Episode #5: Net Zero Heroes: CarbonCapture Insights
Tech Optimist Podcast — Tech, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation
In this captivating episode of the Tech Optimist, host Mike Collins engages in insightful discussions with pioneers who are not just thinking about the future but actively shaping it. This week, host Mike Collins interviews Adam Oliner, co-founder and CEO of Graft, Adrian Corless, CEO of CarbonCapture, and Sophia Zhao, a principal at Alumni Ventures.
Episode #5: Net Zero Heroes: CarbonCapture Insights
See video policy below.
Our first segment features Adam Oliner, CEO of Graft, who shares how AI is transforming practical business solutions. The conversation continues with Adrian Corless, CEO of CarbonCapture, discussing the impactful work his company is doing to combat climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere. Finally, we explore diversity in AI and venture capital with Sophia Zhao, highlighting the strides women are making in these fields.
Watch Time ~69 minutes
The show is produced by Alumni Ventures, which has been recognized as a “Top 20 Venture Firm” by CB Insights (’24) and as the “#1 Most Active Venture Firm in the US” by Pitchbook (’22 & ’23).
READ THE FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Creators and Guests
HOST
Mike Collins
CEO, and Co-Founder at Alumni Ventures
Mike has been involved in almost every facet of venturing, from angel investing to venture capital, new business and product launches, and innovation consulting. He is currently CEO of Alumni Ventures Group, the managing company for our fund, and launched AV’s first alumni fund, Green D Ventures, where he oversaw the portfolio as Managing Partner and is now Managing Partner Emeritus. Mike is a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple companies, including Kid Galaxy, Big Idea Group (partially owned by WPP), and RDM. He began his career at VC firm TA Associates. He holds an undergraduate degree in Engineering Science from Dartmouth and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
GUEST
Adam Oliner
Founder & CEO, Graft
Adam Oliner is the Founder and CEO of Graft. Graft’s Intelligence Layer integrates company information and human expertise to equip teams with instant, trusted answers to make better decisions without delays and uncertainties.
GUEST
Adrian Corless
CEO, CarbonCapture
Adrian Corless is CEO of CarbonCapture, a California-based climate tech company that makes modular machines that can be connected in large arrays to capture massive amounts of CO2 directly from the atmosphere.
GUEST
Sophia Zhao
Senior Principal, AI Fund, Women’s Fund, and Westwood Ventures
Sophia brings a wealth of experience in capital advisory, corporate development, and operational optimization, establishing impactful collaborations with CXOs and Founders. With a diverse industry exposure encompassing cloud computing, mining and minerals, consumer goods, and Web3, Sophia has been at the forefront of transformative technologies. Driven by a passion for shaping the future through frontier technologies, Sophia supports AI data and application deals within her team. She holds a BBA from Simon Fraser University, an MBA from the University of British Columbia, and an MAM from the Yale School of Management.
To Learn More
Click the logos below for more information.
Important Disclosure Information
The Tech Optimist Podcast is for informational purposes only. It is not personalized advice and is neither an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to purchase, any security. Such offers are made only to eligible investors, pursuant to the formal offering documents of appropriate investment funds. Please consult with your advisors before making any investment with Alumni Ventures. For more information, please see here.
One or more investment funds affiliated with AV may have invested, or may in the future invest, in some of the companies featured on the Podcast. This circumstance constitutes a conflict of interest. Any testimonials or endorsements regarding AV on the Podcast are made without compensation but the providers may in some cases have a relationship with AV from which they benefit. All views expressed on the Podcast are the speaker’s own. Any testimonials or endorsements expressed on the Podcast do not represent the experience of all investors or companies with which AV invests or does business.
The Podcast includes forward-looking statements, generally consisting of any statement pertaining to any issue other than historical fact, including without limitation predictions, financial projections, the anticipated results of the execution of any plan or strategy, the expectation or belief of the speaker, or other events or circumstances to exist in the future. Forward looking statements are not representations of actual fact, depend on certain assumptions that may not be realized, and are not guaranteed to occur. Any forward- looking statements included in this communication speak only as of the date of the communication. AV and its affiliates disclaim any obligation to update, amend, or alter such forward-looking statements whether due to subsequent events, new information, or otherwise.