David Tze has crafted a unique career at the intersection of oceans, food, technology, investment, and climate. As the former CEO of NovoNutrients, he was, essentially, killing three birds with one stone: extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, growing synthetic protein that could feed the world, and finding new and more sustainable ways to harvest fish. This multi-pronged mission emerged out of a professional journey that saw him swing through a variety of crucible moments, including optimizing the online sale of baseball hats and founding an aquaculture investment firm alongside Jared Polis, the current governor of Colorado. Although NovoNutrients has closed up shop since this episode was recorded in March 2025—as all too often happens in the wild world of climate-tech startups—David’s story is a vivid reminder that climate careers can emerge from the most unexpected detours.

Notes and resources

* David Tze's LinkedIn

* News item announcing the closure of NovoNutrients

* Climate Swings Substack

Climate change and racial inequality are problems that demand system change on a massive scale. Kory Murphy is working at the intersection of both. As program officer at The Lemelson Foundation, he empowers Black entrepreneurs in climate who are righting historical wrongs and creating a more liveable planet for all. His story starts in college, where his time on the football team helped him think strategically and holistically about how to maneuver and make change. Having swung through various roles managing critical infrastructure and child welfare services in Portland, Oregon, before landing at Lemelson, Kory has a sharp vision for how to move the needle on big, intractable problems in climate and racial justice.

Notes and resources

* Kory Murphy’s LinkedIn

* The Lemelson Foundation

* Climate Swings Substack

Michael Liebreich is a household name in the energy world. As founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, he has unlocked vast amounts of data about the energy transition and provided invaluable insights for stakeholders up and down the value chain. His opinionated style and trademark wit has earned him a major audience as an analyst, writer, and podcaster on all things energy. On this episode of Climate Swings, we dive into his early years fixing his mother’s car, crunching numbers on the UK’s nuclear industry over 14-hour night shifts as a McKinsey consultant, and later founding New Energy Finance while he was unemployed and “unemployable”, in his telling. He also provides his current thoughts on the energy transition, including some opinions that will certainly, in trademark Michael Liebreich fashion, ruffle a few feathers.

Notes and resources

* Michael Liebreich’s website

* Michael Liebreich’s Substack

* Michael Liebreich’s LinkedIn

* BloombergNEF

* Cleaning Up