ESG Software for Any Business with Sustain.Life CSO Alyssa Rade

0:03 We need the user where they are so we're very again like we're technology platform where integration heavy so we're fully integrated with utilities you know. Enter your credentials were automatically pulling that data similar integration that we built from your PC systems. That said, a lot of users still do start with like a bulk upload, so just taking what they have and getting it in the data template and pushing it in, but it's absolutely all about being the business where they are. What do? Eight of do they have available? Where do they need help? Filling in gaps. How can they be clear and transparent about where gaps are? Estimated and perhaps proxy information is used verse Real primary data. So I'm assuming you've got a customer success. People that helped the the clients get started as the ones the best in town.

0:48 Absolutely. Welcome to the environmental transformation podcast where we talk with industry leaders, climate Champions and sustainability professionals, who are making an impact in their businesses. Today, each leader solving complex challenges and provide Solutions within the respective areas of expertise. Here's our host, Sean Grady. Hello ET Nation. I'm excited to announce that. I've updated my website. That provides listeners more access to episode content and information about the podcast. Please take a moment and visit the website and sign up for email notifications and blog postings also check out our sponsors page to see who supports the show. We can't think these industry leaders enough. Finally, I would really appreciate if you would take a moment and post a review and rate the podcast episodes, either from my website or from within your podcast app, This helps the podcast get more exposure on Apple podcast and other podcast networks.

1:57 Also please send me comments and recommendations on topics that you want to hear about. I hope you enjoy the new website so check it out at www.shawnacoronado.com. Welcome to the environmental transformation podcast. I'm your host Sean Grady and today's guest is Alyssa raid. Lissa is the chief sustainability officer for sustain life and they are a SAS platform, helping businesses across the industry Define and achieve their sustainability goals. Alyssa helps lead sustainability strategy. Both internally for sustaining for and for sustain life. Customers so Alyssa.

2:41 She holds over a decade of experience in sustainability at several different organizations and she holds a Bachelor of Arts from the west from Washington University and a masters. And environmental policy and science from Columbia University. Welcome to the show. Alyssa, thank you, Sean. Thanks for having me. I had it, you know, give everybody the full picture of, you know who you are. And you know it's kind of a, you know, obligate obligatory, you know, part of the process here. So but hey, you know, welcome to the show sustain life. You guys are a new startup in the carbon emission tracking business. So let's talk a little bit about it. Welcome to the show and give us a little more background on sustain life.

3:24 Sure happy to so sustain life is a carbon accounting ESG SAS platform and we're helping businesses. Operationalized sustainability we do a lot of things but the real bulk and core of the platform is a suite of a greenhouse gas protocol compliant calculator. So when you hear scope 123 emissions and carbon accounting, what our platform does is it in That's your business data from a myriad of sources and it computes them and turns them into those emissions output. So you can respond to rfps and customer requests, support mandated regulated disclosure, and investor driven disclosure, or just talk about the great things, you're doing, you know, in a standalone sustainability report. Well, how did you guys get started? And how did you get started?

4:07 And the sustainability industry, even though this is kind of a new, you know, era, so to speak or a new area in the business. So talk about That you've been in 10 years. Yeah. So I'm a pretty Pure Play, sustainability, ESG, kind of background. I went to undergrad, a declared environmental science major and I never wavered from that time to get a graduate degree in environmental science and policy. But I am from New York and I live in New York. And after school, I knew I wanted to work in something to have an environmental impact. I just thought, if I'm going to spend my life working, which as a New Yorker, that is what we are. Calibrated to do for better or worse. That I, what does citizens I wanted it to be meaningful. I want him to have a spend my time and my brain capacity. Trying to solve a problem that I thought were really critical for humankind.

5:03 And so in New York, what are the things that create all the emissions and consume all the energy and have the largest impact or buildings? So, I actually spent the majority of my career in real estate and in the built environment, and hopped around from Consulting in architectural design, and I ultimately wound up working for a large commercial, owner, and operator here in the city, and then coming over. Sustained were about a two-year-old company. I've been here since the very beginning part of the founding team and the mission of sustain life is all about translating really complex, sophisticated topics and making them accessible so that businesses can engage in sustainability and climate action.

5:44 It can't just be the global Enterprise businesses, the apples and the Google's of the world that have a sustainability plan, it needs to be every business, taking action if we're going to have the impact we need and so that Guiding Light and eat those who sustain life is helping businesses. Understand what is relevant to them and material to them, where they can have an impact and then giving them the tools to both both measure a baseline, but also manage it and actually improve their environmental. I think that's the biggest challenge that we're seeing as well. You know, in the Consulting business and the industry is where companies are really channels. Like how do I get the data? How am I measuring this data? What calculations should I be using to, you know, calculate my missions, you know, through the various, you know, scope one scope to and scope three there. They can be challenging, you know, and because it's not easy to discern how to use it, the factors properly. So yeah, I mean, if you can create a solution that helps people solve that that you know, conundrum that's really the trick here, right?

6:51 Absolutely. I mean so much of this work even at pretty sophisticated you know, Enterprise scale, companies is Hang on spreadsheets and it's just yeah, super labor-intensive prone to human error and it's just clear that technology can do a better job of managing those emissions factors and the data sources and processing that data, as well as helping you do, things like data quality and fill in gaps and estimates and so you know, that's what we built into the platform to really help businesses. Understand, here's the data that you need to engage. Here's what we do with it. Here's what it means. When you get an output and how you can talk about that in a meaningful way to your stakeholders. At are asking you to disclose or talk about these things across various media. Mmm, well, where do you think we are in the evolution of the decarbonization journey right now? It's a really good question.

7:40 I think that we've made a lot of progress, but we frankly have a lot of the way to go the goal of Net. Zero of decarbonization is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. And right now we're falling short of doing that, even if all of the government pledges that are out there. If we, you know, Actualized, all of them even those current commitments are not enough to maintain that warning threshold. And so there's a lot that we have to do to really get there. There's some great resources, the ones I recommend. There's a great iaea report that talks about transforming the global Energy System and what that needs to look like over the next three decades, in order to reach this target. Yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot.

8:22 There's also a NetZero, trackers, a great resource, talking about, like, all the countries. There's 50 countries representing over half of global emissions that have set Net, Zero targets, and that's great. The quality of those targets. Very, you know, some don't aren't robust, they're not including scope three, which if you're not, including scope three, you're missing most of the pie. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, I've been, we've had a lot of guests on the show and we talked about, you know, this told decarbonization journey and and some of the tactics or strategies to try to get there, you know, in the built environment. Man, you just talked about you. You did a lot of work in the built environment. You know, I've had, you know, several interviews or with the lead lead green lead 0 is a big new one out there, right?

9:09 But you know, solar power seems to be another one of the topics to me that is just not getting enough air on how he can really help transform the consumption of you know, fossil fuels by going solar. And the problem that I see is that Our Utility Systems are really built for transmission and not you know, consumption, basically. Right. And the cost of solar is a barrier and it needs to be Plug and Play. I mean, you we in my opinion, we need to be able to go to Home Depot, or Lowe's and say, well, here's the size of my roof and I can buy the panels and I'm just connecting cables down to the The breaker box, and that's it. I mean, you know, or into a battery, that's down there as well.

10:03 So make it so simple, the caveman can do it. You know what, I think we're making progress. I say this with the utmost respect, but my mother-in-law did she did it, right? She got the solar panels on her roof. She hired the service providers and this is certainly not an industry expert, you know, like we're certainly making progress but I think I think there's a Lot of constraints with the grid and even if we get all of this capacity, you activate the solar and you do the wind projects, the transmission and distribution grid is not built to accommodate this additional capacity. We literally cannot transmit it from where it is generated to where it is consumed and that's there are major infrastructural challenges. Absolutely.

10:48 And that's where the biggest opportunity. I mean there's all the the biggest chunk of emissions are in the built environment that we already have. I mean, wow. Let's let's solve that and I think we'll start to get there pretty fast. And you know, what this is, you know, a less Swanky, I'll say kind of a less exciting approach to it, but if you're in real estate, you know that the first thing you do isn't evaluate of rooftop, solar installation, its Energy. Efficiency. You look at your current systems and what your consumption is and what projects can you implement to actually reduce consumption and then you work on your actual energy survive right? But you know I think I can we're getting a little too far off topic here.

11:32 However just real quick you know with a Solar Company comes and says hey we will get help you get to you know get you off the grid and they say well but you need to take a mortgage out you know, to do it. That's like a non-starter, right? So that's the problem, we got to solve that if we could do that, we're going to make big impact because a lot of people want to make a big impact. If you're listening to this podcast, I'll bet you may be thinking how can I level up in advance my career? If you want to get that promotion, increase your regulatory knowledge gain. Professional recognition and earn more money. Then it's time to obtain an industry credential from The Institute of hazardous material management. The I hmm offers eight credentials that are antsy approved for students experience, skilled employees without a degree and for the degree, professional looking to set themselves apart from the pack. Are their credentials, focus on three main areas, certified, hazardous material manager, the see. Hmm.

12:33 The certified dangerous goods, professional the CD GP, and the certified safety and health manager. The CSS. Hm, if you become an eye, hmm, credential professional. Then you will be in the top 1% of your profession and your credential will have a global reach. Check out their programs, they offer at I hmm, dot-org. What are you waiting for? Get started today. Well, like, I mean the, the decarbonization journey really is. It's we're on it right now. Many people are addressing in different ways. We're seeing companies now really drive the message, you know, from the corporate, you know, c-suite executive ranks all the way down to the everyday worker. It's happening.

13:26 So, how's the conversation changing? You know, that, you know, with these boards that you've seen your Actions with sustain life. Yeah. So I think and I do a lot of speaking with the accounting profession which really approaches sustainability and decarbonization from the Enterprise risk management space, so really like focusing on that governance and oversight. And I think ESG has really become a board issue. This is something that is material to investors. So many of these disclosure Frameworks are investor driven Frameworks proposed SEC. Law is an investor driven disclosure law because investors want to Stand material, risks and opportunities to their investments in the allocation of their Capital.

14:08 The same way, they want to understand risks and opportunities across other things outside of ESG risks. And so I really think that it's not just about what is your performance but what's your strategy? How are you navigating these things? How are you building in resilience to your business operation and your value chain and supply chain? And that is what really can, you know, can really impact long-term value. And the resilience of that business I think I think across the board, we're seeing sustainability become really integrated into the Core Business, practice, and disciplines. This is no longer a silo team. I mean, even when I started in my career, sustainability was a little Silo, you worked with other games, but now, like, you're touching procurement and risk management and I are an operations.

14:52 I mean, this is really becoming woven into the fabric of how businesses strategize and run, run their processes. Well, you know, when the procurement Polar asking for sustainability information from their suppliers. It's getting pretty deep, it's getting pretty deep into the, you know, the the business because you know they're mostly thinking hey I want to buy, you know, something for the lowest price you know. And now that equation of the purchasing you know is changing right there, they're not buying just on the lowest price, you know. The sdgs are really kind of coming into play and There's there's so much. It's evolving so fast too.

15:37 I think that's the speed of what we're seeing is is kind of interesting. I mean, it's really exciting time to be in the industry right now. It is I mean, I think that Network effect of, you know, customer to supplier and we have a mandate, we have goals and standards. And if you want to do business with us, we're going to ask you this at an RFP or we expect this information from you. Or we're going to make a buying decision based off. This is really powerful. Let me so. Can't talk about regulation because now it's just it's so hot. There's a lot of all the in real time. But the traditional drivers of this have been that supply chain Network effect and its market dynamics, right? You're going to do what your most important customers are signaling to you is important to them, right?

16:19 Right. Well, let's talk a little bit about digital transformation. That's taking place in our industry today and you know, lets you know, beginning with scope 1, 2 and 3 tracking of the missions, you know, it feels like there are many We different tech companies, do you know, hitting the market right now? I mean, like, you guys are in there. There's, I've seen, I'm off. I'm aware of a few others, you know, and they're all developing good tools and their some may be specific for an industry and others. Because I think, you know, not one tools going to meet all industry requirements because some of these like if you're in the oil and gas industry, pretty complicated, stuff with all the air emissions that are associated with, you know, Title 5 permits and things like that versus, you know, a retail company.

17:02 I mean, you're told Drastically different. So talk a little bit about you know sustain life. How you're separating yourself from the other Solutions and what your target industry? Yeah, absolutely. So there are a lot of Solutions on the market and there's you know, I'll say they're not all designed equally some as you said are absolutely targeting embodied carbon in building products and materials, others are targeting oil and gas or hard to other hardwood bait Industries and there's a couple of things to you know if you're evaluating software offerings at your command going to want to know about them and I think Think a couple of differentiators that all talk about was sustained, one is who do we focus on? We focus on mid-market businesses and that's actually a really significant differentiator.

17:42 A lot of the tech platforms are building Enterprise scale tools, that's who they want to serve those large Enterprise customers and we really seriously believe that. It's actually the mid-market that needs more help. They don't have the Deep sustainability team to don't have the Deep sustainability expertise, they're the ones that are blocked from taking action right now and really Need a tool that they can engage with to unlock that. They can't financially afford these Enterprise Solutions either. Absolutely. And, you know, another one is that a lot of these Enterprise Solutions. Are they brand themselves as a solution, but they're really Tech enabled Services. There's a deep layer of consulting services that, and we've also taken a different approach that we're a pure technology SAS play. And we actually partner with Consultants, who have been doing this work for decades to essentially be the tech back bones that they can scale their services and expertise. He's to their clients.

18:33 That got you. Well, so, do you guys just set up separate agreements with Consulting, companies to support them in that. How does that work? Yeah, we have a whole partnership Network, and there's a whole slew of different commercial Arrangements of how it can work. But that's been a really meaningful partner for us because they are the ones that have deep expertise in the space have deep client connections. Also you know businesses aren't looking for more service providers or Mortals. They want to consolidate, they want to streamline and so being able to Kind of scale existing relationships. We're happy to do that, right? We just want to be the technology platform that empowers. All of that. Action. Have you had any of those types of just kind of curious if you had any of those types of arrangements with your partner's where you white label your application into other. So it's, you know, it's seamless into somebody else's solution. It's okay, that's good.

19:28 Yeah, that's good, that's good to know. I mean, that's because that's that's a that's a great alternative for someone who already has a good solution for a few other aspects of, you know, the value chain of maybe EHS or something and they just need that piece. Peace. Yes you know to be more comprehensive. Yes the Partnerships ecosystem is so critical you know let's not all Bill. The same tool Lets All understand the different Niche approaches that different tools have whether you're coming at it. From a government perspective, or a compliance perspective, or EHS perspective or a broader, ESG perspective, and connect with tools and providers. So that you're building a robust solution that can solve all the businesses need. I love, I love that approach because we find in the Market to that, that the differentiator by having that Consulting expertise and a solution really does help you separate from a traditional SAS product who they're just giving you the solution but figure it out yourself and most of the clients are struggling to, you know, do the figuring out themselves or have the manpower to do the, you know, the actual heavy lifting to do the work because there is a bit of you know, manual labor. Unfortunately you can't automate everything right. You know, there is that that domain Knowledge. You need to be part of the process and so I think there's a good value there but it's great to hear that you guys do partner with people like that and that helps bring the full full ecosystem or lifecycle of solution to the to the clients. Well, what do you think is like

21:00 some of the most challenging part of setting up a user in sustained lives application? What's the biggest Challenger, mental issues? That they may have? Yeah, I think I mean, Actual setup like creating the account and you know putting in your locations very easy, right? Like that's a very clear process. So, you know, I think of it more in terms of onboarding and activation and to us we Define that as getting a baseline measuring a baseline. And I think the hardest part about doing that is access to data and I think that's Universal across whatever scope you're doing and that's the yeah it's access to data. And all I'd also say for businesses just starting out with this it's really understanding your Has ational boundaries and activities so that you're properly establishing, the ecosystem that it is you're trying to measure and manage through this application. Yeah.

21:52 I mean getting the data and having access to it is been what I've seen a big challenge for a lot of companies trying to, you know, adopt a new system and you're like, hey okay can you give us all your your past records? And they're like oh man, you know, we really don't have a great eye really. I'm gonna it's like herding cats, right? It's like, let me go get inside. He handles. It really nicely in his own, little special access database, or this guy's been using spreadsheets for 20 years and this guy's do, you know, you're lucky? If it's in, is it out button is at looking box? You know, I mean there's it's all over the map. You're right. So yeah. It's a big challenge.

22:33 It is. I mean we meet the user where they are so we're very again, like we're technology platform where integration heavy, so we're fully integrated with utilities. As you know, enter your credentials were automatically pulling that data similar integration that we built from your PC systems. That said a lot of users still do start with like a bolt upload, so just taking what they do have and getting it in the data template and pushing it in, but it's absolutely all about meeting the business where they are, what data do they have available? Where do they need help? Filling in gaps. How can they be clear and transparent about where gaps are? Estimated and perhaps proxy information is used verse Real primary. Your data.

23:13 So, I'm assuming you've got a customer success. People that helped the the clients get started. This one's the best in town. Absolutely. It's like hey the templates not working. Yeah. Put on the wrong Colour. Yeah oh gosh. Okay yeah. So with you today's episode is sponsored by Cascade environmental Cascades come His corporate sustainability program has been helping Consultants balance economic social and environmental impacts of remediation on projects. 2014. Achieve your sustainable remediation goals by drawing on Cascades leading National capacity technical expertise and their performance focused approach to support any stage of your Project Life Cycle. When looking for a firm they can help you meet your sustainable remediation goals then look no further than Cascade environmental to learn more.

24:11 Go to W dot Cascade Dash EnV.com that's www.catecosta.com v.com but let's talk about a little bit about the tools available to users that you know, to capture the scope. Three data mean are there any Integrations with utilities or templates? They can use talk a little bit about that because we're not showing the the application for users are for listeners today. This is all, you know, conceptually in the cloud. In their mind right now, let's give them a concept for because then they can go to the website and they can see something more and maybe get a demo. Yeah, absolutely. So like I mentioned, we're very integration heavy so we integrate with utility aggregators. So it's not each individual utility. We work with those that aggregate thousands of utilities across the country with some international coverage. So utilities are really the easiest ones. We built something similar for Erp systems to pull your transactional level data.

25:10 And then we also have both import templates which again some users prefer to use that. It's it's challenging the data quality problem is really tricky and I think utilities is probably where we see the most use. You know, if you can't be asking this office manager and this facility manager and check that spreadsheet, it really needs to be It and and easy. And so we really prioritize that from the technology standpoint which is another thing, you know, if you're looking for a platform these are questions and I just to go back to that for a second questions that you want to ask of the platform. You know, what's meaningful? Do you have data Automation and Integrations? Do you have full coverage, a lot of platforms for scope three.

25:52 It's limited to a spend based proxy of purchase goods and services and outside of that. There's no opportunity for primary data to kind of fill in these things. You know, some of our going to be sector. Specific. So it's really about understanding. Okay. What do I need? What coverage do I need and asking some of those questions to see. Does that platformer offering have the kind of tools that's going to be able to support you? Yeah, the the one of the challenging scope three datasets is waste for a lot of companies because it's managed, you know, in a bifurcated way I guess is One Way say or just, you know, it's managed by individuals at locations that aren't connected or Platform.

26:34 You know, there's there's lots of touch points. Yeah, laboured intensive to keep the data organized. That's the other part of it and it's still a manual process. I have a very sweet spot for a waste. I spent a lot of my time in, you know, in real estate, it's not the sexiest part, but like waste management is a large part of being a military. It's it's one of the big legs of the whole scope three that yes, we factored in and and there are a lot of really good things that can. Be done about reducing emissions through Recycling. And, you know, waste reduction and things like that, which will help drive that zero-carbon you Mission or the, you know, the reductions. So I think we don't want to underestimate those in that area too, but so you've got templates that help people, you know, get their data in, that's really good. So, I saw that there was an ability to conduct supplier assessments, talk about what that is about, and what does that mean for the user?

27:32 Yeah. Scope three for emissions but also just having some fire code of conduct and wanting to understand your value chain and push the standards of your business on to those of you our supply chain. We have a module that's built into the application where you can essentially reach out to all of your suppliers, upload contact information, send them a survey asked them questions, things related to environmental stewardship, ethics Fair, Labor working conditions, a lot of the kind of responsible business questions. I love it to customize things. Things and then, of course, scope three. You know, clear questions around? Do you measure your emissions? Can you allocate and dishes to me what allocation method you use, right?

28:12 What categories of emissions does this represent? Because it's not just the numbers, it's really understanding. A methodology of what does this number represent and I do think that's a piece that sometimes gets lost because people just whether it's checking the Box, whether it's oh my God, I got a response. But it's, you know, is that an allocation based off their scope one and two does that include? Cop 1 2 and 3 what kind of allocation methodology did they use. You know. Those are very important questions to really understand the value of the information that you are getting but it's great that you've got a tool that helps the user you know bring in their supplier base I mean and get that information from them through that survey. I mean that's that's impressive because I think people struggle they're like oh you want me to get my procurement people to do that because then now that's like adding another layers of things onto. Are there plates to this can help them right? Yep.

29:06 And again like having a single dashboard, you know the output of our supplier assessment is like a heat map of risk so it's okay based off of your suppliers responses and the documentation provided. These are the ones that are risky for you to be doing business with their answers aren't looking so good. And thanks. Oh my gosh, I gotta focus on the top 20% of my spend and make those all you know be not risky at getting green light here. Yeah. So it just helps kind of provide insights and indications in to where you should Focusing your efforts. And then, of course, how do you manage and improve those? We have a whole management platform of how do you actually operationalize these things and engage with your stakeholders and, and all of that though, that's that's really good. Yeah, exactly. Well, you know, are there reports or action plans available to users? Because I mean I think the biggest hurdle for a lot of companies is developing, you know, any SGC you know, strategy or a plan that they can follow and you know, disseminate to staff to really Help them understand. Here's our vision.

30:05 Here's our goals. There's what we're trying to keep you guys are trying to achieve. Yes, and that's why I always say, operationalizing sustainability, because that's what this is reporting and disclosure measuring important. But like, why are you doing these things? You are doing them to have an impact on your business and to achieve your goals. So I think another differentiator and our platform is being home, an exception. So we've got 120 actions over key impact areas, things like energy and Emissions Water waste. Strategy, smart, workplace. And these are actual actions and recommended guidance, of what you can do to improve your sustainability program and policies. And that comes with a whole list of helpful things about policy language, and download the templates and workbooks and things, the tools you need communication templates to actually put this into action in your business and work across, you know, stakeholders.

30:56 Whether it's, you know, across different team disciplines or executive leadership or with your consumers or you know. No End customer. Well, you know that right there just having access to that is probably a game changer for most people in the buying process here because that's like one of the big, I think outcomes. Most people are really excited to see, you know, get it, the get our hands on is, you know, this is going to help me create my my roadmap. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And having that roadmap of just like basic project tracking, right? Like due dates is this started? Do I have a goal and date? You know, where am I in this process? It's really Helpful to organize and solidify those efforts. And also you mentioned the sdgs before but translating or connecting the activities and programs and policies that you have business have put in place and how that supports or otherwise connects to these disclosure Frameworks does that support an SD G? Are you doing something in that effort? We've mapped that all in across the UN Global Compact and gri like major Frameworks to help tie that knot because it's when I was in house, I did that exercise manual. Really, it was okay, we're going to report to gri. We're going to record the UN sdgs. Let's think about all the things that we do in our business. At all of our programs and try to tie them up to see which one, you know, this, which, you know, targets you connects to and how, yeah, right.

32:18 Leverage that information to make it more well to help you, you know, meet your goals right. I mean and show how it does and and improve it. So I really think that's really powerful, you know. I think when you, when you, when you think about the A user journey and they go through this process. I mean, talk about what how long does it usually take a, you know, client to really kind of get started and feel like they're actually hey, we're we got our we got this under control, we're using it because they're the ones actually use in the application. You're not yet. There's no one else really doing it for them, unless it's a partner doing it for them. And that might be the most scenarios. I don't know. But how many are buying the application and they don't use a partner, it's just them doing yeah. Plenty plenty.

33:03 Have a lot of direct clients as well. And, you know, the time varies based off of the complexity of the organization, their goals of what they're trying to do in the app and the access to data they have. So, you know, to put a benchmark or bandwidth around it. Like four to six weeks is kind of average. It can certainly go beyond that. If you're really struggling to get data, can certainly be shorter than that. If you've got integration and data is just coming in and you kind of come in and know what you're doing. So, you know, you know, developing all the factors that, you know, the carbon emission factors is got to be one of the more, I guess, complicated challenging things. I mean, is there anything in the application that really provides the export of? Like, here's how we arrived at this calculation. So you can prove, do, you know, an auditor could not have asked for a better question.

33:55 We are very, very proud of this feature. A new future that we launched last quarter is called Audit and verification View. And this is literally meant for users that are trying to get our surance or third-party validation and for every single calculation that takes place in the application it is back in transparency into where did this data source come from? Is there an upload document to support it? Was it a manual entry? Was it an integration? And then what emissions factors and data sources did sustain like used to translate that into not just your CO2 means carbon output but all the constituent gases methane They nitrous oxides, every single, constituent, Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas, and that's really really important because for businesses that are used to doing this, if you're getting assurance and you're sure, says, okay, I'm going to need your documentation for the carbon emissions. So I can replicate this.

34:46 It is such, I mean, it is such an effort to hunt down every single source. And what did I get wasted? I don't know what they buy provider, use for energy and so having that all-in-one platform is an incredible Time Saver. Yeah. No, that's good to hear because that that there again is another one of those key features that it's like, okay, from an auditing perspective, I can validate this this, you know, it'll have quality assurance. I mean essentially what sounds like you've almost developed as almost like a mini sustainability e - you know system? I mean think about it. I mean you created this like ISO little EMS system that's just all SDG&E is G, it's all connected and it's get your blueprint. Your I mean that's really Do your reports? It's really cool.

35:33 Yeah, no. I mean, where we love building what we build, right? Like it is the most gratifying job to be able to build this product, and Technology based off of customer input, and Market insights. And it's just such an exciting space to work in. And also knowing that the product that you're creating is having such a beneficial impact, you know, to businesses. Yeah. This episode is sponsored by piece people advancing science to protect our environment and improve our health. Pace provides an unmatched depth, and breadth of testing and analytical capabilities, along with Professional Services for your in-house lab needs, they have the expertise capacity and delivery infrastructure to provide the certified results you require when and where you need them with over 40 years of innovation, more than 500 certifications. And accreditations pace is serving customers through over 100 lab.

36:28 In service center locations with mobile lab on site and emergency response service options available at PACE. They honor their commitments. So you can honor yours. The next time you are presented with environmental testing and analytical needs turn to Pace to learn more. Go to www.petland.com. That's www.petland.com. Well, talked about what it's like working for a start-up, it's really fun honestly. Like it is, it's just really fun. My personal background is much more of a corporate one and so it's just been incredibly liberating and freeing to be problem.

37:09 Solvers and navigate these complex issues and work across disciplines with product and engineering. And designers of how do we design a solution that is accessible, and intuitive, and impactful and important. And especially in this space there's just Just so much evolving in real time and it's really collaborative, you know, like I said, the partnership network is so important to us understanding what customers needs, you know, their unique needs. It's, it's just a really, really fun exciting space to work in. So, what's been like the ux conversations been, you know, with the design because I've always, you know, most of the developers I've worked with that. They've got the a vision of just doing things, but they're don't always see the ux side of it.

37:52 All, you know. Yeah. No, I mean our design team is incredible, honestly. Like, every time we demo this platform we get such praise for just how intuitive and thoughtful and like accessible it is to actually use and they're incredible and our design team is involved from day. One of conceptualizing, our futures and just thinking about the whole us and user journey. And so it's just a delight and like really cool and interesting to be able to work so closely with them. It's not, you know, a practice that I have any background. Found in and seeing how they can translate their skills and their craft. You know, into this kind of product it's just really, really cool. Well, I find that it.

38:32 Yeah, you need, you need the, you know, you need that domain expert like yourself communicating to that technology expert the for the Y and that, you know, they'll tell you how but you're telling them why. And then you come together and you figure out how you can come that, you know, build that Solution. That's really, you know, it's powerful when the teams are all working, the same. Yeah. I mean, Morgan walk step and working together. It's just what you have to do and we're really lucky in that we have a product and engineering team that have worked together at previous companies for many years. And so we're just able to cycle through and iterate on things really quickly. And it's just really cool to see the progress that gets made. Even when we change process or, you know, something in our text act like it's just, you know, everyone's really on the same page, really in the same Groove. Well, so how many people working for? Sustain life at the moment, we are a company of 45. Okay.

39:28 Yeah, that's good. So, in two years you've gave up the 45 people. Yeah, yeah. Now are you mostly in New York or are you spread out globally or what's their, what's your, you know, demographic there? Yeah, we are a fully remote company and we are geographically dispersed from the west coast of the us all the way over to Europe. We've got a big team in UK and Ireland and then we stretch from, you know, northern Maine down. Southern Florida. So we're really taken a large swath and I think that's something that's also been so incredible about working in a remote company and technology is you're not constrained by a local Workforce. They're really able to access talent and crafts and gifts, you know, from different regions and I was so fortunate. That's great.

40:14 I mean, so talked about like, you know how much VC funding were you guys able to, you know, grab to get this thing off the ground because you don't just start. Art by having a great idea. I mean well you kind of do but you really need to have the funding to scale. Yeah, yeah. So you know, there's been the funding Market, you know, has gone through a big transformation over the past year from when you look back, you know, a couple years ago but we're fortunate we've raised 20 million and we are vc-backed. That's fantastic. You know. That's where I'm seeing a big trend of a lot of VC Q knows are out there looking for, you know, Green tack. Big time, you know to get behind and sponsor and to try to drive the change in the industry.

40:59 That is needed, right? And and I think a lot of people are also really wanting to invest in companies that they are also aligned with from, you know, a personal perspective, environmental perspective, you know, their passion about it. Yeah. They'd rather see money. Be spent on companies that can make do good for the environment. Then some that are, you know, polluting Absolutely. I mean I think there's like the mission oriented investment strategies. I also think from a capitalistic view like this is a growing industry there, you know, even if there's going to be, you know, short-term lips in that growth and trajectory like we are transitioning to a net zero economy.

41:39 That is what's happening and there's going to be more dollars and Innovation and investment going into that space to actualize that. Absolutely yeah. No that's that's absolutely right. Well how does the business model work for You and your clients currently, how does that work? I mean so we you know, they come in they sign up for a, you know, a seat or an annual license or what would we talk about for the buyers here? Yeah, sure. So you know it's all product. Glad you go to the website and it's a tiered subscription. So it's an annual fee and there's different tiers based off of some company details around how many users you need in your size but really more so focused. On what are you coming to the platform to do? You just need to measure scope, went into emissions.

42:20 Do you want broader esgr? You're looking for that. You're into the verification support and that's really meant to fit where businesses are in their Journey because we do support the mid-market and there's a great range of maturity and what businesses are looking to do some are just starting out their large, customers are asking them for scope 1 and 2 emissions and they need a reliable consistent accessible way to get that information to them. Others are publicly traded companies that are going to be mandated by this SEC Rule and they're really trying to button up and tighten up, you know what their internal data. Management processes book like well that's good. So there's a bit of a I guess it's a feature-based you know scale so if I want the Platinum where I went the full capabilities that's the you know one tier if I'm down I just need some minimum that's a good way to look at it.

43:10 That's good. Well this is good. So what's the big what's new on the the dock for you guys. Anything coming up that anybody want to want to share that's going to be exciting for the The roadmap. We have so many exciting things coming. I think the most exciting is that we are launching a feature on target setting specifically, setting science-based targets, so really actualizing that path to NetZero grounding that Target in the science-based, you know, as PTI initiative and other Frameworks which, you know, companies are just looking for that level of validity and that level of rigor. In, you know, arbitrary targets are are old news, you know? They, if you're just starting out, they can have a place if you have Why like you always want to have a goal?

43:54 But this is about setting, meaningful targets that are going to get us where we need to be, and that's what we should be striving for. So, we're really excited to launch that feature next quarter. Okay, so targets that sounds good, that's really good. I guess you've got really good user dashboard. You said that you know kind of show progress and things like that for. And what about data analytics? You have a nice analytic engine on the back end of this thing. Yeah so there's a lot of, you know, we're integrated with Power bi reporting. There's a lot of insights and hotspots and not just giving you your data. But what does this data mean and what do I do with it? What are the actionable steps that I can take after having this data? That's good.

44:34 So do you have a lot of clients coming to you with like custom reports that okay I need this this is you know something that we don't have in the in the can we do have a lot of custom work so we have like a whole custom section if you want to be tracking custom metrics you have custom factors. So I do think that's another thing. You know we're a relatively small business when you compared to some of the major names in the space you know Salesforce has a tool and Microsoft has a tool and I think you know, being able to be nimble And kind of react to those kind of customer requests and fit. Their need is something that's appreciated. You know, Madam. Yeah. Right now it's it is because you know, you can't. It's hard to build like, you know, the perfect mousetrap for everybody, right?

45:18 You just can't. So a lot of those types of things that some level has to have some flexibility for a little bit of some, bespoke type reporting and functionality. Yeah, and that's honestly kudos to our design team because there are so Adept at creating that kind of Like modular flexible customizable system and doing it in a very efficient way that allows the our engineering team to produce it, you know, with a relatively low lift compared to have, they designed it in other ways. That's good. That's good. Well, look how to listeners get a hold of you Alyssa. So I can, you know, get more information. You know, I saw you on a LinkedIn video post which I saw a clip and I was like, you know what, she would be great to come on to the podcast, we can get this information. Out to the listeners and so I really do appreciate you. Come on the show, but how do we get ahold of you? Absolutely.

46:09 Well, I'll say come, check us out. Www.lifechurch.tv our YouTube sustained out like we have a channel, you can always reach out to me directly. I am almost a random LinkedIn, Alyssa at sustained out. Life is my email, and we're going to talk to you. I mean, you love talking, you know, to prospects whether they become a customer or not. We just love to understand. What are your challenges? What are you trying to achieve? What are your Gold so that we can design the most impactful and Powerful products to meet those needs. So don't be shy folks. Reach out. Yeah, she won't bite. She's dead. She's easy to talk to now. This has been good, and I'll make sure I put all your contact information up on the website, so they can reach out to, you will get this podcast episode out here shortly for all the listeners.

46:56 Really appreciate you coming on the show. And, you know, the best of luck with the the sustain life. I'm really looking forward to seeing the progress so that application Oh, thank you. Thank you so much and thanks for having me, you bet? I want to thank our guests, Alyssa raid from sustained on life for coming on to the show. Today, if you have questions about the software Services they offer please feel free to contact Alyssa via email at Alyssa at sustained life. You can connect with her via LinkedIn or visit their website at www.stanleyandkatrina.com. I will also put a link to her contact information on my website to listen to Future environmental transformation podcast. You can check us out on.

47:40 All the major podcast networks or from our website at www.shawnacoronado.com. Remember, don't forget it. Don't forget to hit the follow button and we would really appreciate if you would leave a review and write one in your Apple podcast app, it helps us increase our placement and most podcast networks. Also, if you are watching on YouTube, please subscribe to our Channel. Thanks for listening. And until next time, make a positive impact. It in someone's life today.