Business and governments have the unique responsibility to foster innovation that breeds new technologies, especially ones that enable humanity to achieve net zero. While the more recognizable way is via a maverick engineer who inspires venture capital firms to invest in her idea, there is a second method. That method is "grand challenges," or competitions with a stated goal, like removing millions of tons of carbon a year), and offering up a prize money for the winners, also in the millions of dollars.

Carbon Upcycling is a leading carbon to value (also known as carbon utilization) company that has participated in multiple climate-focused grand challenges and has a number of lessons to share with future participants.

Joining The Net Zero Life to share those lessons, along with frameworks for leading a net zero start-up in a oil and gas heavy state, is Madison Savilow, Chief of Staff, and Apoorv Sinha, co-founder and CEO.

Carbon Upcycling is a Carbon X-Prize X-Factor award winner, an Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) Grand Challenge Semi-finalist, and has received support from various provincial and federal entities in Canada. In 2017, CUT became the youngest CO2 utilization company to commercialize a product from CO2 emissions. 

Apoorv Sinha is the co-founder and CEO of Carbon Upcycling Technologies, he is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Energy awardee (2020), a Clean 50 Honoree (2021), he’s an alumnus of the Energy Futures Lab, a 2016 Leading Change delegate, a Clean50 Emerging Leader 2016, and has served on the ACTia (Alberta Cleantech Industrial Alliance) Board of Directors (2017-19). 

Madison Savilow is the Chief of Staff at Carbon Upcycling Technologies. She also started and leads the company’s consumer brand, Oco. Madison has spoken at TEDx conferences, podcasts, and is a member of the World Economic Forum as the Curator of Global Shapers Calgary. Most recently, Madison was listed on the 2021 Corporate Knights Top 30 Under 30 List of Sustainability Leaders. 

Season three of The Net Zero Life is powered by Climate People. If you are a software engineer looking to get into climate tech, Climate People is the best place to start. You can reach Brendan Anderson, CEO of Climate People, at [email protected].

If you’d like to get in touch with Madison, you can follow her on LinkedIn or Twitter. For Apoorv LinkedIn LinkedIn is best.

Keep up with the show by following The Net Zero Life on Twitter and Instagram (@thenetzerolife). You can also get in touch at www.thenetzerolife.com or via email at [email protected].