We’re bringing you a day packed with educational content and insights from key stakeholders across the public and private sectors, including investors, startup founders, banks, nonprofits, and more.
If you’re interested in sponsoring our event, please email us at info@thevertical.la
Around the world, there is a growing need for solutions to tackle the impacts of climate change. In response to the climate crisis, startups have emerged across Africa, Asia, and LatAm providing an exciting opportunity for investors. Here are some questions we will be discussing:
A climate activist and investor Katie MacDonald has been driving climate innovation since her teen years, when she protested for offshore wind at 17. Tailwind focuses on accelerating solutions for climate adaptation and resilience. Previously, Katie led NYSERDA's Tech to Market division, managing a $200M portfolio of early-stage startup investments.
Matt was the original brain behind the Cryogenx cooling technology. He has a degree in Industrial Design (from which Cryogenx evolved from!) and has worked within a number of tech startups.
With over a decade of experience in global climate investing and development, Aparna spearheads IDFC's climate-focused strategy, operations, and business development. In 2023 alone, her leadership drove more than $3.7 billion in climate-linked investments, contributing to IDFC's $15 billion climate portfolio, which is part of its $42 billion global exposure.
Renate Bleich is the chair of the Munich Re Foundation, which tackles major global challenges such as environmental and climate change, as well as disaster prevention. Previously, she was responsible for advancing Munich Re’s sustainability strategy and aligning the company’s activities with broader goals, such as the SDGs.
As Head of International Markets at Climate-KIC, Neil leads strategic partnerships between Europe and global regions on climate change. He also manages Climate-KIC's California office. His focus areas include climate innovation, entrepreneurship, green economic growth, resilient regions, sustainable cities, and green finance.
Myrivili is working to raise awareness of heat as a growing threat to public health and advance resilience measures in cities worldwide. She provides technical expertise for designing and implementing heat-related initiatives, supports policies that enable the mainstreaming of heat in local planning, and fosters synergies to tackle urban heat in local climate change mitigation and adaptation frameworks.
Chavalit Frederick Tsao, the fourth-generation leader of TPC (Tsao Pao Chee), a 120-year-old family business, joined at 20 and became chairman at 37. Born in Hong Kong and educated at the University of Michigan, he also chaired Intercargo, promoting maritime collaboration. In 1995, he founded the East West Cultural Development Centre to explore sustainable leadership through ancient wisdom and modern science.
Cities are responsible for about 70% of global emissions and are on track to house 80% of the human population. How can we shape the future of cities to ultimately to secure the survival and thriving of human civilization?
As the world grapples with food and water insecurity, ecosystem destruction, and land degradation, the need for innovative and unified solutions has never been more pressing. The session is an opportunity for funders and entrepreneurs to learn about initiatives and systemic approaches to land use, regenerative agriculture, and forestry.
What does overcoming the climate finance gap look like? The Missing Trillions is designed as a laboratory for a structured exploration of systemic risks and opportunities.
Over the past year, The Missing Trillions has been exploring overlooked leverage points that could help close the climate finance gap.
We will be sharing our insights with the public for feedback, partnership, and implementation pathways ahead of this New York Climate Week event.
Join key players in generating ideas to shape the future of climate action in the U.S. We are bringing together investors and immigrant unicorns for a heartfelt discussion on “money moves” and emerging technologies. We will look at successful projects, tackle challenges, and examine the impact we can collectively achieve for the future of climate action.
Addressing barriers for international ClimateTech innovation in the U.S. Strategies for overcoming challenges and facilitating smoother market entry.
With over 16 years of experience in U.S. immigration law, Katya has helped thousands of professionals and entrepreneurs achieve their American dream. As an immigrant from Belarus, Katya moved to the U.S. at 19 on a government scholarship and earned her J.D. from Ohio State University. Before founding her firm in 2008, she managed business immigration at an international law firm. Katya is dedicated to empowering international entrepreneurs and investors through tailored immigration strategies and practical relocation support.
Originally from Ukraine, Freeman relocated to Miami for law school. After working for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she launched her own litigation firm. Concerned about rising sea levels — which could cost Miami $200 billion over the next two decades — she founded Kind Designs to create living seawalls. The company has since raised $5M and won Fast Company’s 2024 World Changing Ideas Award.
An econometrician by background, Dr. Khosla is a founding developer and patent holder of Entelligent's technology. Entelligent’s data-driven solutions offer financial market participants and businesses the insights and foresight needed to seize opportunities in the energy transition, manage its risks, and create a more sustainable future.
The creator of the JUUNOO office wall system, Chris has won multiple international awards, including the Red Dot Design Award (twice), the Solar Impulse Label, and Deloitte Fast 50 in sustainability. He scaled JUUNOO from a basement startup to an international company and co-founded The Circular Value Institute in Belgium to accelerate the global shift to a circular economy.
Timur is focusing on ClimateTech and Future of Transportation. He invests in companies tackling global challenges like climate resilience, sustainability, energy transition, and transportation innovation. Previously, he held roles at Canapi Ventures, Live Oak Ventures, and Samsung Ventures. He holds a PhD from Columbia University and lives in San Francisco.
With a global background in technology and finance, Abijit is adept at linking tech with capital and markets. He has led $15M+ in early-stage capital raises and been part of teams securing over $100M in late-stage debt for power projects. With degrees in chemical engineering, business management, and energy policy, Abijit’s 12-year career spans power companies, research, investment advisory, venture capital, and clean-tech startups.
Born in New York and raised in both the U.S. and Israel, Morielle is the founder of MILE Advisory, specializing in energy, security, and technology. Her firm publishes an annual report on the Israeli energy sector. She led the partnership strategy for nT-TAO, Israel’s sole nuclear fusion startup, with Princeton University. Morielle’s expertise includes qualitative research design, insights synthesis, and strategic advisory.
Join us for an evening of ClimateTech insights and global business growth! Enjoy light bites and drinks while exploring the hottest trends and exciting developments in regions like Europe, Africa, LatAm, and Asia.
Jabangwe leads the $1B UNDP-backed Timbuktoo Fund, the largest initiative supporting Africa’s innovation ecosystem. She is the youngest former CEO of EcoCash, Zimbabwe's leading mobile money service, which won the 2017 Mobile World Congress "Best Mobile Payment Solution" award. With over 13 years in finance and technology, Natalie started as a software engineer in the UK before transitioning to investment and retail banking across the EMEA region.
Since joining Catalyst Fund in early 2021, Maxime has significantly impacted the organization and the startup ecosystem, supporting over 20 startups across eight African markets. He also expanded Catalyst Fund’s network of nearly 200 global VC partners. Maxime co-created “Africa: The Big Deal,” a key resource for insights into the African startup landscape, enhancing his role as a trusted advisor in the ecosystem.
