1.30 - how David began his career in the cleantech industry back in 2007, talking with a electrical engineer about wind turbines and solar panels at his daughter’s school

3.30 - the uniqueness of the cleantech sector and its disruptive nature and the culmination of many technologies that are coming to fruition (batteries, solar power, grids, etc.)

-how digitalization is clearly fundamental to  enabling much of the innovation that's going on

4.10 - disruption in cleantech is faster than in other high-growth sectors in the past, which can create challenges for policymakers because things move so quickly in this sector

5.00 - how a decentralized sector, like solar power, impacts policy decisions and strategies

6.20 - the differences that David has noticed through his work between the Canadian cleantech sector and other markets like the UK; a lot of innovation coming out of Canada, but initially companies struggled to find funding outside of the local market, although European VCs and accelerators are now actively engaging with Canadian companies, not just US ones

7.30 - Canadian companies are less internationally focused, or less European-focused because of a massive market on the doorstep, even though European markets, particularly around energy and mobility are quite a lot more advanced than the North American markets

9.08 - how organizations and accelerators like Foresight and Alacrity are supporting startups to grow

11.00 - how GDPR and other regulatory differences from jurisdiction to jurisdiction add another layer of complexity for cleantech companies, even though the opportunities are there

12.40 - thoughts on the next upcoming cleantech sector? Cleantech is quite a broad umbrella, but solar, energy storage and batteries, emobility has really evolved because of this

14.00 - areas that are critical in decarbonizing the world that don’t get much airtime, like buildings and construction and the built environment, smart cities, agritech and foodtech

15.00 - the hydrogen sector, where it currently is and where David thinks it’s going

17.20 - “The technologies exist to achieve what we need to achieve, it’s just about making sure we’re using the right ones in the right place at the right time… and that’s not always straightforward and, as a policymaker, that’s a really tough call.”

18.00 - IPCC report and how policy, industry, and cleantech entrepreneurs are advancing the transition that's needed “The report was both not surprising unfortunately, but was shocking also.” 

-hopeful that the IPCC report is a wake up call that governments will heed 

19.45 - innovation comes from small companies and startups and then it butts heads against policy and traditional industry

20.20 - next critical steps in boosting cleantech adoption around the world? getting out of the cleantech bubble, disconnect between what people know and understand inside of the sector versus outside of it

-consumers need to also understand that these technologies are just better, both from an environmental perspective, but also efficiency-wise and a more educated population about the technologies will help drive policy change

23.40 - recycling, or the lack thereof, with 9% of consumer recycling being recycled

26.00 - plastics also contributing to the problem

26.45 - "We sit at the intersection between technology and entrepreneurship" and more about the Leaders in Cleantech podcast that David hosts