The Fundamental Molecule

De: The Fundamental Molecule with Tom Ferguson Burnt Island Ventures
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  • Resumen

  • Welcome to The Fundamental Molecule. This show explores the intersection of water, technology and entrepreneurship. Each week, Tom Ferguson, Managing Partner of Burnt Island Ventures, interviews innovators, experts, entrepreneurs and investors in the world of water, to help us understand where this trillion dollar industry is headed. These are the stories of the people building the future of the world’s most valuable and fundamental resource. Explore all of our episodes and learn more at https://www.burntislandventures.com/the-fundamental-molecule
    2023 Burnt Island Ventures
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Economía Finanzas Personales Gestión Gestión y Liderazgo Liderazgo
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Episodios
  • Shane Dyer - Iteration, Hiring, and Customer Voice

    Shane Dyer - Iteration, Hiring, and Customer Voice
    Apr 23 2025
    It's so fun when you feel like an investment has been dragged out of your hands. At the end of our deployment of our first fund, I was adamant that our final investments had to be blindingly obvious because the next best use of funds was to give more capital to companies we already knew were amazing. So when I met Shane Dyer, CEO of Irrigreen, the quality could not have been more obvious. Here was a multitime founder operating at a seriously high level, building around a product that was an absurdly large improvement on the status quo and which had the potential to save billions of gallons of water. It's been such a pleasure to watch him work, and it was deeply exciting to invest in them again as the third position in our Opportunity Fund. Please enjoy my conversation with Shane Dyer. Subscribe to The Fundamental Molecule here: https://www.burntislandventures.com/the-fundamental-molecule For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fundamental-molecule/id1714287205 ----------- Irrigreen’s CEO Shane Dyer discusses tackling overlooked water tech challenges by applying his IoT and growth marketing expertise from outside the sector. He details Irrigreen's genesis, adapting inkjet tech for precise, water-saving irrigation. Dyer shares critical startup lessons: the power of listening to customers for product & marketing direction, strategic hiring focusing on grit over resumes, rigorous iteration & verification for deep tech, effective board management, and keeping the customer the ultimate North Star. 00:00 - Why Water Tech Is the Climate Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight 02:34 - Bringing IoT and Startup Experience into Water Innovation 04:11 - Growth Marketing Tactics for Climate Tech Startups 07:52 - Building High-Impact Startup Teams 09:25 - From Inkjet Printers to Smart Sprinklers 12:43 - Designing Products That Customers Actually Want 17:21 - Reinventing Irrigation Through Digital Precision 21:36 - Balancing Consumer Appeal with Contractor Adoption 25:33 - Simplifying Supply Chains 27:53 - How to Get Real Value from Your Startup Board 32:46 - Running Data-Driven Growth Experiments That Work 35:45 - Scaling Hardware Quickly 38:12 - Hiring as the Ultimate Startup Superpower 40:34 - Shane Dyer’s #1 Advice for Water Entrepreneurs Links: Burnt Island Ventures Shane Dyer Irrigreen Sean Ellis Steve Blank The Startup Owner's Manual Nail It Then Scale It Getting to Plan B The Lean Startup SM Material Key Takeaways: "Experience is when the hairs on your neck rise during design review, sensing a potential landmine ahead." "Startups are not little big companies. They're a completely different experience requiring ambition, talent, and grit." "Growth marketing requires high-velocity experimentation and qualitative insights to drive hypotheses." "A board is a team. Keep them informed and engaged to work on urgent growth problems for your next unlock." "Hire slowly and focus more on getting the right team." "For new ideas, reach directly to customers first."
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    42 m
  • Megan Glover - The Outsider Becomes the Insider

    Megan Glover - The Outsider Becomes the Insider
    Apr 9 2025
    When you hear a canary singing in the coal mine, you should stop and listen. Without torturing the metaphor too far, this is how I felt when I started working with Megan Glover at 120Water in 2017 as she started to build her business. The success of a business is predicated on the talent of the people running it, and Megan was important because she was one of the first brilliant CEOs who was truly new to water. She is at the vanguard of exceptionally smart, driven company leaders who appeared at the end of the 2010s and were the predicate essentially of BIV coming into being. We don't get to do our job without enough people as good as Megan. I love this conversation covering everything from strategic marketing to advice to board members. Please enjoy my conversation with my friend Megan Glover. Subscribe to The Fundamental Molecule here: https://www.burntislandventures.com/the-fundamental-molecule For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fundamental-molecule/id1714287205 ----------- Megan Glover, Co-founder and CEO at 120Water, joins Tom to discuss the role of strategic marketing in her organization’s trajectory, emphasizing market analysis, customer understanding, and the importance of a quantitative approach. Together, they delve into the genesis of 120Water, its pivot from a consumer focus to serving municipalities, and the significance of regulatory drivers like the lead and copper rule. Megan reflects on talent in the water sector, the evolution of her role as CEO, and offers advice to founders regarding risk-taking in particular. 00:00 - Why Talent Defines Startup Success 02:52 - The Role of Strategic Marketing in Water Tech 05:17 - Market Research: Understanding Customers Before You Build 07:19 - The Origin Story of 120Water 09:36 - The Business Pivot: From Consumer to Municipal Focus 12:07 - How Water Regulations Create Business Opportunities 14:17 - The Future of Lead, PFAS, and Emerging Contaminant Rules 16:50 - State vs. Federal Water Regulations 19:46 - Consumer Awareness vs. Action in Water Quality 20:56 - The Evolution of Lab Testing & Data Standardization 22:49 - The CEO Journey 24:10 - Navigating Board Relations & Investor Alignment 27:08 - Attracting & Retaining Talent in the Water Industry 29:17 - The Future Vision for 120Water 30:42 - Managing Cash Flow While Scaling in a Slow-Moving Market 32:10 - The Role of Partnerships 33:20 - The Art of Negotiation for Water Entrepreneurs 35:13 - The #1 Advice for Water Entrepreneurs Links: Burnt Island Ventures: https://www.burntislandventures.com/ Megan Glover: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megancglover/ 120Water: https://120water.com/ SM Material Key Takeaways: "The success of a business is predicated on the talent of the people running it." "Before you can create, know who the creative is for." "Regulatory demand is the number one driver for change in the water industry." "Take the risk. The water industry is here to support you and wrap their arms around you." "Partnerships can be a phenomenal tool. Win fast and fail fast." "Manage your cash. Sales cycles in water take twice as long as in other startups." "Every stage requires reflection." "People are concerned about water quality, but not willing to pay for the solution."
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    37 m
  • Alex Fuglesang - A Deep Dive Into Desal, Literally

    Alex Fuglesang - A Deep Dive Into Desal, Literally
    Mar 26 2025
    Sometimes things just strike you as dumb and then one day you understand why. The current model of desalination is a great example. It's something that everyone thinks that we at BIV should be invested in up to the eyeballs, and, of course, we support technologies that are pertinent to desal, but the legacy model is just a tough nut to crack. Ever more scaled plants to minimize the per gallon cost of purified water is the name of the game. So when I met Alex Fugelsang and the full Flocean team, it was like a light bulb going off. Legacy desal was dumb for the simple reason you were pumping up onto land a whole load of water, putting all of it through a giant factory, having designed it for all of that water, then throwing at least 40% of it back into the ocean. So what if you could desalinate under the surface of the sea and get rid of all that excess capacity? You don't run into paradigm shifts all the time, but we think that Flocean is one of them. Alex is a superb guy with a fascinating skill set, having spent most of his life operating machinery at inhospitable depths, and he's on a remarkable mission to put a huge dent in global water insecurity. Please enjoy my conversation with Alex Fugelsang. Subscribe to The Fundamental Molecule here: https://www.burntislandventures.com/the-fundamental-molecule For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fundamental-molecule/id1714287205 ----------- In today’s episode, Alex Fuglesang details Flocean's underwater desalination: less energy and less environmental impact thanks to stable deep-sea conditions. He reveals how robotics ensure reliable maintenance in their water-as-a-service model, and highlights building trust with communities, providing tailored solutions for water scarcity. Alex also shares insights on his background, leadership, and the future of desalination. 00:00 - Why Legacy Desalination Is Failing 02:16 - Operating and Engineering in Harsh Deep Sea Conditions 05:30 - Robotics and Automation in Underwater Water Tech 06:32 - Flocean's Origin Story 10:35 - How Flocean Cuts Energy Use and Environmental Impact 13:22 - Simplifying Permitting for Subsea Desalination 15:16 - Real-World Water Scarcity Challenges in Island Nations 17:24 - Growing Industrial Demand for Onsite Desalination 19:52 - New Business Models for Water Delivery 22:56 - What Infrastructure Investors Want from Water Tech 24:09 - Building a World-Class Water Tech Team 26:53 - Targeting High-Impact Coastal Markets 28:38 - Strategic Marketing for Deep Tech Startups 29:57 - Military Leadership Lessons in Startup Life 34:17 - The Future of Desal 37:43 - Cutting Red Tape in Water Infrastructure Projects 39:17 - Top Advice for Climate Hardware Entrepreneurs Links: Burnt Island Ventures: https://www.burntislandventures.com/ Alex Fuglesang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderfuglesang/?originalSubdomain=no Flocean: https://www.flocean.green/ SM Material Key Takeaways: "In water-scarce regions, the frustration is real. Limited budgets lead to expensive maintenance and weeks of downtime." “Cutting bureaucracy and aligning stakeholders can unleash new technologies." “Flocean uses natural deep-sea pressure to cut power consumption. 40% energy efficiency savings are not abnormal." "Scale with trust and demand. Start small to build trust, then scale without massive infrastructure changes."
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    41 m
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