Leaders on a Mission
Discussions with leaders with a clear mission of creating a healthier world in today’s most innovative startups across FoodTech, AgTech (Agritech), Synbio, Sustainability, Climate Tech, and Clean Tech. Learn more about precision fermentation, cellular agriculture, alternative proteins, crop protection, biologicals, protein expression systems, carbon capture, plant health, precision agriculture, bioinformatics, human nutrition and what it takes to successfully scale your business in this budding sector.
Episodes
126 episodes
Where Impact Investing Meets Scale
What if venture capital could truly solve the world’s biggest problems? In this episode, Helmer Schukken, Managing Partner at Rubio Impact Ventures, reveals how his firm invests where purpose meets profit – backing busine...
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45:59
Unlocking Soil’s Power to Fight Climate Change
What if the key to reversing climate change lies right beneath our feet? In this episode, EarthOptics CEO Lars Dyrud reveals how cutting-edge soil tech is transforming sustainable agriculture and carbon sequestration.&nbs...
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43:44
Cutting Through the Climate Tech Hype
Is climate tech hype distracting us from true transformation? In this episode, Andrew Haughian, Partner at Pangaea Ventures, dives into the reality behind scaling hard tech solutions for planetary health. From cutting th...
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41:48
Sustainable Agriculture: Farming the Future with Electric Tractors
What if a tractor could change the future of farming? In this episode, Monarch Tractor CEO Praveen Penmetsa reveals how electric, autonomous machines such as electric tractors are reshaping sustainable agriculture—one far...
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44:41
Challenging the Climate Investing Playbook
What if the climate crisis isn’t just about carbon—but about people, systems, and resilience? In this episode, I sit down with Hampus Jakobsson, General Partner at Pale Blue Dot, a $100M early-stage climate tech fund.&nbs...
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50:12
AI Investing: How AI is Transforming Venture Capital
The future of business is AI-driven, data-informed, and sustainability-focused. But how do we fund the startups shaping this new reality? In this episode, Tim Chiang, Co-Founder and Partner at Myriad Ventures, unpacks his journey fr...
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44:02
Decarbonizing Cities: The Future of Urban Carbon Capture
Can we truly decarbonize cities without disrupting daily life? Shane Johnson, CEO & Co-Founder of CarbonQuest, is proving it's possible. In this episode, Shane shares his journey from engineer to entrepreneur, pioneering on-site...
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36:58
Long-Term Investing for a Climate Revolution
What if the biggest investment opportunity of our time is also our greatest challenge? In this episode of Leaders on a Mission, host Simon Leich sits down with Adrian Bührer, Managing Partner at Übermorgen Ventures, to explore...
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45:16
The Switch to Sustainable Fertilizer: An Agricultural Revolution
What if we could revolutionize agriculture with biology instead of chemicals? Join Tim Schnabel, CEO of Switch Bioworks, as he delves into the company’s mission to replace 50% of traditional nitrogen fertilizers with engineered micr...
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35:35
Why Tough Tech Startups Will Dominate the Next Energy Boom
Why is “tough tech” set to revolutionize the next wave of energy transition? Michael Kearney, General Partner at The Engine Ventures, shares how startups tackling hard engineering problems are unlocking clean, firm baseload power li...
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40:44
Cementing Change: Zero Emissions Cement at the Heart of Global Construction
Cement accounts for 8% of global CO₂ emissions, but what if it could be reimagined to help solve the climate crisis? Join Simon Leich as he sits down with Ryan Gilliam, CEO of Fortera, to explore how they’re transforming the cement ...
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40:20
From Poverty to Building Industries that Transform Humanity
From growing up in poverty in upstate New York to coining the term "cloud computing" and revolutionising venture capital, Sean O’Sullivan’s story is nothing short of remarkable. As Founder and Managing Partner of SOSV, Sean has back...
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49:17
How Nanotechnology is Powering the Future of Next-Gen Electronics
What does it take to lead an advanced materials company from the brink of bankruptcy to becoming a global innovator in nano-composites?In this episode, Simon sits down with Craig Bandes, CEO of Pixelligent Technologies, to unpack his ext...
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43:11
Cracking the Code of Early-Stage Climate Tech Investing
Which early-stage startups are poised for success in the climate tech world? Venture expert Josh Posamentier reveals the telltale green flags that signal a winning investment opportunity.In this episode, Josh shares how early-stage ventu...
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46:32
Clean Power: How AI and Data Are Driving a Power Revolution
Microsoft opens up a new data center globally every three days. We need to make sure there’s enough clean energy to power this! In this episode, Tim Vail, CEO of ION Clean Energy, explains how his company is revolutionizing clean po...
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45:32
Funding the Future of Food: Venture Capital Investing in AgriTech
Hendrik Van Asbroeck shares Astanor Ventures' exciting approach to venture capital, fueling groundbreaking, impact-driven startups revolutionizing the future of food and agriculture.In this insightful conversation, Hendrik discusses his ...
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42:04
SAF: Will The Aviation Industry Meet Its 2050 Net Zero Target?
Sky NRG is revolutionizing aviation with sustainable fuel to tackle climate change and decarbonize the skies.In this episode, Philippe Lacamp, CEO of SkyNRG, delves into the challenges and opportunities of transforming the aviation indus...
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35:59
Rethinking Clean Nuclear Power: Turning Nuclear Waste into Fuel
Is nuclear energy a dinosaur from the past? Ed McGinnis talks about exciting new nuclear energy innovations that are leading the path for clean energy transition, as well as solving nuclear waste issues.The CEO of Curio shares his unique...
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46:02
Electric Vehicles: Supercharging the Transition with a Circular Economy
Explore how Zenobē Energy has raised over 1 billion pounds with their innovative energy storage and electric vehicle technology.Steven Meersman, Founder Director of Zenobē Energy, is leading the clean energy revolution, tackling grid cha...
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43:34
Is There Such a Thing as Ethical Sustainable Leather?
Qorium is revolutionizing the leather industry with lab-grown, animal-free leather that's sustainable, cruelty-free, and set to reshape the future of fashion.In this episode, Michael Newton, CEO of Qorium, takes us on an exciting journey...
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37:25
No Alternative: Supercharging Large-Scale Renewable Energy
Bart Biebuyck, CEO and founder of Green Energy Park, discusses how they are driving the transition to affordable, renewable hydrogen.From his early career with Toyota to leading Europe’s largest hydrogen research program, Bart shares his...
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40:29
The Green Industrial Revolution: Environmentally Responsible Lithium Extraction
Jeremy Wrathall, founder and CEO of Cornish Lithium, is revolutionizing the way lithium and other vital battery metals are sourced in the UK.He shares his bold vision for sustainable extraction methods that are helping to shape the futur...
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36:09
From Scraps to the Skies: The Rise of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
LanzaJet, led by CEO Jimmy Samartzis, is pioneering the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from waste materials.LanzaJet has developed an amazing technology that transforms ethanol from sources like municipal waste and...
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45:33
Igniting Innovation: Where VC Meets Sustainable Investing
Aaron Rudberg of S2G Ventures shares his firm's unique approach to sustainable investing, focusing on positive environmental and social impact.Aaron addresses the question "what is sustainable investment?" and explains how S2G invests i...
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41:36
Carbon Conversion & Sustainable Space Exploration: the New Era of Aviation
In this episode, host Simon Leich chats to Greg about his carbon conversion company's pioneering work in CO2 capture and carbon conversion – turning it into valuable products like sustainable aviation fuel in partnership with @NASA.
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38:46