward that, because you know, that is a multiplier effect. 547 00:33:14,554 --> 00:33:16,284 that goes well beyond yourself, right? 548 00:33:16,284 --> 00:33:21,134 So there's few things more rewarding than encountering others out there who ask for 549 00:33:21,134 --> 00:33:24,934 your support, advice, mentorship, that sort of thing. 550 00:33:24,934 --> 00:33:27,554 It's a rewarding thing, right? 551 00:33:27,554 --> 00:33:32,914 And so I guess even though I don't call myself a coach in any official way, like 552 00:33:32,914 --> 00:33:38,674 that might be the highest aspiration down the road when it comes to like, what do 553 00:33:38,674 --> 00:33:40,034 you want to do with people, right? 554 00:33:40,034 --> 00:33:40,526 So. 555 00:33:40,526 --> 00:33:42,886 just gave me a tagline idea. 556 00:33:42,886 --> 00:33:48,727 Achieve your dreams by helping others to achieve their dreams. 557 00:33:48,906 --> 00:33:50,436 That's it. 558 00:33:50,436 --> 00:33:57,506 Yes, you heard it first on entrepreneurs on deck with Matt. 559 00:33:57,506 --> 00:34:00,216 Matt, anything you want to share with us? 560 00:34:00,216 --> 00:34:04,426 Upcoming, something upcoming in the near future you want to advertise or promote or 561 00:34:04,426 --> 00:34:08,058 mentions like, hey, yes, I have a, tell us. 562 00:34:08,174 --> 00:34:13,894 for our listeners and viewers to look for, to, you know, maybe they'll find you in 563 00:34:13,894 --> 00:34:16,293 Capitol Hill soon somewhere. 564 00:34:17,846 --> 00:34:23,406 Hopefully in the right format and not being escorted by bailiffs or anything 565 00:34:23,406 --> 00:34:24,566 like that. 566 00:34:25,466 --> 00:34:29,346 You know, shame on me, I guess if I didn't bring it back to my own startup. 567 00:34:29,346 --> 00:34:31,496 So visit weathertrade .net. 568 00:34:31,496 --> 00:34:35,066 We're always debuting new products and promotions. 569 00:34:35,066 --> 00:34:36,890 It's a... 570 00:34:36,890 --> 00:34:41,190 price points and ideas are spanning the gamut, right? 571 00:34:41,190 --> 00:34:45,690 As far as what we might be able to offer, it's an early stage company in an area 572 00:34:45,690 --> 00:34:50,070 that's ballooning in terms of global interest in climate change adaptation and 573 00:34:50,070 --> 00:34:51,130 resilience. 574 00:34:51,430 --> 00:34:53,129 So visit weathertrade .net. 575 00:34:53,129 --> 00:34:55,030 I would just direct you there. 576 00:34:55,030 --> 00:35:01,330 As for the rest, you know, go to innovate .ai. 577 00:35:01,330 --> 00:35:03,022 Did I get your website right, Bob? 578 00:35:03,022 --> 00:35:03,742 Absolutely. 579 00:35:03,742 --> 00:35:05,442 Innovate that AI. 580 00:35:05,962 --> 00:35:07,782 Our startup platform. 581 00:35:07,782 --> 00:35:08,290 Yes. 582 00:35:08,290 --> 00:35:09,870 It's a startup platform. 583 00:35:09,870 --> 00:35:11,950 I'm excited about it. 584 00:35:11,950 --> 00:35:15,250 And I'm looking forward to seeing what it's going to be doing in the months and 585 00:35:15,250 --> 00:35:16,954 years to come in its success. 586 00:35:16,954 --> 00:35:17,374 definitely. 587 00:35:17,374 --> 00:35:17,744 Absolutely. 588 00:35:17,744 --> 00:35:23,574 With the help of such ambassadors like yourself and others, definitely with the 589 00:35:23,574 --> 00:35:27,954 message that we've given out there, a positive message, clean energy and clean 590 00:35:27,954 --> 00:35:28,434 AI. 591 00:35:28,434 --> 00:35:31,194 There's no dirty AI, but clean AI. 592 00:35:31,194 --> 00:35:33,154 Definitely, yes. 593 00:35:33,314 --> 00:35:35,666 Yes, absolutely. 594 00:35:35,666 --> 00:35:43,098 And from what I know of that, some of the more, let's say like... 595 00:35:43,098 --> 00:35:49,338 I don't even know the words, but like music, technology, video, audio, graphics, 596 00:35:49,338 --> 00:35:51,737 the video game, things like that. 597 00:35:51,758 --> 00:35:52,858 Anything AV. 598 00:35:52,858 --> 00:35:55,958 I'm real excited about it because I dabbled in those worlds. 599 00:35:55,958 --> 00:35:57,398 I was a DJ in a past life. 600 00:35:57,398 --> 00:35:58,278 I like to make beats. 601 00:35:58,278 --> 00:36:02,178 And so it thrills me to no end just talking to a guy who's got a record over 602 00:36:02,178 --> 00:36:04,198 his shoulder for his background. 603 00:36:04,198 --> 00:36:04,768 You know what I'm saying? 604 00:36:04,768 --> 00:36:09,198 So like there's a lot of fun to be had when it comes to in the day. 605 00:36:09,726 --> 00:36:15,266 I listen I look at it this way the most common Universal language are two things 606 00:36:15,266 --> 00:36:19,886 music and technology these are the two people that they're actually the thriving 607 00:36:19,886 --> 00:36:26,106 power behind humanity I would this how I feel, you know music makes everybody happy 608 00:36:26,106 --> 00:36:31,526 and technology takes everybody forward thrive progress and I think we should 609 00:36:31,526 --> 00:36:37,230 really focus if we focus as human on being happy and 610 00:36:37,230 --> 00:36:41,370 to progress forward by advancing and learning and adapting new ways of 611 00:36:41,370 --> 00:36:42,990 technology. 612 00:36:42,990 --> 00:36:47,630 And I think will be, Earth will be a better place, a great place to be in. 613 00:36:47,630 --> 00:36:53,030 Because I think anything we wanna know, all the answers, it's all in technology. 614 00:36:53,150 --> 00:36:57,490 The more we progress, the more we get closer to what we wanna know. 615 00:36:57,790 --> 00:37:00,270 Not the whole picture, but at least what we wanna know. 616 00:37:00,270 --> 00:37:01,710 It's all in technology. 617 00:37:01,710 --> 00:37:05,870 We need to keep advancing, keep learning, keep adapting. 618 00:37:05,870 --> 00:37:10,490 new ways of communicating, working, doing things. 619 00:37:10,490 --> 00:37:14,970 Not the old was bad, no, but you got to start from some point, somehow. 620 00:37:14,970 --> 00:37:16,610 You got to start somewhere. 621 00:37:16,610 --> 00:37:19,790 And from there, you just keep building, progressing forward and going. 622 00:37:19,790 --> 00:37:22,050 This is my philosophy. 623 00:37:22,050 --> 00:37:25,498 Again, I'm not a philosopher or professor, but this is my own philosophy. 624 00:37:25,498 --> 00:37:28,898 Started as a philosophy major and I was like I could be a monk or a teacher. 625 00:37:28,898 --> 00:37:33,218 I'm not gonna keep doing this But you're sending my heart a flutter in a way deepak 626 00:37:33,218 --> 00:37:40,258 Chopra never could I Think that that's a lot of The truth right there at its soul. 627 00:37:40,258 --> 00:37:45,438 I would add math as a universal language, but I was never good at it So I really 628 00:37:45,438 --> 00:37:48,850 can't I can't boost it that much right here 629 00:37:48,850 --> 00:37:53,550 at math either, but you know But great, you know what Matt? 630 00:37:53,550 --> 00:37:58,870 It really is a interesting Light -hearted and insightful interview. 631 00:37:58,870 --> 00:38:00,430 I definitely enjoyed it. 632 00:38:00,430 --> 00:38:06,890 Would love to have you again in near future and It was it was a pleasure 633 00:38:06,890 --> 00:38:11,660 absolutely and Again to the audience and to our viewers the listeners. 634 00:38:11,660 --> 00:38:16,174 Thank you for joining us today on innovate presents 635 00:38:16,174 --> 00:38:21,894 and entrepreneurs in tech and be sure to connect with us on socials, on social 636 00:38:21,894 --> 00:38:26,324 media and until next time keep innovating and stay curious. 637 00:38:26,324 --> 00:38:31,674 I always say that, keep innovating, stay curious and that's it. 638 00:38:31,674 --> 00:38:34,874 See you till next time, probably be next week. 639 00:38:35,694 --> 00:38:37,644 Definitely, thank you again, sir. 640 00:38:37,644 --> 00:38:39,694 Appreciate it. 641 00:38:39,894 --> 00:38:40,646 My pleasure.