Hello again my fellow Climate Warriors,

When we launched Climate Tech Cocktails a year ago we learned most podcasts don’t make it past 23 episodes—well, here’s to perseverance and we’re proud to serve you episode 24!

It’s our third in-person episode from Techonomy, and I’m drinking 🥃Quarter Horse Whiskey with Manik Suri, Founder and CEO of Therma. Join us as we discuss all things refrigeration and food waste!

📻 Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Audacy and Substack👉

Thank you for your continued support. Let’s keep fighting the good fight, with a cool beverage in hand.

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📝  Show Notes Below👇

🎧 New podcast episode:

Manik Suri, Founder and CEO of Therma, on Smart Refrigeration:

“As we move into a world where we have more electrification and move off fossil fuels, we’re going to need a lot more utility infrastructure, so utilities are looking for ways to create extra capacity…

We’re starting to think of refrigeration as a battery; we’ve kept that battery at one hundred percent charge for the last hundred years - now we’re starting to explore temporarily discharging that battery, and creating a network of distributed batteries.”

Therma’s mission is to help protect our food, health, and planet. They build sustainability tools to improve refrigeration efficiency, which eliminates food waste and reduces emissions. Their technology is used by McDonald’s, Starbucks, Wyndham hotels and many others.

Their smart refrigeration monitoring protects food inventory and saves energy, and it’s overhauling the “refrigeration cold chain” by altering the way refrigerators operate around the world.

Before he moved into the world of tech, Manik studied law. He co-founded “GovLab” - a governance lab center at NYU and was planning on a career in government, and his work there introduced him to the big issues in the food supply chain, restaurants, and grocery stores. He realized that the topic of food waste and its wide-reaching effects could be a focus and passion for him as a budding entrepreneur, and Therma was started up shortly after.

Manik’s knowledge of using refrigeration dynamically in response to weather events, time of day, energy prices and utility needs has already started to impact the food industry for good.

Manik’s Twitter: @ManikVSuri

Therma’s Twitter: @HelloTherma

🥃  What we drank during the episode: Quarter Horse Whiskey

Enjoy the show!

📻 Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Audacy and Substack👉

Interested in sponsoring?

Please reach out to m@climatetechcocktails.com

Companies/Organizations mentioned during the show:

🧊Tesla

🧊Full Harvest

🧊Cred PR Group

🧊Techonomy

🧊National Economic Council

🧊Marriott

🧊Wyndham

🧊Hilton

🧊7-eleven

🧊PG&E

🧊Chipotle

🧊 McDonalds

🧊Taco Bell

🧊Pizza Hut

🧊Domino’s

🧊Burger King

🧊Impact Engine

🧊Heirloom

🧊Ohm Connect

🧊Voltus

People/places/things mentioned during the show

🧠Barack Obama

🧠Circular Economy

🧠Composting

🧠FIFO

🧠California’s Central Valley

🧠Global Warming

🧠NYU

🧠Beth Noveck

🧠Singapore

🧠Andrew Hager

🧠Cold Chain

🧠Temperature-sensitive Vaccines

🧠East of Eden

🧠Dreams of My Father

🧠Speed and Scale

🧠How to Win Friends and Influence People

🧠David Kirkpatrick

🧠Christine Moseley

🧠Elon Musk

-TIMESTAMPS-

[1:03] Intro

[1:10] Drink of the show

[1:55] The problem of Food Waste

[4:38] What to Do with Extra Food

[9:53] 1.6 Billion Tons in Food Waste Means 3-4 Percent of Total Emissions

[11:58] Manik’s Law and Government Background

[15:43] A Philosophical Comparison of Government and Refrigeration

[16:53] Manik’s Transition to the Refrigeration World

[18:48] Automating Refrigeration (Therma is Born)

[19:43] How the Whole Covid Thing Impacted the Startup

[23:23] Dynamic Management of Refrigeration

[26:28] Working with Utility Companies

[27:33] Electricity and Refrigeration

[28:28] 3 Books

[31:03] 3 Startups

[33:48] Last Thoughts

[34:48] Conclusion