Energy Tech Startups

William shares his journey from the oil and gas industry to developing cutting-edge underground energy storage solutions. He explains how salt dome caverns can be used for long-duration energy storage, helping to support renewable energy growth.

Throughout the episode, William discusses the challenges and opportunities in the current energy market, from regulatory hurdles to technological advancements. His story showcases the shift from traditional oil projects to sustainable, innovative solutions in energy storage.

00:00 - Energy Tech Nexus
00:16 - Intro William Taggart IV
00:59 - Cavern Energy Storage
04:32 - Research Focus Areas
06:26 - Cavern Energy Storage Patent
07:57 - Importance of 400 Meters
12:26 - Salt Domes for Storage
17:34 - Advanced Drilling Technology
18:41 - Technology Risks and Challenges
19:46 - Market Challenges in Energy Storage
22:49 - Understanding the Energy Trilemma
24:55 - Long-Duration Energy Storage Defined
27:18 - Volatility and Consumer Impact
29:50 - Energy Tech Nexus: Growth Platform
30:02 - Fundraising Journey Insights
32:54 - Grant Funding Process Explained
34:05 - Exposing Technology to DOE
36:35 - Entrepreneurial Journey of William Taggart
38:58 - Fixing America's Energy Issues
44:18 - Race to the Bottom in Energy
45:16 - Addressing Climate Change
50:30 - Innovation Ecosystem in Houston
54:33 - Discovering Hidden Gems
55:14 - Supporting Cavern Energy
56:49 - Finding Dr. Webber Online

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Digital Wildcatters brings the energy community together through events, cutting-edge content, and powerful tools. Join our online community at collide.io. Engage with experts, level up your career, and ask Collide AI your toughest technical questions.

Benjamin discusses the exciting opportunities and unique challenges in building and supporting energy tech startups across Latin America and the Caribbean. He shares how Reciprocal’s mission focuses on fostering innovation through nature-based solutions, bridging the gap between the global North and Latin America.

Key topics include Reciprocal's venture studio model, the importance of nature-based solutions in climate strategy, funding strategies for early-stage startups in emerging markets, and the crucial role of indigenous communities and local governance in driving sustainable innovation. Discover how energy, climate, and ecological systems are deeply interconnected in the push for a greener future in the region.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/benzehr/
https://reciprocal.studio/

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:30 - What is Reciprocal
06:22 - The Amazon Fellowship
13:59 - Nature-Based Solutions and Energy
15:45 - Focus on Nature-Based Solutions
18:01 - Monetizing Nature-Based Solutions
25:00 - Starting a Startup Studio
28:46 - Finding Founders in Tech
34:04 - Why Houston for Startups
36:04 - California: Climate Tech Hub
39:58 - Houston's Startup Landscape
45:14 - Gaps in Houston's Startup Ecosystem
48:20 - Ecosystems in Houston Region
50:25 - Houston Energy Tech Summit

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Digital Wildcatters brings the energy community together through events, cutting-edge content, and powerful tools. Join our online community at collide.io. Engage with experts, level up your career, and ask Collide AI your toughest technical questions.

Erik shares his journey from working at DNV to founding Endrava, where he’s developed cutting-edge solutions for industrial decarbonization.

With over a decade of experience in climate tech, Erik discusses his work on CapturMap, a platform that maps global CO2 emission sources and capture projects. His insights into energy and industrial markets, along with his passion for sustainability, showcase how digital tools are accelerating progress toward a cleaner future.

00:00 - Welcome back
1:27 - What is CaptureMap
4:11 - How did you commercialize CaptureMap
5:34 - Who are your ideal customers
6:56 - What kind of emissions are you displaying
7:39 - How do people interact with CaptureMap
9:05 - Your journey hasn’t been linear
13:57 - Why now
16:50 - Bootstrapping vs. VC funding
18:25 - What’s next for Captur
21:27 - Exit strategy
24:09 - Founder relationship
29:32 - What makes entrepreneurs special
31:20 - Importance of learning from mistakes
32:45 - Outsourcing vs doing everything yourself
35:09 - Selling software is hard
40:24 - Building a community around your company
43:15 - Houston
46:57 - Do you need feet on the ground
50:35 - Closing
55:35 - Personal climate impact story
59:30 - Climate change and mass migration
1:01:15 - How to support climate tech startups

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Digital Wildcatters brings the energy community together through events, cutting-edge content, and powerful tools. Join our online community at collide.io. Engage with experts, level up your career, and ask Collide AI your toughest technical questions.

Fresh off their win at the Rice Lily Pitch Competition, Sean and Chen-Yang share their journey from PhD students at Rice University to pioneering entrepreneurs tackling the critical issues of energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In this episode, they discuss how their material science background led to the development of advanced heat management solutions, addressing inefficiencies caused by poor thermal conductivity in traditional semiconductor packaging. With AI and GPU technologies on the rise, HEXASpec is at the forefront of creating next-generation materials to meet the growing demands for efficient heat management. Sean and Chen-Yang also reveal the importance of customer feedback, which prompted them to pivot from HVAC applications to the semiconductor industry, showing how adaptability is key to startup success.

00:00 - Intro
01:00 - What is Heat Management
05:20 - Current Materials in Use
08:15 - Discovering and Developing New Material
10:52 - Market Entry Strategy
16:43 - Pivoting in Business
20:30 - Market Research for Beginners
21:24 - Building a Prototype
23:05 - Fundraising Tips
29:02 - Lessons from Competitions
35:49 - Student Entrepreneurship
39:37 - Houston’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
42:04 - Houston’s Hidden Gems
47:21 - Innovation Ecosystem Gaps
49:40 - Supporting NanoSono
50:13 - Founders' Podcast Thoughts

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Digital Wildcatters brings the energy community together through events, cutting-edge content, and powerful tools. Join our online community at collide.io. Engage with experts, level up your career, and ask Collide AI your toughest technical questions.

Cindy shares how Sage Geosystems is leveraging its oil and gas expertise to develop groundbreaking subsurface pumped hydro storage, a game-changing approach to sustainable energy.

With over 35 years of experience at Shell, Cindy discusses her journey from the oil and gas sector to co-founding Sage Geosystems, driven by a passion to make a meaningful impact in renewable energy. Her leadership and vision are propelling Sage to the forefront of the energy transition, combining cutting-edge geothermal technology with a focus on sustainability.

0:00 - Intro
0:18 - What is Sage Geosystems
1:35 - Traditional vs Next Gen Geothermal
7:14 - Geopressure Geothermal System
19:50 - What does the surface facility look like
25:55 - Why Chesapeake Energy invested
30:42 - Business and technology risks of Eavor
37:43 - Science risk vs engineering risk
40:00 - Advice for hard tech startups on fundraising
46:18 - Houston Support Structures for Startups
50:34 - Gaps in the Houston Startup Ecosystem

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Digital Wildcatters brings the energy community together through events, cutting-edge content, and powerful tools. Join our online community at collide.io. Engage with experts, level up your career, and ask Collide AI your toughest technical questions.