Cracking the Clean Energy Code with Marko Virkebau, CEO at Stargate Hydrogen | Season Seven, Episode Seven

Welcome to Season Seven of Conversations in Cleantech!    From inspiring stories and words of wisdom, to financial foresight and investment insights: in this season, you can expect to learn all about the people and companies who are propelling us towards a greener tomorrow, with a spotlight on investing in a cleaner planet. Join your co-hosts, Hetty and Alexa, as they delve into the exciting world of green hydrogen with Marko Virkebau, the CEO of Stargate Hydrogen! Stargate Hydrogen is at the forefront of innovation, developing cutting-edge ceramic-based alkaline electrolysers to produce green hydrogen, supporting the global transition to a zero-carbon economy. From Stargate’s story so far and their scale-up efforts, the power of partnerships when it comes to R&D and commercial activities, to funding the future including the challenges of obtaining grants and the need to bring down production costs: this episode is a treasure trove of insights. Marko's journey offers valuable lessons for leaders in the clean energy space too, with practical takeaways for clean energy enthusiasts and aspiring entrepreneurs alike.  Finally, Marko shares the hurdles the hydrogen industry faces, such as a lack of offtake agreements, with how insights into how Stargate are tackling these challenges. So, be sure to tune in and get a glimpse into the future of green hydrogen! 00:50 - Introduction by Hetty and Alexa 02:14 - Introduction to Marko and Stargate 04:47 - What was your journey to founding the business? 05:57 - Where did the name for your novel catalyst material come from? What makes it revolutionary in the green hydrogen space? 06:56 - As a business based in Estonia, how are you finding the green hydrogen market there? 08:27 - How are you finding the regulation side in the European market? 09:27 - What's the future for your geographies? 10:15 - The team at Stargate have a wealth of knowledge and quite diverse backgrounds. Can you share how you came together? 11:43 - How have you found the journey of growing the business to almost three times the size in two years? 14:00 - How have you achieved commercialisation so early in your journey? 15:17 - How have you gone through your fundraising journey to achieve these key milestones? 16:54 - Can you tell us more about your EU funding story? 17:52 - How do you see these trends emerging from an investment perspective within hydrogen? 19:10 - What's the next stage you're anticipating for Stargate hydrogen? 20:02 - How important have partnerships been for you so far? 21:30 - What attracted you to green hydrogen being the solution for the climate crisis and the net zero transition? 22:27 - For those who are in the early stages of their business, is there any specific advice that you would give? Connect with your hosts, Hetty Lowther and Alexa Mangeant on LinkedIn. Find your guest Marko Virkebau on LinkedIn. Thanks for listening to Conversations in Cleantech brought to you by Brightsmith. This is a Loaded Hype production.