Alexander Blum of Applied Bioplastics talks bioplastics pricing, manufacturing & profitability

Alexander Blum of Applied Bioplastics talks bioplastics pricing, manufacturing & profitability

Bioplastics have existed for over 30 years. After three decades of government grants, investor capital, and charismatic founders, the industry still hasn't produced a genuinely profitable company. Alexander Blum, founder of Applied Bioplastics, is trying to be the first. In this episode, Alex breaks down why an industry the world needs has struggled to make money: the gap between scientific leadership and business leadership, a pricing problem that shuts bioplastics out of the markets where plastic actually gets used, and a funding model addicted to grants and capital instead of customers. He also gets into distributed vs. centralised manufacturing, the funding rounds Applied Bioplastics has lost to a pandemic, a crypto crash, and a war, and why "the tech will speak for itself" is the most expensive belief a founder can hold. Find Alex Blum on LinkedIn and learn more about Applied Bioplastics at applied-bioplastics.com. ———Building a climate or sustainability business and feel like the growth still runs through you?Take the free Growth Diagnostic - 6 minutes to find the biggest bottleneck holding your growth back, and see how you compare to 300+ climate founders: pluckybamboo.com/growth-diagnostic

Akhila Kosaraju of What If Design talks climate tech messaging, UX & selling to non-technical buyers

Climate tech has a communication problem. And it's slowing down the entire industry. Akhila Kosaraju, co-founder of What If Design, works with deep tech climate companies on design, messaging, and product experience. She's seen brilliant founders with world-changing technology lose deals, confuse buyers, and waste months of development - all because of how they present their work. In this episode, we dig into why technical founders struggle to talk to business buyers, how to build trust with stakeholders before your product is ready, and what great design actually means beyond logos and pretty websites. If you're building in the climate space and wondering why your message isn't landing, this episode will be helpful! ——— Building a climate or sustainability business and feel like the growth still runs through you? Take the free Growth Diagnostic - 6 minutes to find the biggest bottleneck holding your growth back, and see how you compare to 300+ climate founders: pluckybamboo.com/growth-diagnostic [http://pluckybamboo.com/growth-diagnostic] The Plucky Bamboo Podcast: sustainability founders on how they actually grow - demand, sales, and the systems behind it. Hosted by Chris Jones.

Gilad Regev of Kora talks real-time carbon tracking, CFO buy-in & making climate action commercial

Climate action without measurement is guesswork. In this episode, Gilad Regev explains how Kora is building real-time carbon tracking tools to turn employee behavior into measurable decarbonization. We explore the gap between intention and action - and why most companies still treat sustainability as a reporting function instead of a strategic lever. We discuss: * Why carbon data must be real-time to drive change * Why many CSOs lack the budget to execute * How CFOs respond when climate ties to cost savings * The limits of regulation and top-down policy * How to engage entire organizations on Scope 3 emissions Gilad’s perspective is clear: sustainability cannot sit in one department. It must create financial value and organizational engagement - or it won’t scale. If you’re operating in enterprise climate tech or building tools for corporate decarbonization, this episode offers both strategic and tactical insight. ——— Building a climate or sustainability business and feel like the growth still runs through you? Take the free Growth Diagnostic - 6 minutes to find the biggest bottleneck holding your growth back, and see how you compare to 300+ climate founders: pluckybamboo.com/growth-diagnostic [http://pluckybamboo.com/growth-diagnostic] The Plucky Bamboo Podcast: sustainability founders on how they actually grow - demand, sales, and the systems behind it. Hosted by Chris Jones.

Helen Zhang of Coffee Elf talks circular business models, commercialization & climate profitability

Sustainability isn’t sustainable without revenue. In this episode, Helen Zhang shares how she’s building Coffee Elf -a company transforming commercial coffee waste into bio-based materials and cosmetic ingredients. What started as a kitchen experiment is now evolving into a circular system spanning industrial sourcing, processing, and downstream partnerships. We discuss: * Why climate founders must commercialize early * How to navigate small buyers vs. enterprise procurement teams * The complexity of building physical infrastructure in climate tech * The overlooked strategic framework climate startups need * Why profit and purpose must coexist Helen’s perspective is clear: you’re not building a charity. You’re building a business and profitability is what allows impact to scale and last. ——— Building a climate or sustainability business and feel like the growth still runs through you? Take the free Growth Diagnostic - 6 minutes to find the biggest bottleneck holding your growth back, and see how you compare to 300+ climate founders: pluckybamboo.com/growth-diagnostic [http://pluckybamboo.com/growth-diagnostic] The Plucky Bamboo Podcast: sustainability founders on how they actually grow - demand, sales, and the systems behind it. Hosted by Chris Jones.

Mallika Reddy of Cancelled Plans talks scale, sustainability & selling without greenwashing

What does real scale look like in a sustainability business? For Mallika Reddy, founder of Cancelled Plans, it doesn’t mean producing more. It means producing differently. Mallika’s studio transforms industrial waste, from pharmaceutical packaging to billboard misprints, into high-value design pieces. But along the way, she’s had to confront some uncomfortable truths about growth, marketing, and what actually drives adoption. In this episode, we explore: * Why “saving the planet” isn’t a strong enough sales message * The tension between profitability and purpose * How to pivot without losing your core philosophy * Why performance marketing failed and what worked instead * How founder-led storytelling builds credibility in a world of greenwashing This is an honest conversation about redefining scale, resisting overproduction, and building a sustainability business that can stand commercially, not just morally. ——— Building a climate or sustainability business and feel like the growth still runs through you? Take the free Growth Diagnostic - 6 minutes to find the biggest bottleneck holding your growth back, and see how you compare to 300+ climate founders: pluckybamboo.com/growth-diagnostic [http://pluckybamboo.com/growth-diagnostic] The Plucky Bamboo Podcast: sustainability founders on how they actually grow - demand, sales, and the systems behind it. Hosted by Chris Jones.