Climate Scale-Up’s Deal Day
Connecting Innovators with Investors
Dates: January 21, 2026
Location: Davos-Klosters, Switzerland
Time: 10am-5pm
Venue: Hotel Schatzalp, Main Ballroom, Davos 7270 Switzerland
Climate Scale-Up's Deal Day is your premier opportunity to meet, engage, and secure strategic investments and partnerships with leading climate tech companies and visionary investors from around the globe. Join us in the heart of Davos for an intensive, action-packed day dedicated to driving impactful climate solutions.
Partners:
What to Expect
Highlights from 2025
Panel Discussions
Irina Gorbounova, Head of ArcelorMittal’s XCarb® Innovation Fund - manages over $160 million committed to developing breakthrough technologies for decarbonizing steel production. XCarb® Innovation Fund is accelerating the steel industry's transition to sustainable practices by supporting innovative solutions across various domains.
Helen Zhang, Deputy Chief of Staff, Schmidt Futures – Advancing strategic initiatives that bridge emerging technologies and global sustainability goals, driving innovative solutions to critical environmental and geopolitical challenges in alignment with Eric Schmidt’s sustainability vision.
Shashank Samala, co-founder and CEO, Heirloom, XPRIZE Finalist and Climate Scale-Up’s cohort - advancing Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology to combat climate change. Under his leadership, Heirloom secured over $200 million aiming to capture over 1 million tons of CO₂ annually. These initiatives position Heirloom as a leader in scalable carbon removal solutions.
Fireside Chats
Jay Lipman, cofounder of Ethic - instrumental in managing over $6 billion in assets through sustainable and climate-focused portfolios. Additionally, Jay Lipman co-founded Nature2, a collaborative initiative aiming to bridge the $830 billion annual funding gap in nature conservation by mobilizing the finance and investment communities to allocate 2%of managed assets toward nature-based solutions.
Networking
Nikki Batchelor, Executive Director, XPRIZE – Leading $100 million prize competition to accelerate breakthrough climate innovations, including carbon removal and sustainable energy solutions.
Jason Aramburu, co-founder and CEO, Applied Carbon, XPRIZE Finalist and Climate Scale-Up’s cohort – Pioneering biochar-based carbon removal solutions, scaling decarbonization efforts through nature-based technology.
Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer, Google – Spearheading Google's ambitious sustainability initiatives, including the goal to operate entirely on carbon-free energy by 2030, and leading efforts in circular economy practices and environmental innovation.
Previously, she served as the first Federal Chief Sustainability Officer of the United States.
Artistic Performances
World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed a short concert to raise awareness about climate change, at the top of the mountains above Davos
Vildwerk, a non-profit foundation, performed Damaged Skin choreographed by Jason Kittelberger and performed by himself and Anais Turaet
Deal Day Program Details
MORNING SESSION
NETWORKNG
10:00 - 10:45 AM
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Foreword: Rising to the Climate Challenge
10:45 - 10:50 AM
Jason Jay, Director of Sustainability, MIT
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Welcome Address: Uniting for Impact
10:50 - 11:00 AM
Seema Gupta, Tod Hynes, Co-Founders, Climate Scale-Up
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
From Space to Earth: Innovation Lessons Learned
11:00 - 11:10 AM
Bianca Lins, Lead, Space Department, Liechtenstein
PANEL
Transforming Industries: Innovating with Incumbents
11:15 - 11:40 AM
Philip Kessler, CEO, Turn2x, electric natural gas, e-NG, Laureen Meroueh, PhD, CEO, Hertha Metals, green steel
Irina Gorbounova, VP M&A and Head of XCarb Innovation Fund, ArcelorMittal, Rajesh Swaminathan, Partner, Khosla Ventures
PANEL
Direct Air Capture: Scaling and the Cost Curve
11:40 AM - 12:05 PM
Shashank Samala, CEO, Heirloom, DAC, Rory Brown, CEO, Airhive, DAC, Malte Feucht, CEO, Phlair, DAC
Nikki Batchelor, Executive Director, XPRIZE Carbon Removal
PANEL
Ocean Innovation: Investing in Systems Change
12:05 - 12:30 PM
Daniella Zakon and Alexandra Dowling, Upwell, marine bio-materials
Helen Zhang, Office of Eric Schmidt, Dominic Hofstetter, Executive Director, TransCap Initiative
PERFORMANCE
The Human Side of Climate Impact: Damaged Skin
12:40 - 12:50 PM
Choreographed by: Jason Kittelberger, Vildwerk
Jason Kittelberger and Anais Turaet
AFTERNOON SESSION
FIRESIDE CHAT
From AI to Infrastructure - Google’s Path to Achieving Net Zero
1:00 - 1:20 PM
Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer, Google
PANEL
Green Leapfrogging: Infrastructure for the Global South
1:20 - 1:45 PM
Troy Helming, CEO, Earthgrid, plasma tunneling for infrastructure
Dr. Kajal, IAS, Director, Department for Promotion of Industry and International Trade (DPIIT), Govt of India (Nodal Officer), Ricardo Hausmann, Director, Harvard Growth Lab; Renowned expert on economic growth and development, Ujjwal Kumar, MC/MPA Mason Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School, specialist in private-public relations
PANEL
Harnessing AI for Climate Resilience
1:45 - 2:10 PM
Raviv Turner, NatureXRMS, AI agents for earth observation, Russ Wilcox, ArtifexAI, AI finding opportunity zones for energy and infrastructure
Jennifer Turliuk, Practice Leader, Climate and Energy AI, Oliver, Breakthrough Energy Venture Business Fellow, Tod Hynes, Co-CEO, Maigent, personal AI
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Human Costs of Climate: The California Lens
2:10 - 2:20 PM
Jay Lipman, Co-Founder, Ethic
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Staying Honest About Climate
2:20 - 2:30 PM
Jacqueline Bourke, Getty Images
PANEL
Nature’s Role in Restoring Climate Balance
2:30 - 2:55 PM
Marie-Noelle Keijzer, Weforest, restoring forests for people, climate and nature, Thiago Picolo, Re.Green, large-scale forest restoration, Jason Aramburu, Applied Carbon, distributed biochar production
Kevin Webb, Co-founder, Superorganism
PANEL
Carbon Markets: Incentivizing Climate Innovation
2:55 - 3:20 PM
Saman Baghestani, CEO, S3 Markets, accelerating zero-carbon modes of production
Heather Taylor, Partner, EY Climate Change & Sustainability Services, Filipe Blackwood Oliveira, Senior Advisor, TPG, Thomas Annicq, Co-founder, Oneshot.earth, Jean-Baptiste, Head of Business Development, Deme
CLOSING KEYNOTES
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Family Businesses: Leading Private Climate Action
3:20 - 3:30 PM
Chavalit Frederick Tsao, Chairman, TPC
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Climate Pioneers: Inspiration for the Road Ahead
3:30 - 3:40 PM
Alysia Helming, US Clean Energy Pioneer, Unicorn & Bestselling Author
FIRESIDE CHAT
Countdown to COP 30 – The Path Forward
3:40 - 4:05 PM
Maria E. Netto de A. C. Schneider, Executive Director, iCS, Jorge Hargrave, Co-Founder, Brazil Climate Institute, Tony Lent, Co-founder, Capital for Climate, Renata Piazzon, Director General, Arapyaú Institute, Marina Cançado, Co-Founder, Brazil Climate Institute; Founder, Converge Capital