Life, Upgraded: Climate innovation that improves everyday life. Hosted by Xooglers in Climate.

Progress is felt in everyday life: more comfortable homes and hospitality spaces, better insights powered by AI, better-designed materials and products that simply work, for people and for the planet.

Life, Upgraded brings together founders and operators focused on execution. Leaders who have scaled breakthrough solutions through thoughtful product design, strong partnerships, and creative go-to-market strategies.

Sustainable design as foundation for a better life

Llisa Demetrios, Chief Curator, Eames Institute

What can climate founders learn from the legacy of Charles Eames?

A conversation on how enduring products are built: where craft, iteration, and systems thinking create solutions people genuinely want to live with and that are good for the planet.

From breakthrough material to brand adoption

Julia Marsh, Co-Founder & CEO, Sway

Gracie White, Director of Global Ocean Investments at Conservation International Ventures

Sway is redefining plastic alternatives with seaweed-based, high-performance materials already adopted by leading fashion brands. From lab to distribution network, Julia will unpack how Sway aligned science, storytelling, and strategic partnerships to move from innovation to industry integration.

Better climate by design: How building a great business became our climate strategy

Paul Lambert, Co-Founder & CEO, Quilt

Molly Wood, Technology Journalist & Climate Podcast Host

How design-forward heat pumps become a category-defining product. From residential installs to boutique hotel partnerships, Paul shares lessons in distribution strategy, brand positioning, and commercial expansion.

Heat people, not spaces: Rethinking hospitality for efficiency and comfort.

Raj Tilwa, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Focal

Elizabeth DePalmer, Managing Partner of Atomic Workshop Restaurant Group

Focal replaces gas patio heaters with energy-efficient, beautifully designed electric systems that warm people directly, not empty air. A conversation on delivering savings for hospitality leaders, better comfort for employees and guests, and lower emissions for the planet.

When sustainable materials earn consumer trust

Amir Afshar, Co-Founder, Shellworks

Joncarlos Guerra, CEO & Co-Founder, Phil’s

Shellworks is building plastic-free materials designed to disappear safely back into nature, without compromising performance or aesthetics. In conversation with a distribution partner, Amir will explore what it takes for new materials to win shelf space, secure retail trust, and integrate into existing supply chains.

New models, new money: How startups are funding and exiting today

Shaun Abrahamson, Managing Partner, Third Sphere.

Claire Veuthey, Managing Partner, Rizoma

Dane Patterson, Partner, Goodwin

The rules of climate investing are shifting. This conversation explores how founders can extend runway, rethink fundraising, and pursue creative paths to growth and exits beyond the traditional playbook of large venture rounds and IPOs.

Brand building: creating desire from day one

Natalia Kowaleczko, Founder, Pact StudioDanielle LaRoy, Co-Founder, Goodside Studio

A practical, founder-level playbook on how early-stage startups build trust and demand through brand, visual systems, and storytelling.

Closing reflections

Product showcase

Touch, test, and experience the solutions reshaping daily life . from the bedroom to the patio.

Featuring furniture from Eames Institute, seaweed packaging from Sway, electric heaters from Focal, regenerative bedding from Knotted Weaves, recycled textiles from Rhea's Factory, and plastic-free packaging from Shellworks, sustainable 3D-printed boards from Swellcycle.

About your hosts

Veronique Lafargue, Founder of Maison Lafargue and Marketing Advisor

Mark Grozen-Smith, Founder, CEO, Thresh Power

Xooglers in Climate is a community of former and current Googlers united by a shared mission: accelerating climate tech solutions. Part of the 35,000+ member global Xoogler network, the community brings together founders, investors, and operators who are building, scaling, and investing in the future of climate.

Huge thanks to SVB for hosting us for the second year!

Thanks to our sponsors

Goodwin Procter is in the business of building authentic, long-term relationships with our clients, who are some of the world’s most successful and innovative investors, entrepreneurs and disruptors in the life sciences, private equity, real estate, technology and financial industries, and where they converge. Our immersive understanding of these industries, combined with our expertise across high-stakes litigation and dispute resolution, world-class regulatory compliance and advisory services, and complex transactions, sets us apart.

Iteration One is a media project documenting the Silicon Valley innovation ecosystem in real time through founder interviews, startup features, and conversations with builders shaping the future. They're at Life, Upgraded to capture the stories and insights happening in the room, connecting with founders and innovators to tell compelling narratives about how things get built. If you have a story worth sharing, they'd love to connect at the event.

Pilot provides expert bookkeeping, tax, and CFO services tailored to startups and small businesses. Headquartered in San Francisco, Pilot combines U.S.-based finance experts with powerful software to deliver trustworthy financials.

Rizoma Advisors is a specialty investment bank for sustainability companies. We provide specialized M&A advisory services, enabling our clients to capture the strategic value of decarbonization. Our mission is to help scale the businesses that help humanity thrive by delivering results for the people who build and invest in them.