Episode 1. How Venture Capital is Shaping the Future of HVAC

Welcome to the very first episode of Cool Air, Hot Takes, the podcast that keeps HVAC pros ahead of the curve with the latest industry insights, trends, and of course a hot take or two.

Hosts Charlie Jelen and Dan Gentry—HVAC experts with over 30 years of experience between them and a friendship dating back to middle school—kick things off with their hottest takes on where the industry is heading. Geothermal? Getting big. CO₂ refrigerants? Gaining traction. Residential cold climate heat pumps? A game-changer.

In this episode, we cover:

  • 🔥 HVAC industry headlines—A startup tackling building electrification, and the most (and least) lucrative states for HVAC techs.
  • 💰 Venture Capital in HVAC—We sit down with Jon Horne, Managing Director at Idea Fund, to break down how venture capital money is shaping the industry. Where do the best HVAC startup ideas come from? How do investors decide what’s worth betting on? And why is now the most disruptive time HVAC has seen in decades?
  • 🏆 Hot or Cold? AHR Expo Innovation Awards edition! Are stainless steel boilers really that innovative? Is CO₂ the refrigerant of the future? And what’s the deal with LG’s cold climate heat pump?
Dan and Charlie on Motorcycles: Cool Air, Hot Takes

Email Us

We Want to Hear from You!

We want your hot takes and questions! You can email us at coolair.hottakes@trane.com, leave us a comment on YouTube or Spotify, or review us on Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to rate and follow too!

Cool Air, Hot Takes™ is a Trane Commercial HVAC podcast exploring bold innovations, emerging trends, and game-changing new technology in HVAC and energy management.

Follow for new episodes every two weeks and stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Sign up for Engineer Updates

Access the latest news, trends, product updates, training, and more, including the newest Cool Air, Hot Takes content straight to your inbox. We've got you covered.