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Mike Nemer welcomes Tim Wang, Managing Partner at Keymaker, to The Green Insider Podcast for a conversation about how early-stage venture capital is evolving across energy, data centers, automation, and deep technology. Tim shares how Keymaker evaluates seed-stage companies, what they look for in founders, and why reputation, commercial traction, and resilience matter so much at the earliest stages of investment. What You’ll Learn How Keymaker approaches seed-stage investing and evaluates early companies Why founder reputation, personality, and past performance are critical investment signals What commercial traction looks like for startups targeting infrastructure markets Why energy infrastructure, data center infrastructure, and industrial automation are converging How renewable energy, battery storage, and AI are creating major opportunities over the next decade Why venture activity and deep-tech talent are spreading beyond California How the changing job market is affecting college students and young professionals Notable Takeaways At the seed stage, investors are often evaluating the founder as much as the company. Infrastructure-focused startups need a realistic path to commercial traction. The convergence of renewable energy, batteries, AI, and data centers may define the next decade of opportunity. Sustainability is increasingly being framed as a source of profit, efficiency, and resilience. Students and early-career professionals will need to keep adapting as AI changes the skills employers value. Listen For Tim’s view on what makes a founder investable How Keymaker sources opportunities through inbound interest and proactive outreach Why battery storage and renewable infrastructure remain early in their adoption curve How AI is changing both energy demand and the future of employment Become a Green Insider Be sure to subscribe to The Green Insider, powered by ERENEWABLE, wherever you get your podcasts—and don’t forget to leave us a five‑star rating! To learn more about our guests or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact ERENEWABLE and The Green Insider Podcast. #GreenInsiderPodcast #EnergyInfrastructure #CleanEnergy #RenewableEnergy #BatteryStorage #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #DataCenters #IndustrialAutomation #VentureCapital #SeedInvesting #StartupInvesting #ClimateTech #DeepTech #FutureOfWork #Sustainability #EnergyTransition #Innovation The post Energy Infrastructure, AI, and Seed Investing on The Green Insider appeared first on eRENEWABLE.

The 2026 Charge – Powering Energy Brands conference, hosted at the offices of CPS Energy in San Antonio, was a tremendous success. The event brought together leaders and innovators from across the energy and communications space for an unforgettable experience focused on connection, insight, and creativity. We were thrilled to once again record The Green Insider podcast live from this Charge North America event, featuring an outstanding lineup of guests: Rob Cantrell, CEO, Atlantic Energy Timothy Wang, Managing Partner, Keymaker Jake Edie, Managing Partner, RenewComm Mush Khan, CEO, Alchemy Industrial Jacob Yang, CEO, Amp Your Story Together, these conversations highlighted how Charge continues to deliver on its promise of networking, education, creativity, and recognition across the energy ecosystem. Congratulations to all this year’s conference award winners—you can learn more about them here. Special congratulations and thank you to Fridrik Larsen, Natalie Bacon, and the entire Charge team for producing another exceptional event. And to our Follower Friday listeners and guests: thank you for being part of the journey—we truly couldn’t do this without you. Become a Green Insider Be sure to subscribe to The Green Insider, powered by ERENEWABLE, wherever you get your podcasts—and don’t forget to leave us a five‑star rating! To learn more about our guests or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact ERENEWABLE and The Green Insider Podcast. The post 2026 Charge – Powering Energy Brands Conference Recap appeared first on eRENEWABLE.

Mahesh Konduru, CEO of Momentum Technologies, joined “The Green Insider” to discuss critical minerals and their impact on the economy and various industries. With 25 years of experience, Mahesh shared his background in chemical engineering and his focus on commercializing technologies in the material science space. He emphasized the growing importance of critical minerals, especially in light of recent news about their use and the situation in Ukraine. Highlights from episode 317 are: Momentum Technologies focuses on developing solutions to recover and process critical minerals domestically in the U.S., reducing reliance on foreign supply chains, particularly China. Critical minerals are essential for consumer electronics, medical technology, mobility, and defense applications. The company processes and sells battery materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt, which are priced on public commodity exchanges, as well as rare earth elements with lower trading volumes. Rare earth metals used in magnets include neodymium, praseodymium, terbium, and dysprosium, which are key to advanced magnetic materials. Momentum Technologies advances rare earth magnet recycling using sources such as end‑of‑life products, manufacturing scrap, and mining tailings. Recycling rare earth materials has become more economically viable due to technological advancements and increased industry focus. The company’s processing technology is described as more efficient and environmentally friendly compared to traditional large‑scale methods. Momentum Technologies operates a demonstration plant in Carrollton, Texas, and plans to build two additional plants: one in Ohio for battery materials and another for rare earth element recovery (Dallas area or the California–Nevada border). The planned facilities aim to be operational by early 2027, supporting U.S. supply‑chain resilience and national security. To be an Insider Please subscribe to The Green Insider powered by ERENEWABLE wherever you get your podcast from and remember to leave us a five-star rating. To learn more about our guest or ask about being a sponsor, contact ERENEWABLE and the Green Insider Podcast. The post Momentum Technologies and the Future of U.S. Critical Minerals appeared first on eRENEWABLE.

Erica Ocampo, Chief Sustainability Officer at The Metals Company (TMC), to discuss with Mike Nemer their deep-sea mining operations on episode 315 of The Green Insider. TMC is exploring polymetallic nodules in the Clarion‑Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean, which contain nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese. Overview of TMC’s Work TMC is exploring polymetallic nodules in the Clarion‑Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean, which contain nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese Mining Technology and Process Operations occur at approximately 4,000 meters depth using a collector vehicle connected to a surface vessel via a riser system Nodules are lifted using water jets, separated from sediment onboard, and water and sediment are returned to the ocean at 2,000 meters depth Sustainability and ESG Focus Erica, Chief Sustainability Officer at TMC, leads ESG integration from the ground up Environmental programs study seafloor impacts, water‑column effects, greenhouse gas emissions, and water use Social impact efforts benefit from the remote location, minimizing impacts to local communities Partnerships with countries such as Nauru and Tonga support scholarships and capacity‑building programs U.S. Mineral Processing Expansion TMC plans to process minerals in the United States to reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains Potential processing and port locations include Texas, Japan, and Indonesia A research vessel accommodating up to 150 scientists has completed 22 ocean campaigns over 13 years, including pilot tests in 2022 Strategic Pivot to Deep‑Sea Mining TMC shifted from the International Seabed Authority framework to operate under U.S. regulatory oversight, citing clearer processes and communication The transition took more than a decade and positions the company to begin operations in early 2027 Environmental Context and Research Findings Focus is on polymetallic nodules in the NORI‑D area, valued for high quality and location in a low‑productivity ecosystem Research indicates the mid‑water sediment plume dissipates quickly with no significant food‑web impacts observed The region has no tuna fisheries, reducing ecological risk to commercial species Overall Perspective Erica stresses the need for a nuanced, evidence‑based discussion of deep-sea mining rather than black‑and‑white judgments To be an Insider Please subscribe to The Green Insider powered by ERENEWABLE wherever you get your podcast from and remember to leave us a five-star rating. To learn more about our guest or ask about being a sponsor, contact ERENEWABLE and the Green Insider Podcast. The post Strategic Access to Nickel, Cobalt, Copper, and Manganese with TMC’s Technology appeared first on eRENEWABLE.

Mike Nemer and Fridrik Larsen Founder of Charge Powering Energy Brands Conference discussed the upcoming charge conference in San Antonio, which has been rescheduled from April/May to February 26-27. Fridrik explained that CHARGE, which focuses on energy brands and their importance in the boardroom, is moving from Houston to San Antonio to create a more energetic atmosphere like their European events. Today on episode 314 of The Green Insider Podcast, we will cover how the conference will explore how energy companies can better understand and leverage their brands across the value chain, including internal and external stakeholders. The conversation includes: Branding Strategies and Value The conference uniquely focuses on utilities, with a branding strategy aimed at attracting top talent and improving client relationships. Fridrik Larsen highlighted that strong brand value acts as a multiplier for enterprise value, especially during acquisitions or sales, and helps companies differentiate beyond price competition. Understanding target market segments is crucial for effective customer communication. The conference uniquely focuses on utilities, with a branding strategy aimed at attracting top talent and improving client relationships. Brand Measurement Tools Fridrik Larsen introduced the brandr indexing tool for measuring and improving brand strength. The brandr index measures brand strength by assessing internal and external brand ambassadors, providing actionable insights for improving brand culture. The index has been successfully used by European companies such as EKR and Lufthansa for seven years. Business Impact and Marketing Decisions Quantifying and benchmarking brand strength helps companies make informed marketing decisions, allocate budgets effectively, and gain respect from executives. Running brand indexes can identify problems, improve marketing strategies, and potentially save significant marketing dollars. Conference Participation Attendees are encouraged to learn more at the upcoming CHARGE Conference in San Antonio. A registration discount is available for podcast listeners using the code: thegreeninsider15. For a discount use code thegreeninsider15 – to register go to Register Now. To be an Insider Please subscribe to The Green Insider powered by ERENEWABLE wherever you get your podcast from and remember to leave us a five-star rating. This podcast is sponsored by UTSI International.  To learn more about our sponsor or ask about being a sponsor, contact ERENEWABLE and the Green Insider Podcast. The post Key Insights on the Upcoming CHARGE Conference: Leveraging Brand Strength in the Energy Sector appeared first on eRENEWABLE.