The inaugural For ClimateTech Summit brought together over 700 people from 48 different countries for two jam-packed days of climate tech talks. Whether you’re reliving the fun, watching a session you missed, or catching up on the Summit altogether — check out the recordings below for all you could learn and more from industry leaders in the climate tech space.
Day 1
Main Stage
The For ClimateTech Summit Kick-Off
Watch the kick-off of the For ClimateTech Summit! Jacqueline Ros Amable opens the 2 day virtual event with Katie MacDonald, Director of Technology to Market for NYSERDA. Jackie sets the stage for the Summit and all the NYSERDA has lined up for the coming years to make New York State, the top state in the nation for climate tech innovation.
Speakers:
Jacqueline Ros Amable, Managing Director of Venture For ClimateTech
Katie MacDonald, Director of Technology to Market for NYSERDA.
Fireside Chat with Brad Feld and David Jilk Speaking on Nietzsche: A Philosophical Discussion on Entrepreneurship & Climate
Speaking on “Nietzsche: A Philosophical Discussion on Entrepreneurship & Climate” Inspired by their new book, The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche: A Book for Disruptors.
Join our Managing Director, Jacqueline Ros Amable, for a fireside chat with the co-authors of Nietzsche for Entrepreneurs, Brad Feld and Dave Jilk.
Speakers:
Dave Jilk, Co-Author & Serial Entrepreneur
Brad Feld, Co-Author and Managing Director of the Foundry Group
Jacqueline Ros Amable, Managing Director of Venture For ClimateTech
Session Tracks
Session A
Water & ClimateTech
Water is one of the bedrocks of life, and we’re already starting to feel the effects of climate change on water, especially when it comes to clean water availability. Watch this past session to hear about the nexus of water and climate change, and what the future holds for innovation in the space.
Speakers:
Jennifer Chin, Director of Conservation Innovation with The Nature Conservancy
Tom Ferguson, Managing Partner at Burnt Island Ventures
Lacey Reddix, Founder and CEO of OLOKUN MINERALS
Session B
Climate Fintech
As the Fintech space grows, it becomes more imperative to leverage financial mechanisms in the fight against climate change. Join us to talk about the nexus of environmental projects and personal finance.
Speakers:
Allison Myers, Co-Founder and General Partner Buoyant Ventures
Ruth Foxe Blader, Partner at Anthemis
Aaron McCreary, Climate Fintech Lead at New Energy Nexus
William Wiseman, Co-Founder and CEO of Seeds Renewables
Partner Spotlight: Evan Hynes of Climatebase
Jacqueline Ros Amable, Managing Director of Venture For Climate Tech, speaks with Evan Hynes, co-founder of Climatebase. Climatebase is a platform for climate action, education, and impact. It empowers the global climate community with the most comprehensive directories for climate jobs, organizations, and events.
Session A
The New Cool: The Future of Air Cooling
Freons from cooling continue to be a significant driver of global warming, and more sustainable HVAC solutions hold the key to decreasing climate impacts from the buildings and industrial sectors. Join our board member Rasha Hasaneen from Trane Technologies and our Venture For ClimateTech team, Dynamic Air Cooling, to talk about challenges and innovation in the space of heating and cooling.
Rasha Hasaneen, Vice President of Innovation and Product Management Excellence at Trane Technologies
Pavel Panasjuk, CEO and Co-Founder Dynamic Air Cooling
Chris Carpenter, Marketing and Community Specialist at For ClimateTech
Session B
Electrifying Neighborhoods & Communities
Despite the continual growth of the electric vehicle industry, access to public charging stations continues to be a major barrier to adoption. Due to aging infrastructure and varying landscapes, the best way to ensure access to consistent charging for all users requires thougtful solutions.
Speakers:
Kristin Barbato, Founder & CEO at Build Edison
Vida Asiegbu, Principal at Energy Impact Partners
Paul Francis, CEO at KIGT
Jeff Prosserman, Founder and CEO at Voltpost
OUR SPONSORS
Investor Sessions
In addition to one-one-one investor matching with Venture For ClimateTech, check out the investor workshops with experts in bias and climate investment trends.
A Deep Dive Into Climate Investment Trends and Technologies
Firms have already closed more climate funds in 2021 than in the previous five years combined, according to Pitchbook. Additionally, there has been a 3,750% increase in total venture funding in the climate tech space at $16.1 billion since 2013. What does this mean for the future of climate investment and how can current and future investors better understand the opportunities and challenges in the space?
Join Carta and For ClimateTech for a discussion with leading investors exploring the climate solutions, science, and trends that will define investing in climate for years to come.
Implicit Bias Workshop and Discussion
As climate investment increases and the VC funding gap for founders from underrepresented backgrounds, we know that a barrier remains to getting the best solutions that can solve the climate crisis to market due to bias. Uncovering implicit bias and understanding the role investors must play to address their own is crucial as this industry expands and we all aim to protect people and the planet. Join SecondMuse and Visible Hands for a workshop and discussion aimed at generating empathy and understanding for diverse founders’ experiences and tactical ways to be part of the solution.
This convening is an opportunity to engage around implicit bias in the investment process, identify opportunities to improve performance by reducing bias, and commit to more equitable practices in the investing space.
Day 2 Speakers
Main Stage
Fireside Chat with Jigar Shah moderated by Chante Harris.
Join our Director of Climate Investment and Partnerships, Chante Harris for a fireside chat with Jigar Shah, Director of Loan Programs Office (LPO) and Co-founder of Generate Capital as he shares his perspective on how LPO can serve as a bridge to bankability, not just for first commercial deployments, but also from early innovations through later stage deployment.
Speakers:
Jigar Shah, Director of Loan Programs at the Department of Energy
Chante Harris, Director of Climate Investment and Partnerships
Session Tracks
Session A
Flights of the Future: Air Travel Never Looked Greener
Looking to eclipse recent triumphs made by Blue Origins and Virgin Galactic, New Frontier Aerospace, led by Bill Bruner, promises flights to anywhere on Earth in under 2 hours for a fraction of the carbon footprint. Come join us to hear JetBlue and New Frontier talk about the importance of moonshots in flight technology, and its impact on the climate.
Speakers:
Mike Lightman, NYSERDA Consultant & Venture Partner at Republic
Stephen Snyder, Operations Principal at JetBlue Technology Ventures
Bill Bruner, Founder and CEO at New Frontier Aerospace
Session B
Accelerating the Future of Renewable Energy
As we transition to grids backed by renewable energy, intermittency continues to be one of the biggest challenges to wind turbines. Atrevida is advancing the future of renewable energy with their patented blades that optimize shape in real-time to increase energy generation. Come join them, Nina Ali (First Matter), and Nneka Uzoh (Greentech Noir) as they discuss the most pressing challenges facing wind and the most promising innovations on the horizon.
Speakers:
Nneka Kibuule, Senior Vice President at Aligned Climate Capital
Nina Ali, Consultant at First Matter
Claudia Maldonado, Founder and CEO of Atrevida
Devin Sandon, Operations Manager at Venture For ClimateTech
Partner Spotlight: Kelly Belcher of Silicon Valley Bank
Venture For ClimateTech’s Director of Climate Investment & Partnerships, Chante Harris, joins Kelly Belcher, managing director for Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and leads the Energy & Resources Innovation (ERI) team in Texas, Boston and New York. He’s responsible for cultivating relationships with investors and management teams, and for setting strategic vision for the Bank’s Energy practice vertical. This session highlights Kelly’s works and insights from his role at SVB. /
Session A
Profitable Green Solutions for Industrial Transformation
One of the most potent pathways to decarbonization is through hydrogen production, and momentum behind it is growing. Come hear from Ecolectro and Alchemr about what they are doing to capitalize on that momentum to bring us closer to a future powered by clean fuel.
Speakers:
Gabriel Rodriguez, Co-Founder and CEO of Ecolectro
Ben Hubbard, CEO of Nexus PMG
Laureen Meroueh, PhD, Founder and CEO of Alchemr
Session B
Carbontech as a Catalyst for Mitigating Climate Change
Carbon emissions remain the single largest contributor to greenhouse gases, and its mitigation is central to the fight against climate change. Join us for an exciting session as our two carbontech startups, Mars Materials and Polaris Renewables, discuss innovation in the space and why their technologies represent pathways to a carbon-neutral future.
Speakers:
Jay Onda, National Venture Capital Association
Clea Kolster, Lower Carbon Capital
Frederic Clerc, Urban Future Lab
Aaron Fitzgerald, CEO and Co-Founder at Mars Materials
Philip Pienkos, Founder and CEO at Polaris Renewables
The For ClimateTech Summit 2021 Closing Remarks
Hear from Managing Director of Venture For ClimateTech, Jacqueline Ros Amable, as she recaps the highlights and lessons from the past 2 days of climate talks.
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