Inevitable

Siva Yellamraju is the co-founder and CEO of Fourier, a company building modular, on-site hydrogen systems for long-duration energy storage and distributed hydrogen production. Fourier’s approach combines lithium-ion batteries for short-duration needs with hydrogen storage for longer durations, packaged into a single system designed to operate like a microgrid.

In this episode of Inevitable, Yellamraju explains why hydrogen has long been considered promising for multi-day, seasonal, and even multi-year energy storage, but has struggled because of the cost and complexity of transporting it. He argues that producing hydrogen where it is needed can remove that transportation challenge and unlock a different cost curve for long-duration storage.

The conversation explores Fourier’s modular “hydrogen blade” architecture, its first storage deployment in Gujarat, India, and the growing demand for alternatives to diesel generators as data centers require increasingly large amounts of backup power. Yellamraju also discusses why levelized cost of storage matters more than round-trip efficiency, India’s potential role in energy manufacturing, and his transition from software and data centers into building physical energy infrastructure.

Note: Fourier is an MCJ portfolio company.

Episode recorded on August 5, 2026 (Published on September 1, 2026).

In this episode, we cover:

(0:00) An overview of Fourier

(1:33) Why hydrogen could work for long-duration energy storage

(4:12) Why centralized hydrogen production creates a transportation problem

(5:31) Making hydrogen storage operate like a battery

(7:08) Why levelized cost matters more than round-trip efficiency

(10:08) How hydrogen stores and returns energy

(12:22) How long hydrogen can remain stored

(13:45) Fourier’s battery-plus-hydrogen microgrid architecture

(14:24) Why Fourier uses a modular “hydrogen blade” design

(15:51) Combining lithium-ion batteries with hydrogen for all storage durations

(16:19) How Fourier’s software optimizes storage, lifetime, and ROI

(17:47) Fourier’s first commercial storage deployment in Gujarat

(19:53) Why Fourier is expanding from hydrogen feedstock into energy storage

(20:32) How AI and data center growth accelerated demand for long-duration storage

(24:24) Replacing diesel generators and solving multiple power needs with one system

(26:55) How hydrogen storage compares with iron-air batteries

(27:50) Why India could become a major energy manufacturing and hydrogen hub

(30:10) The engineering and manufacturing talent Fourier is hiring

(30:39) Transitioning from software to physical energy infrastructure

(34:11) Scaling Fourier to meet growing demand for energy storage

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Willie Phillips is the former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and now a partner at Holland & Knight. During his time at FERC, Phillips helped lead major reforms to transmission planning and the electric grid’s interconnection process. He now advises the companies and utilities he once regulated, giving him a unique perspective on how developers can navigate the regulatory system.

In this episode of Inevitable, Phillips explains how FERC works, what companies routinely get wrong when engaging with regulators, and why early participation and pre-filing conversations can dramatically improve the odds of success. He also breaks down the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Chevron doctrine and how his team designed Order 1920 around reliability and existing legal precedent.

The conversation then turns to the bigger challenge facing the U.S. grid: rapidly growing electricity demand from AI, data centers, electrification, and industrial activity. Phillips argues that the grid was not built for this moment and that the country needs faster, more coordinated planning while preserving the role of states and regional authorities.

Finally, Phillips discusses large loads, behind-the-meter generation, vertically integrated utilities, and the possibility that hyperscalers could become major power generators. He argues that regulators, utilities, and technology companies have an opportunity to work together to build the infrastructure needed for the next era of the American economy.

Episode recorded on July 29, 2026 (Published on August 25, 2026).

In this episode, we cover: 

(0:00) An overview of FERC and Willie Phillips’s career

(6:31) How companies can successfully navigate the FERC process

(9:07) What overturning Chevron means for federal regulators

(12:00) Order 1920 and the need for long-term transmission planning

(13:35) Reforming the interconnection queue

(15:39) How FERC navigated legal uncertainty around grid reform

(17:29) Why America needs to “do big things” with the electric grid

(20:42) FERC, states, and the future of grid planning

(23:33) America’s energy infrastructure race with China

(25:02) Why large loads are transforming the grid

(27:07) A 21st-century economy running on 20th-century rules

(28:18) FERC’s approach to accelerating large-load interconnections

(30:15) Why reliability, affordability, sustainability, and speed matter

(31:30) The jurisdictional questions around large loads

(33:06) Organized markets vs. vertically integrated utilities

(37:40) Reliability, affordability, and the value of invisible infrastructure

(40:35) Behind-the-meter generation and co-location

(43:17) Could hyperscalers become major power generators?

(44:09) Turning hyperscalers into partners in building the grid

(46:09) Why the energy transition needs the voice of investors and innovators

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Yasir Arafat is the co-founder and CTO of Aalo Atomics, a company developing factory-manufactured modular nuclear power plants designed for AI data centers. Before founding Aalo, Yasir led the MARVEL microreactor program at Idaho National Laboratory.

In this episode of Inevitable, Yasir explains how Aalo became one of four U.S. nuclear startups to achieve criticality by the July 4, 2026 deadline. He breaks down what criticality means, why the milestone matters, and how the team went from a small startup to sustaining a nuclear fission chain reaction in less than a year.

The conversation explores why Yasir believes nuclear's biggest challenges are speed and economics rather than safety or reliability, and how Aalo is trying to address both through factory-based manufacturing. Yasir also shares how the company built its own reactor building in 36 days, tested its full-scale reactor systems, developed scalable fuel assembly manufacturing, and partnered with Idaho National Laboratory to learn how to operate a real reactor.

Finally, Yasir outlines Aalo's path from its zero-power Critical Test Reactor to Aalo-X, a full-powered reactor designed to generate electricity and power a co-located AI data center, and ultimately to the company's commercial Aalo Pod. The discussion also covers DOE demonstration pathways, future NRC licensing, the resurgence of nuclear innovation, and why Yasir believes multiple reactor technologies and companies will be needed to scale nuclear energy.

Note: Aalo Atomics is an MCJ portfolio company.

Episode recorded on August 6, 2026 (Published on August 18, 2026).

In this episode, we cover: 

(0:00) An overview of Aalo Atomics

(2:00) What criticality means in a nuclear reactor

(3:38) Why the July 4 deadline was set and why it mattered

(7:07) The final 24 hours before Aalo reached criticality

(9:24) How accurately Aalo's reactor matched its physics models

(11:43) From the MARVEL microreactor to founding Aalo Atomics

(13:56) Why Aalo is focused on nuclear speed and economics

(17:05) Why Aalo built a zero-power critical test reactor first

(19:01) Building a nuclear reactor building in 36 days

(19:21) What Aalo tested beyond the reactor itself

(20:53) Building fuel assemblies for the next 100 reactors

(23:43) Why organizational readiness matters as much as reactor technology

(24:05) Running the CTR and Aalo-X projects in parallel

(24:56) Excavating through unexpectedly difficult basalt rock

(26:03) The progression from CTR to Aalo-X to the Aalo Pod

(29:29) Partnering with turbine suppliers and Crusoe

(31:27) The timeline for powering a co-located AI data center

(32:09) How DOE authorization supports first-of-a-kind reactor demonstrations

(34:01) Moving from DOE demonstrations toward NRC commercial licensing

(42:03) Why Aalo is betting on the next generation of sodium-cooled reactors

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Fiona Spruill is CEO of Overstory, a company helping electric utilities reduce power outages and wildfire risk using satellite imagery, aerial data, and AI-powered vegetation intelligence. Since joining as employee number 10 and later stepping into the CEO role, Spruill has helped Overstory evolve from a vegetation mapping startup into a resilience platform serving many of North America's largest utilities.

In this episode of Inevitable, Spruill explains why vegetation management is one of the largest operating expenses for utilities and how improving grid resilience starts with better risk prioritization—not simply collecting more data.

The conversation explores how Overstory combines satellite imagery, computer vision, and customer data to help utilities identify vegetation threats, wildfire fuels, and infrastructure risks before disasters occur. Spruill also discusses selling into the utility industry, the growing importance of resilience as climate risks expand beyond the western U.S., and how the company navigated an extraordinary leadership transition following the loss of co-founder and CEO Indra den Bakker.

Note: Overstory is an MCJ portfolio company

Episode recorded on July 22, 2026 (Published on August 11, 2026).

In this episode, we cover: 

(0:00) An overview of Overstory

(4:44) Why vegetation management is one of utilities' biggest expenses

(6:17) How Overstory helps prevent outages and catastrophic wildfires

(7:33) From vegetation mapping startup to grid resilience platform

(9:14) Why utilities need better prioritization

(12:03) What utilities see inside the Overstory platform

(14:12) How satellite imagery, aerial data, and AI power the product

(17:31) Supporting wildfire prevention and public safety power shutoffs

(19:16) Where Overstory fits within utility resilience strategies

(21:21) Lessons from selling climate technology to utilities

(25:18) Serving both rural co-ops and North America's largest utilities

(28:21) How wildfire risk is expanding globally

(30:26) Fiona's leadership journey and Overstory's evolution

(34:44) Building a global remote-first company and culture

(38:21) Overstory's fundraising journey and investor partnerships

(42:09) Measuring climate impact through operational change

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant

Arch Rao is Founder and CEO of SPAN, the company behind the smart electrical panel that has expanded into utility grid management with SPAN Edge and distributed AI infrastructure with XFRA. What began as a smarter way to manage home electricity has evolved into a platform designed to digitize the electric grid, enable mass electrification, and unlock new AI compute capacity using existing residential infrastructure.

In this episode of Inevitable, Rao explains why SPAN's vision has grown beyond the home electrical panel, how utilities are using software-defined power management to avoid expensive infrastructure upgrades, and why distributed AI inference could become a new class of digital utility. He also discusses the intersection of electrification, grid modernization, and AI demand, arguing that the next major energy transition is the digitization of the electric grid itself.

Note: SPAN is an MCJ portfolio company 

Episode recorded on July 8, 2026 (Published on August 4, 2026).

In this episode, we cover: 

(0:00) An overview of SPAN

(1:53) How SPAN evolved from smart panels to grid infrastructure

(3:41) The inspiration behind XFRA and distributed AI compute

(5:21) What an XFRA node looks like and how it works

(6:04) Why homeowners would host AI compute infrastructure

(8:06) The homeowner business model: free panels, batteries, and lower utility bills

(10:48) Why SPAN is focused on new home developments

(11:56) How SPAN Edge helps utilities avoid costly service upgrades

(16:35) SPAN's go-to-market evolution

(17:16) Lessons from customer behavior and software adoption

(20:53) How SPAN Edge creates value for utilities

(26:16) Securing distributed AI infrastructure in residential neighborhoods

(27:48) Who is buying XFRA compute today

(29:45) Why distributed infrastructure offers flexibility over traditional data centers

(31:04) XFRA as a new form of digital infrastructure

(32:50) How SPAN differs from virtual power plants (VPPs)

(34:56) Why the real energy transition is analog-to-digital

(36:43) Why talent is SPAN's biggest hiring priority

Enjoyed this episode? Please leave us a review! Share feedback or suggest future topics and guests at info@mcj.vc.
Connect with MCJ:
Cody Simms on LinkedIn
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant