SPEAKERS

Maria Buitron serves as Principal at Piva Capital. Before joining Piva Capital, she was a consultant at Accenture Strategy Energy (formerly known as Schlumberger Business Consulting). She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Tecnologico de Monterrey, where she graduated with top honors, as well as an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Maria came to Piva Capital from Schlumberger Business Consulting (later acquired by Accenture Strategy Energy). There she helped clients address complex problems in the energy industry while working on projects in the Upstream, Midstream, and Downstream sectors. At the energy storage provider, Stem Inc. Maria was part of the Business Development team, she focused on expanding into international markets and new product offerings.

Maria is passionate about technology and diversity in the energy space. She firmly believes in the value of investing as a driver to help address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Sara Chamberlain has worked in the energy and environment sector for nearly a decade, with a core focus on helping energy startups develop commercialization strategies. Working at the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship is a personal passion.​

She currently leads Energy Foundry’s investment activity and maintains an active role with each of the firm’s portfolio companies. Before joining Energy Foundry, Sara co-managed the government advisory practice for clean technology startups at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she successfully led multiple teams through more than two dozen federal and state grant and loan applications, including over $300 million in research grants, loans, and guaranteed loan funding. Sara’s previous experience also includes roles with GE Energy, where she developed a solar manufacturing expansion strategy, and with GaiaTech, where she led the environmental due diligence and regulatory compliance process for industrial and manufacturing transactions across North America.​

From working with large Fortune 500 companies to startup businesses, Sara has broad and deep industry knowledge of the energy sector and was recognized by Midwest Energy News as “40 under 40.”​
She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, and a BA in Environmental Studies from Emory University.​

Dr. Christina Chang is a Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, the VC firm backing kickass companies that make real money unf**king the planet. Most recently, Christina was a Fellow at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) within the U.S. Department of Energy, where she developed new research directions for sustainable manufacturing of commodities. Prior to ARPA-E, Dr. Chang was founder and CEO of the sustainable steel startup Abraze Engineering. Dr. Chang has a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Harvard, an MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures from Imperial College London, an MPhil in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, and an A.B. in Chemistry from Princeton.

Swapna Gupta is a Partner at Avaana Climate and Sustainability Fund, leading Investments into technology-led start-ups catalyzing climate solutions and sustainability, and delivering exponential returns. Swapna has 13+ years of experience across investing, investment banking, and corporate finance in sectors including Supply Chains, Industry 4.0, Mobility, and Agri-tech. Before joining Avaana, Swapna led India investments at Qualcomm Ventures, the corporate venture arm of global semiconductor technology major Qualcomm, where she invested in various companies including Shadowfax, Ninjacart, Locus, Zuddl, Moveinsync, Reverie, and Stellapps. Swapna’s stellar work in the ecosystem has been recognized worldwide, and she was also recently recognized by GCV as a Top 50 emerging leader in the corporate venture community and was the only one from India on the list. Swapna is also part of class 25 at the prestigious Global Kauffman fellows program. Previously, Swapna worked as a senior associate at Ernst & Young and as a corporate finance specialist at Vodafone India. She is an Engineer in ECE from NIT Nagpur and has specialized in MBA Finance from FMS Delhi.

Shayle Kann is a Partner at Energy Impact Partners, the leading venture capital fund investing in companies shaping the future of energy and infrastructure, where he leads the firm’s investments at the frontier of climate tech. He is also a member of the NYSERDA Investor Advisory Board, the PRIME Investor Advisory Council, and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy. Previously, Shayle built and ran GTM Research, the market intelligence arm of Greentech Media, where he led a 30-person team tracking and forecasting the evolution of the electricity sector. Shayle oversaw this business through and beyond GTM’s 2016 acquisition by Verisk Analytics (NASDAQ: VRSK).

Shayle is a renowned writer and speaker on the future of energy. He has spoken at conferences around the world, testified in front of U.S. Congress, and is regularly cited in outlets including the New York Times, Wall St. Journal, Washington Post, Economist, and Bloomberg. He is co-host of the popular energy podcast The Interchange.

Before GTM, Shayle was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, researching renewable energy project finance in Australia. He also worked at Conservation Services Group (acquired by ClearResult) and the California Public Utilities Commission. He graduated cum laude, phi beta kappa from Pomona College.

Clea Kolster is a Partner and the Head of Science at Lowercarbon Capital and leads the firm’s technical research, development, diligence, and scientific strategy efforts. Clea’s distinguished career has always focused on solving climate emergencies through technology, business models, and policy innovation. Before joining Lowercarbon, she worked at San Francisco-based energy consulting firm, E3, where she developed electricity resource planning models and economy-wide decarbonization plans for entire states, utilities, and asset owners, with a focus on the role of hard science emerging technologies like hydrogen production methods, long-duration energy storage, biomass conversion, carbon sequestration, geothermal and advanced nuclear. She led the analysis on over 15 projects in her two years at E3, including “Achieving Carbon Neutrality in California” (link) for the California Air Resources Board, “Net-Zero New England: Ensuring Electric Reliability in a Low-Carbon Future” (link) in collaboration with the Energy Futures Initiative, and another on “Examining the Role of Nuclear for Decarbonizing the Pacific Northwest.” Clea also co-founded her own company focused on access to clean cooking fuels in West Africa, having previously worked on clean energy access and investment across emerging markets in East and North Africa.

Clea earned her Ph.D. in chemical engineering and energy policy at Imperial College London. She was awarded the Grantham Institute’s full scholarship to conduct her Ph.D. and became the student representative of the Grantham Institute at the Paris COP21 Climate Conference. Clea conducted her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Imperial College London and was the only student selected to spend a year at Columbia University in New York.

Clea Kolster is a Partner and the Head of Science at Lowercarbon Capital and leads the firm’s technical research, development, diligence, and scientific strategy efforts. Clea’s distinguished career has always focused on solving climate emergencies through technology, business models, and policy innovation. Before joining Lowercarbon, she worked at San Francisco-based energy consulting firm, E3, where she developed electricity resource planning models and economy-wide decarbonization plans for entire states, utilities, and asset owners, with a focus on the role of hard science emerging technologies like hydrogen production methods, long-duration energy storage, biomass conversion, carbon sequestration, geothermal and advanced nuclear. She led the analysis on over 15 projects in her two years at E3, including “Achieving Carbon Neutrality in California” (link) for the California Air Resources Board, “Net-Zero New England: Ensuring Electric Reliability in a Low-Carbon Future” (link) in collaboration with the Energy Futures Initiative, and another on “Examining the Role of Nuclear for Decarbonizing the Pacific Northwest.” Clea also co-founded her own company focused on access to clean cooking fuels in West Africa, having previously worked on clean energy access and investment across emerging markets in East and North Africa. ​

Clea earned her Ph.D. in chemical engineering and energy policy at Imperial College London. She was awarded the Grantham Institute’s full scholarship to conduct her Ph.D. and became the student representative of the Grantham Institute at the Paris COP21 Climate Conference. Clea conducted her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Imperial College London and was the only student selected to spend a year at Columbia University in New York.​

Tyler drives investment activity and portfolio management for Energize, focusing primarily on the intersection of software with the physical world. ​

Before joining the Fund, Tyler worked at Accenture Strategy, where he shaped new business models and investment plans for Fortune 500 electric utilities and private equity. His work focused on distributed energy resources, regulatory innovation, grid modernization, and transportation electrification. Tyler began his career building commercial solar PV and energy efficiency projects for an energy services company. ​

Tyler holds a B.S. in Earth and Environmental Engineering from Columbia University, where he was an Egleston Scholar.​ Tyler is a Board Director for Aurora Solar, Urbint, TWAICE, Patch, and Smartcar.​

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Helen invests in and supports portfolio companies that render humanity a net positive to nature. At One seeks innovative technologies that can upend the traditional industries contributing to climate change, with disruptive unit economics commercially and
environmentally.

Helen was formerly the Head of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at FINCA Impact Finance (FIF), where she drove FIF’s digital transformation strategy in its 20 subsidiaries across 4 continents and has led the implementation of strategic initiatives in Africa including agency banking, mobile banking, and various fintech partnerships. Before FINCA, Helen worked for 7 years in Investment Banking and Private Equity, including launching a growth equity fund in China (Baird Capital Partners Asia).

Jonathan Maxwell is the Founder and CEO of Sustainable Development Capital, LLP (‘SDCL’), an independent investment firm with over US$2 billion of investment capital dedicated to energy efficiency. Jonathan has over 27 years’ experience in business and finance with 15 years at the helm of one of the UK’s only independent sustainability and climate-focussed investment firms, which is one of the largest and fastest growing firms of its kind in the world.

Brigid a Managing Partner, Planetary Health, at RA Capital. Brigid’s primary responsibility at RA is to lead investments in private companies that are developing innovative solutions to address climate change and environmental sustainability. Prior to joining RA, Brigid was the Head of Venture Investments for BHP Ventures, the internal venture capital unit within the world’s largest mining company, where her investment mandate was to help the decarbonization of BHP’s operations and to improve the sustainability of resource extraction. Brigid was responsible for starting the venture fund and led investments in multiple sectors, including advanced analytics platforms, biomining and bioremediation, novel chemical leaching, long-duration energy storage, traceability of products, carbon removal, and green steel. Prior to BHP, Brigid was at In-Q-Tel (IQT), the strategic investment arm of the CIA and the US Intelligence Community; she co-founded IQT’s Australian subsidiary, served as its Managing Director, and built an international program to support a global innovation initiative through investing in the Asian-Pacific region. Brigid holds a BS in Chemistry (Hons) from the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2002) and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Johns Hopkins University (2009).

Meghan Sharp is Global Head and Chief Investment Officer of Decarbonization Partners, a BlackRock and Temasek JV investing in the next generation of innovative decarbonization solutions and businesses to accelerate global efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Decarb Partners invests in climate technology companies in the late-VC / early-growth equity stage. In this role, she oversees a global team of 25+ professionals where she leads the overall vision and investment strategy for the business and its funds.

Dr. Sharp is responsible for deal origination, investment execution, and value creation activities for Decarbonization Partners’ portfolio companies, along with capital formation efforts and strategic partnerships Decarb Partners Fund I raised $1.40bn in capital and has been actively deploying capital since 2022. Prior to joining Decarb Partners in 2022, Dr. Sharp served as Global Head of BP Ventures, leading BP’s global corporate venture capital activities. During her leadership, the team made investments across the decarbonization sector including advanced mobility, bio and low carbon products, power and storage, and carbon management.

Dr. Sharp has significant experience in venture capital and operating experience, which includes her time serving as COO of Beyond Limits, a pioneering artificial intelligence company with applications for the energy transition. Meghan holds a PhD in microbial genetics from the University of California, San Francisco, an MBA from Columbia University, and post-doctoral experience from the University of Chicago and the Carnegie Institute, Stanford.

Meghan Sharp, Managing Director, is Global Head of Decarbonization Partners, BlackRock’s joint venture with Temasek that will invest in the next generation of innovative decarbonization solutions and businesses to accelerate global efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. In this role, she is responsible for leading the overall vision and investment strategy for the venture and its funds. Mrs. Sharp oversees deal origination, investment execution, and value creation for Decarbonization Partners’ portfolio companies, and leads the global team to further develop its capabilities and partnership network.

Before joining BlackRock, Mrs. Sharp was Global Head of BP Ventures, BP’s global corporate venture arm. During her time there the team made over 70 investments across the decarbonization sector including advanced mobility, bio and low carbon products, power and storage, and carbon management. Mrs. Sharp has significant experience in venture capital investing and the technology industry.
Meghan holds a PhD in microbial genetics from the University of California, San Francisco, an MBA from Columbia University, and post-doctoral experience from the Carnegie Institute, Stanford.

Marie Thompson serves as Principal at Powerhouse Ventures (Oakland). She performs sourcing and diligence for Powerhouse Ventures as well as portfolio engagement and post-investment support. Previously she worked in strategic planning at Apache Corporation and sales strategy at Bloom Energy. She holds an MBA from Berkeley Haas.

Tem is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Nomadic Venture Partners, where he focuses on fund strategy, fundraising, portfolio construction, valuation, and financial analysis.
Before co-founding NVP, Tem was an investment professional at Resource Capital Funds (RCF), a mining-focused private equity investment firm, managing early to late-stage investments. He de-risked companies, commercialized their businesses and completed M&As that delivered hundreds of millions of dollars to investors.

Before RCF, Tem worked for Newmont Mining Corporation as a mining engineer and then project engineer. Tem also co-founded MNG Summit, a non-profit organization supporting Mongolian students and early career professionals.

He started his professional career as an entrepreneur where he started and operated a transportation company in college to help pay for college tuition and support extended family.

He served as a board member and treasurer of the Colorado Chapter of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) as well as a board member of the Ulaanbaatar-Denver Committee for the Denver Sister Cities. Tem received his B.S. in Mining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. During his free time, he likes to golf, hike, cycle, and spend time with his wife and two kids.

Mr. Marc Van Den Berg serves as Managing Director of Venture Investments at OGCI Climate Investments. Mr. Marc Van Den Berg served as a Venture Partner at DBL Partners. He served as a Board Member at Superior Sensor Technology. He served as a Board Member at ZincFive and Achates Power. He was also a Managing Director at 40 North Ventures. Before joining, he spent 15 years in venture capital as a Partner at DBL Partners and a Managing Director at VantagePoint Ventures. He also serves as a Board Member at Svante Technologies. Before his venture capital career, he spent 25 years in both venture-backed startups and multinational public companies here in Silicon Valley and abroad, which included a career stint in advanced excimer lasers, industrial water treatment, and advanced semiconductor materials and equipment. He has held numerous director positions at semiconductor and clean energy companies and enjoys assisting entrepreneurs in their quests to grow exciting new companies. He is a graduate of Santa Clara University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He serves as a Board Member at Clarke Valve.​

Natalie is a climate investor and finance professional with over 12 years of experience in sustainable infrastructure investing, principal investing, corporate strategy and capital advisory, with expertise in structuring creative financing solutions for climate tech companies.

Kate Walsh joined LanzaTech in May 2024 and serves as its VP Investor Relations & Tax. Kate has 15 years of public company investor relations and finance experience, primarily within the energy industry. Most recently, Kate was Senior Vice President of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Enviva Inc. Other previous roles include Vice President of Investor Relations & Tax at EnLink Midstream, LLC, and Director, Tax & Investor Relations at Niska Gas Storage Partners LLC, which has since become Rockpoint Gas Storage, a portfolio company of Brookfield Asset Management.

Ms. Walsh holds a Chartered Professional Accountant designation from CPA Canada, and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Phoebe Wang is a cleantech venture capitalist who serves as an Investment Partner at the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund. Previously, she was an Investment Director at Shell Ventures where she led investments in early- and late-stage startups working on technologies to accelerate the energy transition, including in the areas of hydrogen, carbon management, energy storage, mobility, and power. She also chaired Shell Ventures’ early-stage investment committee and co-led its diversity and inclusion task force.

During her 10-year tenure as a venture capital investor, Wang has invested more than $150 million in frontier technology startups such as Antora, Celadyne, ZeroAvia, Veros Systems, Ionomr, Li Industries, Aurora Hydrogen, Bluware, Quanterra, South 8 Technologies, Connected Freight, FreeWire, Xpansiv, NIO Capital, PowerShare, MaaS Global, and many others. She sits on the boards of ZeroAvia, Veros Systems (acquired by Baker Hughes), Ionomr, Aurora Hydrogen, Bluware, Quanterra, and South 8 Technologies, and she is a member of the Rocky Mountain Institute Third Derivative Corporate Founding Partner Advisory Board, the Global Corporate Venturing Leadership Advisory Board, the Counter Club Advisory Council, and the Rice Alliance Energy Advisory Board.

Wang has more than a decade of experience in cleantech with a strong passion for fighting climate change for future generations. In addition to her investment experience, she was also an entrepreneur who built a start-up in technology commercialization and—earlier in her career—as an engineer in the chemical and semiconductor industries. Wang is a frequent guest lecturer at Brandeis University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rice University, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Wang holds an MBA concentrated in Climate and Finance from Rice University and a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from Nanyang Technological University. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

Kim is the CEO and Co-founder of Sightline Climate, the market intelligence platform for the new climate economy built off the CTVC newsletter. She was previously a climate tech investor at Energy Impact Partners, a venture capital firm with $3 billion AUM, focused on propelling a sustainable future. Kim has made significant contributions towards shaping a greener world.