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Episode-963- Josh Wolf on Algae Based Bio Fuel — 16 Comments

  1. Wow, Josh, dude….. just one word……. awesome. I hope there are lot’s more kids like you, there is hope for this planet after all! Hope you’ll succeed in your business, and please listen to uncle Jack and don’t have it all go to waste by going for the big bucks and having a multinational buy you out..

  2. Hopefully we will be able to follow Josh’s progress as he ventures forth in this and other endeavers/acomplishments. I predict we will see Josh’s picture on Time magazine one day.

    Jessie in Mesquite

  3. Can’t wait to listen. I wish I had been that switched on at his age, instead of staying asleep.

  4. Dear Editor,
    I just finished listening to Jack Spirko’s “thesurvivalpodcast.com” regarding 16 year old Josh Wolf of Elk River, Mn producing biofuel from Algae for less than 2-3 dollars a gallon. President Obama is still insisting on forcing $26.00+ a gallon algae biofuel to the US Navy. And that price does not even take into consideration the development costs we paid for. Is this going to be another cash cow like ethanol production was for Archer Daniels Midland? More BTU’s was used to produce the alcohol than it produced in our car engines? Will one Congressman or US Senator propose that we make a deal with this kid who apparently will not bankrupt this country as Obama’s plans call for? I know that according to our president that Josh did not create this process on his own and that we should take it away from him. After all without the rest of us , Josh would be nothing! Right? Good for you Josh!

  5. Jack, thanks so much for interviewing Josh. I was super excited when you first mentioned it.

    Josh… everyone’s got an opinion, but just skip the college bro. Do you realize, millions of people are in college RIGHT NOW, so they can get out of college and attempt, at some point in the future, once they’ve paid off debts and “worked their way up” to do….EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE ALREADY DOING! School, if it has a purpose (beyond conditioning and obedience), would be to prepare you to do what you’re already doing. Peeps won’t tell you this, but the only valuable thing to get out of school is the contacts. It sounds like you’re already making some, and as you do more awesome work, you’ll make even more. As you said, your own ambition is what is carrying you. You don’t need school. Schools need people like you to continue the illusion that they’re worthwhile. Keep up the good work!

  6. Wow! This kid is pretty freakin’ amazing. Occassionally someone like him emerges and changes the world, literally.
    Be careful in college. The work you do there often remains their property. They need you much more than you need them. If you want a degree – great. But do it on your terms.
    People much less intelligent than you will try to take advantage of your work. Stay sharp and strong.

    Great work Josh! Keep it up!

  7. Spirko is right. Get some good attorneys.

    Where the kid is wrong is this. Sell the chemical process to a Mega Corp. Get $10 million and a few cents on every gallon made.

    Include a clause where they cannot buy the process and sit on it. If they don’t go into production in a few years. The patent reverts.

    And yes! Screw college. Go the Bill Gates way and get your own lab and do what you want. Why waste 4 years when you can be making things happen now! Later in life, donate to some campus and get an honorary degree.

    Sierra Dave

    • I completely disagree. Selling the process to the mega corp partly defeats the purpose of developing the technology in the first place. If Josh sells it to a mega corp, they can do all kinds of funny things to make sure it doesn’t beat out gasoline or ethanol, which is what we need to happen. Let’s say (according to your scenario) they go into production (due to said clause), and charge 100$ a gallon? Where’s the benefit?

      There’s not much point in developing something awesome in order to let the ridiculous energy cartel absorb and ruin it.

  8. Don’t get me wrong Michael. If I had the process to make Biodiesel for a $1. I’d be buying kiddie pools and growing all the algae I could. I’d hit up some local truckers and supply them under the table for a bit until I had a nice cash pile and then go legit.

    This kid has scientific smarts but not street smarts. He’s sitting on a Gold mine than ANY adult whose been in the rat race would probably kill for. He should be riding that pony. He’s 16, he could drop school and do this and be a Millionaire by 20. Maybe Billionaire by 30.

    No idea why he has this hair brained idea of going to India to set up a prototype. Or this green roof project. Or fuel from plastic bags.

    He’s already got a way to make America more green than any other person. And there are plenty of venture capitalists in America who could make this happen and maybe franchise it to many people instead of one monolithic producer.

    Instead, he want’s to be a lab monkey. Bill Gates had the smarts to leave college for a more profitable venture. If Josh sold off the patent for $10 mil, he could set up his own lab and do whatever he wanted. Let alone pay for his college.

    I’m sure that you’d be going gang busters making Biodiesel if you had his technique.

    • It’s true, he can probably be a billionaire by 30, whether he sells it to a mega corp or develops a smaller franchise/licensing operation himself from the ground up. If the technology works, it’s going to make a ton of money AND change the world (assuming it doesn’t get stolen or legally crushed).

      Making a billion dollars, changing the world, and doing science for the love of science (and the love of pushing what is possible) are three different things. Doesn’t mean they can’t all be related–or achieved at once–but it doesn’t mean that they automatically are either.

      If the only motivation is to make a billion, you’re right.

      If the other two, in some combination, are prime motivators, then you’re probably not.

      Also, I am a terrible example to assume that I’d sell whatever for whatever amount of money. I voluntarily live in poverty to pursue whatever ventures I like. I am almost impervious to the temptation of money.

  9. Jack had some good advice for Josh – find a good attorney. After you do that, do what Chris Klaus ( Internet Security Systems ) did – find a smart, experienced guy to run the business, stay on as Chief Technology Officer, help develop the business, then sell the business for a billion dollars.

    • The brilliance of your advice is it isn’t selling the patent before its potential is realized and demonstrated. Developing it into a profitable business then cashing out it the most intelligent way to insure it makes it long term. I also agree with hiring a good CEO to run the show. Most creative types are lousy CEOs and being 16 makes that worse despite how smart any young person might be. Not to mention running a business like this is boring for most very creative types, it makes you miserable. It also must be done right, no matter how good the product might be, a good CEO is the driver of the operational components and the systems of a business.

  10. Josh – If you read this I just want to reach out and offer assistance if you would like it. I live on a small scale start up farm that is pretty close to you. If you are looking for help from a local I might be able to assist. A friend shared an article about what you were doing and I was so impressed that I forwarded it to Jack. I knew this community would absolutely love to hear what you are doing. Your projects have the opportunity to enable individuals to be responsible for their own energy needs. You have so much to offer.