Consensus in Conversation

May 23 2024

Consensus in Conversation Podcast artwork

Welcome to Consensus in Conversation, a new podcast hosted by Conor Gaughan where we talk to innovators and entrepreneurs who have built great businesses and careers that do well while doing good.
A rich life is so much more than a unicorn start-up going public. The true unicorns are those living fulfilling lives doing what they love AND making it to their kid’s games. This podcast is an opportunity to talk to inspiring leaders, job creators, innovators, and problem solvers – people across the country who are making the world a better place and more sustainable place, while successfully making good money.
Join the conversation.
Enjoy a new episode every Thursday!
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Rewind: Alfred Johnson of Crux on Creating a Clean Energy Tax Credit Marketplace

May 23 2024 47 mins

Just over one year ago, the IRS published its final rules and guidance on the transferability of clean energy tax credits. Not only did transferability solve a major flaw in the Inflation Reduction Act’s plan to support clean energy infrastructure development, but, as many founders correctly foresaw, it was about to create an entirely new financial market. This week, we’re

Dr. Vince Romanin of Gradient on Heat Pumps, Zero-Carbon Infrastructure, and the Triple Bottom Line

May 16 2024 51 mins

HVAC is one of the most important quality of life utilities that we never think about– at least, until it stops working. It’s also energy inefficient and expensive, responsible for almost 20% of global GHG emissions, with decades-old infrastructure way behind the design innovation curve. But Dr. Vince Romanin has a solution: reimagine HVAC as we know it by combining person

Pavle Jeremic of Aether Biomachines on Rearranging Atoms, Scaling Deep Tech, and Defeating Scarcity

May 09 2024 54 mins

Pavle Jeremic wants to end resource scarcity by literally rearranging atoms. Inspired to build a better, more abundant future after witnessing violent conflict in his parents’ native Yugoslavia, Pavle launched Aether Biomachines in 2017 at just 21 years old. Since then, he’s successfully led the protein engineering startup to the cutting edge of nanotechnology, working to solve

Josh Domingues of Flashfood on the Athlete Mentality, Superpowered Data, and Making Food Affordable

May 02 2024 53 mins

Food waste is a $25 billion problem for American supermarkets, but Josh Domingues has an app for that. Josh is the founder and executive chairman of Flashfood, a simple but elegant application that directly connects consumers with local grocery stores to buy food nearing expiration at a huge discount. This approach is a win-win-win for all parties: grocers get paid for food th

Lindsey Davis Stover & Shivam Mallick Shah of 1953 Tequila on Elevating Women & Exceptional Tequila

Apr 18 2024 51 mins

Two founders of 1953 Tequila, Lindsey Davis Stover and Shivam Mallick Shah, join Conor for a special in-person conversation to share how their ultra-premium, additive-free tequila is prioritizing sustainability, elevating women in the spirits industry, and also offering an awesome drinking experience.Lindsey, Shivam, and the rest of the 1953 founding team met through Congressi

Manik Suri of GlacierGrid on Transformative Tech, Automating Energy Use, and Cold Chain 2.0

Apr 11 2024 51 mins

Manik Suri is implementing smart technology into cooling, ushering in the era of Cold Chain 2.0. Before founding GlacierGrid in 2020, Manik finished top of his class at Harvard, went to Cambridge for a masters in international relations, returned to Harvard for a law degree, co-founded the Governance Lab, with stops at storied institutions like DE Shaw and the White House Economic

Karthik Balakrishnan of ACTUAL on SimCity for Capital Plans and the Sustainability Execution Gap

Apr 04 2024 55 mins

Stanford rocket scientist and fintech entrepreneur Karthik Balakrishnan is integrating high-tech infrastructure modeling with video game interface design to create a software platform that allows businesses to virtually test their plans for maximum sustainability and bottom-line impact. In 2018, Karthik co-founded software startup ACTUAL based on a unique premise: what if you

Special from CLIMB by VSC: When Technology Transcends Screens with Sunil Nagaraj

Mar 28 2024 57 mins

This week, we’re proud to share a special episode of the CLIMB by VSC podcast with Jay Kapoor, featuring his interview with Sunil Nagaraj. CLIMB is a weekly podcast where Jay and VSC Ventures co-founder Vijay Chattha speak with leading investors, founders, and industry experts about lessons and perspectives on company-building in the world of climate tech and climate adaptation.&

Frank Heidinger of HALEVAI on Marine Conservation, Electric Boats, and the Power of Marginal Gains

Mar 21 2024 47 mins

Frank Heidinger believes that lots of small improvements over time can create a huge impact, and he’s using that concept to electrify the recreational boating industry, responsible for 1% of global carbon emissions. Frank is the founder and CEO of HALEVAI, a cutting-edge company making high-performance, fully electric recreational boats that will reduce the industry’s envi

Jay Kapoor of VSC Ventures on Climate Automation, Hidden Economies, and Sustainable Investing

Mar 14 2024 54 mins

Jay Kapoor believes there is massive opportunity in climate automation and that identifying hidden economies is key to building a more sustainable future. Jay is co-founder and general partner at VSC Ventures, a storytelling-focused VC firm investing in early stage climate tech and automation startups. In part two of our conversation with Jay, we dive into the nitty gritty: Ja