Why?
Before we explain why we’re creating the Explorationists and our own origin story, let us tell you a bit about what you can expect from us in this substack.
A portrait of Inspiring ClimateTech leaders and their Stories
We are passionate about exploring with you dear reader, the psyche of the green entrepreneurs, founders and CEOs that are going all-in to create, scale and expand their sustainable businesses. They are definitely the new Explorationists in every sense of the word (or perhaps in this new sense of the word). We will also find out about how Angels, Accelerators and Venture Capitalists (VCs) are spotting these visionaries. What traits are they looking for? and perhaps more importantly, what mental models and principles they are using to unleash the full entrepreneurial potential?
We will strive to find those answers from leaders of every latitude and walk of life, because we firmly believe that talent can be found anywhere but opportunity can not. Both our ClimateTech Talks podcast and this substack will also serve as a voice and place for those green entrepreneurs that are under the radar because of their postcode and/or background.
So with that out of the way,
Our Origin Story
Well, David and Daniel come supposedly from the promised land, where the abundance of oil and gas technically could have acted as a catalyst for transformational and structural change of their society. Sadly, this never materialized (or it did, but in the wrong direction). We come from the wonderful, sun-tanned, music-filled and unfortunately ill-fated country of Venezuela. The land of the absurd, with the largest Oil reserves in the world but with one of the worst refugee crises in recent times (without a war to trigger it!).
When we were kids we were sold the dream that our society, thanks to the riches of the “black gold” could be saved from underdevelopment. A broken record. For generations, politicians and intellectuals convinced us that if we could just “sow the oil” we could become the Norway of Latin America. Thus, we both in a pragmatic way -and following perhaps, a bit naively, that narrative-, ended up becoming engineers and geoscientists working for the O&G sector. However, confronted with a poorly administered state and corrupt government, we were, along with millions of our connationals, forced to flee to find a new home.
Our condition of expats coupled with our own participation in the hydrocarbon sector exposed us rapidly to complex themes like geopolitics, international trade, energy security and yes, climate change. Not surprisingly, we became increasingly more aware of the impact of our own industry as a major GHG contributor.
And although we followed very different paths, our career choices clearly show that the values of sustainability, science, equitable energy access (and opportunity) and the role of technology to reduce GHG emissions, have guided us every step of the way.
But the current climate urgency requires all of us to do more, to do something. For us, this substack, in conjunction with our ClimateTech Talks podcast, is part of that something. These are our two cents, as part of a new generation of geoscientists that are chipping in to contribute to the transformation of the Energy sector from within.
This substack will explore in different ways how we can advance the energy transition conversation, the elevation of science and the spread of the latest and greatest news of the Clean/Green/Climate technologies that can keep us under <1,5 °C (as stipulated in the Paris Agreement in 2015). This is one of our ways to build momentum and help others share their victories and vision in the rapidly changing landscape around the policies and technological/financial innovations that are shaping the Climate space.
Finding a name, a time and a place
Finally, we want to build a platform where you can read something positive and hopeful about our planet and its future. We will learn along with you while we build a community where interesting ClimateTech leaders can inspire us all to live and work on better, healthier and more sustainable lives. We want to leave you with the hope of a greener future.
This is, we are, and you are in the Explorationists.
We will release a new interview or feature every two weeks. Please subscribe below and join us in this exciting journey.
David y Daniel
Disclaimer from David: This substack was prepared by ourselves in our personal capacities and the views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are our own. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of TGS and TGS does not guarantee the accuracy or reliability of the information provided herein.
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