How to value startups (VC School) + Creating Diamonds from Air with Aether’s Ryan Shearman | E1482

Inspiration

Ryan Shearman, CEO of Aether, shares his journey from organizing charity motorcycle rides to founding a company that creates diamonds from atmospheric carbon. His inspiration stemmed from a desire to make a meaningful impact rather than just accumulating wealth. Ryan recalls a pivotal moment when a conversation with his co-founder sparked the idea of turning CO2 into diamonds, leading to extensive research and development.

I need to get into the world of impact. It's just unabashed. Capitalism is a great thing, but free market capitalism probably doesn't exist.

--- Ryan Shearman

This innovative venture was born from a blend of engineering challenges and a commitment to addressing climate change 1 2.

   

Challenges

The journey of creating diamonds from air is fraught with scientific and technical challenges. Ryan explains the difficulty of eliminating nitrogen from the diamond reactor, likening it to nailing shingles during a hurricane. Despite these hurdles, serendipitous discoveries, such as a mistranslation leading to a breakthrough, have propelled their progress.

At numerous times throughout this journey, there have been kind of these moments where the universe tipped its hat at us and just said, here you go, guys, I'm in your corner.

--- Ryan Shearman

Additionally, the power requirements for scaling up the chemical vapor deposition process present significant obstacles, yet Ryan remains optimistic about future advancements in electrification and fusion technology 3 4.