What will it truly take to build and scale the technologies that can reverse climate change? 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 episode, Silicon Valley Bank SVP of Climate Tech & Sustainability Maggie Wong will be interviewing Orpheus Ocean CEO & Co-Founder Jake Russell to discuss ocean data intelligence solutions, scaling lab technologies to commercialization and how diverse founder and team experience attributes to a company’s growth.
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Show Notes
- Orpheus Ocean is developing an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for ultra-scalable deep ocean exploration.
- The ocean absorbs about 30% of global CO2 emissions annually, making it crucial for climate change mitigation.
- Jake Russell transitioned from academia to entrepreneurship, bringing a unique perspective to product development.
- The Orpheus AUV can operate at full ocean depths (up to 11,000 meters) and interact directly with the seabed.
- Diversity in team composition strengthens problem-solving and avoids groupthink.
- Climate tech requires translating academic research into commercially viable solutions.
- The blue economy offers significant opportunities for sustainable resource development.
- Successful product management involves understanding unspoken customer needs.
- Ocean technologies can contribute to carbon removal, sustainable food production, and clean energy generation.
- Startups must be adaptable and responsive to customer feedback.
- Political and economic challenges can significantly impact climate tech development.
- Leveraging natural systems is more cost-effective than building complex technological solutions.
- Networking and continuous learning are key to entering the climate tech sector.
- The Orpheus AUV is designed to be scalable and relatively low-cost compared to previous deep-sea exploration technologies.
- Interdisciplinary backgrounds can provide unique insights in technology development.
- The ocean represents an unlimited space for potential resource development.
- Entrepreneurship requires the ability to “code-switch” and communicate effectively with different audiences.
- Deep tech startups must balance technological innovation with market needs.
- Climate tech is still in early stages, with significant room for innovation.
- Successful product development requires balancing technical feasibility with customer requirements.
About the speaker
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.