Boulder Climate Ventures Ignites Climate Tech Momentum with Fall Series

CU Boulder’s new BCV initiative kicked off a seven-week speaker series to spark climate innovation and entrepreneurship. The program connects the CU Boulder community with experts to explore opportunities in climate tech.

This week, Boulder Climate Ventures (BCV) kicked off its inaugural fall speaker series, “Business Opportunities in Climate Tech,” drawing a packed room of more than 100 attendees. Students from business, engineering, law, and arts and sciences joined faculty, staff and community members to explore the intersection of entrepreneurship and climate innovation.

Katherine Ratledge (pictured above), program manager for the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility (CESR), welcomed guests to the first of seven sessions. Boulder Climate Ventures (BCV) is part of Breakthrough Energy’s University Climate Ventures network, joining Stanford University, MIT, Technical University of Munich and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. CU Boulder is the first public university to be included in the network.

Ratledge explained that the interdisciplinary program, facilitated by CESR and the Deming Center, is designed to equip students with the tools and resources to develop and launch high-impact companies. “We are not talking about the future, we are talking about the here and now,” she said. “We don’t just need breakthrough tech—we need breakthrough companies.”

“We don’t just need breakthrough tech—we need breakthrough companies.”

Katherine Ratledge, program manager at CESR

BCV builds on CU Boulder’s reputation for cutting-edge research, its status as a top university for startups, and the region’s strengths—including national labs and a thriving tech ecosystem. The goal, Ratledge said, is to educate the community about opportunities and to “think broadly and boldly” about ways to make the world cleaner, more efficient and more resilient. The endgame? Commercialize new technologies in an industry projected to reach $1.8 trillion.

Graduate students will be invited to participate in a climate tech venture discovery class this spring, building on ideas generated during the series. Ratledge emphasized the importance of community: “We want people in the room to ask questions and never stop pushing—this is what we need to solve these problems.”

Sonya Gustafson, founder of startup Distill Energy and a new Leeds mentor, was energized by the event. Her new company aims to de-risk development in energy markets, and she looks forward to connecting with students who may become future employees.

Climate Tech 3.0: A Multitrillion-Dollar Opportunity

Trent Yang, BCV team member and entrepreneur in residence at Leeds, shared sobering statistics about climate change’s impact. “Because the global economy and all our infrastructure was built on an idea that our climate was stable, we are going to have to rebuild our global economy for a changing climate,” he said.

Solutions must go beyond emissions mitigation to include resilience, adaptation and global heat management. Yang cited deadly heatwaves in India and Pakistan as examples of the urgent need for innovation. “This is a multitrillion-dollar opportunity to change our world for the better,” he said. “This is what climate investing is all about.”

Yang outlined three phases of climate tech evolution:

• Climate Tech 1.0: Early investments, many of which failed due to long ramp-up times and funding challenges.
• Climate Tech 2.0: The 2010s saw global collaboration and commitments from large companies.
• Climate Tech 3.0: Today’s phase is marked by global investment, with China leading the way and the United States and European Union close behind.

“This is a multitrillion-dollar opportunity to change our world for the better. This is what climate investing is all about.”

Trent Yang, BCV team member and Leeds entrepreneur-in-residence

To transition to a net-zero world, Yang said, we must triple our investments. That means deploying massive capital for new solutions and infrastructure. BCV aims to address this urgency with scalable, pragmatic solutions. Key success factors include a regional focus vs. global collaboration, market-driven strategies in the United States, a laser focus on product-market fit, and economically competitive solutions, he said.

Local leadership

Susie Strife, CU Boulder MENV instructor and director of sustainability, climate action and resilience for Boulder County, highlighted the power of local climate leadership. “There are 3,000 cities across the U.S. banding together to respond to the climate crisis,” she said.

Strife described how local governments respond to climate-related disasters, drive policy and power communities more efficiently. In Boulder, strategies include climate action services and seed funding for innovation. She cited the Buy Clean Colorado Act, biochar projects, and Boulder Mushroom’s wildfire mitigation efforts as examples.

Despite the challenges, Strife remains optimistic. “I can’t help but think there’s no better time to be in climate—it’s a field full of possibilities,” she said.

“I can’t help but think there’s no better time to be in climate—it’s a field full of possibilities."

Susie Strife, Boulder County director of sustainability

Entrepreneurial wisdom

The session concluded with Yang moderating a panel featuring (pictured from left to right) Doug Campbell, founder of Solid Power; Mike McGehee, professor of chemical engineering at CU Boulder and founder of Tynt Technologies; Tasso von Windheim, a climate tech investor; and Bryn Rees of CU Boulder Innovation and Partnerships.

“Entrepreneurship is part science and part art—you can’t just learn it in the classroom,” said Yang. “We will bring real, successful practitioners in to help you create a successful venture going forward.”

McGehee, whose students have launched 19 businesses, emphasized mentorship. “You want to pick investors that do far more than give you money,” he said.

Von Windheim stressed the importance of a strong tech team and early founders’ agreements, while Rees encouraged students to leverage CU Boulder’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and the wealth of resources in the region.

Panelists agreed on key ingredients for success: the ability to pivot, understanding your minimum viable product, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and building the right team.

“Look to your left, look to your right—that’s called your network,” said Campbell. “That’s the most valuable thing in your career.” Reflecting on his own entrepreneurial journey, he added, “At the end of the day, it was a leap of faith. That’s what being an entrepreneur is.”