ATOME Insights: The Startup Approach to Green Fertilizers (NEAH)

Join us for the new episode of Watt’s Up With Startups with Emin Askerov - now available as a UA-cam Music podcast ( • Watt’s Up With Startup... ! In this episode, Emin invited Olivier Mussat, CEO of ATOME.
Agriculture is responsible for around 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers from the University of Cambridge estimate that the production and use of #fertilizers make up 5% of global #GHG emissions. Decarbonizing agriculture is complex, and reducing the emissions from fertilizer manufacturing can be a good starting point.
Fertilizers can be made ‘greener’ by utilizing nonfossil sources and renewable energy in manufacturing. Learn more about the story of a startup that decided to make a ‘greener’ version of calcium ammonium nitrate.
Find out how a startup can tackle the challenging task of abating emissions from fertilizer manufacturing and what ATOME’s ambitions are from Olivier Mussat, CEO of ATOME.
Olivier BA, MS, has joined ATOME after being the Chief Investment Officer of Global Energy at the IFC, part of the World Bank Group. After starting his career as an energy field engineer, he is a recognised expert in funding and managing infrastructure assets for oil and gas, power, and renewables. He has led over $500M of equity investments in early-stage companies and over $30bn of corporate and structured debt finance transactions.
Here’s a summary of this conversation:
- How to leave IFC and join a startup
- Why focusing on decarbonizing the hard-to-abate part of fertilizer manufacturing is important
- How to choose a niche in the hydrogen market and not fall prey to hype
- How to assemble a team for a multi-million-dollar project
- Why your first investment round can be an IPOP
Find out how a startup can tackle the challenging task of abating emissions from fertilizer manufacturing and what ATOME’s ambitions are.
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00:00 Introduction of ATOME - business, using hydrogen to decarbonize hard-to-abate fertilizers industry
06:03 What was the motivation? Personal path from power, oil and gas, finance
10:02 An IPO for a startup - pros and contras
14:06 The role of the team, and who is in the ATOME team?
19:43 Engineers for FOAK - inhouse or outsourced from an engineering company?
27:52 ATOME approach to separating hype from hydrogen
32:02 Technology challenges for hydrogen - how to beat the competition
35:30 Olivier Mussat’s recommendations to greentech startups