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Thank you for joining us in Boston for this event.
Check back next year to see if we continue with Exploring the Interplay between Adaptation and Mitigation: New Innovation & Venturing Opportunities for a 2° World.
Climate mitigation remains the best long-term form of adaptation.
But, with the reality that the world will miss the 1.5°C target, adaptation and resilience as an innovation theme is becoming ever more important to protect people, property, and our livelihood, as well as enable people to live and industries to function in a new climate reality.
Join us on September 10 in Boston, MA for a one-day special event where leaders and innovators will discuss the interplay between adaptation and mitigation.
Adaptation is more than just adjustment to climate change; adaptation can also be a driver and enabler of decarbonization. Mitigation will remain critical to lessen the impact, but adaptation is needed to ensure we can reduce our risks from the harmful effects of climate change. By exploring this vital intersection, we can find more effective and integrated solutions to the climate crisis.
Join 100+ sustainable innovation leaders and visionaries to identify and assess the opportunity sets and to discuss how we mobilize the critical capital needed for climate adaptation making our businesses and industries, and our cities and countries, more resilient.
Be Part of the Conversation
Here are just a few speakers we will be welcoming to the conversation.
The potential is huge. Adaptation is VC’s biggest blind spot. Cleantech Group estimates that adaptation-type solutions – such as flood and wildfire prevention, resilient agriculture, clean water supply, infrastructure modification – constitute only about 4-5% of all cleantech venture and growth investments.
The financial impacts are real. Major businesses face a reduction of up to 10% of annual sales and 4% of their market value due to physical climate risks, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 landmark study.
The solutions are out there. More and more startups are entering the market. Innovation opportunities around heat, drought, flooding, storms, fire, etc. will be discussed and we will feature some leading example companies to showcase their solutions.
Unlocking the triple dividend. From avoided losses to significant economic, social and environmental benefits, there is a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity to invest now and build a healthier, fairer and more resilient world.
Who Should Attend
- Corporates: Safeguard Your Future. Unlock adaptation strategies to shield your bottom line and thrive in a changing climate.
- Investors: Hear about adaptation opportunities and actionable insight to integrate adaptation into your portfolio and fund mandate.
- Financial Services and Insurance Providers: Considering the opportunities and risks at stake, nobody is impacted more than you. Indeed, you are already feeling that impact.
- Government and Non-Profits: Share your perspective on building resilient cities and economies, and the strategies needed to adapt.
- Start-ups and Scale-ups: Showcase your adaptation solutions and build your network to fuel your business.
Contact
If you have any questions about this event or are interested in sponsoring, please feel free to contact us at forums@cleantech.com.
Entrepreneurs
We want to showcase your adaptation solutions to the right investors and corporates who can help you take your next steps.
Join us on September 10 and get your start-up or scale-up in front of investors, corporates and other entrepreneurs looking for new partners. Whether you want investment, advice or there’s a technology gap you need to fill, you’ll meet the right people.
Application Closed for companies to present during an Innovation Showcase to investors and corporates looking for successful start-ups and scale-ups. If chosen, you will be given 6 mins to present your company and solution to the audience during a dedicate Innovation Showcase or asked to speak on a different type of session like a panel.
Register today and join us to:
- Gain access to leaders in the field and be introduced to relevant investors/corporates.
- Meet like-minded colleagues with a focus on adaptation and resilience who have the dedication, technologies and business models that make it possible to fight the climate crisis.
- Learn from experts, Cleantech Group analysts, other innovators, as well as investors, as we look ahead and discuss trends shaping the future of sustainable innovation.
Investors and Corporates
Cleantech Group Events offer high-quality interaction, opportunities to meet innovative and exciting start-ups and scale-ups, and find future investments.
Start-ups and scale-ups of all sizes and in different phases of fundraising will participate looking for partners who can take them to the next level. The potential is huge. Adaptation is VC’s biggest blind spot. Cleantech Group estimates that adaptation-type solutions – such as flood and wildfire prevention, resilient agriculture, clean water supply, infrastructure modification – constitute only about 4-5% of all cleantech venture and growth investments.
Now is the time to join the conversation and walk away in a better position to develop adaptation strategies that protect businesses, economies, and societies. By shifting some of the focus to climate adaptation, investors can not only generate strong returns but also contribute to a more resilient and sustainable future.
Agenda
September 10, 2024
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NetworkingRegistration and Coffee
Pick up your badge, get a cup of coffee to start the day, and meet up with other participants..
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SessionExploring the Interplay between Adaptation and Mitigation
The harsh reality is that the more we fall short of the Paris Goals and fail to mitigate on time, the more we will have to adapt and build resilience into our systems as we head towards coping with a +2˚ world. While reducing emissions is crucial, we also need to adapt to its current impacts. Cleantech Group estimates adaptation efforts account for 4-5% of all venture and growth investment in cleantech today, with the majority in areas like crop inputs.
We will use this time to set the stage for the day, build the landscape of innovation opportunity overall and illustrate what this theme of adaptation is about and why it is important.
Anthony DeOrsey
Research Manager, Cleantech Group -
SessionBuilding a Climate Innovation Hub: Building Resilience for the Future
Wildfires in Canada, historic flooding in the Northeast, record-breaking heat waves around the world. The accelerating volume and intensity of climate-related disasters now requires that we think beyond just climate change mitigation and begin adapting to climate change in parallel. Critical to achieving resilience is implementing technologies today that can support future avoided losses, while supporting the development of future-focused technologies that can insulate against the greatest climate threats long-term.
In the past few years, Boston has transformed itself into one of the world’s pre-eminent climate innovation hubs. Now, with a growing imperative to begin preparing the region for the effects of climate change, the region has an opportunity to plant a flag as the world’s climate resilience technology innovation and deployment capital.
Leaders tasked with preparing the region for climate weather events, as well as leaders of global companies bringing resilience strategies to the rest of the world will share their perspectives around adaptation as a driver and enabler of decarbonization.
Anthony DeOrsey
Research Manager, Cleantech Group
Galen Nelson
Chief Climate Officer, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Tina Tosukhowong
Investment Director, TDK Ventures -
NetworkingNetworking Break
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SessionWeathering the Storm: Flood Resilience through Insurance & Innovation
Severe storms ($455.2 billion) and inland flooding ($196.6 billion) caused hundreds of billions in property damages to the United States in 2023, including four separate billion-dollar urban flood events across California, Florida, and the Northeast. Insurers are reevaluating their relationship with natural disasters making it imperative to advance technologies and economic frameworks to support rapid and accurate insurance evaluations. The time has also come to reevaluate America’s infrastructure and identify key innovation to protect against flooding and how to scale it.
Emilie Mazzacurati
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Tailwind
Brian Glazer
CEO, Hohonu
Jennie Graham
Investment Associate, Burnt Island Ventures
Shelly Klose
CEO, True Flood Risk
Steven Owens
State Representative, MA House of Representatives -
SessionInsuring Against Climate Risk: The Role of Innovation
In 2023, economic losses from global natural disasters totaled $380 billion – with only $118 billion of these losses covered by insurance. As climate risk increases, so will economic losses, with insurers footing the bill. While for many this is widening the coverage gap, some insurers are working with cleantech innovators to:
- More accurately predict and price changing risks.
- Proactively manage and reduce climate risk.
- Create new insurance products for the previously uninsurable.
Join the discussion and learn how these partnerships have worked in practice.
Holly Stower
Group Lead, Resources & Environment, Cleantech Group
Christopher Lowell
Managing Director, InnSure
Peter Ortez
Principal, Munich Re Ventures
Valkyrie Holmes
CEO and Co-Founder, Faura -
DiscussionInsights from a Pioneer Resilience Fund
Join us for a discussion with Lightsmith, a global sustainable investment firm focused on investing in growth-stage companies with technology-enabled climate resilience solutions. We will discuss its investment strategy and the motivations behind launching the first focused climate resilience private investment fund (closed in 2022), observations from 2+ years of deploying private growth capital into the space, and perspectives on additional opportunities for private financing to play a critical role in scaling up the solutions that will be needed in an increasingly climate-impacted world. There will also be some Q&A and engagement with the audience to discuss how various stakeholders in the audience can connect the dots to build and scale the tools necessary for meeting ambitious climate adaptation and mitigation goals.
Anthony DeOrsey
Research Manager, Cleantech Group
Serena Shi
Vice President, Lightsmith Group -
NetworkingNetworking Lunch
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SessionPowering Up: Building a Climate-Ready Grid
The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that New England and New York alone will require 255% increase in transmission development to meet changing energy needs. To address this gap, large investment will be needed for expansion and upgrades to harden the region’s electric grid against extreme weather, reduce emissions and help the states meet their clean energy goals. Utilities, local and state governments, corporates, financial institutions, and various stakeholders will need to come together and collaborate to improve transmission capacity and ensure reliable energy transmission exists to face a changing climate.
Zainab Gilani
Research Analyst, Cleantech Group
David Miller
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Clean Energy Ventures
Jessica Harrison
Executive Director of Strategy, VEIR
Mishal Thadani
Co-Founder and CEO, Rhizome
Sander Cohan
Director, Innovation and Venture Acceleration, National Grid Partners -
ShowcaseInnovation Showcase: Hear from Cutting-Edge Innovators
Hear from several start-ups who will share their adaptation solutions with participants, from AI to a SaS platform to probiotic engineering, coral reefs, and water treatment.
Anthony Vicari
Consultant Manager, Cleantech Group
Amelia Thomas
CEO, River Otter Renewables, Inc
Benjamin Alva
CEO, Azul Bio
Cam Raufi
Founder and CEO, Prezerv Technologies, Inc.
Mathilde Mounier
Co-Founder and COO, Powerweave
Sam Teicher
Co-Founder & Chief Reef Officer, Coral Vita -
NetworkingNetworking Break
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DiscussionCool Innovation and Investments: The Future of Energy Efficiency
2024 has been the hottest year on record, and just weeks ago NASA reported the hottest day on record. The task is now clear: cooling technology will need to become ubiquitous to avoid the worst effects of extreme heat, intensifying the need for energy efficiency in cooling to avoid further emissions. New technologies will also have to address a moving target of increasing humidity in much of the world – both to save energy and also to avoid building damage. This session will involve discussions with innovators leading in high efficiency cooling, and investors placing their bets on the tech most likely to address changing weather patterns.
Anthony DeOrsey
Research Manager, Cleantech Group
Derek Stein
CEO, Adept Materials
Victoria Pisini
VP Strategy and Business Operations, Enersion -
SessionTaming the Dry Spell: Innovative Solutions for Water Scarcity
A confluence of factors – excessive water withdrawal, inefficient management, climate change, and population growth – is projected to create a water crisis for 4 billion people by 2030, significantly intensifying global water stress. Cleantech solutions are coming to the forefront to improve water management, fostering a more resilient future for all.
Holly Stower
Group Lead, Resources & Environment, Cleantech Group
CJ Kurth
CTO, Aqua Membranes
Snehal Desai
SVP, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer, Xylem
Taylor Evans
Sr. Innovation Manager, Financing, Imagine H2O
Veronique Bourgier
Executive Vice President, Development, Strategy & Innovation & Chief Growth Officer, Veolia -
SessionCrop Science Innovation: Key to a Climate-Resilient Food System
Climate change is disrupting where and how we grow key food crops. As a result, we are facing reduced yields, higher prices, and in the worst case, food shortages; all at the same time, the world population pushes towards 9.7 billion by 2050.
Advances in crop inputs and plant genetics could allow us to maximize yields amid a warming world and growing population. By leveraging cutting-edge innovations in this field, farmers can enhance crop resilience and adapt to the impacts of global heating, more frequent extreme weather events, drought, flooding, and heatwaves.
This session will examine the powerful set of tools that we already possess to address these challenges:
- Biological inputs that can reduce our reliance on chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers.
- Cleaner ways of manufacturing and applying agrochemicals, such as green ammonia.
- Gene-editing technologies enabling the rapid breeding of new, climate-resilient crop.
Gabriella Rufo
Consultant, Cleantech Group
Josh Speros
Investment Manager, BASF
Tom Meade
Chief Science Officer, Enko Chem Inc. -
NetworkingClosing Reception
Join us for a drink and a chance to wrap up the day with other participants.
Venue/Travel
Main Venue
This one-day event will take place at Loft on Two located at One Financial Center, Boston, MA 02111, conveniently located right across the street from South Station.
Speakers
A heartfelt thank you to our expert speakers who will be joining us for this important conversation.
Amelia Thomas
CEO, River Otter Renewables, IncAmelia Thomas
Anthony DeOrsey
Research Manager, Cleantech Group Speaker bioAnthony DeOrsey
Anthony manages Cleantech Group’s research team, delivering critical insights on new cleantech innovation and opportunities for engagement to Cleantech Group’s clients in the industrial, investment, and policy communities. He is based in the U.S.
Anthony joined Cleantech Group in late 2019 after over 8 years of work in US-China cross-border expansion consulting and start-up venture funding roles, including 5 years living in Shanghai.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from University of Rhode Island, a Masters in Sustainability from the Harvard Extension School, and he an MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
Cam Raufi
Founder and CEO, Prezerv Technologies, Inc. Speaker bioCam Raufi
Prezerv is pioneering an AI platform that automatically creates accurate 3D maps of underground utilities for civil infrastructure, utilities, municipalities and energy companies. Prezerv’s 3D maps address the challenges posed by non-visible, underground utility lines that are unexpectedly encountered during civil and energy projects, resulting in costly delays and injuries. Prezerv’s platform processes electromagnetic signals from top-tier commercially available phase-array radar scanners, which are abstract and difficult to manually analyze due to large size and complex geo-radar physics, and automatically generates accurate 3D models of the underground utilities for large areas 100 times faster than current methods. The application of this technology promises to enhance construction safety, accelerate commissioning of capital projects by 15%, and reduce maintenance costs for a wide range of civil and energy projects.
Christopher Lowell
Managing Director, InnSure Speaker bioChristopher Lowell
Christopher Lowell is an insurance innovator focused on bringing new risk management products to market. His experience includes management consulting at Bain & Company, corporate strategy at Liberty Mutual, and building an innovation lab at The Hartford. Currently, he helps to run InnSure, a non-profit innovation hub catalyzing novel insurance solutions that address climate change risk. Chris also sits on the Board of Directors of, or is an advisor to, InnSure, Insure Equality, and Insillion.
Chris holds a BA in Applied Mathematics: Economics from Harvard University, a MS in Finance from Northeastern University, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Craig Beckman
CEO, Aquamembranes Speaker bioCraig Beckman
Craig Beckman is currently the CEO of Aqua Membranes based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aqua Membranes invented and commercialized 3D printed spacers for RO membrane elements.
Prior to Aqua Membranes, Craig was President & CEO for MIOX Corporation, an electrolytic technology company. MIOX was acquired by Johnson Matthey in 2016. Prior to MIOX he was the Vice President Equipment Sales at GE Water for 9 years. At GE he led the global project sales team that integrated GE water technologies into total water & waste solutions. In addition, he managed an internal incubator program to translate unique technologies across customers and regions.
David Miller
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Clean Energy Ventures Speaker bioDavid Miller
David Miller is co-founder and managing partner at Clean Energy Ventures, a leading global venture capital firm funding early-stage climate innovations. An engineer by training, David holds more than 25 years of technology startup management experience and seed stage investing experience. David is an expert in climate impact measurement and broader climate investing trends, working closely with the CRANE initiative, En-ROADS and Project Frame to help measure climate impact for investors, entrepreneurs, and more.
Derek Stein
CEO, Adept MaterialsDerek Stein
Emilie Mazzacurati
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Tailwind Speaker bioEmilie Mazzacurati
Emilie Mazzacurati is a climate tech entrepreneur and investor with 18 years of experience working at the intersection of climate change and capital markets. She is the co-Founder and Managing Partner of Tailwind, an innovation studio focused on accelerating innovation for climate adaptation and resilience solutions. Tailwind runs innovation challenges, advises funders, and invests in startups in climate risk, climate data, and adaptation and resilience.
Previously, Emilie was the founder and CEO of Four Twenty Seven, a climate risk analytics firm that pioneered the use of climate science in financial decisions. Four Twenty Seven was acquired by Moody’s Corporation in 2019, and Emilie took a role as Managing Director, Global Head of Climate Solutions to spearhead the integration of climate risk analytics in credit risk models. Before that, Emilie was Head of Research at Thomson Reuters Point Carbon, where she directed research and modeling on carbon markets and decarbonization.
Emilie is a Board Member of Climate Resilience for All, a gender-focused climate adaptation nonprofit dedicated to the protection of people and livelihoods from extreme heat and all its impacts, and an Advisor to the Global Adaptation and Resilience Investor group (GARI), which she helped co-found in 2016.
Emilie has published extensively and is a frequent public speaker on the impacts of climate change in financial markets, climate risks disclosure, and on adaptation opportunities. Emilie taught at the University of California, Davis Executive MBA on Business & Climate Change from 2013 to 2019. She holds a Master’s of Political Science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and a Master’s of Public Policy from UC Berkeley. She has received multiple awards for her work, including the Berkeley Visionary Award and Top 100 People in Finance.
Galen Nelson
Chief Climate Officer, Massachusetts Clean Energy CenterGalen Nelson
Holly Stower
Group Lead, Resources & Environment, Cleantech Group Speaker bioHolly Stower
Holly is a Senior Associate leading Resources & Environment research at Cleantech Group and is based in the UK. She is focused on emerging innovation and trends, including those in water, waste, the circular economy, natural resources, and corporate sustainability.
Prior to joining Cleantech Group, Holly was a Public Affairs & Communications Executive with the Solar Trade Association and the Association of British Insurers. Before this, Holly worked in advocacy for climate and wildlife charities.
Holly earned an Undergraduate and a Master’s in Environmental Science from the University of East Anglia.
Jennie Graham
Investment Associate, Burnt Island Ventures Speaker bioJennie Graham
Jennie is an Investment Associate at Burnt Island Ventures, an early stage fund focused on water technologies. Jennie has a background in social enterprise, spending several years supporting founders to build sustainable businesses across Afghanistan, Myanmar, and the Middle East, and as Entrepreneur Advisor at The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network in London. She has since worked at Alumni Ventures and the Ecosystem Integrity Fund, investing across water, food and agriculture, supply chain, and waste. Jennie holds a BA from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Duke University, where she was a Fulbright Scholar.
Jessica Harrison
Executive Director of Strategy, VEIR Speaker bioJessica Harrison
VEIR’s mission is to rapidly accelerate the growth in electric transmission capacity necessary for global decarbonization and grid resilience. VEIR is developing the next generation of superconducting electric transmission lines that operate with 5-10x the transfer capacity of conventional lines at a given voltage level.
Josh Speros
Investment Manager, BASF Speaker bioJosh Speros
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world.
Mathilde Mounier
Co-Founder and COO, Powerweave Speaker bioMathilde Mounier
Powerweave develops software-as-a-service for electric utilities to exchange services at the grid edge.
Mishal Thadani
Co-Founder and CEO, RhizomeMishal Thadani
Peter Ortez
Principal, Munich Re Ventures Speaker bioPeter Ortez
Peter Ortez is an investment Principal at Munich Re Ventures and focuses on investments in the transportation and climate tech sectors, with a particular focus on science and technology-driven companies. He serves as a board observer in MRV’s two space investments, Okapi Orbits and Orbit Fab, and supports several of MRV’s climate tech investments including Salient Technologies, Zanskar, and Twelve.
Peter holds an SB in aerospace engineering from MIT and earned an MBA at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. During business school Peter spent time investing in deep tech companies at DCVC, and previously was a management consultant focused on disruptive technologies within the aerospace and defense industry.
Snehal Desai
SVP, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer, Xylem Speaker bioSnehal Desai
As Chief Growth and Innovation Officer, Snehal leads the company’s enterprise approach to improving customer experience and outcomes while driving profitable growth. He is focused on innovation and digital transformation that create sustainable benefits for customers and communities. He also leads the evolution of the Innovation, Technology, Product and Digital functions for the combined company of Xylem and Evoqua.
He received bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He is also on the board of directors of the US Water Alliance. He will be based at Evoqua’s world headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Sam Teicher
Co-Founder & Chief Reef Officer, Coral Vita Speaker bioSam Teicher
I co-founded Coral Vita, a company that grows corals to restore dying reefs. I’ve been a scuba diver since childhood, and nothing pushes me harder than fighting for ocean health and the one billion people who rely on coral reefs. Together, we can jumpstart the Restoration Economy to protect the ecosystems that sustain us all while creating good local jobs.
I’m personally interested in integrating climate change mitigation & adaptation, innovation, and wildlife protection as strategic imperatives for business and policy. Addressing massive problems that lack solutions is a driving force in my work. Senior thesis was on climate change as a threat multiplier to national security.
Sander Cohan
Director, Innovation and Venture Acceleration, National Grid PartnersSander Cohan
Serena Shi
Vice President, Lightsmith Group Speaker bioSerena Shi
Serena Shi is a Vice President at the Lightsmith Group, leading on growth equity investment sourcing, diligence, and execution across multiples sectors, working closely with portfolio companies, as well as supporting other strategic initiatives for the firm. Prior to joining Lightsmith, Ms. Shi was an Investment Analyst at the International Finance Corporation, the private sector investment arm of the World Bank, where she focused on direct equity and debt investments in the telecoms sector in emerging markets. She was previously an Associate at Goldman Sachs, where she worked on structured debt transactions across the renewable energy, telecoms, media, pharmaceutical, and consumer retail sectors. Ms. Shi holds a B.S. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Shelly Klose
CEO, True Flood Risk Speaker bioShelly Klose
Shelly has over 20 years experience in advertising, market research and data analytics helping a variety of organizations from start ups to Fortune 100 companies develop marketing communications strategies. Shelly also serves as Managing Director of C2 Research, a full service market research company with offices in Westchester County, NY and Roseville, CA. Shelly has vast experience in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies include advanced data analytics. Shelly earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obipso and completed her Master’s coursework at New York University (thesis pending).
Shelly’s first book, Beyond Big Data: Big Insights in Small Data with R (Finance & Insurance Book 1), is available now on Amazon.com
Her Home’s True First Floor Elevation is 24 inches above ground, which is above an expected 100 years flood event.
Steven Owens
State Representative, MA House of Representatives Speaker bioSteven Owens
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts State Legislature, comprised of 160 representatives.
Taylor Evans
Sr. Innovation Manager, Financing, Imagine H2OTaylor Evans
Tina Tosukhowong
Investment Director, TDK Ventures Speaker bioTina Tosukhowong
Tina Tosukhowong is an Investment Director at TDK Ventures where she leads the cleantech and the advanced-material investment areas.
Her background spans two decades as an operator in biotech and material industries, as well as a deep-tech investor in multiple industries. Prior to joining TDK Ventures, she led the Corporate Ventures practice at GC Ventures America, where she invested in cleantech, biotech, and advanced materials.
She currently serves on the Board of pH7 Technologies (sustainable critical metal extraction), Type One Energy (fusion), VueReal (microLED), Divirod (Climate Resiliency), and Ineratec (e-fuels).
Tina holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and a Certificate in Management of Technology from Georgia Tech. She has been recognized by the Global Corporate Venturing as Top 50 Emerging Leaders in 2021, 2023, and 2024.
Tom Meade
Chief Science Officer, Enko Chem Inc. Speaker bioTom Meade
Tom joined Enko Chem, Inc. as Chief Science Officer soon after its founding in 2017. He has over 30 years of experience working in the agriculture industry with a focus on the discovery of novel crop protection chemistries and traits. Tom began his career at Mycogen discovering insect resistance traits and broadened his scientific and leadership responsibilities to include insecticide discovery when Mycogen was acquired by Dow.
Through leadership positions in both crop protection chemistry and traits Tom has broad experience in the discovery and development process. Prior to Enko he was the global leader for Traits Discovery at Dow AgroSciences. Tom is an author on 14 peer reviewed papers and 1 book chapter. He is an inventor on 27 granted, U.S. patents. He received a B.S. in Entomology from U.C. Davis and an MS and Ph.D. in Entomology from U.C. Riverside.
Valkyrie Holmes
CEO and Co-Founder, Faura Speaker bioValkyrie Holmes
Valkyrie is the CEO and Cofounder of Faura, an insurtech startup that provides loss control solutions to insurers with high-risk books of business. She began her work as a data analyst and engineering intern at NASA and SpaceX before being awarded the 776 Fellowship to work in sustainability. Since then, she’s launched assessments in wind, hail, and wildfire to add climate resilience data to the insurance market and is now operational across the country. She has previously spoken at the Gartner IT conference, SXSW, the Aspen Ideas conference, and more.
Veronique Bourgier
Executive Vice President, Development, Strategy & Innovation & Chief Growth Officer, Veolia Speaker bioVeronique Bourgier
Veronique has worked for more than 17 years at Veolia, the global leader in water, waste and energy management solutions which contribute to the sustainable development of cities and industries.
Over the years, she has held a wide variety of technical and business development positions. She first started her career at Veolia in Paris, including seven years in the Technical Department as Material and Corrosion Expert and as a Process Engineer.
In 2013, she moved to the United States where she joined Veolia Water Technologies in Chicago as Strategic Business Development Manager in charge of the development and expansion of key new markets.
In 2016, she became a part of the management team of Veolia Water Technologies Americas (North and South) as the Digital Business Development Director managing the P&L of the company’s digital services and three years later, in addition to this role, she was also in charge of the P&L of the Chemical Business.
In 2020, she was appointed Senior Director and then Vice President, Development, Strategy and Innovation, at Veolia North America where she led digital transformation, market intelligence and marketing, strategic growth and key account program, sustainability initiatives such as the biodiversity plan.
Veronique is currently the Executive Vice President of Development, Strategy and Innovation and Chief Growth Officer, where she works closely with business leaders and a commercial community of over 200 to set, drive and execute VNA’s organic and inorganic growth strategy.
She received her Masters and PhD in Process Engineering from the Ecole des Mines and she is a Harvard alumni.
Victoria Pisini
VP Strategy and Business Operations, EnersionVictoria Pisini
Zainab Gilani
Research Analyst, Cleantech Group Speaker bioZainab Gilani
Zainab is an Associate, Energy & Power at Cleantech Group and is based in the U.S. She is focused on emerging innovation and trends in Energy & Power and has experience across all Cleantech Group sectors.
Zainab has experience working on circular economy solutions including evaluating recycling challenges and reuse systems, identifying collection strategies for marine plastics, and collaborating with informal waste worker collectives.
Zainab earned her Bachelor’s degrees in Physics and English from Binghamton University.
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Climate Finance Action is a women-led 501(c) working in the US. We equip stakeholders and decision-makers to leverage the transformative power of publicly-held capital for real-world climate solutions, to ensure a just transition to an inclusive economy in favor of people and the planet.
Read moreClimate Finance Action is a women-led 501(c) working in the US. We equip stakeholders and decision-makers to leverage the transformative power of publicly-held capital for real-world climate solutions, to ensure a just transition to an inclusive economy in favor of people and the planet.
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Read moreMassChallenge connects startups, experts, corporations, and communities to grow and transform businesses and economies. We do this work because entrepreneurship is a uniquely vigorous force in driving progress against humanity’s greatest challenges, creating opportunity for individuals, and generating jobs for our economy. We work across sectors to drive a stronger future through collaborative innovation, and support all founders whether they fit or break the traditional venture mold.
Our work is focused on driving more capital into climate adaptation solutions, articulating market needs clearly to innovators, and enabling the deployment of climate adaptation and resilience solutions through curated programs.
Read moreOur work is focused on driving more capital into climate adaptation solutions, articulating market needs clearly to innovators, and enabling the deployment of climate adaptation and resilience solutions through curated programs.