Inevitable & Obvious
You see something that needs to exist—something so urgent and transformative that it feels both inevitable and obvious to you (even if almost no one else can see it yet). The hardest part isn't building it. It's designing the market structures and governance systems that allow your vision to scale beyond what anyone thought possible.
I know because I've been there. In 2015, I saw the need for an industry capable of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That spark—just a 15-person meetup—grew into Nori, where I raised $18M, built a 30-person team, and helped launch one of the first carbon removal marketplaces. Along the way, I learned million-dollar lessons about why some category-creating ideas scale while others falter.
Today, my focus is on reimagining environmental market design. The carbon removal industry faces a fundamental scaling crisis—current market structures (designed for corporate accounting, not atmospheric impact) simply cannot deliver gigatonne-scale removal. Meanwhile, emerging solutions like global cooling need entirely new funding models, governance structures, and implementation frameworks to realize their potential.
Who I Work With
I work with two primary groups:
Carbon removal founders and companies looking to break free from traditional market limitations and scale beyond corporate offsetting
Forward-thinking corporations seeking creative approaches to integrate carbon removal into their business models
The organizations I work with typically:
Are reimagining how carbon removal gets funded and implemented
Need business models that move beyond sustainability department budgets
Must create value-generating approaches instead of just cost-based offerings
Want to learn from someone who's navigated these challenges firsthand
What Makes My Guidance Different
My expertise doesn't come from textbooks—it comes from building one of the first carbon removal marketplaces and seeing exactly where our market design went wrong. I've learned expensive lessons like:
The $2.5M board seat mistake that ultimately contributed to Nori's demise
Why carbon removal market structures optimized for corporate accounting can't scale
How to design funding mechanisms that make carbon removal a value driver, not just a cost
What governance structures enable bold moves when traditional metrics would kill innovation
I share these insights through:
Strategic advisory relationships for organizations ready to fundamentally reimagine carbon removal
This newsletter, where I explore market design challenges and category creation frameworks
Selective speaking engagements focused on carbon removal scaling and global cooling development
Why This Matters Now
The carbon removal industry stands at a critical juncture. We have the technologies. We have growing awareness. What we lack are the market structures and business models that can truly scale to atmospheric impact.
If you're developing carbon removal solutions or exploring emerging approaches like global cooling, you need:
Market design strategies that move beyond traditional offsetting
Business models that create value rather than just offsetting emissions
Funding mechanisms that reach beyond corporate sustainability departments
Governance structures that protect innovation through crucial transitions
Start Here
Read "Carbon Removal's Wrong Turn" to understand why our current approach to carbon removal markets has failed to reach gigatonne scale, then explore "Making Carbon Removal Antifragile" for a framework to build more resilient funding channels.
If you're ready to move beyond conventional thinking about carbon removal and create more impactful, scalable approaches, let's talk. I offer strategic advisory services for organizations ready to reimagine how carbon removal fits into their business.
The atmospheric clock is ticking. Let's build something that actually works at scale.
