The Keep Cool Podcast

Climate tech is constantly evolving. Why? To help solve the most important challenges facing our planet. With so much innovation it’s hard to pick out the companies to watch, and it’s even harder to connect them to the wider climate tech picture. That’s why The Keep Cool Show is here. Join host Nick Van Osdol as he dives deep into the latest technologies shaping climate solution technology, but also zooms out to help investors and anyone working in the industry join the dots and get a broader view of what’s really going on. Every week Nick is joined by a climate tech founder, investor or operator, discussing how they’re working to solve climate change. He’ll join the dots in real time, bringing out the nuances, trends and patterns in the industry. If you’re a climate tech professional already working in the industry, looking for the next big opportunity or simply curious about the space, this is the show for you. Episodes every other Thursday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

The Keep Cool Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 83 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The Keep Cool Podcast, a business show with 83 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #79

  E79: "Eclipsing" venture capital's traditional role, with Aidan Madigan-Curtis

  May 25, 202654 min

  Aidan Madigan-Curtis's path to becoming a partner at Eclipse hinges on fundamental and generalizable takeaways about the U.S. economy that are coming to the fore again. When she was on the manufacturing team at Apple, helping to launch the first Apple Watch, she realized many of the best minds in the world where whittling away at B2B SaaS even as 85% of global GDP, concentrated on how we make, move, and power things, would require step-changes in both hardware, production processes, and decarbonization and sustainability. To address that gap, Aidan and partners have built Eclipse Capital into a $10 billion venture firm that invests in and support companies combining novel approaches to both atoms and bits-focused businesses to rebuild American manufacturing, energy infrastructure, and industrial capacity. Fast-forward to 2026, and the results validate the insight into the core needs and the opportunity to address it: Eclipse recently raised another $1.3 billion across two new funds to back everything from sodium-ion battery storage (Peak Energy) to next-generation nuclear reactors to radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. The firm's portfolio also spans advanced metal 3D printing (Vulcan Forms), autonomous construction equipment (Bedrock Robotics), and cell therapy manufacturing (Solaris). And the thesis remains largely the same, namely that physical-world companies with durable advantages will define the next market cycle, especially as AI demand collides with infrastructural realities. There's a lot more to Nick and Aidan's convo than this, too. Nick and Aidan also zoomed out to examine topics such as: • How data center build-out could accelerate renewable deployment and other elements of the push to decarbonize and advance sustainability prerogatives • How and why public market narratives are shifting to reward companies with physical assets whereas these were less privileged even a few years ago • The power of manufacturing scale to create geopolitical advantages whether economically or in terms of national security. Tune in for all that and more! To learn more about Eclipse and to explore their portfolio, you can also explore their website here: https://eclipse.capital/ Plus, to learn more about their recent fundraising and their theses moving forward, catch up on news articles like this one: https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/vc-firm-eclipse-raises-1-b-physical-industries-university-endowments/818546/ Timestamps: 00:02:21 - Eclipse's New Funds and Capital Raising 00:03:34 - Eclipse's Focus on Industrial Technologies 00:05:47 - Watching the Market Catch Up to Eclipse's Theses 00:07:03 - Aidan's Experience at Apple 00:08:43 - How COVID and Supply Chain Disruptions Catalyze Change 00:09:14 - The Need for Domestic Manufacturing 00:11:07 - Company Case Study: Peak Energy and Battery Storage 00:12:23 - Company Case Study: The Nuclear Company and "Pre-approved Nuclear" 00:15:38 - Geographic Dispersion of Technological Innovation and Impact 00:18:23 - Grassroots Resistance to Data Centers 00:22:14 - The Opportunity Inherent to Data Centers and Decarbonization 00:24:46 - The Industrial Revolution and Rapid Transitions of The Past 00:27:09 - The Role of Venture Capital in Sustainability 00:28:27 - Shifting Public Market Appetite for Physical Companies 00:31:13 - Public Market Dynamics and Narratives 00:34:07 - Industrial Innovations and Manufacturing 00:38:23 - Advanced Manufacturing in the U.S. 00:40:01 - U.S. vs. China in Manufacturing Scale 00:43:23 - An Eye Towards the Future of Energy and Climate Tech 00:45:01 - Non-linearity in Climate Change Final notes: To keep up with Aidan and her work, you can also follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-madigan-curtis Plus, you can stay up to date on all things Keep Cool here: https://keepcool.co/ and follow Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasvanosdol/ Thank you so much.

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  Episode #78

  E78: Attracting capital, both financial and human, during the climate tech "digestion" phase

  Apr 15, 202653 min

  In this episode, Nick sits down with Silas Mähner, founder of ErthTech Talent and the host of the CleanTechies podcast, to unpack how climate tech has evolved since 2020. Starting from Silas’s upbringing in rural, conservative Wisconsin and his accidental entry into renewable energy recruiting, they trace his journey from a deep skepticism of renewables to seeing cleaner, greener, more sustainable technologies and businesses as a once in a century industrial opportunity as part of which “everything we touch physically can be reinvented.” Nick and Silas also explore how political backlash, culture wars, and corporate pragmatism have reshaped the climate narrative: Even as the term "climate" loses favor in many business circles, especially in the U.S., many of the world’s largest companies are still quietly committing to technologies that cut emissions and drive other sustainability outcomes because they make good business sense, too. From there, Nick and Silas zoom out to discuss Silas' priviledged vantage point into the recruiting and company building side of the space. Drawing on his work placing sales talent and hardware engineers into early stage companies, Silas explains why traditional recruiting models are structurally misaligned with pre-seed and seed stage climate tech startups, and how Earthsearch flips that script by stripping out overhead and lowering fees so founders can access high impact hiring support far earlier. For Silas, helping a first time founder land a key early hire is another way of bending the curve on the energy transition. Finally, Nick and Silas use their joint focus on storytelling and media to probe bigger questions surrounding who feels “invited” and excited about climate work, how to tell compelling narratives without needing to rely on climate prerogatives, and why narrative and incentive design are often just as, if not more important, than the technologies, policies, and businesses in question themselves. Timestamps: 00:01:46 - Guest introduction: Silas Mähner, founder of ErthTech Talent 00:02:08 - Evolution of "climate tech" and narrative semantics 00:02:44 - Silas background and entry into Clean Tech 00:07:29 - Silas' founding of EarthTech Talent and the Cleantechies podcast 00:13:25 - Innovations in recruitment business models 00:18:12 - Hiring, narrative, and market trends across the climate tech landscape 00:25:18 - Insights on building a durable company culture 00:32:15 - The role of storytelling in recruitment and capital raising generally 00:39:20 - The importance of maintaing and creating a positive worldview and vision 00:41:00 - Challenges and opportunities in the current climate tech environment 00:45:00 - The human touch to all things capital allocation, recruiting, and fund raising For more from Silas, be sure to follow him on LinkedIn , check out his podcast, and connect with ErthTech Talent , whether you're a job seeker or a company looking for stellar hires. For more from Nick, follow him on LinkedIn , X , and subscribe to his newsletter, Keep Cool . Thank you so much.

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  Episode #77

  E77: Catalyzing individual climate action and agency with Climatize

  Oct 9, 202541 min

  Will Wiseman's path to founding Climatize started with a stark realization. When he and a hundred thousand people participated in the 2019 Barcelona climate strikes, he realized there was massive, palpable passion, but not necessarily an actionable channel for everyone to activate afterward. To fill that gap, he and his co-founder got to work building a platform that transforms capital into climate infrastructure. The product, Climatize, is an SEC-registered funding portal that democratizes renewable energy investment by giving everyday investors access to crowdfund community-scale solar and storage projects.  Fast-forward to 2025, and the results validate the thesis: $12M deployed across 26 projects in 12 states, with $3.5M already returned to investors, though past performance does not guarantee future results. Now, the platform is gaining traction and scale; in fact, a battery energy storage project in New York raised $124K in three days on Climatize, with the final $50K snowballing in less than an hour.  And there’s more to the story than just the numbers. Much more, in fact. In discussing the business, energy markets and trends, and the evolution of renewable energy technologies, Nick and Will also zoom out to appreciate the power of identifying and creating new narratives that resonate across diverse stakeholders, including farmers in rural Tennessee and Georgia, and reflect on the power of flywheel dynamics in general to accelerate positive change across society.  To learn more about Climatize and to get $50 towards investing in renewable energy projects, Keep Cool listeners can explore this dedicated landing page and/or use https://climatize.earth/keep-cool code “COOL50” when signing up for Climatize.  For a visual feel, check out videos exploring Climatize’s work in the field, see here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZJmvjw1SwrJIBt1tOrp1g9Nm3FCWTazA Timestamps: 00:01:06 - Introduction of Will Wiseman, CEO of Climatize 00:02:47 - Will Wiseman's Background in Renewable Energy 00:03:42 - The Genesis of Climatize 00:05:07 - The Power of Collective Capital 00:06:14 – Emphasizing the Importance of Individual Agency in Climate Action 00:08:14 - Changes in the Renewable Energy Sector Over the Last Decade 00:13:05 - The Versatility of Renewable Energy Projects 00:17:59 - Empowering Communities Through Renewable Energy Projects 00:18:33 - The Speed and Efficiency of Climatize's Funding Model 00:20:03 - Mechanics of Climatize's Investment Platform 00:22:09 - Climatize's Project Evaluation and Underwriting Process 00:24:15 - Types of Projects Funded by Climatize 00:27:08 - Potential for Global Expansion 00:30:20 - Overcoming Early Platform Challenges 00:31:10 - The Role of AI in Climatize's Operations 00:35:04 - Future Initiatives and Priorities for Climatize 00:36:15 - The Importance of Collective Action and Self-Actualization 00:38:19 - The Flywheel Effect and Future Acceleration 00:39:03 - Closing Remarks and Call to Action Final notes: To keep up with Will and his work, you can follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-wiseman/ Plus, you can stay up to date on all things Keep Cool here: https://keepcool.co/ and follow Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasvanosdol/ Thank you so much.

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  Episode #76

  E76: Envisioning and building a regenerative future with Maya Poncelet of Una Terra

  Oct 2, 202546 min

  On this episode, Nick is joined by Maya Poncelet, Head of Partnerships at Una Terra, an early growth fund investing in the circular economy and other regenerative businesses and technologies. Together, Nick and Maya discuss Una Terra’s growth equity investment theses surrounding the circular economy, what broader systems change accompanies and extends beyond the requisite responses to climate change, and how to work towards a more sustainable, equitable future with those key themes in mind. Further, Maya offers stellar examples of the investment work she’s focused on at Una Terra and grounding reflections on building an impactful career with sustainability at its center. Timestamps: 00:01:13 - Guest Introduction: Maya Poncelet from Una Terra 00:05:05 - Challenges in Traditional Finance and the Need for Systemic Change 00:06:48 - The Club of Rome and New Economic Models 00:07:57 – On Systems Change and Economic Reform Theory 00:10:28 - Using Current Systems to Build Future Systems 00:15:28 – Una Terra's Focus on the Circular Economy 00:19:33 – A Focus on Biodiversity Loss and Its Impact 00:22:16 – Defining and Outlining Investment Opportunities in the Circular Economy 00:26:28 - Recent Developments and Exciting Projects at Una Terra 00:36:48 - Europe's Role in the Climate and Energy Transition 00:40:00 - Optimism for Future Systems and A Rapid Transition Learn more about Maya and Una Terra’s work here: https://unaterra.vc/ Thank you so much. Plus, you can stay up to date on all things Keep Cool here: https://keepcool.co/ and follow Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasvanosdol/

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  Episode #75

  E75: Methane moonshots, catalytic capital, and more with Johanna Wolfson from Azolla Ventures

  Aug 25, 202534 min

  Tune is as Nick is joined by Johanna Wolfson, co-founder and General Partner of Azolla Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in breakthroughs that have the potential to avert catastrophic climate change. Together, Nick and Johanna explore Azolla Ventures’ unique approach to combining catalytic capital—philanthropic and risk-tolerant funding designed to prioritize impact over returns—with traditional venture capital to fill critical early-stage gaps left by traditional investors and accelerate innovation in and adoption of climate tech solutions. Johanna also explores how this approach enables her and her team to support “big swings” in climate solutions—including in under-discussed and under-supported areas of technological innovation—by bridging high-risk deployments from ideation and spin-out stages through commercialization, particularly for technologies often considered too risky. Further, they discuss: Urgency and opportunity in methane emissions mitigation: Nick and Johanna reflect on a common appreciation and excitement for opportunities to slow global warming by supporting methane mitigation technologies and approaches, which other investors across climate tech and energy often overlook. Further, Johanna offers a portfolio company example to ground this discussion in tangible terms. Long-termism and adaptability in climate investing: Nick and Johanna iterate on and advocate for a longer-term approach to climate investing, emphasizing planning horizons of 2050 and beyond to foster greater durability across policy shifts and macroeconomic trends. They also emphasize the need for adaptability in response to rapid technological and market changes. Other underserved technological and policy-focused opportunities: Johanna encourages entrepreneurs and funders to review and adjust their theories of change continually and to look globally for “where the action is”—including emerging opportunities in international regulations, such as new global carbon taxes for shipping, stratospheric aerosol injection, and the importance of government research funding in advancing early-stage solutions. Timestamps: 00:01:28 – Introductions and Azolla Ventures' investment strategy 00:05:39 - Portfolio companies: Sublime Systems and lower-carbon cement production 00:10:15 - Role of catalytic capital in climate tech startups formation and scaling 00:11:19 – Portfolio companies: Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals 00:14:25 – The primacy of long-term climate tech investment perspectives 00:16:58 - Current climate tech investment environment across geographies 00:22:36 - Balancing short-term realities with long-term goals 00:25:23 - Methane moonshots and a focus on Biolumic 00:27:24 – Massive opportunities in methane and nitrous oxide mitigation 00:29:02 - Stratospheric aerosol injection and other emerging climate interventions 00:30:30 - Final thoughts and calls to action Learn more about Johanna’s work and Azolla Ventures by following both on LinkedIn and exploring Azolla Ventures’ website and portfolio here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannawolfson/ + https://www.linkedin.com/company/azolla-ventures/ + https://azollaventures.com/ If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool Plus, you can stay up to date on all things Keep Cool here: https://keepcool.co/ and follow Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasvanosdol/ Thank you so much.

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