NVCA Celebrates Earth Day with VC Leaders in Climate and Sustainability
In honor of Earth Day, NVCA recognized and celebrated five leading VCs in climate and sustainability investing.
Driving the news: In 2021, 887 U.S.-based climate tech startups raised $27.55 billion in VC funding, more than double 2020’s record of $12.7 billion invested. Young companies play a fundamental role in advancing the country’s effort to address the climate crisis.
At NVCA, we have convened VCs and climate-focused entrepreneurs from across the country to discuss an innovative policy agenda that will focus the power of the U.S. startup ecosystem on climate technologies. Effective partnerships between the public and private sectors create space for cutting edge ideas to challenge traditional business models and approaches. This forged alliance will be integral in unlocking the full potential of startup innovation in the energy transition.
The nation’s startup ecosystem is advancing breakthrough climate technology innovations in areas such as new energy sources and storage, transportation and mobility, carbon capture and utilization, agriculture and sustainability, water and recycling, and manufacturing.
In 2021, 887 U.S.-based climate tech startups raised $27.55 billion in VC funding, more than double 2020’s record of $12.7 billion invested. Given the importance of speed in getting the economy to carbon-neutrality, this wave of young companies will play a fundamental role in advancing the country’s effort to address the climate crisis.
In honor of Earth Day, we’re recognizing and celebrating five leading VCs in climate and sustainability investing within the NVCA member community. We’re excited to hear from them, highlight their impact, and cheer their continued success!
Taryn Goodman Gallery, Partner, Sandbox Sustainability Ventures
As a Partner at Sandbox Sustainability Ventures, Taryn invests in entrepreneurs who are using technology to create transformative impact across the food and agriculture value chain. Previously, Taryn served as the Food and Agriculture Sector Lead for TPG’s Rise Fund where she led the group’s global food and agriculture investment strategy. With a total of 14 years of experience in the sector, Taryn is particularly excited about the intersection of climate and food/ag as it relates to the technological solutions that help scale carbon offset markets, that offer better input alternatives and improved decision making for farmers dealing with climate impacts, and that support supply chain climate risk mitigation and management.
Jake Harris, Partner, DBL Partners
At DBL Partners, Jake invests in a broad range of climate innovation from agriculture and food sustainability to carbon removal to wildfire mitigation. DBL assists portfolio companies in achieving a “double bottom line”: strong long-term financial success, as well as positive social, environmental, and economic impact in the local community. Venture capital, and firms like DBL, have played an absolutely critical role in some of the most important tools we have for fighting climate change: solar, battery storage, and of course, EVs.
Christina Karapataki, Partner, Breakthrough Energy Ventures
As an investor for Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Christina invests in companies addressing climate and sustainability challenges. She focuses on decarbonization solutions for the electricity, transportation and manufacturing sectors. Prior to her role with BEV, Christina served as a Venture Principal in the corporate venture capital group at Schlumberger Technology Corporation and was recognized as a 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 energy recipient.
Laurie Menoud, Partner, At One Ventures
Laurie’s passion for nature and science started as a kid when she realized how big human’s footprint was on the planet. This led her to study biotechnology and work on reducing the planetary footprint of the chemical industry. She’s played roles in the chemical industry (Solvay, BASF) and built a dozen ventures out of DoD research programs (SRI International). As Partner at One Ventures, she focuses on finding, funding, and growing teams helping humanity become a net positive to nature.
Ryan Panchadsaram, Advisor, Kleiner Perkins
At Kleiner Perkins, Ryan serves as technical advisor to John Doerr, where he invests in founders and technologies that aim to change the world. Ryan and John coauthored Speed & Scale and collaborated on the number one bestseller Measure What Matters. Prior to joining Kleiner Perkins in 2016, Ryan served as Deputy Chief Technology Officer under President Obama, and helped shape an $80 billion IT budget for federal agencies. In 2014, he was featured on the cover of Time Magazine as part of the crisis response team that rescued the rollout of Healthcare.gov.
