The SoSV Climate Tech Summit took place over Sept. 26-27, 2023. Alongside the main stage panel discussions, we hosted live, AMA breakout sessions with important partners and climate investors. We recorded the sessions and they are available below.
DAY ONE: SEPTEMBER 26, 2023
Pale Blue Dot – The dot is our home. Let’s protect it.
Seed stage climate tech VC investing in reducing and reversing the effects of climate change and preparing for a new world.
Speaker:
- Hampus Jakobsson, General Partner, Pale Blue Dot
How to Prepare for an Early Stage Financing with Goodwin Law
Join Goodwin attorneys and co-chairs, Andrew Sparks and David Brekke, head of the firm’s Climate Tech practice, for an exciting and informative roundtable.
Speakers:
- Andrew Sparks, Partner, Goodwin Law
- David Brekke, Senior Associate, Goodwin Law
- Lindsey Hoell, CEO Dispatch Goods
- Insiya Jafferjee, Founder & CEO, Shellworks
- Joanna Lichter, Associate Director, Emerson Collective
- Ben Joffe, SOSV, Partner
SOSV is the most active climate tech investor in the world, starting at pre-seed and continuing through later rounds. We operate the HAX (hard tech) and IndieBio (bio-tech) startup development programs to help accelerate our pre-seed companies journey to raising institutional rounds.
Speakers
- Dr. Pae Wu, SOSV General Partner, IndieBio CTO
- Susan Schofer, HAX, Partner & Chief Science Officer
Khosla Ventures: Perspectives for Those Changing the World
Khosla Ventures (~$15B AUM) has invested in climate tech for 2 decades. Hear how they are using lessons learned to guide bold climate bets.
Speaker
- Rajesh Swaminathan, Partner, Khosla Ventures
Prime Coalition: Catalytic capital for climate solutions
Prime Coalition is a nonprofit organization that steers and influences capital to support scalable solutions to climate change.
Speaker
- Sarah Kearney, Founder & Executive Director, Prime Coalition
Prelude Ventures – We invest in climate
Prelude Ventures invests in and supports early-stage startups with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change.
Speaker
- Matt Eggers, Managing Director, Prelude Ventures
- Bryan Shill, Principal, Prelude Ventures
NEX ecosystem of funds and accelerators
The world’s leading ecosystem of funds and accelerators supporting diverse clean energy entrepreneurs.
Speakers:
- Rebecca Lee, Managing Director of California, New Energy Nexus
- Kate Frucher, Co-Founder and Managing Director, The Clean Fight
MCJ Collective: climate journeys and collaboration
Powering collective innovation for climate solutions by breaking down silos and unleashing problem-solving capacity with Yin Lu
Speaker
- Yin Lu, Community Strategy & Investments, MCJ Collective
Live: XTC-SOSV Carbon Capture Innovation Challenge
SOSV and Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) partnered on this Startup Innovation Challenge that attracted 60 founder contestants from around the world focused on carbon capture utilization and storage. Evaluators selected five to pitch before a live team of judges, who will pick the company most likely to make a big dent in the climate universe.
Speakers:
- Andy Gollach, Principal, SOSV
- Victoria Slivkoff, Executive Managing Director, Extreme Tech Challenge Head of Ecosystem, Walden Catalyst Ventures
- Sophie Purdom, CTVC, Co-Founder and Climate Tech Investor
- Bill Tai, Angel Investor; Partner Emeritus CRV; Co-Founder, Extreme Tech Challenge
DAY TWO: SEPTEMBER 27, 2023
Orbit Startups: Investing in Climate Tech companies in Emerging markets
Orbit Startups is SOSV’s emerging market startup development program. Hosted by General Partner, Oscar Ramos.
Speaker
- Oscar Ramos, Managing Director, Orbit Startups
US ARMY SBIR: Calling for Green Tech
The US Army SBIR and STTR Programs identify the top emerging CLIMATE technologies to meet critical Army priorities.
Speaker
- Blaise Zanoli, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Contract Analyst, Army Applied SBIR Program
Energy Impact Partners is a global investment firm leading the transition to a sustainable future.
Speaker
- Sam Bursten, Principal, Frontier Fund, Energy Impact Partners (EIP)
GRIDX the first biotech Company Builder in Latin America
We transform scientific ideas into awesome startups!
Speaker
- Matias PeireFounder and CEO, GridX
CTVC – The leading source on climate innovation
CTVC is the leading source on the new climate economy. Our data-driven perspectives power 50,000 investors and operators to innovate.
Speaker
- Kim Zou, CTVC, Co-Founder
At One; supporting early-stage deep tech ventures
Investing toward a world where humanity is a net positive to nature by supporting early-stage deep tech ventures.
Speaker
- Laurie Menoud, Founding Partner, AtOne
Green Talent Hunt: Navigating Recruitment in Climate Startup
Learn how to compete with big tech and attract top talent to your climate startup by aligning hiring with sustainability.
Responsible for 40% of overall carbon emissions, the built world—which comprises infrastructure, buildings, as well as construction—has emerged as a global decarbonization priority.
Join Fifth Wall’s Francesca Whitehead (VP on The Climate Technology Investment Team) nZero & Atlantic Aviation to discuss the role carbon accounting is playing in cutting the sector’s emissions. Once just a nice to have and now a need to have — carbon accounting is providing mechanisms for measuring, monitoring, and managing the emissions footprint of the built world, including the data necessary to assess environmental progress enabling stakeholders to make fully informed decisions and drive transformative change. Francesca will lead a conversation centered on how technology is supporting this practice and what the built world is doing to reduce its emissions.
Speaker
- Francesca Whitehead, Vice President, Fifth Wall
Empire State Development (NY Ventures)
Investing in diverse entrepreneurs and high-growth companies to support New York’s innovation ecosystem.
Speaker
- Silvia Codony,AVP, NY Ventures
The Engine: investing in early-stage Tough Tech companies
We accelerate the path to market for Tough Tech companies by providing access to a unique combination of investment, infrastructure, and community. The Engine invests broadly while maintaining an allegiance to our roots at MIT, Boston, and the greater New England region. Our physical spaces in Cambridge make it easier for foundational companies to start and grow in the region and we work with governments, corporations, and academic institutions on efforts that will make sure our economy is built to not just meet the challenges of the future, but to actually shape the future for the better.
Speaker
- Milo Werner, General Partner, The Engine
ARPAe: Maximizing Energy Tech from Ideation to SCALEUP
The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) invests in disruptive ideas to create America’s future energy technologies.
Speaker
- Daniel Cunningham, Acting Deputy Director for Commercialization, ARPA-E
