“In the ocean, no two waves are the same, and no two days are the same.” Wise words from professional big-wave surfer Greg Long and that was just one of many lessons learned from a life in the ocean that are extremely relatable for what it means to be a leader in today’s climate. Greg went on to discuss risk-taking, ego, near-death and resurrection, and how he now acts with greater intention in and out of the water. So many gems in there for all of us to relate to… I’m still reflecting on his talk, my time at SF Climate Week – and the tone and tenor of the broader #climatetech ecosystem – but above all, it was a real privilege to co-host this discussion on behalf of Propeller and in collaboration with my friend Scott Atkinson and his team at Heidrick & Struggles. It is so special and so rare to gather together with such a great crew of smart, committed founders, investors, and operators working toward a collective planetary good. Thank you again to our excellent panelists for your insights and inspiration -- Founders Panel: Kelly Zheng of hum.ai, Jess Adkins of Calcarea, and Stuart Landesberg of Grove Collaborative. Investor Panel: Colin le Duc of Generation Investment Management, Saloni Multani of Galvanize, Suzanne DiBianca of Salesforce, and Steven Mandel of TPG Rise Climate. And most importantly, thank you to all who attended. Time is precious, and we’re grateful to the folks who spent some of their time with us last week. We hope you’re all back at it this week, as inspired as I was from the discussion.
Aikido Technologies unlocks the opportunity for floating offshore wind power. Their novel, up-ending platform will dramatically reduce costs for floating offshore wind projects. Location: San Francisco, CA, USA How we met: Through our network Propeller theme: Ocean Industrials Propeller investment stage: Seed
Fleet Robotics is creating a new generation of autonomous mobile robots that go where humans can’t, starting with the maritime industry. Location: Boston, MA, USA How we met: We met Sidney at a virtual event and had an intro call just as he was starting up. Propeller theme: Ocean Industrials Propeller investment stage: Seed
Ebb Carbon is pioneering a new method of ocean-based carbon removal by enhancing the ocean’s natural ability to safely store CO2, while reducing ocean acidity. Location: San Francisco, CA, USA How we met: We met through our network of ocean partner orgs. Propeller theme: Ocean Carbon Propeller investment stage: A Prime
Banyu Carbon uses a novel photochemical process that harnesses light to capture carbon dioxide that can then be stored permanently. Location: Seattle, WA How we met: Banyu reached us at Propellervc.com , and was selected to attend our Ocean MBA. Propeller theme: Ocean Carbon Propeller investment stage: Seed