How do you turn cost centers to profitability, decarbonizing waste feedstocks to benefit both organizations and the communities they support? The scale and urgency of the transformation required to fight climate change has never been more clear. Building hardware and SaaS products, acquiring the funding and creating a diverse community to enhance talent capacity and drive innovation, is essential to tackling this environmental crisis. In this episode, Silicon Valley Bank SVP of Climate Tech & Sustainability Maggie Wong speaks with Grain Ecosystem Co-Founder Jason Dodier about his two-decade mission to solve pressing decarbonization, energy efficiency, and energy access challenges worldwide. They will discuss how Grain Ecosystem is leading the way in de-risking, economizing, and scaling waste decarbonization projects, with an emphasis on biochar, across supply chains.
Subscribe to the Product Talk podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and catch every conversation with leading product executives. Episodes drop on Wednesdays.
Show Notes
- Grain Ecosystem is building a software solution to help turn cost centers to profitability like biochar and carbon credits.
- Biochar can potentially reach a market value of $10-20 billion by 2030, with significant environmental benefits.
- The company provides a comprehensive SaaS platform for developing biochar projects, including carbon eligibility calculations and equipment matching.
- Jason’s career journey highlights the importance of taking risks and being open to global opportunities.
- Diversity is crucial in product development, bringing varied perspectives and enhancing team innovation.
- The climate tech sector faces challenges like grid connectivity and transmission investments.
- Streamlining permitting processes is key to accelerating clean energy projects.
- Great product managers combine technical skills with customer empathy and diplomatic communication.
- Startups should focus on making reversible decisions quickly and staying lean.
- Defining an ideal customer profile is critical for scalable business success.
- The circular economy and biomass-to-energy are growing focus areas in climate tech.
- Continuous learning and adaptability are essential for startup success.
- Networking and community engagement are vital for career growth in climate tech.
- The voluntary carbon credit market is evolving, with increasing opportunities for innovation.
- Soil health and agricultural sustainability are critical environmental challenges.
- Private credit and tax equity markets are becoming more important in clean energy financing.
- Collaboration and lifting each other up are more important than competition in addressing global environmental issues.
- Early-stage entrepreneurs should embrace what they don’t know and continue learning.
- Technology advancements and manufacturing tax credits are crucial for domestic clean energy development.
- Small steps with a big vision can lead to significant environmental impact.
About the speaker
Jason Dodier is a business leader and expert in the circular economy, biochar, and decarbonization. He is the Co-Founder of Grain Ecosystem, which leverages AI and data to streamline waste-to-energy projects, focusing on biochar for carbon sequestration and community optimization, while improving the likelihood of securing project financing. With a background in project finance and years of commercial leadership at sustainability leader Schneider Electric, Jason has played a key role in some of the world’s largest and most strategic public-private partnerships and energy transition initiatives. He also serves on the board of the Amazonia Fund Alliance and regularly speaks at global events on sustainability, innovation, and economic models.
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.