Some of the most interesting climate technologies don’t fit neatly into a category. That is the idea behind the Wildcard entries in BloombergNEF’s annual Pioneers competition, which recognizes promising innovations from across the energy transition. This year’s Wildcard winners span three very different fields: BasiGo is electrifying bus fleets in Africa, Endolith is using microbes and machine learning to recover more copper from low-grade ores, and GRST is developing a water-based battery binder designed to make lithium-ion cells less toxic and easier to recycle. On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees and BNEF Pioneers co-chair Benjamin Kafri speak with all three companies about the technologies they’re building, the markets they’re targeting and the challenges of scaling up. More information regarding the upcoming 2027 BNEF Pioneers program can be found at about.bnef.com/about/pioneers/

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Climate-Tech Companies to Watch in 2026: BNEF Pioneers - https://www.bnef.com/insights/39231

Some of the most interesting climate technologies don&rsquo;t fit neatly into a category. That is the idea behind the Wildcard entries in BloombergNEF&rsquo;s annual Pioneers competition, which recognizes promising innovations from across the energy transition. This year&rsquo;s Wildcard winners span three very different fields: BasiGo is electrifying bus fleets in Africa, Endolith is using microbes and machine learning to recover more copper from low-grade ores, and GRST is developing a water-based battery binder designed to make lithium-ion cells less toxic and easier to recycle. On today&rsquo;s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees and BNEF Pioneers co-chair Benjamin Kafri speak with all three companies about the technologies they&rsquo;re building, the markets they&rsquo;re targeting and the challenges of scaling up. More information regarding the upcoming 2027 BNEF Pioneers program can be found at <a href="https://about.bnef.com/about/pioneers/">about.bnef.com/about/pioneers/</a>
Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF&lt;GO&gt; on the Bloomberg Terminal or on <a href="https://www.bnef.com/">bnef.com</a>
Links to research notes from this episode:
Climate-Tech Companies to Watch in 2026: BNEF Pioneers - <a href="https://www.bnef.com/insights/39231">https://www.bnef.com/insights/39231</a>

The future of energy, transport, sustainability and more, as told by BNEF analysts. Each week, Dana Perkins and Tom Rowlands-Rees sit down with BloombergNEF (BNEF) analysts to uncover the key findings and stories behind their latest research.

The future of energy, transport, sustainability and more, as told by BNEF analysts. Each week, Dana Perkins and Tom Rowlands-Rees sit down with BloombergNEF (BNEF) analysts to uncover the key findings and stories behind their latest research.

The future of energy, transport, sustainability and more from Bloomberg analysts

Switched On

BNEF Pioneers: Buses, Bioleaching and Better Batteries

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/c7991a9b-4047-4395-b155-b4c00062f1c2/transcript