Welcome. If you’re new, curious, or quietly wondering if your idea is naïve, you’re in the right place. This community exists to help people learn, ask questions, and think through ideas around climate and energy technology. You don’t need experience. You don’t need a startup. You don’t need answers yet. Here’s how to begin. 1. Share only what you’re comfortable sharing You’re never expected to disclose anything sensitive here. High-level ideas, questions, and curiosities are more than enough to start a discussion. If you want to go deeper, you can sign and share a Mutual NDA privately. That option exists, but it’s not required to participate. 2. Understand the real risk is not idea theft It’s natural to want to protect your idea. That said, most first-time builders overestimate how valuable the idea itself is and underestimate how brutal execution actually is. The tricky part isn’t the idea. It’s turning it into something that works, survives reality, and finds a market. Be thoughtful, but don’t lock yourself into silence. Exploration requires conversation. 3. Start with questions, not pitches You don’t need a polished concept. In fact, please don’t start there. Good starting points: - “I don’t understand how this part works…” - “Why doesn’t this already exist?” - “What am I missing about energy/cost/scale here?” Questions beat declarations every time. 4. Lurk first if you need to Reading is participating. Take time to explore past discussions, see how people frame problems, and get a feel for the tone. There’s no rush to speak. 5. Expect honesty, not hype This is a constructive space, but it’s grounded in reality. You’ll get thoughtful feedback, not cheerleading. The goal is learning, not validation. If something doesn’t make sense or won’t work, we’ll talk about why. That’s a feature, not a flaw. 6. Curiosity beats confidence here You don’t need to sound smart. You need to be curious. Most good builders start confused. The only real requirement is a willingness to learn and rethink assumptions.

This time of year can be especially hard for entrepreneurs and innovators. If you’re struggling, or just need someone to talk to, reach out to a fellow business owner or trusted peer. The weight you’re carrying is more common than it feels, and you’re not alone in it. Remember your why, make space for moments of enjoyment where you can, and know that support is available when you need it.

I started in my basement with a rough prototype in 2009 and a problem I couldn’t let go of. Over time, that turned into a company with a current value of $60M. I did the fundraising myself, raising over $7M to keep it moving forward, while surrounding myself with people who were smarter than me in all the right ways. It hasn’t been easy. It’s still incredibly challenging. Most days are about navigating uncertainty, tradeoffs, and learning things the hard way. But one thing has become clear along the way: the experience only matters if it gets used. I’m here to share what I’ve learned, speak broadly where it’s useful, and occasionally get more hands-on when that’s what someone actually needs. Not from a pedestal, but as someone still very much in it.

If you joined this community, you’re probably here for one of three reasons: 1. You’re tired of climate conversations that quietly ignore physics. 2. You’re building something in hard-tech and want a place where reality isn’t optional. 3. You’re curious about how decarbonization actually works when you get out of the slide deck and into the mechanical room. This space isn’t here to impress investors, polish pitch decks, or validate ideas prematurely. It exists so builders, engineers, and founders can pressure-test assumptions against physical limits, economics, and execution reality. To kick things off: Introduce yourself with three things: 1. What you're building or learning. 2. The biggest “aha” moment you’ve had so far in climate or engineering. 3. One picture of your workspace, lab, tools, or whatever physical chaos fuels your ideas. If your workspace is too clean… we may ask questions. Welcome aboard. Let’s build things worth building. How to use this community - Ask questions with constraints, not just ambition - Explain how something works, not how it sounds - Disagree with ideas, not people - If you want feedback, be specific about what you’re building or deciding This is probably not the right place if you’re looking for: - pitch feedback without technical scrutiny - political debate or climate ideology - generic startup motivation - validation before feasibility From time to time, I offer paid, one-on-one diagnostics for people deciding whether their technology should become a company. No obligation. No funnel.