2024 Climate Business & Investment Conference
Climate Tech for Net Zero
Friday, April 19, 2024
8:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Columbia Business School, Geffen Hall
Cooperman Commons
645 West 130th Street, New York, NY 10027
Agenda
about
Rapid deployment of climate technologies is accelerating the decarbonization of the global economy. Join us for the latest insights from the frontiers of climate innovation, and hear from climate practitioners, investors, entrepreneurs, and researchers.
This conference — a joint effort by the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia Business School, Columbia Technology Ventures, and Columbia Climate School — will survey the landscape of emerging climate technologies and help inform policy and investment decisions to guide the world toward a high-efficiency, low-carbon future.
Participants will include leaders from the investment community, a range of business sectors, and academia.
Registration for this event is closed.
Agenda
- 8:30–9:00 AM | Registration Opens
- 9:00–9:10 AM | Welcome Remarks
- Bruce Usher
Co-director of the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise; Elizabeth B. Strickler ’86 and Mark T. Gallogly ’86 Faculty Director, and Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia Business School and Columbia Climate School
- Bruce Usher
- 9:10–9:30 AM | Scaling Climate Tech
- Bernd Heid
Senior Partner at McKinsey
- Bernd Heid
- 9:30–9:50 AM | Story of a Climate Tech Startup: Heirloom Carbon
- Nishad Pai
Head of Business Development and Partnerships at Heirloom Carbon - introduction from Orin Herskowitz
Senior VP of Applied Innovation and Industry Partnerships for Columbia University; Executive Director of Columbia Technology Ventures (CTV)
- Nishad Pai
- 9:50–10:05 AM | Leveraging Markets
- Lauren Kuntz
CEO and Co-founder at Gaiascope
- Lauren Kuntz
- 10:05–10:15 AM | Climate Tech Pitch #1
- Claire Nelson
Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder of Cella Mineral Storage
- Claire Nelson
- 10:15–10:40 AM | Climate Tech Research Insights
- Shiho Kawashima
Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia Engineering - Dan Steingart
Stanley-Thompson Professor of Chemical Metallurgy in the Department of Earth And Environmental Engineering; Professor of Chemical Engineering at Columbia Engineering; Co-director of the Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center - Ngai Yin Yip
Lavon Duddleson Krumb Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia Engineering - Gernot Wagner (moderator)
Senior Lecturer at Columbia Business School; Faculty Director of the Climate Knowledge Initiative at the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise
- Shiho Kawashima
- 10:40–10:55 AM | Coffee Break
- 10:55–11:45 AM | Keynote: Business Transformation and Strategy to Net Zero
- Mary Barra
Chair and CEO at General Motors - Vijay Vaitheeswaran (moderator)
Global Energy and Climate Innovation Editor at The Economist
- Mary Barra
- 11:45–11:55 AM | Deploying Value Chain Decarbonization
- Robbie Greenberg
Head of Business Development at Terralytiq - Alysha Hudson '20SEAS
Head of Engineering at Terralytiq
- Robbie Greenberg
- 11:55 AM–12:02 PM | Climate Tech Pitch #2
- Gahyun Annie Lee PhD '24SEAS
Head of Business Development at Arbon
- Gahyun Annie Lee PhD '24SEAS
- 12:02–12:25 PM | Financing Climate Innovations
- Malika Anand
Head of Impact & ESG at Catalyst Fund - Melissa Ball
Associate Director at Energy Impact Partners - Bruce Usher (moderator)
Co-director of the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change; Elizabeth B. Strickler ’86 and Mark T. Gallogly ’86 Faculty Director, and Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia Business School and Columbia Climate School
- Malika Anand
- 12:25–12:30 PM | Closing Remarks
- Costis Maglaras
Dean of Columbia Business School - Bruce Usher
Co-director of the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change; Elizabeth B. Strickler ’86 and Mark T. Gallogly ’86 Faculty Director, and Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia Business School and Columbia Climate School
- Costis Maglaras
- 12:30–2:30 PM | LEAP: Climate Data Exploration Workshop & Lunch (Optional Session)
- More information can be found below.
LEAP: Climate Data Exploration Workshop & Lunch (Optional Session)
Following the conference, participants are invited to join an optional session, "LEAP: Climate Data Exploration Workshop," at 12:30 PM hosted by Learning the Earth with Artificial Intelligence and Physics (LEAP). Workshop attendees will learn more about the development of LEAP's climate data tools and have the opportunity to provide collaborative feedback. They may also engage with LEAP researchers who will be on hand to discuss ongoing research projects.
Speakers & Facilitators
- Vanessa Burbano
Sidney Taurel Associate Professor of Management at Columbia Business School; Corporate Engagement - Julius Busecke
Senior Staff Associate - Ocean + Climate Physics at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; Manager of Data + Computing at LEAP - Catherine Cha
Senior Manager of Communications + Knowledge Transfer at LEAP - Kata Martin
Product Lead at CarbonPlan
LEAP Researchers
- Candace Agonafir
Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Columbia University - Sarah Lewis
Graduate Researcher in the Center for Sustainable Futures at Teachers College - Marcus Van Lier-walqui
Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University - Florencio Portocarrero
Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Columbia Business School - Christina Torres
Graduate Research Assistant at Teachers College
Conference Speakers
Costis Maglaras
Costis Maglaras is the 16th Dean of Columbia Business School, and the David and Lyn Silfen Professor of Business at Columbia University. Costis received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Imperial College, London, in 1990, and his MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1991 and 1998, respectively. He joined Columbia Business School in 1998, when he joined the Decision, Risk and Operations Division.
Bruce Usher
Bruce Usher is a Professor of Professional Practice and the Elizabeth B. Strickler '86 and Mark T. Gallogly '86 Faculty Director of the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia Business School. The Tamer Institute educates on the use business knowledge, entrepreneurial skills, and management tools to address social and environmental challenges. Professor Usher teaches courses on climate change, finance and business, and is a recipient of the Singhvi Prize for Scholarship in the Classroom, the Lear Award, and the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
Gernot Wagner
* It's pronounced like "juggernaut" without the "jug."
Gernot Wagner is a climate economist at Columbia Business School. His research, writing, and teaching focus on climate risks and climate policy.
LEAP Workshop Speakers, Facilitators, & Researchers
Vanessa Burbano
Vanessa Burbano is the Sidney Taurel Associate Professor of Business in the strategy area at Columbia Business School.
Video Gallery