Aspiring Materials

Earlier this month, Mark Chadderton and Christopher Oze connected in person with some of the most influential and dedicated people in the global #climatetech sector. As Mark's thoughts below outline, momentum for change is gaining pace in how we make, move, power and consume nearly everything. While doing #less is a critical part of the way forward (particularly in the developed nations of this world), it's not realistic to expect ingrained systems can turn on a dime without #radicalinnovation.   Our focus at Aspiring Materials is to be that crucial enabler in the pivot, responding to the problem right at its core so positive impact ripples out across entire industries, and the world.   Being part of networks like Breakthrough Energy and attending events like #BESummit24 are important leverage points for young but transformative companies like ours. The people and the ideas that seem novel and nebular today will be the backbone of what tomorrow’s #lowcarbon future is built upon. 🌏

True to form, our Chief scientist and forever geologist Christopher Oze was in London last week for #BEFSummit24 and he makes an appointment to pay respect to the mineral that may hold humanity's future within. It was a perfect end to a whirlwind trip from New York to London where Chris and our CEO Mark Chadderton met with new partners across the expanding #AspiringMaterials ecosystem, connected with Breakthrough Energy fellows and partners and showcased the incredible carbon removal technology our team have developed. A visit to see this beautiful display of olivine at the Natural History Museum of London reminds us that #nature already holds the answers we need to solve the #climatechange challenge. Working respectfully with her is how we'll find our way through.

If you want a power-packed summary of today’s #cleantech sector to understand why innovations under development now will become *fundamental* to everything in the very near future, this podcast interview with Cleantech Group CEO Richard Youngman from The Impact At Scale Podcast With Zal Dastur is a great listen.   Innovation coming out of the Cleantech sector is powered by people who aren’t here to make a quick buck. It’s a long game, because it’s about creating #systemschange in how we do nearly everything.   Yet, in Richard’s words, shifting our built environments and the systems they operate on is also "the greatest economic opportunity of our lifetimes".   If you’re not yet up to play on cleantech and all its guises, this podcast is a perfect entry point.

Fantastic to have been involved and had the chance to share our story at #climatetechsummit in Wellington last week. It was heartening to see such a massive show of support from an engaged and motivated audience and hear about so many incredible, scalable and worthy solutions. When you’re working in a startup with such intense focus on the end goal, it becomes super important to get out to be reminded of why you’re doing it. #climatetechsummit brought together the groundswell of #innovation that’s happening right here, right now and it feels good that Aspiring Materials is connected into it. 🤩 The 3-minute pitch slot gave Matthew Watson the opportunity to see how much he could pack in to 180 seconds. We think he pulled it off but if you left the summit wanting to know more, holler at us! Huge appreciation to WellingtonNZ Tech Sector and Creative HQ for putting on a great event. 🙌

Is it truly possible to capture and store carbon dioxide as a solid, durable material? With the #AspiringMaterials carbon mineralisation process, it is. Through years of research and experimentation we’ve made something complex into a simple, single step process. The upshot is a less energy intensive, low carbon, low waste and safe method to permanently store CO2. Hooray for science! To show how simple it is, we prepared this simple animation. Please enjoy and feel hopeful. Industrial decarbonisation is possible. #decarbonise #netzero #carboncapture

#AspiringMaterials is all set to join the cohort of Breakthrough Energy fellows at the #BESummit2024 in London next week. BE Fellows Mark Chadderton and Christopher Oze are on their way over with a demo in tow of the Aspiring Materials #carbonmineralisation technology. If you're attending, come say hi and see for yourself how we can capture and store carbon dioxide in one single step.

Meet our Chief Scientist and Co-founder, Christopher Oze. 👋 Before Chris co-founded #AspiringMaterials, he was a enjoying an academic career in the US as a tenured professor and department chair. What sparked his pivot to business was rocks. Ultramafic rocks to be precise, because, under the right conditions, they can absorb #carbondioxide like a sponge. Rather significant, considering the massive job we have in front of us to curb CO2 emissions and remove it from the atmosphere. Core to Chris' approach is developing solutions that will have wide-reaching positive impacts for generations. “As a geologist, I think in big timescales. That approach is core to the R&D we do at Aspiring Materials, recognising our efforts have to take into account the bigger picture over time; and the connections we make with this technology can have a ripple effect across entire industries.” Read why Chris made the decision to shift across the world to start a #cleantech company intent on solving the big problem of how to #decarbonise essential, but emissions intensive industries. https://lnkd.in/gSwiJyxG

There'll be some good vibes about #climatepositive solutions at the WellingtonNZ Tech Sector and Creative HQ Climate Tech Summit in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington this Thursday 20 June from 2-5pm. Alongside a stellar lineup, our very own Director of Chemical Processing Matthew Watson will be showcasing how #AspiringMaterials can remove carbon dioxide from emissions heavy industries using a commonly found rock. Matt joins the discussion alongside a community of innovators from around the motu, all working on ways to #decarbonise. If you managed to get tickets before they sold out, we look forward to seeing you there. 👋 #climatetech #aspiringmaterials #netzero

Fantastic to be named a Climate Tech 100 for the Indo Pacific region in HolonIQ 2024 Climate Tech report. Even better to be chosen to sit alongside an outstanding suite of NZ Climate Tech companies 🤘Mint Innovation Bspkl CarbonScape FABRUM. OpenStar Technologies Miruku Neocrete . It’s uplifting to be here in Aotearoa New Zealand representing the rebirth of industrial solutions that shift us away from reliance on fossil fuels and towards solutions that do better for our planet, and everything that needs it. Kia kaha! #climatetech #aspiringmaterials #decarboniseindustry

Defining your career is not just about the work you do, but how you do it and who you do it with. Josh McArdle’s internship experience at #AspiringMaterials impressed upon him a commitment to be “innovating sustainable industrial processes beyond profits” and has cemented his "ambition to work in the #cleantech industry.” An awesome and most worthy use of his skills. Josh first crossed paths with Aspiring Materials while at the University of Canterbury, completing a research project with us through his undergraduate degree in Chemical and Process Engineering. From the start, Josh was crushing it at Aspiring Materials, quite literally. His first day task was to crush down rocks as feedstock for testing in our #carbonremoval process. That may sound tedious for some, but for Josh it was insight into how different rocks behave under different process conditions and that broadened his understanding of what potential can lie within. Over a #summerinternship, Josh found himself engaged across the entire process, encouraged by our Chemical Process Engineer Lead Megan Danczyk, PhD, who emphasised the value of simplicity in problem-solving. “Despite the complexities of the actual chemistry and physics used in the Aspiring Materials process, Megan taught me to leverage the things we do know as foundations to find solutions for the things we don’t yet know.” It's in the unknown, this chaos that often typifies innovation labs, where Josh found invaluable experience. It’s taught him lessons he would not otherwise have learnt and given him opportunities to see what may be ahead in his own future. He’s already taking the lead on making change. Josh is completing his masters' degree in Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Canterbury, with focus to produce zero-CO2 steel in New Zealand using hydrogen in the ironmaking process. For now, we keep enjoying his enthusiastic spirit as he works with us part-time while continuing his studies. Josh’s personal commitment to contribute meaningfully to the “urgent need to innovate and scale novel processes to combat climate change” makes him a natural fit in our team. We’re stoked to have your contribution Josh, while you work towards your own ambitions in cleantech. #careersincleantech #engineeringforclimate #aspiringmaterials