Ever wonder what happens to all the wood that gets cleared from California's forests to prevent wildfires?

​Turns out most of it ... burns. Left in slash piles or burned in the open, forest bio waste is one of the overlooked sources of emissions in wildfire management — and almost nobody's building a business around fixing that.

​John Azevedo decided that was unacceptable. ☕

​Join CleanStart for a conversation with the founder turning forest waste into fuel — literally.

​John is the Founder & CEO of Forager Fuels, a cleantech startup tackling one of the region's most stubborn environmental problems: what to do with the mountains of biomass left behind by forest management. With a family legacy in forestry running through everything he builds, John is proving that small-scale, community-rooted solutions can add up to serious environmental impact — and a serious business.

​🎙 Meet the founder:

• ​John Azevedo — Founder & CEO, Forager Fuels

​💡 What we'll dig into:

• ​Why forest bio waste is a bigger climate problem than most people realize
• ​Building a cleantech company on a family legacy in forestry
• ​Navigating non-dilutive grants as early-stage capital
• ​What's next as Forager Fuels heads into its seed round
• ​Turning an overlooked waste stream into fuel — and a local economic engine

​This is for you if you're: an early-stage founder, a climate tech investor, anyone who cares about wildfire resilience and forest management, or just someone who loves seeing "waste problem" turn into "business opportunity."

​CleanStart Events are supported by SMUD, Chico Start, E2, and the Carlsen Center for Entrepreneurship at Sac State.