
#168: Zach Jones, CEO of C-Zero — $500M plants. Investors such as Breakthrough Energy Ventures, SK Gas, and Engie. Decarbonizing Natural Gas. 45V Incentives. Skeptical Optimism.
02/15/24 • 46 min
⭐ My guest today is Zach Jones, cofounder and CEO of C-Zero.
C-Zero converts natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon. The hydrogen provides clean, low-cost energy on demand, while the carbon can be permanently sequestered. Investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, SK Gas, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Engie.
Zach is biomedical engineer-turned-CEO with experience at The Economist, Beryllium Capital, EconoMEDics, and East Meets West Foundation.
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🌐 LINKS:
C-Zero – https://www.czero.energy/ Zach Jones – https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachjones06/
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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:
Why natural gas is thermodynamically clean given its high hydrogen content. Why big energy companies are motivated investors in his venture, where a scaled up plant could cost $500M. The power of extreme focus. The top three things a CEO must do well. How to think about upstream methane emissions. How to crack natural gas without electricity. The need to be a skeptical optimist. Impacts of the federal 45V incentive.
And lots more!
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🙏 QUICK FAVOR:
Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.
This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.
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🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:
2-minute newsletter: https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com
Climate CEO peer group community: https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com
Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): https://t.ly/V6xcB
DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): https://t.ly/QCcl5
Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃
⭐ My guest today is Zach Jones, cofounder and CEO of C-Zero.
C-Zero converts natural gas into hydrogen and solid carbon. The hydrogen provides clean, low-cost energy on demand, while the carbon can be permanently sequestered. Investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, SK Gas, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Engie.
Zach is biomedical engineer-turned-CEO with experience at The Economist, Beryllium Capital, EconoMEDics, and East Meets West Foundation.
---
🌐 LINKS:
C-Zero – https://www.czero.energy/ Zach Jones – https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachjones06/
---
🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:
Why natural gas is thermodynamically clean given its high hydrogen content. Why big energy companies are motivated investors in his venture, where a scaled up plant could cost $500M. The power of extreme focus. The top three things a CEO must do well. How to think about upstream methane emissions. How to crack natural gas without electricity. The need to be a skeptical optimist. Impacts of the federal 45V incentive.
And lots more!
---
🙏 QUICK FAVOR:
Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.
This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.
---
🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:
2-minute newsletter: https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com
Climate CEO peer group community: https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com
Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): https://t.ly/V6xcB
DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): https://t.ly/QCcl5
Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃
Previous Episode

#167: Matt Ellis, CEO at Measurabl — ESG Software for Real Estate. $170M+ Raised. $2T of Value. 17B Square Feet. Selling Data. FTSE Partnership. Transparency Matters.
⭐ My guest today is Matt Ellis, CEO of Measurabl.
Measurabl is the ESG platform built for real estate to measure, manage, disclose, and act on ESG data. Their 200+ employees serve clients representing 17 billion square feet of real estate and $2T of value in 93 countries.
Matt is the former Director of Sustainability Solutions at CBRE, a Fortune 500 company and global leader in commercial real estate services and investments with around 3 billion square feet under management. His new book is: From Green to ESG: How Data-Driven Transparency Changed Real Estate for Good.
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🌐 LINKS:
Measurabl – https://www.measurabl.com
Matt – https://www.linkedin.com/in/measurabl
Matt’s book, Green to ESG – https://www.amazon.com/Green-ESG-Data-Driven-Transparency-Changed/dp/B09TZ9BSCN
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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:
Why his private equity, asset manager, and REIT customers use his software. How he prices his products. His data partnership with the FTSE index, which is moving billions of dollars into green real estate. The pains of customer price discovery. Why self advocacy matters. How he balances strategic and VC investors. Future consolidation in this industry.
And lots more!
---
🙏 QUICK FAVOR:
Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.
This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.
---
🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:
2-minute newsletter: https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com
Climate CEO peer group community: https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com
Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): https://t.ly/V6xcB
DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): https://t.ly/QCcl5
Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃
Next Episode

#169: Amit Gupta, CEO of Aeroseal — $100M Invested in Heating and Cooling Energy Efficiency. 40 Years of Lab Testing. Managing Our Energy Like We Manage Our Time. Determined and Detached.
⭐ My guest today is Amit Gupta, CEO of Aeroseal.
Aeroseal is a cleantech company – with $100M of investor capital raised to date – focused on increasing building efficiency by reducing HVAC losses in the duct system and leaks in the building envelope using patented technologies.
Amit is a mechanical engineer with experience at Tata Motors, Carrier, and 75F, as well as CEO of Aeroseal since its founding in 2010.
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🌐 LINKS:
Aeroseal – https://aeroseal.com Amit Gupta – https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-gupta-36abb0/
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🎙️ PODCAST TOPICS:
40% of global greenhouse gas emissions tied to buildings. 50% of those emissions linked to HVAC use. Their “fix a flat” tagline for leaking buildings. Why their solution is as “safe as bubble gum.” The 40 years of lab testing for their technology and incubation at Carrier. Their changing business model from just selling machines to leasing and software. Why they raised capital after ten years of high-margin operations. His desire to be more courageous, to lead like his “hair was on fire.” The role of meditation in his growth. The need to manage energy better than we manage time.
And lots more!
---
🙏 QUICK FAVOR:
Please leave a review or rating on your podcast player.
This helps more listeners discover the climate CEOs and investors I interview here.
---
🌎 ABOUT ENTREPRENEURS FOR IMPACT:
2-minute newsletter: https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com
Climate CEO peer group community: https://www.entrepreneursforimpact.com
Live online course about startup capital raising (coaching, peer feedback): https://t.ly/V6xcB
DIY course about startup capital raising (170 slides, 70-item library, 250-investor list): https://t.ly/QCcl5
Entrepreneurs for Impact is led by Dr. Chris Wedding — a 4x founder, 4x Board member, Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, father of three, ax-throwing champ, and super humble guy (as evidenced by this long bio). 😃
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