Innovation in Action

Climate Solutions Encourage Optimism at the 2025 Yale Innovation Summit
Josie Jayworth (Ph.D. in Chemistry '24)

The 2025 Yale Innovation Summit, hosted by Yale Ventures on May 28–29 in New Haven, brought together more than 2,000 innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, and students to explore the frontiers of science, technology, and entrepreneurship. Among the Summit’s thematic tracks, including Tech, Biotech, Health, Arts, and Civic, the Climate track featured a dynamic showcase of cutting-edge startups, breakthrough technologies, and dynamic leaders dedicated to addressing the defining challenge of our time.

A Call to Action: One Future, Zero Excuses

The Climate Catalyst keynote session opened with a unifying message: One Future, Zero Excuses. This session featured rapid-fire talks from four influential leaders in climate innovation, each representing a unique angle on advancing planetary solutions. The session underscored the urgency of scaling up climate technologies while leveraging the interdisciplinary strengths of the Yale community. 

We heard first from Julie Zimmerman, Vice Provost of Planetary Solutions, who set the scene by uncovering the absurdities of the way our world currently functions and how systems thinking and innovation across many sectors can create a world that makes sense for all of us. Following Dr. Zimmerman, Scott Warton, CEO of TandemPV, walked us through the seven myths of solar and powerfully demonstrated to the audience that battery storage paired with solar energy is the key energy resource for our present and future. Katie Rae, CEO and Managing Partner at Engine Ventures, then took us on a thrilling journey across the valley of death that many climate tech companies have to brave as they bring their technologies out of the lab and into the market. Seth Goldman, co-founder of JUST ICE TEA, wrapped up the session with an important, and less often told, story about the human side of supply chains and what it means to build a company focused on a great product while also incorporating sustainability into every part of the business model. 

Climate Innovation on Stage: Panel Highlights

Over the two days of the Summit, the climate track featured a series of solutions-oriented panels. Each workshop was filled with examples of people thinking outside the box on ways to change systems through building new companies, investing in creative ways, and considering how the physical infrastructure of our cities all play a part.

  • Live Podcast: Future in Bloom – A dynamic conversation hosted by Steph Speirs featuring Sophie Purdom (Planeteer Capital and CTVC by Sightline Climate) explored data and trends in climate tech investing, both from the perspectives of the founders and the funds.
  • Reverse Pitch: Climate Edition – A role-reversal event where corporate entities and climate-focused VCs presented the key differentiators of their funds, and how they are working to solve problems seen in the ecosystem. We heard from Leslie Harwell of Alante Capital, Noah Walker of Wollemi Capital, and Amanda Lounsbury of Xylem.
  • Molecules to Market: Chemistry’s Role in Climate Tech – Innovators from Connecticut’s green chemistry industry showcased sustainable material technologies that deliver strong business and environmental outcomes. This panel was moderated by Konstantine Drakonakis from Connecticut Innovations and featured Staff Sheehan (Stealth company), Andreas Backhaus (Prospect Growth), Michelle Carvin (CarbonBuilt), and Oihana Elizalde (P2 Science).
  • Building the Future: Leveraging Infrastructure for Innovation – Key voices from Brooklyn Navy Yard (Lindsay Greene), Port of Portland (Vince Granato), and J.P. Morgan (Matthew LeBlanc) discussed how important partnerships, community engagement, and workforce development all are key to achieving their infrastructure project goals.
  • First-of-a-Kind Financing – Enhanced Geothermal – A deep dive into how Fervo Energy and its investment partners are navigating financing for geothermal systems as a transformative climate solution. This conversation between David Ulrey (Fervo) and James Blake (Breakthrough Energy Catalyst) was thoughtfully moderated by Elle Brunsdale.
  • Cross-Track Collaboration: Water Innovation – Following the announcement of ClimateHaven’s new Water Innovation Hub, Aish Kuruttukulam (ClimateHaven) moderated a panel on how water infrastructure intersects with climate resilience and public health imperatives. Expertise was brought to this conversation by a range of voices, including Peter Yolles (Echo River Capital), Nicole Deziel (Yale School of Public Health), Mark Ralph (Axine Water Technology), and Anthony Nicome (AAMC).

Together, these sessions offered a comprehensive look at climate innovation—from finance and materials to infrastructure and systems thinking—informed by real-life case studies and investor perspectives.

Recognizing Climate Innovation: 2025 Pitch Contest Winners

Innovation Summit Climate Track

The Climate Track began with the Climate Pitch Contest, where early-stage ventures had the opportunity to present their solutions to a panel of judges and a live audience. 

The competition highlighted the creativity and commitment of emerging climate entrepreneurs in the Yale and Connecticut ecosystem.

  • First Place & Audience Choice: Oxylus Energy (Perry Bakas) – A novel low-temperature, low-pressure electrolysis process for converting captured CO₂ into green methanol.
  • Second Place: Verustruct (Nick Caligeri) – A structural engineering solution aimed at increasing climate resilience in the built environment. The team was also awarded the Climate Haven Golden Ticket, providing one year of free rent as a member, including strategic support and incubation opportunities.
  • Third Place: Talam Biotech (John Chrosniak) – A biotechnology company leveraging microbial platforms to address environmental challenges.

In addition, VIRV (Nick Holland) was recognized in the e-poster competition with a “Best Climate” designation, and Avisk (Professor Todd Cort) was awarded the 2nd place overall prize from the Virtual Showcase, further highlighting the breadth of innovation on display. 

Looking Ahead

With the 2025 Yale Innovation Summit now concluded, the momentum around climate entrepreneurship at Yale is stronger than ever. Video recordings of select sessions will be made available by the end of the month, and photos from the event can be seen here. 

As climate tech continues to evolve, the Yale community remains a powerful catalyst for action—nurturing the ideas, people, and partnerships needed to build a more sustainable future.