Will Wiseman's path to founding Climatize started with a stark realization. When he and a hundred thousand people participated in the 2019 Barcelona climate strikes, he realized there was massive, palpable passion, but not necessarily an actionable channel for everyone to activate afterward. To fill that gap, he and his co-founder got to work building a platform that transforms capital into climate infrastructure. The product, Climatize, is an SEC-registered funding portal that democratizes renewable energy investment by giving everyday investors access to crowdfund community-scale solar and storage projects.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the results validate the thesis: $12M deployed across 26 projects in 12 states, with $3.5M already returned to investors, though past performance does not guarantee future results. Now, the platform is gaining traction and scale; in fact, a battery energy storage project in New York raised $124K in three days on Climatize, with the final $50K snowballing in less than an hour.

And there’s more to the story than just the numbers. Much more, in fact. In discussing the business, energy markets and trends, and the evolution of renewable energy technologies, Nick and Will also zoom out to appreciate the power of identifying and creating new narratives that resonate across diverse stakeholders, including farmers in rural Tennessee and Georgia, and reflect on the power of flywheel dynamics in general to accelerate positive change across society.

To learn more about Climatize and to get $50 towards investing in renewable energy projects, Keep Cool listeners can explore this dedicated landing page and/or use https://climatize.earth/keep-cool code “COOL50” when signing up for Climatize.

For a visual feel, check out videos exploring Climatize’s work in the field, see here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZJmvjw1SwrJIBt1tOrp1g9Nm3FCWTazA

Timestamps:

00:01:06 - Introduction of Will Wiseman, CEO of Climatize

00:02:47 - Will Wiseman's Background in Renewable Energy

00:03:42 - The Genesis of Climatize

00:05:07 - The Power of Collective Capital

00:06:14 – Emphasizing the Importance of Individual Agency in Climate Action

00:08:14 - Changes in the Renewable Energy Sector Over the Last Decade

00:13:05 - The Versatility of Renewable Energy Projects

00:17:59 - Empowering Communities Through Renewable Energy Projects

00:18:33 - The Speed and Efficiency of Climatize's Funding Model

00:20:03 - Mechanics of Climatize's Investment Platform

00:22:09 - Climatize's Project Evaluation and Underwriting Process

00:24:15 - Types of Projects Funded by Climatize

00:27:08 - Potential for Global Expansion

00:30:20 - Overcoming Early Platform Challenges

00:31:10 - The Role of AI in Climatize's Operations

00:35:04 - Future Initiatives and Priorities for Climatize

00:36:15 - The Importance of Collective Action and Self-Actualization

00:38:19 - The Flywheel Effect and Future Acceleration

00:39:03 - Closing Remarks and Call to Action

Final notes:

To keep up with Will and his work, you can follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-wiseman/

Plus, you can stay up to date on all things Keep Cool here: https://keepcool.co/ and follow Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasvanosdol/

Thank you so much.

On this episode, Nick is joined by Maya Poncelet, Head of Partnerships at Una Terra, an early growth fund investing in the circular economy and other regenerative businesses and technologies. Together, Nick and Maya discuss Una Terra’s growth equity investment theses surrounding the circular economy, what broader systems change accompanies and extends beyond the requisite responses to climate change, and how to work towards a more sustainable, equitable future with those key themes in mind.

Further, Maya offers stellar examples of the investment work she’s focused on at Una Terra and grounding reflections on building an impactful career with sustainability at its center.

Timestamps:

00:01:13 - Guest Introduction: Maya Poncelet from Una Terra

00:05:05 - Challenges in Traditional Finance and the Need for Systemic Change

00:06:48 - The Club of Rome and New Economic Models

00:07:57 – On Systems Change and Economic Reform Theory

00:10:28 - Using Current Systems to Build Future Systems

00:15:28 – Una Terra's Focus on the Circular Economy

00:19:33 – A Focus on Biodiversity Loss and Its Impact

00:22:16 – Defining and Outlining Investment Opportunities in the Circular Economy

00:26:28 - Recent Developments and Exciting Projects at Una Terra

00:36:48 - Europe's Role in the Climate and Energy Transition

00:40:00 - Optimism for Future Systems and A Rapid Transition

Learn more about Maya and Una Terra’s work here: https://unaterra.vc/

Thank you so much.

Plus, you can stay up to date on all things Keep Cool here:

https://keepcool.co/ and follow Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasvanosdol/

Tune is as Nick is joined by Johanna Wolfson, co-founder and General Partner of Azolla Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in breakthroughs that have the potential to avert catastrophic climate change. Together, Nick and Johanna explore Azolla Ventures’ unique approach to combining catalytic capital—philanthropic and risk-tolerant funding designed to prioritize impact over returns—with traditional venture capital to fill critical early-stage gaps left by traditional investors and accelerate innovation in and adoption of climate tech solutions.

Johanna also explores how this approach enables her and her team to support “big swings” in climate solutions—including in under-discussed and under-supported areas of technological innovation—by bridging high-risk deployments from ideation and spin-out stages through commercialization, particularly for technologies often considered too risky.

Further, they discuss:

• Urgency and opportunity in methane emissions mitigation: Nick and Johanna reflect on a common appreciation and excitement for opportunities to slow global warming by supporting methane mitigation technologies and approaches, which other investors across climate tech and energy often overlook. Further, Johanna offers a portfolio company example to ground this discussion in tangible terms.
• Long-termism and adaptability in climate investing: Nick and Johanna iterate on and advocate for a longer-term approach to climate investing, emphasizing planning horizons of 2050 and beyond to foster greater durability across policy shifts and macroeconomic trends. They also emphasize the need for adaptability in response to rapid technological and market changes.
• Other underserved technological and policy-focused opportunities: Johanna encourages entrepreneurs and funders to review and adjust their theories of change continually and to look globally for “where the action is”—including emerging opportunities in international regulations, such as new global carbon taxes for shipping, stratospheric aerosol injection, and the importance of government research funding in advancing early-stage solutions.

Timestamps:

00:01:28 – Introductions and Azolla Ventures' investment strategy

00:05:39 - Portfolio companies: Sublime Systems and lower-carbon cement production

00:10:15 - Role of catalytic capital in climate tech startups formation and scaling

00:11:19 – Portfolio companies: Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals

00:14:25 – The primacy of long-term climate tech investment perspectives

00:16:58 - Current climate tech investment environment across geographies

00:22:36 - Balancing short-term realities with long-term goals

00:25:23 - Methane moonshots and a focus on Biolumic

00:27:24 – Massive opportunities in methane and nitrous oxide mitigation

00:29:02 - Stratospheric aerosol injection and other emerging climate interventions

00:30:30 - Final thoughts and calls to action

Learn more about Johanna’s work and Azolla Ventures by following both on LinkedIn and exploring Azolla Ventures’ website and portfolio here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannawolfson/ + https://www.linkedin.com/company/azolla-ventures/ + https://azollaventures.com/

If you love listening to The Keep Cool Show, please leave me

a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/keepcool

Plus, you can stay up to date on all things Keep Cool here: https://keepcool.co/ and follow Nick on...