Meet Brad Hartwig, founder of Arbor
Invest in startups like Arbor alongside Climate Capital here.
Founders: Brad Hartwig
Motto: Rockets for Earth / Our goal is to draw down humanity's legacy carbon emissions before the century is out.
Year Founded: 2022
Stage: Seed
Location: El Segundo, CA
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Climate Capital: What made you want to solve this problem?
Brad: I was volunteering on a search and rescue team up in Northern California and supported operations in the aftermath of catastrophic wildfires. At the time I was trying to become an astronaut, but some of this disaster response work opened my eyes to the severity of the climate problem in a very personal way. I knew I needed to shift my focus to working on saving this planet rather than leaving it. At Arbor, we are turning organic waste into carbon-negative energy. At scale, we could reach 10 gigatonnes of carbon removal per year while increasing the global electricity supply by 30%. Our early roadmap, however, has us being a major solution to mega-fires by offering incentives for states and counties to do hazardous fuel reduction work. This is just one of the many side benefits of the technology we're developing; some others being creating local circular economies and diverting waste from landfills.
Climate Capital: What are you building?
Brad: We are developing a modular power station (based on modern rocket technology) that turns organic waste into carbon-negative energy.
Climate Capital: What is next?
Brad: We are developing a vegetarian engine from a clean sheet. Our goal is to fully demonstrate the system (end-to-end) in 2024 and have our first commercial project commissioning in 2025.
Climate Capital: What are the core elements of the culture you are building at your company?
Brad: We have three core values that define our company culture: Lead with Love, Foster Planetary Partnership, and Explore the Uncharted. We've spent a lot of time trying to develop a culture that feels safe and supportive while maintaining the gravitas of the climate problem and highlighting our responsibility to protect this planet. If interested, we have a lot more on our values on our company website!
Climate Capital: What are the key challenges as you scale your company?
Brad: We are developing novel technologies that are inherently challenging. Whenever you are doing something truly new, you are operating without a playbook. We are confident that we will deliver a world-changing technology, but it takes time. A key challenge is always aligning motivation/incentives with all of our partners, ensuring that people are in this for the right reasons and for the long-haul.
Climate Capital: What have you learned that you want to share with other founders?
Brad: Competition has a different meaning in the climate space. It is not a zero-sum game. As founders, we need to help each other be successful and be able to lean on each other. We have found people are so willing to help and compare notes as we're all trying to make the Earth a better place to live long-term.
Climate Capital: How can the broader climate community help you on your mission?
Brad: We can always benefit from broader support from governments (local, state, and federal) as well as the private sector. Having the climate community continue to socialize the necessity of carbon removal is one of the biggest things we can collectively do to move the whole industry forward.
