The S2G Podcast
Business & Finance
About
This is the S2G Podcast, where we talk to business leaders, investors, policymakers, and thought leaders who have a transformative vision for the future. We’ll explore how their experiences and perspectives offer lessons into scaling the food, agriculture, oceans, and energy transitions.
Episodes
- The Overlooked Diversifier: A New Playbook for American Farmland
American farming is under real pressure. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent synthetic fertilizer prices spiking, and 70% of US farmers say they can't afford the inputs they need for this planting season. But this isn't just a rec…
- The Case for Automating American Factories With Formic
This episode will change the way you see American manufacturing and showcase why it's both more vulnerable and more adaptable than you may think. Saman Farid, CEO and founder of Formic, sits down with Chuck Templeton to pull back the curta…
- The Global Energy Order Has Changed. Now What?
Gas prices at the pump are just the beginning of what the war with Iran means for global energy. In this episode, Sanjeev Krishnan sits down with S2G's energy co-leads Frank O'Sullivan and Bala Nagarajan to unpack what the war in Iran and…
- The Business Case for Sustainability: Lessons from 20 Years at Mars
For large corporations, sustainability sits at the intersection of long-term strategic necessity and short-term financial pressure, and most companies are still trying to figure out how to make it work. In this episode, Kevin Rabinovitch,…
- How to Build Intelligent, Flexible Manufacturing with Sojo
We are at an inflection point in manufacturing where artificial intelligence, robotics, and data are converging to fundamentally change what's possible in the physical world. In this episode, Barak Bar-Cohen, founder and CEO of Sojo Indust…
- Cutting Through the Noise of a Changing World with Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
In this episode, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon joins Sanjeev Krishnan for a conversation about resilience and opportunity in a world defined by volatility. Gayle brings a rare breadth of experience as a builder, early-stage advisor, PE portfolio st…
- The Food as Health Solution Set
In this bonus episode, we’re bringing together seven CEOs across the S2G portfolio to explore what it actually looks like to make food as health a reality within the U.S. healthcare system. In a previous episode, we focused on the obstacle…
- The Price of Transportation in an Electrifying World
Electric vehicles have become a bit of a cultural lightning rod, but behind the headlines, there’s a lot to be excited about. In this episode, Sanjeev sits down with Mitra CEO Galina Russell, S2G Principal Marisa Sweeney, and Clean Tech St…
- Healthcare Costs Keep Rising. Food Could Be a Fix.
If diet is a major driver of chronic disease , and chronic disease is driving healthcare costs , why are our food and healthcare systems still so separate? And what would change if they weren’t? In this episode, S2G’s Sanjeev Krishnan and…
- S2G's Managing Partners Predict a Year of Complexity and Opportunity
What if the biggest risk right now isn’t getting the answers wrong, but asking the wrong questions? In our Season 3 kickoff, all three S2G Managing Partners come together to unpack a moment defined by volatility, AI acceleration, geopoliti…
- Introducing Season 3
We're back! Season 3 kicks off January 15th. This content is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, business, tax or investment advice, or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any i…
- “Everybody in the Pool’: Cleaning Up the Textiles Industry With Matter Filters
In this special episode-share, we team up with Everybody in the Pool to spotlight the urgent and fast-growing challenge of microplastic pollution and the breakthrough filtration technology designed to tackle it at scale. Longtime tech and…
- How AI for Agriculture Can Outsmart Volatility
Food prices keep climbing. Farmers are facing shrinking profit margins. Can AI really fix both, or is it just another Silicon Valley hype cycle? With all the talk about an “AI bubble,” we bring you a conversation about how AI is already sh…
- Food Security Is National Security: Agriculture Policy for a New Era
The Farm Bill, our country’s cornerstone for farm and nutrition policy, has long been a rare beacon of bipartisan success. But the recent deal to reopen the government quietly tacked on yet another extension of the 2018 Farm Bill that has…
- Energy Affordability and Fit-for-Purpose Capital with Jigar Shah
When voters went to the polls last week, one issue rose above the rest: the cost of keeping the lights on. Candidates promising lower energy bills swept key races, signaling that affordability has become a defining political and economic c…
- Reshaping Water Efficiency Across Sectors with Moleaer
What if the future of water efficiency depended on something you can’t even see? In this “The Pitch” style episode, Chuck Templeton sits down with Nick Dyner, CEO of Moleaer, to unpack how nanobubbles, gas particles a thousand times smalle…
- Building S2G Investments with Aaron Rudberg
In this episode, we sit down with our Managing Partner, Aaron Rudberg, to dig into his journey and the lessons that have shaped S2G’s growth. Aaron walks us through his path from venture associate to entrepreneur to limited partner to mana…
- The Price of Money, AI, and Entropy with Dimitris Valatsas
In this episode, Dimitris Valatsas, Founding Partner at Aurora Macro Strategies, makes the case that you shouldn’t be sleeping on macroeconomics. In the Age of Adaptation, macroeconomics is a powerful force shaping business and investment…
- Extreme Weather and the Future of Forecasting
From crop yields to power grids to shipping routes, weather is no longer background noise. It’s reshaping how companies manage risk, plan operations, and capture opportunity. In this episode, Sanjeev Krishnan talks with Cristina Rohr, Bala…
- Mapping Geopolitical Megatrends with Parag Khanna
In this episode, Parag Khanna, founder and CEO of AlphaGeo and a leading geopolitical thinker, joins S2G managing partner Sanjeev Krishnan for an expansive conversation about the structural forces reshaping our world. Drawing on decades of…
- The Future of Protein Through a Cross-Sector Lens
When it comes to the future of protein, the stakes are pretty high. Protein sits at the center of the global food challenge, and innovating how we produce it is the key to sustainably feeding a growing population. Protein is also a massive…
- Decoding China with Damien Ma
In this “The Experts” episode, Sanjeev Krishnan sits down with Damien Ma, founder of MacroPolo, to explore how China’s evolution from a manufacturing hub to a tech and industrial powerhouse may reshape global markets. They trace the arc fr…
- Powering Utility Resilience with Urbint
In this “The Pitch” style episode we dive into how Urbint is transforming utility resilience with AI-powered solutions for storm response, damage prevention, and worker safety. Founder and CEO Corey Capasso joins S2G’s Chuck Templeton and…
- Navigating the Age of Adaptation with Sanjeev Krishnan
In this episode of the S2G Podcast, Sanjeev Krishnan, Managing Partner at S2G, chats with Tonya Bakritzes, CMO at S2G, about why we’ve entered the Age of Adaptation —an era defined by volatility and disruption as well as immense opportunit…
- How to Build a Proactive, Personalized, and Resilient Healthcare System with Dr. Jeff Bland
In this episode, Dan Ripma, Vice President on the food and agriculture team at S2G, sits down with Dr. Jeff Bland, biochemist, entrepreneur, and educator who is also widely regarded as the “father of functional medicine,” to explore the pa…
- Beyond the Hype: A Business Leader’s Guide to AI with Justin Massa
If you are a business leader trying to get past AI chatter and buzzwords, this episode will help you cut through the noise. Chuck Templeton sits down with longtime friend and generative AI strategist Justin Massa for one of our most action…
- The Power of Possibility with Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
In this “The Experts” episode, Chuck Templeton sits down with Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, marine biologist, policy expert, author, and climate visionary. They discuss Ayana’s most recent book What If We Get It Right: Visions of Climate Future…
- Turning Food Waste into Customer Savings and Retailer Profit with Flashfood
In this episode of the S2G podcast, Chuck Templeton sits down with Jordan Schenck, the newly appointed CEO of Flashfood, to discuss the company’s triple-bottom-line solution to a massive problem: food waste. Flashfood is flipping the scrip…
- Seth Goldman on Brewing Successful Food Brands with Trust, Transparency, and Fun
Over the last three decades in the natural foods business, Seth Goldman has launched category-defining brands, navigated major acquisitions, scaled mission-driven supply chains, and brewed a whole lot of tea. In this “The Experts” episode,…
- Making Lawn Care Empowering, Enjoyable, and Toxin-Free with Sunday
To kick off Season Two and introduce one of our new formats—The Pitch—Chuck Templeton sat down with Coulter Lewis, founder and CEO of Sunday, just in time for spring. Sunday is on a mission to help yard owners around the country reconnect…
- Introducing Season 2
Welcome back to the S2G Podcast! The podcast will still feature in-depth insights into the food and agriculture, oceans, and energy sectors but with a fresh twist. This season, we're serving up three different formats: The Pitch, The Exper…
- 2025 Trends in Natural Foods with SPINS and KeHE
If you are a retailer, CPG company, entrepreneur, investor, or just interested in the natural food space, we have a sugar-free, plant-based, adaptogen-rich, protein-packed treat for you. For our final episode of the season, we're excited t…
- A Pragmatic Guide to a Better Food System with Sam Kass
How to describe Sam Kass? He’s a Michelin-star restaurant-trained chef, a White House Senior Policy Advisor, an investor, an author, and that’s just the shortlist. We are always talking about bringing industry-spanning stakeholders togethe…
- Storytelling As a Tool For Change With Kaitlin Yarnall
When the world seems so deeply divided, how can we step across barriers and preconceived notions to build avenues for conversation and collaboration? In this episode, Kaitlin Yarnall, Chief Storytelling Officer at National Geographic, argu…
- Not-So-Scary Halloween Stories: How AI Is Powering Innovation Across Sectors
What do bioactives, aquaculture operations, and warehouses have in common? They can all be powered by AI. In honor of spooky season, we’re taking you on a cross-sector journey to explore a topic that can sometimes get a scary rep. We recen…
- What Makes or Breaks Corporate Innovation Efforts?
In this episode, we’re digging into successful strategies for corporate innovation with Audre Kapacinskas, Principal of Corporate Development at S2G, and Ryan Smith, Chief Growth Officer and Executive Vice President at Ajinomoto Health and…
- Getting EV Charging Infrastructure into Gear with Frank Reig of Revel
Many cities, such as San Francisco and New York, are passing policies to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. However, one of the biggest challenges to the adoption of EVs is the lack of fast charging stations. Revel, a company…
- Why We Need a Climate Finance Relay Race
This week we launched a report called The Climate Finance Relay Race. It explores how asset owners are navigating climate investment and their rationale for their approach. We believe the most impactful and perhaps swiftest approach to des…
- Pioneering Natural Foods with Katlin Smith of Simple Mills
What if we can have it all? According to Katlin Smith, Founder and CEO of Simple Mills, eating in a way that’s healthy for our bodies and the planet shouldn’t be about compromise. In this episode, Katlin takes us through her journey of bui…
- Weeding Out Herbicide Inefficiency with Sentera
If you’re looking for insights into developing a go-to-market strategy, this episode is for you. Chuck Templeton sits down with the team at Sentera, a company that uses remote data collection to empower growers and agribusinesses to make r…
- Closing the Loop on Clean Energy
The rapid growth of reshored manufacturing, AI data centers, industrial decarbonization technologies, and electric vehicles are driving unprecedented demand for electricity. Many of the companies with the greatest energy demands have also…
- A Four Ingredient Recipe for the Transition
In this episode, S2G’s Managing Partner Sanjeev Krishnan and Jessica Murphy, VP of Community, delve into the key drivers of change within complex sectors like food, agriculture, oceans, and energy. They dissect the critical elements - inno…
- The Evolving Role of Nutrition in Healthcare
In this episode, we are sharing a panel on “Nutrition at the Forefront of Health” from the S2G summit. Matt Walker, Managing Director on S2G’s Food & Agriculture team, interviewed Susan Bukata, Professor and Chair of Orthopedic Surgery at…
- Diving into the Future of Ocean Intelligence
In this episode, we’re exploring the pivotal role of data to not only protect our ocean but to better leverage its immense potential to foster climate resilience and drive a sustainable marine economy. At the S2G Summit, Larsen Mettler, Oc…
- Exploring the Paths to Maritime Decarbonization
In this episode we are sharing a panel from the S2G summit moderated by Kate Danaher, Oceans Managing Director at S2G. Jason Giffen from the Port of San Diego, Ingrid Irigoyen from the Aspen Institute, and David Millar of Fugro discuss the…
- Becoming a Category King with the Play Bigger Team
In this episode, Chuck Templeton sits down with Jason Wellcome and Mike Bruno, advisors at Play Bigger, to discuss the methodology behind category design. The discussion unpacks how companies can shift their thinking from making better pro…
- Adapting to the Future of Work with Rishad Tobaccowala
In this episode, Rishad Tobaccowala, former Chief Growth Officer at Publicis Groupe, and current author, speaker, advisor, and host of the What Next? podcast, offers an incisive look into the evolving nexus of technology and human capital…
- Staying True to Your North Star with Back to the Roots
In this episode, Chuck Templeton is joined by Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez, co-founders of Back to the Roots, a company that's redefining what it means to be a home gardener. Starting from an unconventional college experiment using cof…
- Sector Specialization and Systems Investing with Sanjeev Krishnan
In this episode, Sanjeev Krishnan, co-founder and managing partner of S2G Ventures, takes us through his career path from investing in telecom in emerging markets to building out a life sciences investment group at the IFC, the early days…
- From Need Identification to a Novel Product with Andrey Zarur of GreenLight Biosciences
In this episode, we dive into the entrepreneur and investor journey that has led to the first EPA-approved RNA crop protection product and created a paradigm shift for the industry. Chuck Templeton chats with both GreenLight Biosciences CE…