Inevitable Episode 30

Inside Microsoft’s $1B Climate Fund Strategy to Hit Net Zero by 2030

Recorded on April 10, 2025 Published May 12, 2025

Brandon Middaugh is the senior director of Microsoft’s $1 billion Climate Innovation Fund, created in 2020 to accelerate technologies that help Microsoft and the wider economy meet aggressive 2030 sustainability goals: carbon‑negative, water‑positive, zero‑waste and ecosystem‑protective.

Five years in, Brandon shares how the fund’s “invest‑to‑procure” model aligns capital with Microsoft’s own demand for clean power, fuels, carbon removal, low‑carbon materials and water solutions; what’s working (a 5‑fold jump in durable CDR contracted since launch) and where supply still lags; and why scaling markets—not just piloting tech—is central to Microsoft’s moon‑shot roadmap toward net‑zero and beyond.

In this episode, we cover

[01:43] Microsoft's ambitious 2030 sustainability targets
[02:59] Brandon’s path toward climate finance
[10:59] The fund’s “north star”
[12:18] How carbon removal demand still dwarfs current supply
[17:14] Airline partnerships supporting Microsoft's net-zero goals
[19:46] Investment and procurement teams’ flywheel collaboration
[23:22] Water-related investments and initiatives
[29:36] Program mandates: innovate, accelerate, and scale
[31:57] Brandon's advice on transparent engagement with Microsoft
[36:43] Predicting highly distributed future energy systems
[40:16] How transformation only seems inevitable in hindsight