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Startup Program

Supporting leading-edge climate tech entrepreneurs who are building solutions for a clean economy.

To view the full VERGE 22 program click here.

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The VERGE 22 Startup Program is for entrepreneurs, investors and accelerators committed to leveraging the power of technology to address the climate crisis. Join us to hear from leading climate tech startups, engage with industry experts in interactive sessions, and meet with top investors. VERGE is where the climate tech community gathers to accelerate leading-edge startups.

Tracks:

  • Fundraising

  • Commercialization

  • HR/Hiring

  • Policy & Lobbying

Participants include professionals in:

  • Climate tech startups

  • VCs and Investors

  • Corporate venture and innovation

  • Investor Relations

  • Business Development

  • Policy liaisons

View Startup Program
Startup Pavilion Startup Attendees

“ Innovative startups with new technologies have a critical role to play in creating the climate future we want for our world and generations to come. The time to act is now, and VERGE is the place to be for all the key players committed to accelerating these promising climate solutions. ”

Sherrie Totoki
Director, Startup Programs
GreenBiz Group

Featured Speakers & Advisors

Anthony Oni
Energy Impact Partners
Ashley Grosh
Breakthrough Energy
Andy Ruben
Trove
Emily Kirsch
Powerhouse; Powerhouse Ventures
Victoria Woo
Stanford University & Presidio Graduate School
Elaine Hsieh
Third Derivative, RMI
Maiko Schaffrath
Impact Hustlers
Dr. Philip McAdoo
Earthjustice
Mairi-Jane Fox
Techstars
Jason Rubottom
Cloverly

Investors

Logos of various organizations that are supporting the Accelerate Partners program

Accelerate at VERGE 22

Accelerate at VERGE 22 is a fast-pitch competition featuring entrepreneurs with innovative technologies, products and services in carbon, energy, food, transportation, or buildings.

Selected finalists will pitch from the VERGE stage to thousands of business, government and thought leaders.

Accelerate Finalists

Startup Discount

We are pleased to offer startups a 40% discount off the VERGE 22 pass of your choice. This discount must be applied at the time of registration and cannot be applied retroactively. This discount may not be combined with other offers, including the group discount, GreenBiz registrations are non-refundable and non-transferable.

To apply the Startup discount, enter code V22STARTUP1 on the final payment page.

To qualify for the startup rate, the firm must have been in business for fewer than five years and have annual revenues not exceeding $10M.

The startup rate does not apply for sole proprietorships or consultancies. All registrants who apply the startup discount code will be subject to review after purchasing, and those who do not meet the requirements will be refunded and re-routed to the regular ticket price.

Register
Attendees at VERGE Registration

Startup Power Hour

Tuesday, October 25 from 3:00-4:00pm 
Location: Startup Pavilion
 
Join the first of two Startup Power Hours and watch the Startup Pavilion come alive! During the Startup Power Hour, all exhibitors will be on-site, meaning you will have the opportunity to meet numerous climate tech accelerators and over 100 brilliant startups. Don't miss the chance to dive into the climate tech innovation space and find out how you can work with these leading businesses.

Startup Power Hour 

Wednesday, October 26 from 5:15-7:00pm
Location: Plaza Terrace
 
Join the startup exhibitors on the Plaza Terrace for a drink during happy hour! During this second Startup Power Hour taking place on the terrace next to the Startup Pavilion, all exhibitors will be on-site, meaning you will have the opportunity to meet numerous climate tech accelerators and over 100 brilliant startups. Don't miss the chance to dive into the climate tech innovation space and find out how you can work with these leading businesses.

Startup Program Highlights

Here is a sampling of sessions from the Startup Program.

More Details

Beyond VC: Alternate Funding Sources for Startups

Panel
210G

Venture capital is no longer the only path to fund your startup. Lessons learned during Cleantech 1.0 investing are being applied to climate tech financing. New models and money are flowing into the space every day. This time around, funders are incorporating founder friendly structures, patient capital and dollars that match actual solution needs. This session will cover the myriad sources of capital emerging for climate tech startups. We'll discuss revenue-based financing, project finance, grants and other methods to fund your business.

Conference

  • Startup

Speakers

  • Dimitry Gershenson
  • Sedale Turbovsky
  • Chante Harris
  • Nneka Kibuule

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VERGE Accelerate: Transport Pitch Competition

Panel
210H

VERGE Accelerate is a series of fast-pitch competitions featuring leading climate tech startups. Today’s session highlights five entrepreneurs building cutting-edge solutions for sustainable mobility, followed by industry expert reactions to each pitch. Help determine the winner by casting your vote live at the event! The winner will pitch in the main stage finals on Thursday, October 27.

Conference

  • Startup
  • Transport

Speakers

  • Nam Nguyen
  • Vartan Badalian
  • Rodrigo Prudencio
  • Colin Huwyler
  • Edward Chiang
  • Hannah Sieber
  • Karin Ebbinghaus
  • Matt Sweetwood

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More Details

Diversity Is More Than a Checkbox

Panel
210 G

A 2019 McKinsey report details a direct correlation between better financial performance, and gender, ethnic and cultural diversity. Creating an authentic diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practice is just the start. Hear from experts on how they integrated diversity recruiting and culture into every part of their company. They will dive into how every organization can use these strategies from even the earliest stages of development.

Conference

  • Startup

Speakers

  • Anthony Oni
  • Kathleen Egan
  • Nina Ahuja
  • Dr. Philip McAdoo

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More Details

VERGE Accelerate: Carbon Pitch Competition

Panel
210H

VERGE Accelerate is a series of fast-pitch competitions featuring leading climate tech startups. Today’s session highlights five entrepreneurs building cutting-edge solutions for carbon removal, followed by industry expert reactions to each pitch. Help determine the winner by casting your vote live at the event! The winner will pitch in the main stage finals on Thursday, October 27.

Conference

  • Carbon
  • Startup

Speakers

  • Mia Diawara
  • Bryan Shill
  • Jim Giles
  • Annalee Bloomfield
  • Jason Aramburu
  • Tom Green
  • Troy Carter
  • Tilli Bannett

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More Details

Corporate-Startup Interactive

Workshop
210 G

Are you an entrepreneur wondering how to scale your product with a commercial company? This interactive session gives you the opportunity to speak directly with corporate venture capitalists about what they look for when deciding to work with a startup. Learn about companies’ top climate priorities and how you can strategically create inroads with relevant business units. Join this session to build new relationships and gain insights about how to approach, navigate and successfully land your next corporate partner.

Conference

  • Startup

Speakers

  • Tyler Tegtmeyer
  • Chad Bown
  • Jake Mitchell
  • Carolina García Arbeláez
  • Danielle Conkling
  • Makiko Suzuki
  • Rodrigo Prudencio

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More Details

VERGE Accelerate: Energy Pitch Competition

Panel
210H

VERGE Accelerate is a series of fast-pitch competitions featuring leading climate tech startups. Today’s session highlights five entrepreneurs building cutting-edge solutions for energy, followed by industry expert reactions to each pitch. Help determine the winner by casting your vote live at the event! The winner will pitch in the main stage finals on Thursday, October 27.

Conference

  • Energy
  • Startup

Speakers

  • Anthony Oni
  • Emily Kirsch
  • Sarah Golden
  • Patrick Sagisi
  • Jason Huang
  • Andrew Tanner
  • Quentin Randall
  • Sean Kelly
  • Vince Romanin

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More Details

VERGE Accelerate: Buildings Pitch Competition

Panel
210H

VERGE Accelerate is a series of fast-pitch competitions featuring leading climate tech startups. Today’s session highlights five entrepreneurs building cutting-edge solutions for buildings, followed by industry expert reactions to each pitch. Help determine the winner by casting your vote live at the event! The winner will pitch in the main stage finals on Thursday, October 27.

Conference

  • Buildings
  • Startup

Speakers

  • Antonia Elisa Soler Blasco
  • Jennifer Place
  • Isaac Knipfing
  • Kathleen Egan
  • Hanif Montazeri
  • Jane Melia, Ph.D.
  • Liam Bates

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Leveraging Public Policy to Commercialize Climate Tech

Panel
210G

Does policy have a role in accelerating climate tech? We’ll dive into this hotly debated question, and lay out how policy can enable private markets to deploy climate technologies at an impactful scale. You will learn how to take advantage of active government programs and federal policy to achieve commercial scale deployment. Come with your questions and ideas for how policy can accelerate technology. There will be ample time to discuss specific issues the public sector may help you unlock.

Conference

  • Startup

Speakers

  • Kennedy Nickerson
  • Joselyn Lai
  • Christine Turner
  • Kelly Fleming

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VERGE Accelerate: Food Pitch Competition

Panel
210H

VERGE Accelerate is a series of fast-pitch competitions featuring leading climate tech startups. Today’s session highlights five entrepreneurs building cutting-edge solutions for regenerative food systems, followed by industry expert reactions to each pitch. Help determine the winner by casting your vote live at the event! The winner will pitch in the main stage finals on Thursday, October 27.

Conference

  • Food
  • Startup

Speakers

  • Sarah Nolet
  • Jake Mitchell
  • Carolina García Arbeláez
  • Lucas Cunha
  • Daniel Russek
  • Dylan Lew
  • Karen Frame
  • Laura Daley

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More Details

Investor - Startup Interactive

Workshop
210 G

Are you an entrepreneur currently fundraising or about to raise a round? This interactive session gives you the opportunity to speak directly with investors about what they look for when deciding to invest in a startup. Learn about top climate funding priorities and how you can set up your company for the next round of investment. Join this session to build new relationships and gain insights about how to approach, navigate and successfully land your next investor.

Conference

  • Startup

Speakers

  • Mia Diawara
  • Caroline Winslow
  • Cedric Char
  • Austin Blackmon
  • Megan Cain
  • Shaandiin Cedar
  • Leah Garden

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More Details

Key Indicators to Communicate Your Climate Impact

Panel
210H

As funding floods into climate tech, how do investors prioritize startups with the greatest potential environmental impact, and how do entrepreneurs tell their story successfully to earn funding? ​​These are two key challenges facing climate solutions, and time is limited to make an actual dent in emissions. Hear from leaders on new methodologies and frameworks for measuring and assessing impact, and learn how they use that data to prioritize investment and scaling decisions. New tools and technologies are now emerging to tell this story, including Project FRAME, SERC, CRANE and others. We will review the merits of clearer storytelling and deliberate use of data in a narrative, and its impact on investor decision-making.

Conference

  • Startup

Speakers

  • Alexander Davis
  • Shanbor Gupta
  • Rachel Payne
  • Michele Demers

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More Details

Startup Coaching Interactive

Workshop
210G

Are you seeking out a coach or mentor, but don’t know where to start? Do you have a problem you’re working on as a startup founder, but don’t know who to turn to for advice? This interactive group coaching session will help anyone at a climate tech startup quickly get to the root of an issue, and work through steps to solve it. Bring an idea or gain perspective from observing others work with a coach to clearly articulate your value prop, improve your presence in high stakes meetings, or move something out of the way that feels impossible to move.

Conference

  • Startup

Speakers

  • Laurie McGinley
  • Maiko Schaffrath
  • Jake Mitchell

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Startup Round Robin

Workshop
210G

Come ready to participate and workshop ideas! This will be an interactive session to brainstorm strategies and action plans for startup companies. Participants will have the opportunity to rotate around the room, meet other entrepreneurs and offer creative solutions to challenges related to business model development, marketing, customer acquisition and other key topics.

Conference

  • Startup

Speakers

  • Julia Kumari Drapkin
  • Jake Mitchell
  • Mariam Awara
  • Tom Green
  • Brandon Wong
  • Branko Kerkez
  • Brandon Smith

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More Details

Behind the Scenes of Corporate Innovation Groups

Panel
210H

Though corporate innovation groups have been around for decades, the last few years demonstrate a boom in the number of deals made, with an all-time quarterly high of 1,317 deals in Q1 2022, according to CB Insights. Why the increase? Hear from the experts themselves on their innovation strategy and why they are supporting and investing in climate tech startups. They’ll peel back the curtain on how to engage with corporate firms and provide insights on building relationships with the relevant stakeholders in large companies. Panelists will also cover how to tackle the various funding and go-to-market challenges startups face that can eventually help land these highly coveted commercial partnerships.

Conference

  • Startup

Speakers

  • Olivier Deneux
  • Carie Davis
  • Carolina García Arbeláez
  • Carrie Hughes

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Setting up for an Exit

Panel
210G

Does your startup have its sights set on an exit through an acquisition or IPO? After all, corporate venture capital investments rise, with Axios reporting M&A volume up 25% in the first half of 2022 for renewables and storage. Or, perhaps your team is planning for an IPO in the future. There are so many options for an exit, it can be difficult to decide the right path for your company. Regardless of the stage of your venture, planning for the future will help guide your strategy today. Hear from financial experts and companies who have lived through a startup exit to ensure your business is set up for success.

Conference

  • Startup

Speakers

  • Andrew Beebe
  • Veery Maxwell
  • Sarrah Raza
  • Amy Ard

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From Pilot to Gigaton: A Holistic Approach to Scaling Carbon Removal Projects

Panel
210H

What are the key factors organizations should consider when pursuing carbon sequestration projects at large-scale levels of production? When trying to solve for climate change through carbon sequestration, long term durability matters. Yet buying carbon credits often requires examination beyond the transactional relationship, and includes caring for the entire value chain across people, animals and ecosystems. Learn about the community co-benefits that create resilience when integrating nature-based carbon solutions, particularly in emerging markets. For startups, this is a case study in the people, power, and pivots required to remove carbon at scale. For corporations, this will provide a holistic view of how to evaluate carbon removal projects to reach the ambitious task of removing several gigatons per year to reach our climate goals.

Conference

  • Carbon
  • Startup

Speakers

  • Yee Lee
  • Tito Jankowski
  • Fanuel Joseph
  • Julia Reichelstein

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View More VERGE 22 Programs

Buildings Program

Enabling the transition to smarter, healthier, net-zero buildings, campuses and factories.
Learn More

Carbon Program

Discover the new markets, technologies and products fueling the growth of business opportunities in carbon removal.
Learn More

Energy Program

Decarbonizing, decentralizing and digitizing energy systems to be more resilient, affordable and accessible.
Learn More

Food Program

Transforming food systems to equitably and efficiently feed a more populous planet while conserving and regenerating the natural world.
Learn More

Transport Program

Accelerating electric, clean and equitable transportation and logistics that reduce emissions and improve lives.
Learn More

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