Pitching Progress
From turning food waste into energy, to recycled fashion and low-emission aviation fuel: Pitching Progress brings you the stories of innovators working to decarbonize the industries that power our world. On this show from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the founders of some of the world’s most inventive green-tech startups take part in an in-depth pitch session that challenges them to demonstrate their products' environmental impact, and the value they create for investors. We’ll show you that commerce and climate consciousness don’t have to be at odds with one another. That renewable energy, sustainability, and circular economies represent a leap forward for society, and incredible investment opportunities. In the process, we’ll introduce you to the people and stories behind the firms revolutionizing the modern economy. What does it take for an idea to go from the lab to the marketplace? What sort of fiscal barriers exist for green-tech entrepreneurs on their path to success? And will they be able to convince Vinay that their product, business plan and value propositions are strong enough to get them there? Join us as we demystify the world of green-tech and sustainable commerce, and inspire the next wave of forward-thinking investors and entrepreneurs to build on the burgeoning green economy. About Our Host: Pitching Progress is hosted by Vinay Shandal, who leads BCG’s sustainable finance and investing business. Vinay draws on his experience at the intersection of finance and sustainability to ask founders the tough questions about their operations, and challenge them to convince investors that the business is good for the world and good for their wallets. We’d Love to Hear From You: We’d love to hear your feedback on how we can produce the best content possible, please share any episode ideas, and general thoughts at PIPE@bcg.com. Pitching Progress by BCG empowers listeners to think differently about the relationship between sustainability and commerce. For more information and to stay updated, visit our website at: https://www.bcg.com/industries/principal-investors-private-equity/overview New episodes of Pitching Progress are available every two weeks wherever you get your podcasts. Get a look inside the business of building a better future.
Episodes
Tom O’Leary is the CEO and Co-founder of JetZero, a company trying to get so-called ‘blended-wing’ aircraft into the fleets of some of the world’s biggest airlines. And with their first test flight scheduled for 2027, JetZero sits on the precipice of aviation history.
Tom joins us along with Adam Gordon, the head of BCG’s aviation practice, for an in-depth discussion about the advantages of blended-wing aircraft, and the challenges ...
Pitching Progress is back with a new slate of visionary entrepreneurs, and a host of solutions to some of the world’s most intractable climate issues.
Tune in every other Thursday as Vinay Shandal, the Global Lead of BCG’s Sustainable Investing business, challenges these founders to make the case that their businesses are good for the planet, and good for investors.
From more efficient planes, to preventing shipping pollution, tun...
You're used to hearing Vinay ask CEOs the tough questions about paths to scalability and profitability. Today, we're flipping the script, as Vinay joins Lora Jakobsen on her podcast, Navigating Zero, to explore the challenges and opportunities in decarbonizing global trade.
Vinay talks about the state of sustainable investment, and emphasizes the need for more capital to accelerate the energy transition. He also discusses the import...
Underneath the streets of downtown Toronto, there exists a massive system of pipes that use water drawn from the depths of Lake Ontario to help cool the skyscrapers above. This system, the largest of its kind in the world, is just one of a slate of creative solutions employed by Enwave, one of North America’s foremost district energy operators.
Carlyle Coutinho is the CEO of Enwave, a company that works in concert with governments a...
Today’s guest runs the most important piece of infrastructure that Californians have never heard of.
Vince Godfrey is the CEO of Olympus Terminals, a company that operates a massive fuel storage facility at the Port of Long Beach. Olympus specializes in the offloading, blending, and storage of fuels shipped from overseas, including renewable diesel and biodiesel.
Vince’s facility plays a vital role in Southern California, where refin...
What started as a group of Spider Man enthusiasts, is now a company capable of producing synthetic silk on a commercial scale. And not only does their silk feel and perform exactly like the natural material, but it can be modified to suit the needs of virtually any industrial application.
Ulrich Scherbel is the CEO of AMSilk, a Germany-based company that specializes in the creation of lab-grown silk products. Their produ...
Billions of dollars are being spent on new CapEx to satisfy the growing energy needs of AI data centres. But one firm is convinced that the answer isn’t building new capacity, but being smarter in utilizing the power we already have.
Varun Sivaram is the Founder and CEO of Emerald AI, a company whose software aims to make data centres more ‘flexible’, by intelligently modulating their computational load, and avoiding demand sp...
After years of skyrocketing investment, the renewables industry seems to have lost some of its lustre. With tax credits that once supercharged new wind and solar development being rolled back, and general enthusiasm waning, are we witnessing the bubble burst on renewable energy?
Mark Noyes definitely doesn't think so. He's the CEO of TerraForm Power, a fully integrated renewables business with 3 gigawatts of existing capacity ...
To build the low-carbon economy of the future, we’re going to need a lot more steel. But right now, most steel is produced from high-carbon-emitting blast furnaces, and there’s nowhere near enough recyclable steel to meet global demand. So how do we make more steel, without pumping more carbon into the atmosphere?
Parker Meeks is the President and CEO of Utility Global, a company leveraging their revolutionary tech to decarbon...
Roughly a third of all food produced in the United States ends up in a landfill. A lot of that comes from dumpsters behind grocery stores, where food that could otherwise be marked down or donated ends up rotting in the trash.
Ryan Begin is the CEO of Divert, a company that's using its incredible trove of data to keep food out of landfills. At the core of their pitch is some simple in-store infrastructure that allows retailers to se...
Commercial aviation has completely altered the nature of life on Earth, and forever changed the way humans think about distance. But in 2023, the industry was responsible for 2.5% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, and given the difficulties of electrifying heavy transport, other solutions are clearly needed.
Today's guest is Robert Schuetzle, the CEO of Infinium, a company specializing in the production of sustainable aviatio...
From turning food waste into energy, to sustainable steel and low-emission aviation fuel: Pitching Progress brings you the stories of leaders working to decarbonize the industries that power our world. On this show from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the founders and CEOs of some of the world’s top green companies take part in an in-depth pitch session that challenges them to demonstrate their business’s environmental imp...
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.