#254 The Path To Cost Parity Between Sustainable Fuels & Fossil Fuels | Conor Madigan, Aether Fuels CleanTechies podcast

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#254 The Path to Cost Parity Between Sustainable Fuels & Fossil Fuels | Conor Madigan, Aether Fuels

2d ago 56:24

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CleanTech founder Conor Madigan (Aether Fuels) reveals sustainable fuel tech breakthroughs, smart hiring, & building resilient climate startups.

Join us as Conor Madigan, Founder and CEO of Aether Fuels, shares how their innovative tech is set to decarbonize aviation and shipping by drastically cutting costs and boosting fuel yield from waste streams. A second-time founder, Conor also unpacks his proven strategies for building high-talent, low-ego teams and fostering constructive tension for optimal results.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Pocket Casts

Memorable Quotes:

"The overall result of that is to cut the capex of a plant by about 50%." — Conor Madigan
"Until you've built a big network of your own... it's pretty invaluable to have a top-notch recruiter." — Conor Madigan
"If you compare an electrified system versus a fired system, you can boost the output by about 20%." — Conor Madigan
"I… try to create a constructive sort of tension inside of an organization by pairing together certain personality traits." — Conor Madigan

In this episode, we discuss:

00:53 - Introduction to Conor Madigan and Aether Fuels
03:55 - Aether Fuels' core technology and market
05:27 - The innovation: cutting CAPEX and boosting yield
28:00 - The year-long "funnel" to choose the right climate problem
30:59 - Conor's philosophy on team building: high talent, low ego
32:00 - Creating constructive tension in R&D vs. Engineering
38:35 - Why senior hires need to be "player-coaches" at startups
40:30 - Transparent communication during challenging times
46:00 - Policy trends and market drivers for SAF
49:50 - Cost parity expectations for Aether Fuels' product

Links

Conor Madigan | Aether Fuels
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This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.

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Chapters

1. #254 The Path to Cost Parity Between Sustainable Fuels & Fossil Fuels | Conor Madigan, Aether Fuels (00:00:00)

2. Introduction to Conor Madigan and Aether Fuels (00:00:53)

3. Aether Fuels' core mission: decarbonizing aviation and shipping (00:02:42)

4. ClimateTech OG inspiration: James Hansen (00:03:12)

5. TLDR: Aether Fuels' technology and market (00:03:55)

6. Visualizing the innovation: cutting CAPEX and boosting yield (00:05:27)

7. Optimizing for 1-5k barrels/day scale (00:14:15)

8. Feedstock flexibility and mixing waste streams (00:15:16)

9. How the innovation was discovered (GTI Energy partnership) (00:17:21)

10. The contrarian view on hydrogen prices in 2022 (00:19:00)

11. Conor Madigan's background and journey into ClimateTech (00:21:55)

12. The incubation process with Zora Innovation/Temasek (00:27:40)

13. The year-long "funnel" to choose the right climate problem (00:28:00)

14. Conor's philosophy on team building: high talent, low ego (00:30:59)

15. Creating constructive tension in R&D vs. Engineering (00:32:00)

16. The invaluable role of top-notch recruiters (00:33:55)

17. Why senior hires need to be "player-coaches" at startups (00:38:35)

18. Transparent communication during challenging times (00:40:30)

19. Why founders should share challenges and invite ideas (00:43:27)

20. Policy trends and market drivers for SAF (00:46:00)

21. Business model: tech & project developer, future licensing (00:49:34)

22. Cost parity expectations for Aether Fuels' product (00:49:50)

23. What needs to happen for widespread fossil fuel cost parity (00:53:16)

24. Final call to action and where to find Aether Fuels (00:55:10)

253 episodes