Earth Data: $40M for Stratospheric Robot Fleet with Zero Emissions | Rema Matevosyan, CEO of Near Space Labs

Climate resilience via better data: 7 cm-resolution via satellites and aerial imagery that does in hours what 80,000 drones would do in weeks.🎧 Episode SummaryNear Space Labs is a category-defining Earth observation company delivering high-resolution, high-frequency aerial imagery through its industry-first stratospheric imaging platform, the Swift. With its nationwide network of autonomous Swift robots, the company provides unmatched 7 cm-resolution imagery at a scale and cadence that fundamentally transform how organizations monitor and respond to our rapidly changing world. Near Space Labs' private-market focus has enabled it to develop sustainable technologies that meet the needs of commercial clients while reducing reliance on federal funding. Its mission is to serve as the Earth data backbone for business, community, and climate resilience.While pursuing her PhD in aerospace systems engineering, Rema Matevosyan, co-founder and CEO, worked on the European Union's Copernicus satellite network, where she began exploring new approaches to Earth observation. Recognizing the limitations of traditional satellite and aerial imagery, Matevosyan decided to leave her PhD program to found Near Space Labs. Her vision has led to breakthroughs in stratospheric imaging technology, and the company now serves major Fortune 500 enterprises across multiple industries. A published researcher and recognized scholar by the International Astronautical Federation, Matevosyan was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 for her contributions to aerospace innovation.-----------Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. Capped at 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets.👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.comGet my 3-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOsFor climate CEOs: 3 decisions each week in climate finance, strategy tools, and mindful leadership — based on work with 300+ climate CEOs and 25 years of meditation practice.👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.)If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it.👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviewsAbout the Host:Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, follow daily posts on LinkedIn:👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding

Axiom Cloud also helps grocery stores and cold chain storage companies reduce energy use by 11% and avoid costly maintenance.🎧 Episode SummaryAmrit Robbins co-founded Axiom Cloud in 2020 to solve the most painful problems facing cold chain operators and unlock a massive climate opportunity: reducing refrigerant leaks (refrigerants are greenhouse gases that are up to 4,000x more potent than CO2). Axiom Cloud helps grocery chains and cold storage companies solve their most significant maintenance, compliance, and energy challenges through AI and automation. No new hardware or sensors are required; the solution can be installed across many facilities quickly (fully remote installation), and the initial payback is <1 year. Prior to Axiom Cloud, Amrit was the CEO and co-founder of Axiom Exergy, a hardware company that commercialized thermal energy storage retrofits for grocery-store refrigeration systems. He sold the first pilots to Amazon/Whole Foods and Walmart and led Axiom Exergy through multiple rounds of venture fundraising. Before Axiom Exergy, Amrit worked at Clark Energy Group (CEG), where he co-led the sales, development, and engineering of a $100M energy-efficiency retrofit project for a national supermarket chain.Amrit earned his B.S. in Atmosphere/Energy Engineering at Stanford University. He is a father of two girls and a jazz/reggae/funk/salsa/R&B trumpet player. (Obviously!)-----------Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets.👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.comGet my 3-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOsFor climate CEOs: 3 decisions each week in climate finance, strategy tools, and mindful leadership — drawn from lessons working with 300+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice.👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.)No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it.👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviewsAbout the Host:Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, follow daily posts on LinkedIn:👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding

Project finance for carbon removed from the atmosphere to supply beverage and heavy industry customers in the US and abroad.🎧 Episode SummaryAircapture creates and scales modular Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems that harvest carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere for on-site application or storage. The company fosters a circular carbon economy by supplying this clean CO2 to industrial and commercial customers for uses ranging from carbonating beverages to permanent underground sequestration. Recently securing $50 million in Series A funding, Aircapture is currently focused on expanding its manufacturing capabilities to improve system reliability and reduce deployment costs.Matt Atwood is the Founder and CEO of Aircapture, a technologist and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in renewable and climate technology development. Before his current role, he founded Algae Systems, where he developed the world's first energy-positive wastewater treatment platform. His career in carbon removal began with biofuel research in 2002, leading him to discover Direct Air Capture in 2009 as a scalable solution for diverse global markets.-----------Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets.👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.comGet my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOsFor entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice.👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.)No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it.👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviewsAbout the Host:Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn:👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding

Here are today’s five NEW topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:1. 📊 CLIMATE DATAFungi: the overachievers of the climate crisis2. 💡 CEO TO KNOWWill Kain @ Avnos ($100M for DAC producing fresh water)3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTDmitriy Antropov @ Partners Group ($8B for smart infrastructure)4. 🤖 AI INSIGHTLet AI try to embarrass you (before reality does)5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENTChurchill’s guide to finding your psychic TNT------------Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets.👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.comGet my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOsFor entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice.👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.)No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it.👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviewsAbout the Host:Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn:👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding---Cover credit: Matt Ferrell's YouTube channel Undecided

Here are today’s five NEW topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:1. 📊 CLIMATE DATAPollution tracker: 740 million emissions sources2. 💡 CEO TO KNOWBen Parker @ Lightship3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTMicah Kotch @ Blackhorn Ventures4. 🤖 AI INSIGHTDear ChatGPT, what do you know about me?5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENTEverything is figure-out-able.------------Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets.👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.comGet my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOsFor entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice.👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.)No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it.👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviewsAbout the Host:Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn:👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding

Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA50 million miles of transmission lines are needed by 2040 to achieve climate goals.2. 💡 CEO TO KNOWCam Halliday @ Mantel ($32M for carbon capture)3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTDave Kirkpatrick @ SJF Ventures ($435M for impact startups)4. 🤖 AI INSIGHTAI as speechwriter for critical moments (in a rush)5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENTMisery or strength: same workload, different ROI------------Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets.👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.comGet my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOsFor entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice.👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.)No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it.👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviewsAbout the Host:Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn:👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding--Cover image credit: BloombergNEF, 2023. (Note: Their projections for transmission lines go out to 2050, not 2040 as IEA does.)

Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:1. 📊 CLIMATE DATA$7 trillion on data centers by 20302. 💡 CEO TO KNOWTod Hynes @ Maigent & MIT3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTKareem Dabbagh & Joe Goodman @ VoLo Earth4. 🤖 AI INSIGHTAI as “Cognitive Reframing Coach”5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENT“Despair is a failure of imagination.”------------Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets.👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.comGet my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOsFor entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice.👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.)No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it.👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviewsAbout the Host:Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn:👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding--Cover image source: McKinsey & Company, 2025.

Ex-Tesla engineers raise $60M for solar and battery-powered RVs, creating tomorrow's camping today and relevant for 1 in 10 Americans.🎧 Episode SummaryBen Parker is the Co-Founder of Lightship, an electric RV company that’s reimagining how we hit the road sustainably.Lightship builds aerodynamic, all-electric travel trailers with onboard solar and battery systems that can provide 5-7 days of clean power.Before founding Lightship in 2020, Ben was an EV engineer at Tesla. He and his co-founder Toby Kraus (also ex-Tesla) have raised over $60 million from investors like our friends at Prelude Ventures, Congruent Ventures, and Obvious Ventures.In short: Parker and 120 + team members are building the Airstream of the net-zero era: sleek, solar-powered, and silent.-----------Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets.👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.comGet my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOsFor entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice.👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.)No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it.👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviewsAbout the Host:Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn:👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding

Here are today’s five topics on climate & clean energy, startup investment, AI for entrepreneurs, and mindfulness in leadership:1. 📊 CLIMATE DATARobots: Building a net-zero future (not just stealing jobs)2. 👏 CEO TO KNOWBill Flederbach @ ClimeCo (45M tons of CO2e reduced, avoided, or removed)3. 💸 INVESTOR SPOTLIGHTHoward Fischer @ Gratitude Railroad (from hedge fund to impact investor)4. 🤖 AI INSIGHTPeople are OK with AI taking 58% of our jobs.5. ⛰️ MINDFUL MOMENTBelieve it or not, data shows the world is getting better.------------Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets.👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.comGet my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOsFor entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice.👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.)No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it.👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviewsAbout the Host:Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn:👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding--Cover image source: Friis and Riley at Harvard University. 2025.

Discover why Shell, Eni, and MCJ invested in this molten borate carbon capture tech led by an MIT PhD.🎧 Episode SummaryMantel Capture is a Boston-based climate technology company developing the first molten-salt (molten borate) carbon capture system designed to operate at the high temperatures found inside boilers, kilns, and furnaces. Their technology cuts the energy penalty of carbon capture by recovering useful heat (steam or electricity) and can reduce costs by roughly half compared with conventional systems. Mantel raised $30 million in Series A funding, led by Shell Ventures and Eni Next, to deploy a demonstration plant at a pulp & paper mill that will capture around 1,800 tons of CO₂ per year.Cam Halliday holds multiple degrees from MIT, including a PhD in Chemical Engineering, an MS in Chemical Engineering, and an MBA from MIT Sloan. Originally from the UK, he co-founded Mantel in 2022 after years of carbon capture research in MIT’s Hatton Lab. You’ll also be lulled into submission by his very sophisticated British accent, especially in contrast to my Southern drawl. 😅------------Join my EFI Climate CEO Peer Group:Become an EFI Climate CEO Fellow — North America’s top invite-only peer community for growth-stage CEOs in climate tech and sustainability. 100 CEOs and Mentors representing $40B in market value or investment assets.👉 https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.comGet my 4-Minute Newsletter: Climate CEOsFor entrepreneurs and investors: 5 quick ideas on climate data, CEOs to know, investor spotlights, AI insights, and mindfulness moments — drawn from lessons working with 400+ climate CEOs and investors, plus 25 years of meditation practice.👉 https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.comLeave a Podcast Review. (All the cool kids do it.)No sponsors — just real conversations with climate leaders. If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review to help others discover it.👉 https://ratethispodcast.com/guides/where-can-people-leave-podcast-reviewsAbout the Host:Dr. Chris Wedding is a climate CEO coach, investor, serial founder, board member, professor, and occasional monk. For more on climate tech startups and leadership, connect on LinkedIn:👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherwedding