Speaker Nomination

The window for VERGE 22 speaker nominations is now closed. Subscribe to get notified when the full program is available.

Program Highlights
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About VERGE 22

VERGE 22 is the leading climate tech event accelerating solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time. Join thousands of leaders — from business, government, solution providers and startups — working together to address the climate crisis across six strategic areas: clean energy, sustainable transportation, carbon removal, regenerative food systems, net zero buildings and the startup ecosystem.

Where and When

October 25-27, San Jose Convention Center

The Programs

VERGE recognizes that the global challenges we face are systemic and require systemic solutions. The event is designed to showcase the technologies underpinning those solutions and the opportunities they unlock — for people, the planet and for business — through over one hundred sessions across six programs: 

  • Carbon — Using new technologies and markets to cut emissions, remove carbon and create new products.
  • Energy — Decarbonizing, decentralizing and digitizing global energy systems to be more resilient and accessible.
  • Food — Transforming food systems to equitably and efficiently feed a more populous planet, while conserving and regenerating the natural world.
  • Transport — Accelerating electric, clean and equitable transportation and logistics that reduce emissions and improve lives.
  • Buildings — Enabling the transition to smarter, healthier, net-zero buildings, campuses and factories.
  • Startups — Supporting entrepreneurs with innovative technologies, products and services across the climate tech landscape.

What We Value

  • Fresh and Convergent Content: We aim to elevate the latest trends, innovations and approaches to accelerating climate solutions, and prioritize topics that are systemic and interconnected by nature.
  • Creativity and Interactivity: We strive to expand participants’ perspectives, catalyze new ways of thinking and facilitate meaningful interactions among attendees.
  • Diversity: We are committed to fostering dialogue among, and elevating the leadership of, speakers with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. This includes maintaining gender parity among speakers and ensuring racial diversity in all programming.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commitments

GreenBiz is committed to ensuring the sessions at VERGE 22 reflect the world we live in. Our goals are to:

  • Include the perspective of a BIPOC speaker in every session with three or more people (including the moderator)
  • Increase the total number of BIPOC speakers across the entire program
  • Include gender diversity in every session with two or more people (including the moderator)

Session Formats

  • Panel (60 min): A moderated discussion with no more than four speakers (including the moderator) and ample time to address questions from the audience.
  • Presentation (60 min): Led by one or two individuals, featuring a mix of instruction and exercises designed to give attendees the knowledge they need to get started on a particular task or challenge.
  • Fireside Chat (60 min): A conversation between a speaker and an interviewer. This format is a deep dive into a participant's expertise or research, and should include ample time to address questions from the audience.
  • Case Study (60 min): A session featuring an impactful and original approach to tackling a tough climate challenge. This is an opportunity to highlight a new initiative or collaboration, and spark the imagination of attendees.
  • Other (60 min): GreenBiz is committed to experimenting with new formats that break out of the traditional panel structure. Let us know what creative ideas you have to best share your story.

Submissions

Due to the high volume of submissions we receive, GreenBiz will only respond to nominations that we are interested in pursuing no later than June 28, 2022. We encourage you to submit your proposal early, as speaking slots fill up quickly.

To learn more about last year’s program, please visit the VERGE 21 event page. If you have specific, clarifying questions, please contact Shana Rappaport, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of VERGE, at [email protected]