From Startup to Sustainability: Innovating For The Climate Emergency

Hear from Nicky Dee, Co-Founder of Carbon13, as we take a closer look at the climate startup ecosystem and how it’s changing the way we decarbonize.

Many sectors, especially hard-to-abate ones such as steel and cement, are failing to align with a 1.5-degree world and still require fundamental change to become viable in a low carbon economy. Recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, we often turn to innovation as a way to find creative solutions to decarbonization challenges. Many entrepreneurs and innovators are turning their attention to climate and environmental issues, but given the scale and urgency of the challenges, more are always needed.

Building on what we learnt about startups in the previous episode of this podcast, this discussion will dive into the world of venture builders which specialize in incubating climate startups, harnessing the creative power of entrepreneurs to tackle the climate emergency. We explore some key aspects of climate venture building, including:

• The process of creating a startup;
• How to build a team of the right people; and
• How these startups can help catalyse the transition to net-zero.

For more information on climate risk, visit GARP’s Global Sustainability and Climate Risk Resource Center. 

If you have any questions, thoughts, or feedback regarding this podcast series, we would love to hear from you at: climateriskpodcast@garp.com

Links from today’s discussion:

• Carbon13 – https://carbonthirteen.com/C
• Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership – https://www.cisl.cam.ac.uk/
• Entrepreneur First – https://www.joinef.com/
• Kita – carbon insurance– https://www.kita.earth/
• Kita CEO Natalia Dorfman on the Climate Risk Podcast - https://www.garp.org/podcast/powerful-risk-management-cr-050423
• Blue Methane – removing methane from water – https://www.bluemethane.com/
• Global Methane Pledge – https://www.globalmethanepledge.org/
• Naturebound – measuring and monitoring biodiversity - https://naturebound.ai/
• Preoptima – real-time carbon analysis for construction projects –  https://www.preoptima.com/
• Biozeroc – carbon neutral construction materials – https://www.biozeroc.com/

Speaker’s Bio

Nicky Dee, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation and Sustainability Officer at Carbon13

Nicky has over 20 years’ experience engaging with startups and a variety of stakeholders to promote sustainability. She co-founded Carbon13 to build and invest in companies to address the climate emergency. Over the last two years, this has included 46 pre-seed investments in cutting-edge net zero startups, including Kita, who’s CEO Natalia Dorfman featured in the previous episode of this podcast.

Nicky has pioneered a range of activities including innovation prizes, low carbon investments, corporate engagement mechanisms and startup ecosystems. She has a PhD from the University of Cambridge, and is a Senior Associate with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.