What needs to be considered when transforming granular data into impactful decarbonization actions? The scale and urgency of the transformation required to fight climate change has never been more clear. Building hardware and software products, acquiring the funding and creating a diverse community to enhance talent capacity and to drive innovation, is essential to tackling this global environmental crisis. In this podcast, host and Silicon Valley Bank (a division of First Citizens Bank) Climate Tech & Sustainability SVP Maggie Wong will be interviewing Terralytiq CTO Alysha Hudson to discuss measuring Scope 3 (embodied CO2) emissions at the material level and facilitating deployment of impactful actions, maximizing value creation with granular product delivery based on target users’ incremental needs, as well as the importance of diverse perspectives, data standardization and optimal financing for growing a start-up and tackling climate change.
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Show Notes
- Terralytiq is focused on scope 3 emissions reduction, specifically cradle-to-gate emissions.
- Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from a company’s operations, scope 2 are indirect emissions from purchased electricity, and scope 3 are upstream and downstream emissions in a company’s value chain.
- Terralytiq aims to reduce total annual emissions by 1 gigaton through network effects and strategic data collection.
- Terralytiq’s SaaS platform provides insights and recommendations to help companies identify and act on opportunities to reduce their scope 3 emissions.
- The platform integrates with data sources like bills of materials and lifecycle assessments to provide a granular view of emissions hotspots.
- A key challenge was distilling Terralytiq’s dense domain expertise into a minimum viable product, focusing on the core user value.
- Visualizing the user journey and getting alignment on it was critical before building the product.
- Terralytiq follows an Agile process with 2-week sprints, epics, and incrementally releasable features.
- Diversity of thought and backgrounds on the team helps avoid echo chambers and brings different perspectives.
- Terralytiq’s engineering team is currently all female, reflecting the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Transforming granular data is a major pain point in the climate tech industry.
- Securing financing for first-of-a-kind climate technologies is another key challenge.
- Product managers from any background can contribute to the climate transition, as it is a horizontal opportunity.
- Product managers can get involved through the Vaults podcast, IPCC reports, and the Tara.do program.
- The climate transition represents a radical reinvention of how society operates, presenting an exciting opportunity.
- Everyone has a role to play in the climate transition, regardless of their specific skill set.
- Terralytiq’s platform aims to go beyond just measurement and reporting, focusing on actionable emissions reduction.
- The company’s approach balances necessary measurement with bold, achievable action.
- Terralytiq’s early customers include renewable energy companies looking to decarbonize their own supply chains.
- Demonstrating inclusivity and diverse representation helps Terralytiq attract top talent in the climate tech space.
About the speaker
I am a the Head of Engineering at Terralytiq, where I've been contributing since October 2023. My role involves enhancing the capabilities of our decarbonization solutions and, given the size of our team, is often a blend of "What to build"(product) and "How to build it" (Engineering). My background is a blend of technology and environmental activism, with experience in full-stack development at Dataminr, campaign roles for the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s Biden for President coordinated campaign, educational initiatives with Flypaper Tutors, and contributions to the Zerobase Foundation. I hold a Bachelor of Science from Columbia University.
About the host
Maggie Wong is an accomplished product management and capital markets leader with over 15 years of experience in driving product strategy, delivering global products, fundraising & capital allocation, and leading cross-functional teams. Outside of her role at Silicon Valley Bank to support New York / East Coast based climate tech companies and investors, she is also experienced in increasing program impact, growing community reach and implementing DEI initiatives at travel and fintech non-profits. Maggie is passionate about making a social impact for the next generation, tackling climate change and traveling. She is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese and a beginner in Spanish.