Rooted in Change

Direct air capture usually brings to mind massive, remote industrial plants, but capturing carbon right where we live and work is a huge opportunity - and exactly what Soletair Power is tackling. Instead of relying on remote, standalone facilities that require heavy infrastructure, they integrate scalable carbon capture technology right into existing building ventilation systems. Optimized for urban environments, their modular units scrub the air, which actually lowers the building's required ventilation rate and cuts energy costs. This scalable solution can turn everyday commercial real estate into 100% carbon sinks. CEO Petri reflects on the progress so far, the challenges the team has overcome and why every building matters in drawing down emissions.

Thanks to AI, finding new enzymes is almost easy. But running them continuously at an industrial scale? That’s the real challenge and exactly what Biozeroc is tackling. They build the missing layer to keep enzymes alive and there and enable a continuous processing infrastructure. By plugging their continuous reactors directly into existing plants, they completely take enzyme lifetime out of process design. Liv shares in this episode her entrepreneurial journey, how her upbringing in Northern Sweden has ingrained a deep admiration for nature and the one thing that keeps her going. We recorded this special episode live at The Drop, featuring some great questions from the audience.

PFAS has already made a number of appearances on this show, but safely eliminating these toxic "forever chemicals" and other micropollutants remains a massive challenge. Finding the exact microorganisms capable of degrading them is like finding a needle in the haystack, which is why the industry still heavily relies on costly, unsustainable disposal methods like incineration. CellX replaces these outdated practices by capturing and scaling unique bacterial consortia to break down these pollutants biologically. Positioning themselves as a comprehensive biosolutions company rather than just a PFAS remediation startup, they use patented microtechnology to deploy these bacteria to treat both industrial wastewater and contaminated soils. Estelle joins the podcast to talk about how they managed to discover these rare bacterial degraders, the mechanics behind their biological treatment, and why the Zurich ecosystem provided the perfect foundation to spin off the company.

Decarbonizing high-temperature industrial heating remains one of the hardest challenges in the energy transition, often requiring massive amounts of fossil fuels. The industry continues to rely on traditional kilns that waste huge amounts of energy heating the surrounding air and walls, until now. ILLUTHERM replaces these outdated, carbon-heavy methods by introducing a breakthrough digital solution: heating with blue LED light. By generating heat directly inside the material itself, this highly precise technology can bring materials from 0 to over 1000°C in just a matter of seconds, maximizing efficiency and enabling completely CO2-neutral industrial processing. Lukas talks about how he first came across this groundbreaking idea, how fast the company has managed to scale and ILLUTHERM's ambitious plans going forward to revolutionize industrial heat.

Managing industrial waste without relying on energy-intensive methods remains one of the biggest challenges for the environment, often resulting in pollutants simply being moved from one place to another. The industry continues to rely on these traditional remediation techniques. MycoMine harnesses the natural capabilities of fungi to break down harmful compounds at a molecular level. Deployed through scalable, modular systems, this biological solution transforms toxic pollutants into harmless water, carbon dioxide, and biomass, creating a flexible and measurable treatment for global industries. Magnus, MycoMine's CEO, joins the podcast to talk about the biology behind their fungal technology, the shift toward natural remediation and the company's vision for sustainable waste management.

Keeping barnacles and algae off of ship hulls without poisoning the water remains a massive challenge for the maritime industry, often requiring polluting chemicals. The industry continues to rely on these toxic paints. BioHalo replaces these outdated coatings by using biotechnology to create safe, eco-friendly alternatives. By rethinking the chemistry from the ground up, BioHalo produces a highly effective barrier that stops marine growth, prevents ship drag, and slashes fuel emissions, while eliminating harmful ocean pollutants. Johann, BioHalo's CEO, talks about the biotechnology behind their breakthrough product, the importance of replacing toxic chemicals in marine environments and the company's vision for a clean maritime future.

Aligning solar energy production with actual grid demand remains one of the hardest challenges in the energy transition, often resulting in peak generation when we need it the least. The industry continues to rely on traditional, tilted rooftop arrays. Over Easy Solar replaces these conventional setups by introducing vertical, double-sided solar panels. By optimizing these arrays for east-west installations to generate power from both sides of the glass, Over Easy Solar achieves an industry-leading bifaciality of 96%. This innovative design maximizes energy production precisely during the morning and evening peak hours when the grid demands it most. Trygve joins the podcast to talk about the idea behind their vertical arrays, why the product is so crucial for the energy transition and their niche in green roofs.

When we think about climate change, we most of the time think about CO2. But neutralizing methane, a gas with an even higher global warming potential, when it is too spread out to simply catch and burn remains a massive challenge for global climate efforts. The industry continues to rely on traditional methods like flaring that only work on highly concentrated leaks. Sixteen44 replaces these limited approaches by introducing a unique technology to safely break down dilute methane right at the source. Sixteen44 acts as a high-tech fire extinguisher for hotspots like landfills and mines, permanently eliminating the methane and significantly reducing its warming impact. William, Sixteen44's co-founder, joins the podcast to talk about the technology behind their breakthrough process, the importance of targeting emission hotspots and the company's ambitious roadmap.

Managing extraneous water and optimizing sewer networks remains one of the hardest challenges in the water industry, requiring costly and labor-intensive monitoring. Utilities continue to rely on these inefficient traditional methods. Pluvion changes that by introducing intelligent, AI-driven software to the wastewater sector. By analyzing data from existing level sensors to efficiently detect and localize water infiltration, Pluvion provides a cost-effective system that enables real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance. Philipp, Pluvion's CEO and co-founder, talks about the technology behind their breakthrough product, the power of real-time data and the company's vision for a sustainable water future.

Storing and transporting renewable hydrogen remains one of the hardest challenges of the energy transition, requiring complex and expensive high-pressure tanks. The industry continues to rely on these inefficient methods. Iron Energy replaces traditional tanks by turning hydrogen into a stable, solid energy carrier. By reacting hydrogen with iron oxide to safely lock the energy into metallic iron, Iron Energy allows for indefinite storage and releases almost 100% of the injected hydrogen on demand simply by adding steam. Daniel, Iron Energy's co-founder, joins the podcast to talk about his unusual journey from finance to deep tech, the company's scale-up journey and why their business model works so well.