Aaron Fitzgerald from Mars Materials

Aaron Fitzgerald from Mars Materials

Author: collide. August 21, 2025 Duration: 1:08:37

Turning CO₂ into carbon fiber sounds like science fiction, but Aaron Fitzgerald and the crew at Mars Materials are making it happen. Their process creates carbon-negative acrylonitrile, the stuff that goes into everything from sleek carbon fiber to water filters and high-tech textiles and they’re doing it with big-name partners like NREL and Shell. Aaron talks about reshoring carbon fiber production to the U.S., cutting carbon from supply chains, and what it takes to build a climate-driven company from the ground up. It’s a mix of chemistry, entrepreneurship, and a clear vision for a more sustainable future.

Click here to watch a video of this episode.


Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.
Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.
Apply today at collide.io


Click here to view the episode transcript.

00:00 - Energy Tech Nexus
00:17 - Intro to Mars Materials
03:48 - Aaron’s Background in Energy
08:11 - Overview of Kairos Aerospace
10:46 - Understanding Acrylonitrile
14:33 - Acrylonitrile Production Process
17:29 - The Sohio Process Explained
22:04 - National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
24:40 - Tech Transfer from National Labs
27:39 - Finding the Right Technology
29:26 - Carbon180 Overview
30:35 - Collaborating with Lawrence Livermore Lab
32:19 - EnergyTechNexus Insights
33:56 - LabStart Initiatives
35:37 - Request for Information (RFI) Explained
38:36 - Building a Business Deliberately
41:15 - Mars Materials Today and Future
48:30 - Fundraising Strategies
52:40 - What's Next for Mars Materials
54:45 - Erin's Shell Partnership Journey
57:16 - Shell's Support for Erin
1:00:11 - Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts
1:03:44 - How to Help Mars Materials
1:06:20 - Outro

https://twitter.com/collide_io

https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io

https://www.facebook.com/collide.io

https://www.instagram.com/collide.io

https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io

https://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.social

https://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters


They say everything's bigger in Texas, including the challenges and opportunities presented by climate change. That's precisely why Houston has become a surprising epicenter for the global energy transition. In H-Town, the fourth largest city in the United States, a new wave of entrepreneurs is converging, partnering with established industry titans to forge the technologies that will slash emissions and power a low-carbon future. This is the landscape explored in Energytech Startups, a podcast from collide. that goes straight to the source. Hosts Nada Ahmed and Jason Ethier sit down with the very people driving this change-the founders, investors, and innovators who are building companies at the intersection of energy and technology. Each conversation digs into the real work: the engineering breakthroughs, the complex business models, and the hard-won lessons from the front lines of a sector undergoing massive transformation. It’s a direct line to the strategies and stories shaping the future of energy, making this podcast an essential listen for anyone curious about the business and investment dynamics behind building a sustainable world. You’ll hear frank discussions about funding, scaling, and the practical realities of bringing a transformative idea to market, all set against the backdrop of a city historically known for oil and gas now betting big on its own reinvention.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 87

Energytech Startups
Podcast Episodes
Emissions Critical: How product carbon gets measured [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:44
In this episode, we talk with Schaum Sethuram, CEO and co-founder of Emission Critical Technologies, about how his company is simplifying carbon footprint analysis through a SaaS platform that acts like a “carbon nutriti…
Zettawatts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:02
In this episode, we talk with Jason Beck from ZettaWatts about how the company is helping energy transition technologies reach the market by pairing innovation with smarter financial structures. Jason shares his personal…
GOLeafe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:58
In this episode of the Energy Tech Startups Podcast, we sit down with Arsheen Allam, founder and CEO of GOLeafe, to explore how her background in material science and nanotechnology is unlocking new energy applications f…
EarthEn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:39
In this episode of the Energy Technology Podcast, we talk with Manas Patak, CEO and co-founder of EarthEn, about the company’s thermo-mechanical energy storage technology built around supercritical CO₂. Manas explains ho…
Helix Earth Technologies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:47
In this episode, Rawand Rasheed, CEO and founder of Helix Earth Technologies, shares how his background as a NASA space engineer led him to repurpose space-developed technology to decarbonize buildings and heavy industry…
INOVUES [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:13
In this episode, we sit down with Anas Al Kassas, CEO of INOVUES, to explore how the company is transforming building facades with energy-saving, smart glass solutions that upgrade windows without removal, replacement, o…
LiNa Energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:55
In this episode, we talk with Will Tope, Chief Commercial Officer at LiNa Energy, about the company’s novel battery technology designed for long-duration energy storage. Will explains how LiNa’s lithium-sodium chemistry…
Lignium Energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:41
In this episode, we sit down with Agustin Rios, COO of Lignium Energy, to explore how the company is turning cow manure into clean, carbon-neutral energy through a process that converts farm waste into standardized bioma…
EarthBridge Energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:33
In this episode, we’re joined by Derek Adams and Gus Perez of EarthBridge Energy to discuss how their startup is rethinking long-duration energy storage by using the earth itself as the storage medium. Blending concepts…