Inevitable

Edward Shenderovich is the Founder and CEO of Roebling, a software platform that helps industrial companies evaluate, design, and finance manufacturing projects before breaking ground. After initially setting out to solve bottlenecks in biomanufacturing, Shenderovich and his team uncovered a broader challenge: the economics of scaling physical infrastructure are often poorly understood until it's too late.

In this episode of Inevitable, Cody and Edward explore whether the US is making the same mistake with domestic manufacturing that climate tech once made with the “green premium.” If consumers were unwilling to pay more for cleaner products, will they pay more for American-made ones?

The conversation examines China's long-term manufacturing strategy, the gap between scientific breakthroughs and industrial scale-up, and why engineering—not invention—is often the missing link in commercial success. Edward argues that national security, data sovereignty, and AI infrastructure may become the forces that justify renewed domestic investment in manufacturing and energy systems.

They also discuss the lessons learned from the recent biomanufacturing boom and bust, why many bioindustrial companies struggled to achieve economic viability, and how AI can help bridge the gap between R&D and large-scale industrial deployment. Finally, Edward shares how Roebling is using AI-powered techno-economic analysis to help companies build factories that can actually compete on cost and performance.

Episode recorded on May 28, 2026 (Published on June 9, 2026).

In this episode, we cover: 

(0:00) An overview of Roebling 

(3:37) Why consumers rarely pay more for domestic or sustainable products 

(6:12) How the US can compete with China's manufacturing strategy 

(7:25) The gap between R&D innovation and industrial scale-up 

(9:13) Why engineering is often the bottleneck 

(11:25) AI data centers as a catalyst for industrial and energy infrastructure 

(14:30) National security, data sovereignty, and domestic manufacturing 

(17:31) Roebling's origins in biomanufacturing 

(20:03) Why AI may finally help unlock biology at scale 

(23:25) Building products that are better, not just greener 

(26:11) How Roebling helps companies plan and finance factories 

(31:08) Lessons from the biomanufacturing boom and bio-winter 

(34:33) The opportunities of nuclear energy and industrial growth 

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Haroon Inam is Co-founder and CEO of DG Matrix, a company that makes the world's most compact Power Router, aggregating distributed energy for GenAI datacenters, microgrids, fleet electrification, and associated systems. As AI workloads drive unprecedented electricity demand and legacy grid infrastructure struggles to keep pace, DG Matrix has commercialized the world’s first multi-port solid-state transformer to meet the energy needs.

In this episode, Inam explains why transformer bottlenecks, distributed generation, and 800V DC architectures are reshaping the future of power delivery for AI infrastructure. He discusses DG Matrix’s product strategy, manufacturing scale-up plans, and the role of software-defined power systems in next-generation data centers. Finally, Inam shares his take on the future of distributed microgrids and “cellular power” and how to scale power electronics manufacturing.

DG Matrix recently closed a $60 million Series A led by Engine Ventures that MCJ is proud to have participated in. 

Episode recorded on May 13, 2026 (Published on May 26, 2026)

In this episode, we cover: 

(00:00) Overview of DG Matrix 

(01:41) Introducing the Founders: Haroon Inam and Dr. Bhattacharya

(05:25) How traditional grid architecture became constrained for AI workloads

(09:57) Solid-state transformers (SST), multi-port systems and voltage classes

(12:18) Why early SST efforts struggled economically

(13:13) How DG Matrix’s multi-port architecture works

(16:48) Comparing DG Matrix hardware footprint to legacy power systems

(20:08) Transformer shortages and data center infrastructure bottlenecks

(24:27) DG Matrix’s medium-voltage and low-voltage product strategies

(27:55) Product rebranding and current commercial deployments

(30:45) Partnerships with EPC firms, battery providers, and turbine manufacturers

(34:27) Manufacturing scale-up plan and hyperscaling production

(36:36) Supply chain strategy to avoid rare earth dependencies

(38:16) Reliability engineering and software-defined power systems

(43:47) DG Matrix’s go-to-market and hybrid hardware/software business model

(46:36) The vision for distributed “cellular power”

(48:14) Utilities, microgrids, and the future of interconnected distributed infrastructure

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.
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Cody Simms on LinkedIn
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Peter Carlsson is Co-founder and former CEO of Northvolt, the European battery manufacturing company that raised more than $13 billion to build a homegrown battery supply chain for Europe, before filing for bankruptcy at the end of 2024. Before Northvolt, Carlsson spent more than a decade at Ericsson building global supply chains and later served as VP of Supply Chain at Tesla during the launch of the Model S.

In this live episode of Inevitable from the AENU Summit in Berlin, Carlsson reflects on the rise and fall of Northvolt, the realities of competing with China’s electro-industrial stack, and what Europe still gets right in manufacturing and innovation. Peter breaks down why batteries became strategically essential to Europe, what operational challenges slowed Northvolt’s scale-up, and how changing EV markets, policy shifts, and financing pressures compounded those problems.

Carlsson also mentions his new ventures: Aris Machina, an agentic operating system for manufacturing and Sonder Labs, a sodium-ion battery company focused on building chemistry and supply chains less dependent on China. He talks about AI-driven manufacturing, industrial automation, battery geopolitics, and where Europe can still compete in the next generation of energy and hardware systems. 

Episode recorded on April 28 2026 (Published on May 19, 2026). 

In this episode, we cover: 

(0:00) What happened at Northvolt

(2:33) Takeaways from Ericsson and Tesla on factory operations

(5:52) Why Europe needed a battery champion like Northvolt

(7:01) Northvolt’s strategy

(8:47) The fall of Northvolt

(12:23) The decision Peter wishes he had made differently

(15:46) Was Northvolt's chemistry bet a mistake?

(17:29) Sonder Labs: The promise of sodium-ion batteries

(21:42) Can Europe still compete with China in batteries?

(24:05) Aris Machina: AI agents for manufacturing operations

(27:31) How AI changes factory productivity and the labor market

(29:05) Data sovereignty, AI infrastructure and software challenge

(32:35) Industrial automation, precision manufacturing, and fusion

(34:48) Where Europe still wins

(36:01) Final thoughts on Europe’s industrial future

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.
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Cody Simms on LinkedIn
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Rob Black is Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Economic Development Department, and Bruce Brown is Head of Strategic Climate Initiatives at the New Mexico State Investment Council, the state’s $72B sovereign wealth fund. Together, they are driving one of the most ambitious state-level strategies in the U.S. to turn energy wealth into long-term climate innovation and economic growth.

The conversation also features MCJ portfolio founders building in the state: Carrie von Muench, Co-founder of Pacific Fusion, developing modular fusion energy systems, and Carl Hoiland, Co-founder and CEO of Zanskar Geothermal, using AI to discover and scale geothermal resources.

Together, our guests explore how sovereign capital, policy, and startups intersect—from funding venture managers and attracting hyperscale projects to enabling first-of-a-kind (FOAK) infrastructure. The episode highlights what it actually takes to build (climate) companies in a new geography, and how New Mexico is positioning itself as a hub for advanced energy and climate tech.

This episode of Inevitable was recorded in front of a live audience on April 22, 2026 at the SVB Experience Center during SF Climate Week. (Published on May 12, 2026).

In this episode, we cover: 

(0:00) Overview of New Mexico’s development strategy

(2:06) Becoming a climate innovation hub

(4:31) An overview of the state's sovereign wealth fund: $72B capital

(6:27) Investing for returns while hedging energy transition risk

(10:34) Economic growth, poverty reduction, and workforce investment

(14:20) Why New Mexico is betting on climate and energy

(17:32) How the state supports startups: incentives and “white glove” service

(20:26) The shift in strategy: from local funds to global venture partners

(22:36) Scaling the model: billions into venture and new industries

(25:03) Transmission, infrastructure, and enabling energy deployment

(27:00) Building data centers, microgrids, and large-load demand

(35:11) Pacific Fusion: building modular, scalable fusion systems

(35:23) Zanskar Geothermal: AI-driven geothermal discovery and development

(40:23) Why New Mexico: resource potential vs. siting strategy

(45:29) What founders actually get from the state and what still needs work

(50:22) Lessons for builders: permitting, incentives, and scaling fast

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.
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Cody Simms on LinkedIn
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Eddy Chiang is Co-founder and CEO of Moment Energy, a company building commercial-scale energy storage systems from repurposed electric vehicle batteries. By testing, certifying, and remanufacturing second-life battery modules, Moment Energy is creating lower-cost alternatives to new lithium-ion storage while extending battery lifespans by decades.

In this episode of Inevitable, Chiang explains how a growing wave of retired EV batteries is reshaping the energy storage market—making recycling alone economically unviable. The conversation covers the technical and regulatory challenges of certifying second-life systems, how Moment Energy became the first company to achieve full UL certification, and why safety, not cost, is the real barrier to adoption. 

We also explore how distributed battery systems can replace traditional grid upgrades, why hyperscaler demand is accelerating deployment, and how Moment Energy is positioning storage not just as a product, but as long-term infrastructure designed to last 100 years.

MCJ is a three-time investor in Moment Energy. The company just closed a $40M Series B co-led by Evok Innovations and the Canadian Growth Fund — with the participation of Amazon, Liberty Mutual, Voyager and our fund. 

Episode recorded on April 14, 2026 (Published on May 5, 2026).

In this episode, we cover: 

(0:00) An overview of Moment Energy

(2:47) Moment Energy’s market evolution

(6:37) What certification means and why it’s the hardest part

(10:22) Are second-life batteries actually safe?

(12:15) Hardware + software: how Moment Energy builds safe systems

(15:39) Moment Energy’s product: modular, distributed battery systems

(19:06) Batteries vs grid upgrades: the core economic tradeoff

(25:35) Repurposed batteries and domestic supply chains

(29:49) The second life of EV batteries and why most still have value

(35:20) Designing battery systems to last 100 years

(42:53) Demands for AI, hyperscalers, and distributed storage

(47:55) Working with Amazon and scaling deployment

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
Visit mcj.vc
Subscribe to the MCJ Newsletter
*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant