Most climate news these days is grim, but on a sunny rooftop in downtown Seattle during Pacific Northwest Climate Week, the mood was surprisingly upbeat. In this episode of Positive Charge, we pull eight climate tech investors and startup founders away from the happy hour cocktails to get their unfiltered real talk on where the industry is actually heading.

The optimism isn't rooted in wishful thinking or environmental altruism — it’s built on solid business fundamentals. From calling out "tourist cash" chasing overhyped AI data centers and nuclear tech to doubling down on unsexy workhorses like grid upgrades, solar breakthroughs, and ag-tech, these insiders reveal where real money is flowing and why cleaner solutions are simply winning on economics.

We distill their rooftop confessions down to four major themes driving clean tech forward — plus one crucial bonus takeaway on why technology alone will never be enough to save us. Tune in to hear what has climate leaders excited, what makes them worried, and why the future of sustainability is shifting from bleeding wallets to serious green.

Sources and references

Interviews:

• Jonathan Azoff, co-founder and general partner of the venture capital firm SNØCAP
• Yi Jean Chow, investment partner with Clean Energy Ventures
• Mike Dieterich, author and sustainability executive for Decarb Advisory
• Ben Shwab Eidelson, co-founder and partner of Stepchange Ventures, co-host of the Stepchange Show podcast
• Karin Kidder, executive director of E8, a Pacific Northwest-based climate angel organization
• Duncan Logan, co-founder and CEO of 9Zero, a climate innovation hub with Seattle and San Francisco locations
• Darian Parrish, founder of PwrOn, a Seattle startup developing portable clean power
• Susan Su, partner at the venture capital firm Toba Capital and founder of the podcast and Substack Climate Money

Additional sources:

• PNW Climate Week, organizer of the annual event
• It's Electric, an EV charging startup mentioned by Karin Kidder
• LazeraH, a nuclear startup pursuing muon-catalyzed fusion mentioned by Jonathon Azoff

This episode was hosted by Lisa Stiffler and Laura Scott, and edited and produced by Laura Scott, with editorial assistance from Todd Bishop. Sponsored by Amazon Sustainability.