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Introducing Inflection Climate technology holds immense potential for mitigating the effects of climate change through innovative solutions in emissions reduction, carbon removal, and adaptation. However, a significant barrier to maximising this potential is the underutilisation of young, talented scientists who possess the skills and ambition necessary to drive forward these technologies. We want to find 30 of the worlds best young PhD’s, whose research and talent could have a massive climate impact. We want to support them and celebrate them. That’s why we launched Inflection The first awards programme dedicated to finding the top young scientists of tomorrow and connecting them with the highest impact opportunities to make their mark on climate change. We will bring together 30 awardees from all corners of the globe for an exclusive 2 day event in Paris, the birthplace of the International Treaty on Climate Change. As we commit to do our best to make a tangible contribution in advancing innovative solutions to combat climate change, we need YOUR help. Help us find the innovators of the future. Nominate the best young scientists you know. Be #Inflection www.inflectionaward.com Organized by Marble, Supported by Breakthrough Energy Fellows and Quadrature Climate Foundation

💡 Questions keeping you up at night? • How to transition from academia to entrepreneurship? • Can I even build a startup without a business degree? • How to find the right idea? • How do I make an impact? If these resonate, this event is for you. Join us on Dec. 11th at STATION F, the heart of innovation in Paris, for an evening designed for ambitious scientists ready to take their next big step. 🎤 Meet Steven Bardey, PhD, CTO & Co-Founder of Aerleum, a deeptech startup transforming air into clean fuels. With €6M seed funding, European recognition, and a mission to reshape the future, Steven’s journey is proof that scientists can build world-changing companies. 📍 Where: STATION F 📅 When: Dec. 11th, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM Don’t let your questions hold you back. Hear Steven’s story, ask your own, and discover what’s possible. RSVP now to join us! https://lnkd.in/eynfMWDE

💡 Questions keeping you up at night? • How to transition from academia to entrepreneurship? • Can I even build a startup without a business degree? • How to find the right idea? • How do I make an impact? If these resonate, this event is for you. Join us on Dec. 11th at STATION F, the heart of innovation in Paris, for an evening designed for ambitious scientists ready to take their next big step. 🎤 Meet Steven Bardey, PhD, CTO & Co-Founder of Aerleum, a deeptech startup transforming air into clean fuels. With €6M seed funding, European recognition, and a mission to reshape the future, Steven’s journey is proof that scientists can build world-changing companies. 📍 Where: STATION F 📅 When: Dec. 11th, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM Don’t let your questions hold you back. Hear Steven’s story, ask your own, and discover what’s possible. RSVP now to join us! https://lnkd.in/eynfMWDE

🌳 Key Insights from our Webinar on Cellulosic Biofuels in Europe This week he hosted a webinar for professionals working in biorefineries, energy specialists, and biomass researchers - all united in shared curiosity around valorising lignocellulosic biomass. Hosted by our Venture Associate Nakisa Echobardo, session covered key technical challenges in this sector, learnings from past failure of 2G biorefineries, and highlighted key vectors of innovation. Our favourite insights from this session: • Biomass will be crucial to decarbonise where electrification is challenging: as seen in shipping and aviation long-haul transportation needs very energy dense fuels for energy transition, something that biofuels can deliver upon if key bottlenecks are solved. 🚨 Biggest challenges in the first wave of pilot 2G biorefineries were: ◦ Difficulties associated with technical lignin production due to recalcitrant nature of the molecule ◦ Undesired production of compounds such as furfural and HMFs inhibits downstream operations in the biorefinery, specifically enzyme hydrolysis - directly increasing OPEX associated with enzymatic processes ◦ Enzymatic treatment step comprises up to <68% of total EtOH cost, making unit economics unfavorable for upscaled production of EtOH at a desired price ($0.57/L) In summary, many second-generation plants have been shut down or downscaled, significantly halting investments and innovations in the sector. We further dived into high-potential innovations in the sector that we’re interested in, such as: • Lignin valorisation for the production of aromatic molecules • Innovative fractionation technologies, such as deep eutectic solvents • Strain engineering & optimisation • Single-step saccharification + fermentation • Business model that plugs directly into the feedstock value chain 📹 If you missed it or want to dive back in, watch the recording on our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eGBeh2Bv At Marble, we are excited to officially launch our venture building efforts in the biofuels sector. If you're ready to take on this challenge and build a transformative venture with us, apply now for our Founder-in-Residence position. Our next cohort kicks off on February of 2025, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis: 👉 Apply now: https://lnkd.in/eaehwWub

🚨 Last Call for PhDs (Students & Fresh grads) Inflection is an international Award selecting the 30 best PhDs, whose research could shape the future of climate and environmental technologies. 👉 Eligibility highlights: • Currently pursuing a PhD or Postdoc. • Research with climate-relevant impact, across any discipline (not limited to climate science – we encourage applicants from engineering, biology, chemistry, geology, and beyond). • Driven by an urgent desire to maximize your impact on the climate crisis. • Based anywhere in the World Selected early-career scientists will be invited to an exclusive bootcamp in Paris, France 🇫🇷 in March of 2025 next year (all expenses covered), packed with workshops, networking sessions, and culminating in a special Gala Night. This award is organised by Marble, with support from Breakthrough Energy Fellows and Quadrature Climate Foundation. We're proud to feature world-leading scientists, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders on our judging panel, including Andrew Akbashev, Frauke Kracke, Greg De Temmerman, Cara Maesano, Lisa Y. Stein, Edda Aradottir, Elena Cavallero, Patrik Jones, Bilha Ndirangu, Claire M. Cobley, Nadine Bongaerts-Duportet, Ph.D., Louise Horsfall, Hiran V., Iris ten Have, PhD, and more judges to be announced soon! 👉 Apply by December 1, 23:59 CET inflectionaward.com

⏳ PhD Students: stop bookmarking and start acting We get it. There’s always another paper to write, another experiment to finish, another “perfect” moment to apply. But here’s the hard truth: the perfect moment doesn’t exist and desired opportunities slip away. Your work has the potential to create the next breakthrough in solving climate change. Whether you're working on: • Renewables • Sustainable Agriculture • Clean fuels • Carbon removal • Water treatment • Decarbonisation • Waste management ...or any scientific application that can transform our planet, the Inflection Award was created for researchers like you. 👉 Eligibility is simple - currently enrolled in a PhD program (or doing your PostDoc), based anywhere in the world, working on impactful research to address climate crisis. Sounds like you? Don't make the perfect opportunity wait, apply now: inflectionaward.com

Too many brilliant academics hold back. 💬 They tell themselves: “I don’t know enough to start a company.” “What if I fail? My career could be over.” “This isn’t what PhDs are trained for—I should just stick to research.” Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Transitioning from academia to entrepreneurship feels daunting—but here’s the truth: your doubts aren’t the end. They’re just the beginning. 🌟 That was Steven’s story. Two years ago, he was an academic with bold ideas but no roadmap to bring them to life. He needed a place to challenge his thinking, refine his vision, and turn it into something that could change the world. 🚀 Today, he is the CTO & Co-Founder of Aerleum, a groundbreaking deeptech startup transforming air into clean fuels. Aerleum is recognized across Europe, celebrated with awards, and on its way to reshaping the future with a €6M seed round. On Dec. 11th, you’ll have the chance to meet Steven, hear his journey, and ask the burning questions holding you back: • When is the right time to start transitioning from academia to entrepreneurship? • What are the most common mistakes scientists make when starting companies? (ideation, IP security, co-founders, and beyond.) • How can you explore opportunities beyond your PhD research? (Your thesis doesn’t have to define your entrepreneurial path!) • What does it take to build a climate deeptech company? Where: STATION F When: Dec. 11th, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM ⚡ Seats are limited—RSVP now! Link in comments

⭐️ Meet Tracy Nevitt and Bart Tas, Co-Founders-in-Residence at Marble! Tracy joined Marble as a Founder in Residence with an ambitious goal: to solve the enteric methane problem once and for all! Together with her co-founder and CTO, Bart Tas, they’ve developed a groundbreaking approach to tackling enteric methane emissions 🐄 Their solution achieves sustained high efficacy, significant animal productivity gains (in milk yield or weight gain), and works for any cow, anywhere — using safe, innovative ingredients. Tracy is a molecular geneticist and biochemist with +25 years of experience in infectious diseases and host-microbiome research within academia and industry. For her, science continues to be a wondrous journey of discovery which started during her Ph.D. in Biochemistry (ITQB NOVA, Portugal), followed by a postdoc at Duke University. Tracy transitioned into industry shortly after, with main research remaining focused on the microbiome as integral to human health and development. At her most recent position as Head of Discovery at Mootral, Tracy met Bart, who served as a VP of Science. Bart holds a PhD in Animal Sciences from Wageningen University & Research, followed by a post-doc at the Kiel University. With extensive experience in ruminant nutrition at Schothorst Feed Research and ForFarmers, Bart is a seasoned expert in the field. 🚀 Together Tracy and Bart form a stellar team with over 40 years of joined research experience in the fields of mammalian microbiome, enteric methane mitigation, animal science and drug development along with prior SME biotech experience. Being driven by scientific curiosity and the desire to create transformative technologies, they share a profound belief: climate change is the biggest threat to life as we know it on this planet. That’s why they’ve committed their time and expertise to solving a problem with one of the most immediate impacts on global warming: eliminating enteric methane emissions. Curious about their progress? Tracy sums it up best: “If this project was a microbe, I would say we are well into early exponential phase: grounded on ideas that are novel and disruptive, yet externally validated and backed by leading experts; strength in the co-founding team, bringing expertise in animal health & nutrition in every step of the journey. Milestones: de-risked all fundamental technical aspects, secured key IP across strategic locations, and assembled a founding team.” 👉 As of now, Tracy and Bart are looking for an exceptional CEO to join their co-founding team. If you’re ready to follow your curiosity to make an impact, apply now: https://lnkd.in/eHGNRGYy *Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until position is filled. Fun fact about Bart is that he loves clearing his mind with ultra trail running. While Tracy had two pet monkeys, a land tortoise, and a Greater Sulphur-Crested cockatoo and 7 dogs - at the same time.

To achieve a clean energy future, we need bold ideas — and we need them now. At Breakthrough Energy, we’re proud to support the Inflection Award, an initiative by Marble that invests in the next generation of climate innovators. This award will boost impactful climate research, giving innovators the funding, mentorship, and platform they need to accelerate their breakthroughs. This initiative aligns with our BE Fellows program, which helps innovators overcome early-stage barriers to advance transformative clean technologies. Learn more and apply here: https://nt-z.ro/3AI3Qtb

🌳 Is there a future for 2G biorefineries? Biomass is set to play a key role in the energy transition for hard-to-abate sectors, with significant potential in using waste feedstocks. 2G biorefineries build on this idea by converting dry plant material into fuels and chemicals. Notably, producing ethanol and aromatic molecules from lignocellulosic biomass is an underutilised opportunity for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Yet, despite their potential, 2G biorefineries have not reached the impact we once thought it would. 🤔Why is that you may ask… The initial processes of extracting energy from cellulose through pre-treatments are significantly more complex and costly than from corn starch. Lignin, a critical component of biomass, is often not well fractionated and thereby incinerated instead of being integrated into profitable value streams. Collecting, transporting and storing biomass has proven more difficult and costly than anticipated in many business models. 💸 Additionally, unanticipated changes in compliance with environmental regulations for the wastewater treatment, has doubled the CAPEX costs of a biorefinery plant. At Marble, we view these challenges as opportunities to innovate. By learning from previous waves of technological progress, we’re working to create scalable and viable business cases for the next generation of biorefineries. Advances in mechanical, chemical, and biological pre-treatment technologies, alongside more robust enzymes and improved biomass fractionation techniques, are helping us unlock the full potential of plant cell wall materials. Combined with a growing policy shift favouring biofuels, the path forward is brighter than ever! Curious to know more about why we’re so confident in 2G biorefineries despite all challenges above? 💬 Join the conversation on Nov 26, 5PM CET and find out more. RSVP here: https://lu.ma/biomass