Scaling Climate Tech Companies to Global Impact

EarthGrid, Founder and CEO

Troy Helming founded 2 of the most successful renewable energy companies in the USA: Tradewind Energy (largest wind developer in USA in 2017) & Pristine Sun (leading developer of community utility-scale solar farms in USA). He sits on the board of numerous solar and clean energy companies, and has been an advisor, investor, executive director of over a dozen successful companies. He's the author of The Clean Power Revolution (2004) and creator of The Freedom Plan (2005): a blueprint to convert North American to 100% clean renewable energy.

TURN2X, Founder and CEO

Philip, the CEO of TURN2X, is a seasoned entrepreneur who previously founded and successfully exited an AI company. Now leading TURN2X, he is driving innovation in the energy sector with technology that produces CO2-neutral electric natural gas from green hydrogen and biogenic CO2.

Upwell Materials, Founder and CEO

Daniella Zakon is the Founder and CEO of Upwell Materials, a biomaterials company based in Woods Hole, MA. Daniella earned her B.S degree in marine ecology after studying the impacts of rising CO2 on coral reefs in Thailand and Malaysia. She went on to receive her master's degree in environmental studies and business management while living and working in the Middle East. She has worked in green tech, sustainable fashion, clean cosmetics, micro-algae and more.

Upwell Materials, Co-Founder and CMO

Alexandra Dowling Lari is Co-Founder and CMO of Upwell Materials, a biomaterial company based in Woods Hole, MA. Alexandra holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard University in English Literature and a graduate degree from Parsons School of Design in Marketing and Brand Management.  She has worked in sales, marketing, luxury fashion and beauty for over twenty years for companies including LVMH, Moda Operandi and Captain Blankenship.

NatureX RMS, Co-Founder and CEO

Raviv Turner is the Co-Founder & CEO of NatureX RMS, a climate and nature risk management platform using AI co-pilots for earth observation. Raviv is also a Founding Member of the Nature Tech Collective, a non-profit member organization that helps financial institutions, insurance companies, and corporations manage their climate and nature risks. Raviv is a TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures) nature data working group member. He speaks on the topics of climate and nature risks, nature insurance, GeoAI, spatial finance, and digital MRV.

Re.Green, Partner and CEO

Thiago Picolo is CEO of Re.green, Brazil’s leading ecological restoration company, and has led multiple private-equity backed companies in Brazil. Previously served as CEO of Hortifruti Natural da Terra, Brazil´s largest fresh food retailer. Thiago started his carreer in finance, at Morgan Stanley and GP Investimentos, and holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and OPM from Harvard Business School. Thiago is a board member at Zamp and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.

ArtifexAI, Founder and CEO

Russ Wilcox, CEO of ArtifexAI, pioneers the application of artificial intelligence in urban transformation, leveraging historical city data to create more sustainable metropolitan environments. A thought leader at the intersection of AI and public policy, he brings over 16 years of expertise in machine learning and data science to address global urban and sustainability challenges.

As a member of the prestigious American Society for AI and a 2024 Autodesk Global Sustainability Leader, Russ bridges the gap between technological innovation and practical implementation. His insights on democratizing AI have been shared at the World Economic Forum and through multiple TedX talks.

Hertha Metals, Founder and CEO

Dr. Laureen Meroueh, Founder and CEO of Hertha Metals, is leading this venture-backed startup with groundbreaking technology designed to revolutionize steelmaking and significantly reduce emissions. Hertha Metals is on a trajectory to become the global catalyst for decarbonizing the steel industry, leveraging the unique and cost-effective technology that utilizes any grade of iron ore, including waste oxides, to produce pure iron and steel, while dramatically reducing CO₂ emissions. With an unparalleled ability to execute at unprecedented speeds, Hertha Metals is reshaping the future of sustainable steel production.

Airhive, Co-Founder and CEO

Rory Brown, Co-Founder and CEO, leads Airhive in scaling their DAC technology, backed by partners like Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. The company is launching a 1,000-tonne facility to drive impactful climate action. Airhive is advancing Direct Air Capture (DAC) with modular, cost-effective systems that remove CO₂ directly from the atmosphere.

WeForest, Co-Founder and CEO

Marie Noëlle is the co-founder and CEO of WeForest, a non-profit organization dedicated to tackling some of today’s most pressing challenges: global warming, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and poverty. Leading a team of 90 professionals -primarily based in Africa - she has overseen the restoration of more than 71,000 hectares (an area comparable to Singapore) with nearly 100 million trees, transforming the lives of half a million people, creating habitats for endangered species, and positively impacting adjacent landscapes 40 times larger (an area roughly equivalent to Yosemite National Park or 3 million hectares).

Heirloom Carbon, Founder and CEO

Shashank Samala, Co-Founder and CEO, leads Heirloom in pioneering scalable, cost-effective carbon removal solutions. Under his leadership, Heirloom has secured significant investments, including a recent $150 million Series B round, to scale their technology. Heirloom accelerates natural carbon mineralization, using limestone to capture CO₂ from the air, aiming to remove 1 billion tons by 2035.

S3 Markets, Co-Founder and CEO

Saman is the Co-Founder and CEO of S3 Markets, driving the adoption of low-carbon commodities in hard-to-abate sectors like cement, steel, and ammonia through a book-and-claim system, helping organizations credibly reduce Scope 3 emissions and advancing progress towards global net zero. Saman is passionate about leveraging his background in climate and finance to unlock financial support for radically decarbonized commodity producers in an effort to tip commodity markets towards low carbon modes of production.

An MIT graduate with climate and sustainability expertise, Saman co-founded SHIFT, a tool search engine for corporate sustainability, developed technology for the UN Global Compact resource library, and led the 2024 MIT Sustainability Summit on systems change for planetary wellbeing.

Seafields, Founder and CEO

John Auckland has founded Seafields to pioneer a new approach to fighting climate change by introducing aquaculture to the open ocean using a little-known wonder crop, the brown seaweed, Sargassum.

He also founded TribeFirst, the leading global equity crowdfunding marketing agency that's helped more than 120 companies launch their brands and raise their money at the same time. Co-Founded GreenTribe, a pre-seed and seed stage impact investment fund. Also Co-Founder of JustCarbon, which is using Web3 technology to improve the carbon credit certification industry.

Phlair, Founder and CEO

Phlair (formerly Carbon Atlantis) is redefining Direct Air Capture (DAC) with a scalable, cost-effective technology that removes CO2 from ambient air for permanent storage or reuse in CO2-negative chemicals. Their innovative hydrolyzer for acid/base regeneration enables efficient and affordable DAC processes, addressing critical challenges in industries like aviation and aluminum production. Led by Malte Feucht, Founder and CEO, Phlair helps leading customers such as Shopify and Stripe achieve their net-zero goals.

Applied Carbon, Co-Founder and CEO

Jason Aramburu, Founder and CEO, is a seasoned entrepreneur recognized by MIT Technology Review and the World Economic Forum for his groundbreaking work in climate tech. He looks forward to collaborating with the cohort to advance scalable carbon removal solutions. Applied Carbon is transforming agriculture and industry with innovative biochar technology that sequesters carbon, improves soil health, and reduces methane emissions.