Urban Future Forum: Equity in Piloting Climate Solutions
Urban Future Forum, a new type of event by the Urban Future Lab, is designed to increase connectivity within the climatetech ecosystem, explore strategies for advancing equitable pilot projects, and accelerate the deployment of climate solutions.
Agenda
9:30am - Opening Remarks: Urban Future Lab and Wells Fargo Jeannette Williams (COO, Urban Future Lab) + Tim DiGiulio (Head of Sustainable Finance Advisory, Wells Fargo)
9:45am - Keynote Speaker: Abby Jo Sigal (Executive Director, NYC Mayor's Office of Talent and Workforce Development)
10am - Panel: Pilots and Community Engagement
11am - Mythbusting: Piloting and Deployment Edition
12pm - Networking Lunch
1:30pm - Panel: Climatetech, Community, and City as Customer
2:30pm - Climate is the New Economy: Building the Green Workforce
3:45pm - Closing Remarks: NYU Future Labs: Craig Wilson (Executive Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, NYU Tandon School of Engineering)
4pm - Networking and Speed Dating with Panelists
Featured Speakers
Adam Cohen (Co-Founder & CTO, NineDot Energy)
Annel Cabrera-Marus (Chief Program Officer, Green City Force)
Andrew MacCalla (CEO, Collective Energy Company)
Basil Alsubee (Program Manager and Climate Justice Advocate, Nos Quedamos)
Brett Branco (Director, Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay)
Carolyn Kissane (Associate Dean, NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs)
David Leezer (Engineering Manager - Retail AC and Innovations, Midea)
Eric Davis (Section Manager, Research & Development - Innovation Hub, Con Edison)
Jordan Bonomo (Senior Program Manager, Asset & Capital Management | Sustainability, NYCHA)
Michael DiRamio (Assistant Director, Energy & Climate Equity, NYSERDA)
Michael Yee (Director, EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL TRUST FUND OF THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY)
Neil Padukone (Executive Director, City of New York Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation Council)
Paul Rothman (Director, Smart Cities + IoT at the New York City Office of Technology & Innovation)
Shubert Jacobs (Executive Director, Bronx Charter School for Better Learning)
Sara B. Chandler (Director of Innovation, Equity & Access, Elemental Excelerator)
Tameka Vasquez (Founder & Advisor, The Future Quo ™)
Vince Romanin (CEO & Founder, Gradient)
Panels and fireside chats moderated by industry experts, will help answer:
1️⃣ How can innovators bake equity into their work and ensure that these efforts are not just add-ons but integral parts of internal goals?
2️⃣ What constitutes effective and transparent communication throughout the innovation and deployment phases?
3️⃣ What are the critical, yet often overlooked, industry challenges faced in piloting and deploying innovations? How can we address them?
4️⃣ What can we learn from previous projects and success stories?
5️⃣ How can relevant organizations effectively include the community to keep equity top of mind and ensure inclusivity?
6️⃣ What progress has been achieved in cultivating the green workforce and what remaining obstacles require attention?
Supported by the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN²), NREL, and NYU Tandon School of Engineering, this gathering promises insightful discussions and curated networking opportunities crucial for ensuring the climate solutions we need can be deployed successfully.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of this transformative dialogue with CBOs, startups, investors, and industry leaders!
Food and refreshments will be provided.
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About the Organizers
Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering
The Urban Future Lab at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering is a nonprofit innovation hub for best-in-class climatetech startups with a focus on clean energy and sustainable urban infrastructure solutions. It is home to ACRE, New York's longest-running climatetech incubator, Clean Start, an advanced certificate from NYU for people seeking a transition into the climatetech sector, the Carbon to Value Initiative and Offshore Wind Innovation Hub, which bring innovative technologies and solutions to industry leaders, and the Innovate UK Global Incubator Programme, which supports market entry in the U.S. for U.K.-based climatetech startups that can effectively scale and support the clean-growth goals of New York State. Through our five programs, we support innovators on their journey to scaling up and commercializing climate solutions. Since 2009, we've supported 170+ startups with an industry-leading 88% company survival rate and several impressive exits (Smarter Grid Solutions, Artemis, Go Electric, Keen Home, Honest Buildings). We have raised $2.5B+ in venture capital, project finance, and grants, created 4,100+ jobs, and facilitated 100+ events with 2,000+ attendees per year. We are proud to champion the brightest minds in climatetech innovation, providing them with the necessary support and resources to scale up their transformative solutions while leveraging New York's built environment and access to climate finance.
About the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN²)
The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN²) is a $50 million clean technology program funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and co-administered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. IN² advances clean technologies from ideation to commercialization—validating emerging startups in the built environment and infrastructure sectors, while facilitating connections with end users who receive practical implementation guidance in support of their sustainability goals. IN² is guided by a mission to foster innovation and increase market adoption of clean technologies to address urgent climate challenges.