Podcast – Climate Takes – Ammonia

Welcome to Carbon13’s podcast “Climate Takes” where we ask special guests for their “takes” on their industry and climate challenge, as well as setting a call to action, asking what will it take to solve the climate emergency?

In this episode “Climate Takes Ammonia” we speak to Lewis Jenkins, CEO and Co-Founder of Nium, whose nanotechnology generates clean ammonia flexibly and scalably. Such is the demand for clean ammonia, Nium already has $57 million in signed offtake agreements, and a project pipeline of $120 million, all while being at TRL 5. 

We get the story behind those numbers right here >>> 

About the episode

Ammonia. The chemical that feeds half the world, is a $230 billion industry, and is key to a clean hydrogen future.

But which right now is the most polluting chemical process on earth.

Lewis takes us through the basics of the chemical, what it’s used for, why the inventor of its industrial process won a Nobel Prize, why it’s the “smelly ugly sister” of the hydrogen hype train.

But more than that, he shares Nium’s journey to discovering product market fit and building a go-to-market strategy that’s generated $50 million in signed offtake agreements.

Including:

• How they got their positioning right
• The joys of the Dunning Krueger effect
• Lowering capex from billions to millions
• The brains, hands and mouth of the Nium team

And a quick primer on the terminology:

• TRL means Technology Readiness Level. A NASA-invented scale of a technology’s maturation, 1-9, where 9 is the most mature. Carbon13 startups are typically TRL 4-7, which roughly means they’ve proven their technology in a lab or with a prototype.
• Offtake Agreements are when a buyer contracts to buy future output from the producer. They’re often used before the producer is up and running, as a way to ensure that it’s worth the up front investment to build a complex product. Nium essentially has $50 million in promises to purchase their ammonia when they’ve built the catalysts at scale, subject to the contractual agreements. It’s a way for startups with long development times to demonstrate market demand for their product.

Why does ammonia matter? Let’s ask the King of Great Britain

RE:TV, founded by His Majesty King Charles III, spotlights innovations that address the climate and biodiversity crisis.

So, they made a beautiful film about Nium which tells us exactly why their work matters which you can watch below, or explore right here.

Who’s this episode for?

Whether you’re completely new to “climatetech” or a seasoned founder/investor/innovator, this podcast’s for you.