2024 Grand Final, April 18-19
Limited early bird tickets available!
agenda
Startups
Meet our top 8 climate and energy startups advanced to the Grand Final from 166 applications from 44 countries and 94 institutions!
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Benjamin Birnbaum
Partner, Keyframe Capital & Co-founder, TeraWatt Infrastructure
PANEL 1:
Climate Innovation in Developing Countries
Priya Shah
Founder & General Partner, Theia Ventures
Priya has spent 16 years working across the finance, policy and venture sectors in the US, UK and Indian markets. She is an early investor in India’s climate tech venture ecosystem, and she is also a Director on Sustainability Mafia, one of India’s largest climate founder coalitions. She is actively involved as a mentor, advisor and thought leader with several think tanks, university labs, accelerator programs and foundations on climate tech innovation, a Board Member on the University of Cambridge’s Alumni Advisory Council and an advisor to Brown University’s Young India Leadership Council and Women’s Launchpad program.
Krista Tukiainen
Co-founder & Chief Commercial Officer, ClimateAligned
Krista has spent 10 years in climate finance and consulting helping to build the green finance ecosystem globally. This included developing policy and standards (e.g. first green taxonomies) and training financial institutions on mechanisms to finance climate solutions ranging from off-grid solar to industrial decarbonisation.
Dr. Sidhant J. Pai
Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer, StepChange
Sidhant leads the development of science-driven software products to estimate, analyze, track and improve enterprise sustainability metrics. He has a PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry and Compositional Modeling and an S.B. in Environmental Engineering from MIT. He has over a decade of experience working at the intersection of science, technology and environmental solutions, including as a postdoctoral scientist at Columbia University. He is also a founding director at Social Seva, an Indian non-profit developing low-cost technology solutions for air pollution monitoring, source apportionment and impact assessment.
Daniel Capelin (Moderator)
Co-Managing Director, MIT Climate & Energy Prize
MIT Sloan School of Management
Daniel came to MIT Sloan from the world of engineering because of the vibrant climate and entrepreneurial ecosystems on campus. He is a 2024 MBA candidate focused on deep-clean-tech and early stage startups and as one of the Managing Directors of CEP he is focused on building on the work of past years’ leaders to expand CEP’s impact and foster global connections in climate tech.
Panel 2:
TELLING YOUR STORY IN CLIMATE TECH
Alex Bolano (Moderator)
Associate Partner, McKinsey
Alex is an Associate Partner in McKinsey's San Francisco office. Alex helps lead McKinsey's renewable energy work in North America. He advises major electric-power generators, suppliers, and manufacturers, as well as private and public investors on strategic and operational challenges. Alex earned his BA from Princeton University and his MBA from The Wharton School.
Jason Whaley
General Partner, Rhapsody Venture Partners
Jason is an entrepreneur and investor in Cambridge, MA. He is a general partner at Rhapsody Venture Partners, a venture fund that invests in early stage start-ups, with a focus on industrial sciences innovation. Prior to Rhapsody, he was the CEO and co-founder of Manus Bio, an industrial biotechnology company that spun out of MIT in 2011.
Aakash Shah
CEO & Co-Founder, High Time Foods
Aakash is the CEO and founder of High Time Foods, a plant-based meat company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is the second startup Aakash founded, his first being a cloud kitchen company that he scaled and sold in India. High Time Foods specializes in creating meat alternatives that do not require refrigeration, and its products are used by over 50 food service locations, including popular restaurants, colleges, and schools.
Mary Cronin
Sr. Vice President Government Affairs, 6K
Mary has two decades of experience in local, state and federal government affairs. She serves as part of 6K’s overall commercial/strategy team, focused specifically on identifying government initiatives that provide a vehicle to expand its research and development and production opportunities across the Federal marketplace. Mary has a Master of Global Business Administration from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, an MA in Strategic Security Studies/International Security from the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University, an MS in Public Affairs from the University of Massachusetts, McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, and an BA from Saint Michael’s College.
VENUE
4/18 Networking Reception
Greentown Labs, 444 Somerville Ave., Somerville, MA 02143
*Parking is incredibly limited at Greentown Labs and we encourage attendees to consider taking advantage of public transportation. Greentown Labs is a short 1-mile walk from the Harvard MBTA station down Kirkland and Washington Streets. Union Square in Somerville is also easily accessible via the #86 and #91 MBTA buses. Greentown Labs offers bike parking on-site and the closest Bluebikes stations are at Dane St., Conway Park and Union Square.
4/19 Grand Final
The Engine, 750 Main St, Cambridge, MA 02139