{"podcast":{"title":"Energytech Startups","slug":"energytech-startups-5673200","podcast_index_feed_id":5673200,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/energy-tech-startups","website_url":"https://collide.io","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/9aQ-p8TWw1dk7M2RoFhW6fgQJKBoQiW2AbMrIRAVzFI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kM2Fj/MzRlYTQ3ZDM0NmJm/ZDllOWE1Y2Y3MmRm/MDFkOS5qcGc.jpg","author":"collide.","episode_count":92,"summary":"They say everything's bigger in Texas, including climate change. That's why Houston is leading the energy transition. Here in H-Town, the fourth largest city in the United States, entrepreneurs from across Texas and around the world are gathering to work with titans of industry to build the technology that will reduce emissions and power a low carbon future. Welcome to Energytech Startups with Nada Ahmed and Jason Ethier. We sit down with those change makers and wildcatters who are solving the toughest energy challenges with trillions of dollars on the line. We dig into how Houston will bring technology to market on a massive scale. Join us as we talk with the leaders of the energy capital of the world as they show us how the energy transition gets done.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T02:20:49.967269+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/energytech-startups-5673200"},"episode":{"title":"Aaron Fitzgerald from Mars Materials","slug":"aaron-fitzgerald-from-mars-materials","published_at":"2025-08-21T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/energytech-startups-5673200/aaron-fitzgerald-from-mars-materials","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/energytech-startups-5673200","url":"https://energytechstartups.collide.io/episodes/aaron-fitzgerald-from-mars-materials","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/606c63ff/bfc2f1c4.mp3","summary":"Turning CO₂ into carbon fiber sounds like science fiction, but Aaron Fitzgerald and the crew at Mars Materials are making it happen. Their process creates carbon-negative acrylonitrile, the stuff that goes into everything from sleek carbon fiber to water filters and high-tech textiles and they’re doing it with big-name partners like NREL and Shell. Aaron talks about reshoring carbon fiber production to the U.S., cutting carbon from supply chains, and what it takes to build a climate-driven company from the ground up. It’s a mix of chemistry, entrepreneurship, and a clear vision for a more sustainable future. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 00:00 - Energy Tech Nexus 00:17 - Intro to Mars Materials 03:48 - Aaron’s Background in Energy 08:11 - Overview of Kairos Aerospace 10:46 - Understanding Acrylonitrile 14:33 - Acrylonitrile Production Process 17:29 - The Sohio Process Explained 22:04 - National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 24:40 - Tech Transfer from National Labs 27:39 - Finding the Right Technology 29:26 - Carbon180 Overview 30:35 - Collaborating with Lawrence Livermore Lab 32:19 - EnergyTechNexus Insights 33:56 - LabStart Initiatives 35:37 - Request for Information (RFI) Explained 38:36 - Building a Business Deliberately 41:15 - Mars Materials Today and Future 48:30 - Fundraising Strategies 52:40 - What's Next for Mars Materials 54:45 - Erin's Shell Partnership Journey 57:16 - Shell's Support for Erin 1:00:11 - Wrapping Up and Final T…","meta_description":"Turning CO₂ into carbon fiber sounds like science fiction, but Aaron Fitzgerald and the crew at Mars Materials are making it happen. Their process creates…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4054,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/energytech-startups-5673200/episodes/aaron-fitzgerald-from-mars-materials/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/energytech-startups-5673200/aaron-fitzgerald-from-mars-materials.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}