And that’s a wrap on #NewYorkClimateWeek2025 🎬
At 'Powering through Uncertainty: an AI and Innovation Gold Mine,' founders, funders + operators came together for something different— trade lessons from the trenches, real-time coaching, and peer-to-peer insights.
3 BIG 💡 from the day:
1️⃣ Pressure makes diamonds—resilience isn’t optional, it’s earned
2️⃣ Scaling = breaking the cost vs. volume trap, not choosing between them
3️⃣ Real leadership = naming what’s over before you build what’s next
Highlights from the Day:
-Raj Kapoor + Van Jones dropped truth > talking points. From the Trump admin’s systematic teardown of U.S. competitive edge, to Dem messaging fails and the broken tech alliance, he laid out what it’ll take to rebuild trust and move forward.
-Josh Felser dropped a new financing model joined by Jason Berns + Matt Schmitt designed to unlock commercial scale deployment of sustainable and circular materials by solving the pre-scale price-parity gap. A "good for business, good for planet" scenario.
-Alexi Robichaux got honest on how scaling AI didn’t cut headcount, it exploded the need for new roles, deeper communication and a whole new service playbook + shared hard lessons on burnout, and business pivots.
-Veteran Coaches Adena Philips + Ray Foote lead a masterclass on founder EQ—how to name hard endings, lead through the messy middle, and stay aligned before co-founder cracks explode.
-Attendees then broke into Peer Circles and dropped the act, got real, and shared what’s actually going down, with rapid-fire feedback from their fellow builders who’ve been there.
Huge thanks to our powerhouse Peer Circle moderators (Jessica Alter, Thomas Ferguson, Julia Kumari Drapkin, Jackie Moe, Jay Kapoor, Paul Manias, Harris Chalat, Tony Haile, Katie Clasen, Mike Gray, Michael Beckerman, Jeff Prosserman, Jacob Mansfield, McGee Young, Jules Achard, Karan Chopra, Ben Parker), and to our wonderful sponsors; Scale LLP (Dori Karjian) + Finsweet (Jesse Nieman, Jay Wolff). Shoutout to our Partner, Filament, (Tony Haile, Nico Gendron, Michelle Sohn) for powering our digital twin to make sure insights + connections don’t vanish when the event ends, and of course betaworks for creating the space to make it all happen.
We were pushed to pop the climate bubble— speak to the real world, wield AI consciously, and remember the planet doesn’t care about politics or blockers. It demands BIGGER swings, and it demands them now. This work is hard. Like… REALLY HARD. But having each other’s backs = how we win.
#ClimateTech #AI #Leadership #Resilience #Enterprise #ClimateWeek