AI + Sustainability: The women reprogramming our future
Join Oasis Collective and Cooley for an inspiring SF Climate Week panel spotlighting women at the forefront of AI and sustainability. Hosted at Cooley’s San Francisco offices, this evening will bring together leading technologists, founders, and changemakers with deep knowledge on AI and how to build a more sustainable, equitable future.
Through dynamic conversation and community connection, we’ll explore how women are driving innovation across climate tech & finance, ethical AI, and green policy—reprogramming our systems, our industries, and our possibilities.
Panelists:
Esha Reddy: Esha is a Design Researcher and Experience Designer at IDEO’s Play Lab, where she brings together play, belonging, and systems thinking to tackle complex challenges. Her work spans collaborating with climate startup founders, leading IDEO’s Climate Resiliency Open Innovation Challenge, and applying design research to ensure AI solutions are rooted in human needs. She’s especially energized by how playful, community-driven design can help us navigate and shape collective futures.
Monette Stephens: Monette enjoys working on global complex transactions and partnerships with a focus on increasing corporate value and monetization. Her technical and sector expertise spans Network Infrastructure, Web3, Blockchain, Fintech, Security, AI/ML, Media, and VR/AR. In addition to having BS/MS degrees in Computer Science and ECE, she co-founded and ran a FINRA-registered Broker-Dealer (qualified for Series 7, 24, and 63) focused on M&A and Private Placement. Monette is a regular speaker, moderator, and educator. Monette taught Computer Science at UC Santa Barbara, the US Navy, Microsoft Reactor, and online teaching platforms. She has been an Expert Witness and Analyst for Antitrust, Copyright, and Trade Secret litigation. She excels at getting transactions completed, developing actionable strategies to solve complex technical and business solutions, and bridging areas of tech, corporate development, and market growth.
Cynthia Wu: Cynthia is the CEO and founder of Taro AI, a platform helping arborists map and monitor trees and infrastructure. With Taro AI, cities can monitor urban forests and canopy, keep inventories automatically updated, and receive alerts about work needed, all for a fraction of the time and cost. Taro AI has been highlighted as a Top Innovator by the World Economic Forum and a winner of the Yes SF first cohort of startups. Cynthia started Taro AI after a long career at Google, where she helped launch the world's first Cool Roofs tool and worked on the energy grid.
Natalia Vasquez: Natalia's work focuses on climate action in response to possible futures with Fortune500s, investors and accelerators, and major NGOs. After stints with the Department of Energy and The Nature Conservancy, Project Drawdown, she spent the last six years co-building the climate practice at innovation firm IDEO. Currently, she is at design technology leader Autodesk, focused on strategic foresight to research and anticipate possible climate futures. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, and FastCompany's World Changing Ideas Award.
Marcella Muse: Marcella is a Program Associate at the Climate Policy Initiative, where she supports the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance—an incubator for pioneering climate finance solutions in emerging markets. She is also a Director at ClimateRaise, a platform connecting underrepresented climate tech founders with investors. Her background spans climate tech startups, climate finance, and ecosystem-building—including the launch of Work on Climate Wednesdays and SF Climate Week. She holds a BA in International Relations from the University of British Columbia and a CFA Certificate in ESG Investing.
Expect:
• A curated panel of powerhouse women leaders from IDEO, CPI, Climatize, and more!
• Thought-provoking dialogue on the intersection of AI and climate solutions
• Opportunities to connect with fellow technologists, founders, and investors
• Drinks, bites, and good energy
This event is open to all allies and advocates of ethical innovation, climate resilience, and gender equity in tech.
Space is limited—RSVP now to be part of the future we’re reprogramming together.
By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of SF Climate Week.