In this episode, Steve Grace sits down with Mick Liubinskas — founder of Climate Salad — to unpack how a simple newsletter turned into an industry body representing over 800 companies, and why Australia is world-class at inventing technology but historically terrible at commercialising it.
Mick breaks down the massive difference between scaling software and industrial hardware, why the real funding gap isn't at the start but in the messy middle, and why he predicts a massive economic tipping point for climate tech in 2027 driven by policy and profit, not just goodwill.
They also dive into:
- Why Australian corporations refuse to be the "first customer" for local tech
- The "Valley of Death" for funding physical infrastructure
- Real examples of deep tech: Jet engines running on sewage and infinite thermal batteries
- The generational shift from "doing less bad" to "nature first"
- How Wright’s Law is driving down the cost of batteries and solar
- Why capitalist business models are the fastest way to solve climate problems
Timestamps:
0:00 From newsletter to industry body
1:20 The accidental founding of Climate Salad
5:33 Australia’s commercialization crisis
6:37 Why hardware is harder than software
12:14 Capitalism vs. Climate Change
15:53 The investment "Valley of Death"
17:54 Jet engines running on sewage
19:33 The Generational Divide: Nature First
26:19 The 2027 Tipping Point Prediction
35:43 Antarctica and the fragility of nature
Links:
Climate Salad → https://www.climatesalad.com/
Connect with Mick → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mliubinskas/
The Nudge Group → https://thenudgegroup.com/
Give It A Nudge Podcast → https://www.youtube.com/@giveitanudge/
Steve on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegrace/
The Trouble With People → https://thetroublewithpeople.substack.com/