Coffee with Changemakers

Planet Savers: Building Japan's First Direct Air Capture Startup

Kei Ikegami is the Founder and CEO of Planet Savers, Japan’s first Direct Air Capture (DAC) startup. From working in international development in the Middle East to completing his MBA at Cambridge, Kei shares his entrepreneurial story and his company’s mission to tackle the climate crisis through its deep technology that captures carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. He discusses building his company from scratch, including developing the startup’s core technology, raising funds from investors, and finding the right team to make his vision come to life. Kei also candidly shares his successes and challenges, as well as the many learnings from his unique journey.We discuss Kei’s “why” behind what he does and Planet Savers’ road map for the future, as well as insights on how changemakers can embrace failure and pursue their passions to make an impact.Highlights06:42 Kei's Journey: From International Development to Climate Tech14:22 Building Planet Savers: Motivation and Technology24:08 Challenges in Climate Tech Entrepreneurship28:07 Fundraising and Support 33:08 The Entrepreneurial Journey: Passion, Motivation, and Challenges43:55 Becoming a Father and Changing Perspectives50:56 The Future of Planet Savers: Projects and ChallengesFind out more about Planet Savers and follow their journey here: https://planetsavers.earth/

byFood: The Foodie Travel Platform Tackling Hunger

Serkan Toso launched byFood, a platform connecting foodie travelers with unique culinary experiences, in 2019. Since then, the company has donated 600,000+ meals to children in need through its ‘Food for Happiness’ program.Having moved from Turkey to Japan, Serkan shares his fascinating journey into entrepreneurship and his many learnings from building and scaling his company.He candidly shares how byFood diversified its revenue streams during the pandemic, merging companies with another like-minded entrepreneur, and the company’s successes and challenges, including raising funds from investors to scale their service globally.We discuss how Serkan - a Forbes 30 Under 30 Honouree - deals with stress and maintains balance as a founder and recent father, his key insights on scaling a startup through different phases of growth, and how to differentiate in the competitive online travel industry. Highlights08:02 Starting byFood & Overcoming Challenges26:43 Scaling and Hiring the Right People34:11 Maintaining Work-Life Balance as a Founder & Father43:16 Overcoming Challenges as a Foreign Entrepreneur53:21 Advice for Aspiring ChangemakersFind out more about byFood and follow their journey here: https://www.byfood.com/

Capturing Carbon & Cleaning Air: The Rise of OOYOO

Ralph Nicolai Nasara is Co-founder and CTO of OOYOO, a social impact startup focused on capturing carbon dioxide and cleaning air for a sustainable future.Ralph shares his personal story and how his fascination with energy and batteries at a young age led him to pursue a career in climate tech, including a 10-year deep dive into the field of lithium-ion batteries.He explains the challenges and opportunities of carbon capture, as well as OOYOO's core technology - a passive membrane filtration system capturing CO2 - and shares about the company's future plans and current partnership with the Japanese government.Ralph also openly discusses the significance of mentors, building a team culture where people can be their authentic selves, and the value of humility and open-mindedness in problem-solving.Highlights00:00 Early Days: Fascination with Batteries to Climate Tech08:15 Carbon Capture: Challenges and Opportunities 25:41 Collaborating with the Japanese Government and Technology Deployment36:38 The Power of Mentors and a 'Challenge Network'45:06 The Importance of Humility and UnlearningFind out more about OOYOO: https://www.ooyoo.co.jp/en/

Karate Champion to FemTech Entrepreneur: The Flora Story

Ukrainian Karate athlete Anna Kreshchenko moved to Japan in 2017. There, she founded Flora, a startup improving women’s wellbeing. The company runs the popular ‘Moonly’ app which helps users track menstrual cycles, access health insights, and improve pregnancy planning. Flora also works with major companies to enhance healthcare services for women and empower the female workforce.Anna is a Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 Honouree and was also recognised in the prestigious Forbes Japan ‘Next 100’ list. We sat down with Anna to discuss everything from overcoming imposter syndrome to building the right team and the importance of self-care, as well as Flora’s grand ambitions for the future.Highlights03:40 Anna's Journey from Ukraine to Japan08:26 The Inspiration behind Flora17:06 Flora's Impact29:02 Favourite Moments 31:05 Anna's Personal ‘Why’ 35:20 Building the Right Team40:06 Complementary Skill Sets and Emotional Stability42:10 Big Things Take Time44:04 Taking Action and Learning by Doing44:54 Prioritising Health and Resilience49:57 Global Expansion and Future VisionFind out more about Flora: https://main.flora-tech.jp/

ZNotes: Building a Tech-driven Movement for Educational Equality

Zubair Junjunia founded ZNotes - a community-led learning platform with a mission to end educational inequality everywhere - as a teenager in his bedroom. A decade later, Zubair and the ZNotes community have grown their movement exponentially; the platform now empowers over 5 million young people across the world with its vast range of student-built educational content and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.We sit down with Zubair, a recipient of the prestigious Diana Legacy Award and a Generation17 Young Leader appointed by UNDP, for an in-depth discussion on community building, technology, social mobility, mentorship, and sustainable funding models for social enterprises. Highlights00:00 Introduction and Background03:24 Starting ZNotes and Addressing Educational Inequality06:25 Creating a Global Community of Learners09:20 Challenges and Rewards12:12 The Importance of Balance and Self-Care32:53 Nurturing Leadership and Building a Sustainable Movement36:35 Cultivating Community and Embracing Change39:29 Aligning with the Problem, Not the Solution46:31 Challenges and Opportunities in Funding and Revenue Generation53:00 The Power of Education in Creating Social Mobility55:04 Empowering Individuals to Create ChangeFind out more about ZNotes and join their movement: https://znotes.org/

Introducing Coffee with Changemakers

On the ‘Coffee with Changemakers’ podcast, we explore the stories of changemakers taking on some of today’s biggest social and environmental challenges. Every episode, we host an intimate conversation on social impact and leadership, where we listen, learn, and connect with inspiring guests from all over the world. In episode 1, hosts Robin and Yoshi share their “why” behind starting this podcast and their hopes and dreams for the journey ahead.Join us as we meet remarkable leaders driving positive change on the front lines, one cup of coffee at a time!