The Ray of Hope Accelerator brings together pioneering nature-inspired startups from around the world, each led by incredible founders and teams who are building the future. To bring you closer to the people behind the ideas, we’ve curated a playlist of recent podcast episodes featuring our alumni, where founders share what drives their work, how nature inspires their technologies, and how they’re working to transform entire industries.
Check out the full playlist, bookmark it, save it for your summer road trip, or add it to your commute – these are stories worth hearing!
And to encourage you to dive in, we’re sharing our reflections on five standout episodes to get you started.
Combatting Wildfire Smoke with Smarter Filtration
🎙 CC Pod with Dimitry Gershenson
🦋 Metalmark Innovations, Sissi Liu, Ray of Hope Accelerator Cohort 2020
“Don’t let ‘no’s’ bog you down—build your data points to support your goal.”
– Sissi Liu, CEO, Metalmark Innovations
Metalmark Innovations is developing 3D nanostructured materials that catalytically break down air pollutants like VOCs and particulates. On CC Pod – short for Climate Capital Podcast, a weekly podcast hosted by the San Francisco based investment firm – Sissi Liu reflects on the realities of building and scaling hard tech. She shares lessons of resilience, the value of data-driven decision making, and why open minded mentorship is essential to the entrepreneurial journey. It’s an honest, insightful listen, especially if you’re navigating your own path through climate innovation.
Behind the Scenes Biomimicry: GreenPod Labs is Reducing Food Waste
🎙 Learning from Nature: The Biomimicry Podcast with Lily Urmann
🍌 GreenPod Labs, Deepak Rajmohan, Ray of Hope Accelerator Cohort 2022
“About one-third of food produced globally is lost or wasted before it reaches the consumer.”
– Deepak Rajmohan, Founder and CEO, GreenPod Labs
GreenPod Labs, based in India, is tackling food waste at the source with bio-inspired packaging that extends shelf life without refrigeration. In this episode of Learning from Nature, Deepak shares his insights on the global impact of food waste, the science behind their solution, and his ambitious plans to expand into more crops and countries—all guided by nature’s own strategies. On that note, since this episode aired last year, we’re thrilled that GreenPod Labs has partnered with Walmart to pilot their innovative packaging and help reduce food waste across one of the world’s largest distribution networks.
** Fun fact! Lily Urmann is one of the Biomimicry Institute’s own, serving as Technical Manager for AskNature and The Hive. She brings deep expertise in biomimicry, and her podcast is a favorite among staff – check out Learning from Nature for more episodes.
Doing the Bees Work
🎙 How I Built This with Guy Raz
🌸 BloomX, Thai Sade, Ray of Hope Accelerator Cohort 2023
“Pollination is the tool to have better control, performance, and environmental outputs on how you produce your foods.”
– Thai Sade, CEO, BloomX
BloomX is reimagining pollination with a bio-inspired approach that mimics the natural mechanics of pollinators to increase yields in crops that bees tend to avoid. On How I Built This, Thai Sade explains how understanding the forces that trigger pollen release in plants is key to supporting food security and reducing reliance on dwindling bee populations. It’s a buzzworthy episode, pun very much intended.
Regenerating Reefs
🎙 Waterpeople Podcast with Lauren Hill
🪸 Coral Vita, Gator Halpern, Ray of Hope Accelerator Cohort 2023
“The best thing we can do for reefs is stop killing them… we’re here to build the infrastructure to help them survive.”
– Gator Halpern, Founder and President, Coral Vita
Coral Vita, an Earthshot Prize Winner of 2021, is pioneering land-based coral farming to restore degraded reefs up to 50 times up to faster than they can recover naturally. On Waterpeople Podcast, host Lauren Hill talks with co-founder Gator Halpern about his deep connection to the ocean, the beauty and urgency of coral restoration, and the systemic climate action needed to give reefs a chance to thrive in the decades ahead.
Could We Grow a Building? How Biohm is Using Biotechnologies to Advance the Circular Economy
🎙 The Circular Economy Show with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
🏠 Biohm, Ehab Sayed, Ray of Hope Accelerator Cohort 2021
“All of our materials, products and technologies are designed with circularity at heart. We are driven by a very simple philosophy to allow nature to lead innovation and only have a positive or regenerative impact in everything we touch.”
– Dr. Ehab Sayed, Founder and Chief Evolution Officer, Biohm
Biohm creates sustainable building materials and products, such as insulation, using mycelium and biowaste, helping to drive a more regenerative built environment. On The Circular Economy Show, founder Dr. Ehab Sayed discusses how to transition to a circular, low-footprint construction sector, and the importance of developing high-performance materials that also support viable end-of-life solutions.
Discover more inspiring conversations in the full playlist, and follow along as we continue to spotlight founders shaping a regenerative future.
Raven Rice is the Ray of Hope Accelerator Program Coordinator, where her experience in the climate tech space lends a strong foundation in sustainability, innovation, and program coordination. At the Biomimicry Institute, her expertise is helping to advance nature-inspired solutions to global challenges. Learn more about Raven and the rest of the Institute team here
