Climate Scale-Up’s Deal Day
Connecting Innovators with Investors
Dates: January 22, 2026
Location: Davos-Klosters, Switzerland
Time: 12-4pm
Venue: 40 Promenade
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.
2026 Deal Day Agenda
January 22, 2026, 12:45-1:15 pm
Families as Catalysts for Scale-Ups
Refined Topic: Mobilizing Patient Capital, Industrial Assets & Generational Leadership to Accelerate Climate Technologies
Synopsis: Family enterprises hold a unique combination of patient capital, industrial assets, and multigenerational leadership that can accelerate the global deployment of climate technologies. This session highlights how families can move from impact awareness to impact implementation by piloting innovations within their operating companies, offering offtake and supply-chain access, and reshaping investment mandates around long-term value creation. Positioned within the mission of Climate Scale-Up, TIO, and FBN, the discussion will explore how families—especially next-gen leaders—can act not just as investors, but as catalysts who help climate technologies prove, scale, and transform markets.
January 22, 2026, 1:15-1:40 pm
Leveraging AI for Climate Resilience
Refined Topic: Predictive, Adaptive Systems for Agriculture, Cities & Critical Infrastructure
Synopsis: AI is rapidly becoming the backbone of global climate resilience. This session examines how advanced forecasting models, digital twins, and automated decision-support systems are transforming agriculture, urban environments, and critical infrastructure. Leaders will discuss how AI-enabled anticipation—rather than reaction—is driving a new paradigm of climate-ready food systems, heat-resilient cities, and operationally secure supply chains.
January 22, 2026, 1:40-2:05 pm
Next-Generation Renewable Energy
Refined Topic: Superconductors, Flexible Solar & the Infrastructure for 24/7 Carbon-Free Power
Synopsis: Achieving round-the-clock clean energy requires breakthroughs that extend beyond traditional renewables. This panel explores innovations such as ultralight, deploy-anywhere solar materials and high-capacity superconducting transmission that unlock gigawatts of new renewable potential. Discussions will highlight how these platform technologies accelerate decarbonization, enhance grid reliability, and enable a globally scalable clean power system.
January 22, 2026, 2:05-2:30 pm
Corporates as Catalysts for Scale-Ups
Refined Topic: Leveraging Corporate Assets, Market Access & Strategic Partnerships to Accelerate Climate Technologies
Synopsis: Large corporates hold unique levers for scaling climate solutions beyond capital alone. By deploying operational assets, industrial infrastructure, supply-chain networks, andmarket reach, corporates can act as early partners who de-risk innovation, guarantee adoption, and catalyze rapid deployment of breakthrough technologies. This session explores how strategic engagement—from piloting solutions within existing operations to creating market pathways—enables climate technologies to move from prototype to commercial scale. Panelists will discuss frameworks for corporate collaboration, ecosystem-building, and long-term partnerships that amplify impact across sectors and geographies.
January 22, 2026, 2:30-2:55 pm
Critical Minerals & Supply Chain Resilience
Refined Topic: Sustainable Extraction, Circular Recovery & Resource Efficiency at Scale
Synopsis: The clean energy transition hinges on reliable access to critical minerals—yet today’s supply chains remain fragile, carbon-intensive, and highly centralized. This session delves into next-generation solutions for low-impact extraction, high-efficiency recycling, and recovery from industrial and post-consumer waste. The conversation will focus on building distributed, circular, and geopolitically resilient materials pathways that support batteries, EVs, wind turbines, and grid infrastructure.
January 22, 2026, 2:55-3:20 pm
Advanced Nuclear & Fusion Pathways
Refined Topic: Coolant Innovation, Microreactors & Fusion: Redefining Zero-Carbon Baseload Power
Synopsis: Nuclear power is being reinvented through breakthroughs in reactor design, coolant systems, and fusion technologies. This session highlights how advanced coolants—from molten salts to organic materials—are enabling compact, efficient, and inherently safe next-generation reactors. Combined with microreactors and emerging fusion architectures, these innovations point toward a future where firm, zero-carbon energy can be deployed rapidly and cost-effectively. Discussion will explore commercialization milestones, regulatory innovation, and the role of advanced nuclear in global net-zero plans.
January 22, 2026, 3:20-3:45 pm
Nature-Based Solutions & Blue Economy
Refined Topic: Restoration, Blue Carbon & the Natural Infrastructure of the Net-Zero Economy
Synopsis: Healthy terrestrial and marine ecosystems are among the most powerful levers for climate mitigation and resilience. This session explores the next generation of nature-based and blue-economy solutions—from reforestation, coastal and blue-carbon restoration, and regenerative resource management to high-integrity MRV, bio-based materials, and sustainable aquaculture innovations. Leaders will discuss how both land and ocean ecosystems can function as essential climate infrastructure, delivering measurable carbon removal, biodiversity gains, community resilience, food-system stability, and long-term economic value.