Leaders on a Mission - Charlie Dimmler, CEO Checkerspot, Episode 2

I launched the leaders on a mission podcast to share the inspiration and journey of leaders, who are creating impact and  contribution to humanity by creating a healthier world.

In today’s episode I was joined by Charlie Dimmler, CEO and Co-founder of Checkerspot, an innovative high performance materials company using biotechnology to create sustainable and performance enhancing materials. Charlie exudes empowerment and impact, and is clearly living out his dreams and aspirations in making the world a healthier place. This is more of a personal calling than a job, and Charlie combines a down to earth humility, with thoughtful, reflective and caring charm.

Charlie reflects on his early influences, his passion and love for science, and for outdoors exploration. Charlie talks about finding purpose and connection by  playing an active role as a Bay Area mountain rescue expert. He outlines his earlier career working at Geron Corporation and Solazyme, and the breadth of experience he gained through working in dynamic and high growth environments. Charlie talks about how Co-Founding  Checkerspot was a  calling, and how with a young family, he  was supported to take this bold leap forward. Charlie talks about the sense of sacrifice people made in joining the mission and working in the “build the plane whilst flying” environment.

Charlie talks about Checkerspots mission, and how  the technology provides an alternative to the carbon economy, outlining the current products they are able to manufacture.   

Charlie talks about how before incorporating Checkerspot, he and cofounder Scott Franklin, devised the operating principles for Checkerspot; the values based system that underpins the heartbeat of the company.