Accelerate Impact GroupAccelerate is an impact-dedicated multi-asset fund manager, seeking to promote change and innovation with impact investing in its DNA. Hyewon Chung ’25, Lynn Lin ’25, Carey Mott ’25, and Chenchen April Sun ’25 worked with Accelerate to develop impact investing strategies for emerging climate solutions such as virtual power plants, small modular nuclear reactors, grid enhancement technologies, and critical mineral recycling technologies. Each team member developed a targeted research brief that examined the latest trends influencing their chosen technology, identified key industry players, and evaluated its investment potential, with a strong emphasis on real world applicability.  |
Allied Talent PartnersAllied Talent Partners connects experienced professionals, including members of the African diaspora, with climate-related projects and businesses via a talent marketplace, with an initial focus on Africa. Zarish Khan ’25, Kanupriya Maheshwari ’25, and Shubham Singla ’25 supported the strategic development of this climate talent marketplace. The team conducted a market analysis of temporary and project-based climate roles across Africa, evaluated future demand based on country-level climate commitments, and assessed the sector’s growth trajectory. They developed an engagement strategy for African diaspora, including analyzing motivation drivers and designing incentive structures for both temporary and long-term return opportunities. The team also mapped key talent sources across educational institutions and employers, and proposed an onboarding strategy to streamline talent acquisition and ensure quality standards.  |
Bank of AmericaThe team explored climate-related investment opportunities and risks, including identifying attractive climate investment segments for Bank of America’s wealth management clients, with a deep dive into the investment landscape in Brazil and the United States. Maria Salamin Navarro ’26, Ingrid Raziya ’26, and Wannakorn Tapanakornwut ’26 assessed climate opportunities and risks on client portfolios, including the readiness of data provider solutions to evaluate climate risks with an emphasis on practical integration into existing risk-return frameworks, and aligning with Bank of America’s unique client base.  |
BlackRockBlackRock Climate Infrastructure’s Climate Finance Partnership (CFP) is a $670M+ blended finance equity fund focused on scaling climate infrastructure investment in non-OECD countries, with backing from government, philanthropic, and institutional capital. Derek Cohen ’25, Madeleine Futterman ’25, Vasuki Nandan Mannem ’25, and Riddhi Vora ’25 worked with CFP to identify energy and climate infrastructure investment opportunities in emerging markets that would benefit from blended finance. Target markets included countries in South Asia, Africa, and South America. Sectors of focus included renewable energy generation, transmission infrastructure, battery energy storage, and other climate infrastructure assets.  |
Energy Peace PartnersEnergy Peace Partners (EPP) is a nonprofit leveraging climate finance to expand renewable energy access and promote peace in fragile regions. Its flagship innovation, the Peace Renewable Energy Credit (P-REC), enables companies and individuals to achieve decarbonization and social impact goals through clean energy investments in underserved communities. Genevieve Faber ’25, David Foye ’25, Ruth Gorven ’25, and Hitesh Jonnalagadda ’25 explored new customer segments and go-to-market strategies to expand corporate and philanthropic adoption of P-RECs, to unlock new demand channels and scale its global impact. The team found three priority areas: corporate supply chains, the sports and entertainment industry, and high-net-worth individuals. They evaluated market potential, identified key decision-making dynamics within each segment, and proposed tailored messaging strategies to align P-RECs with the unique motivations and impact goals of each audience.  |
LEAPLEAP is a Columbia-affiliated NSF Science and Technology Center dedicated to improving near-term climate modeling by combining climate science, physics, data science, and machine learning. Kathy Chen ’26, Jules Frost ’26, Yi Ju ’25, and David Urbont ’26 conducted strategic research to assess LEAP’s role in the changing climate data landscape and identified opportunities for broader impact across the ecosystem. The team mapped key climate intelligence players by timescale and use case, outlined potential customer segments, and proposed strategic pathways to expand LEAP’s role as an open-access, mission-driven leader in climate science beyond its current NSF funding cycle.  |
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)NYCHA, the largest public housing authority in North America, provides affordable housing for low and moderate-income New Yorkers and owns more than 2,500 buildings across 335 developments. NYCHA’s 2021 Sustainability Agenda outlines a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including through the installation of upgraded, energy-efficient infrastructure using energy performance contracts. These upgrades require considerable capital expenditure. Avika Agarwal ’26, Sayem Ather ’26, and Diego Espitia ’26, and So Ukawa ’26 supported NYCHA to identify and assess the feasibility of “Energy as a Service,” an innovative public-private partnership involving private-led management to modernize critical building systems, such as heating and domestic hot water. The goal is to improve operational efficiency, reduce maintenance burdens, and ensure reliable, long-term service for residents while minimizing capital expenditures.  |
Pantheon RegenerationPantheon Regeneration is a nature-based solutions climate venture focused on peatland restoration, to provide scalable, high-impact carbon sequestration methods while also enhancing biodiversity and environmental resiliency. Drew Brenn ’26, Daniela Narimatsu ’26, Sahana Rao-Chakravorti ’26, and Al Tebbetts ’26 developed a strategic roadmap to help source non-dilutive capital such as grants and prizes. The team identified and detailed potential grants and prizes aligned with Pantheon’s mission, evaluated the landscape and limitations of current US climate grant availability, and proposed messaging strategies for investors and the public to emphasize peatland restoration’s benefits including carbon sequestration and biodiversity.  |
Project InnerspaceProject Innerspace is a nonprofit focused on scaling geothermal energy worldwide by facilitating the rapid transfer of resources, technologies, and know-how from the oil and gas industry toward geothermal energy production. Tiffany Bauman ’26 and Mark Harding ’26 assessed whether geothermal energy, particularly Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), can meet the emerging power needs of hyperscale AI data centers. They analyzed US energy demand trends, investigated current geothermal technology, and developed business models that integrate geothermal production and storage with datacenter infrastructure.  |
The SIDS DOCK FoundationThe SIDS DOCK Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, supports Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to transition to clean energy sources, by replacing diesel-based microgrids with sustainable ocean technologies. The foundation raises grants and private capital through blended investment funds to finance projects aligned with UN SDG #7. Heather Boehm ’26, Heather Hartel ’26, Whitney Stewart ’26, and Rajiv Rukmangadhan ’26 conducted studies on clean energy ocean technologies, designed impact metrics for investment allocation, and developed financial models for various ocean energy technologies. Their work provided a strategic framework to help SIDS DOCK attract investors and deploy capital effectively across island nations.  |
XPRIZEXPRIZE is a nonprofit that designs and operates moonshot competitions to incentivize solutions to humanity’s grand challenges. Its first competition, the $10M Ansari XPRIZE, is widely credited with kickstarting the private space industry. Since then, 30 prize competitions have run to accelerate other technological solutions. This project focused on rainforest biodiversity mapping, including the grand prize winner Limelight Rainforest. Arjaav Dhawan ’25, Arjun Sindhu ’25, Varun Singh ’25, and Maulshree Singh ’25 supported XPRIZE to explore go-to market strategies for the winning top teams, including formulating commercialization strategies for these breakthrough technologies. 
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