Capital Stack: Financing Climate Companies & Projects

Despite a challenging economic and political climate, capital continues to flow into climate tech and clean energy, but not uniformly. Availability varies significantly depending on where a technology sits on the maturity curve, from early-stage startups to well-established solutions like utility-scale renewables.

This event brings together investors and financiers who operate across that full spectrum, offering a ground-level view of where capital is moving, where it has pulled back, and why. Our panelists represent venture, tax equity, and project finance, giving attendees a multidimensional perspective on what it actually takes to finance climate solutions today. We also have an expert in climate solution insurance to address how risk coverage functions in practice for startups and well-deployed projects, a factor that is increasingly central to a climate solution’s bankability.

The goal is to leave attendees with a clearer, more nuanced understanding of the current financing landscape and the practical levers that determine whether a climate company or project can get funded.

Panelists:

Mark Gudiksen, Managing Partner at Piva Capital.Amy Zhao, Investor at Clean Energy Ventures.Emily Rose, Tax Equity Investing Principal at Advantage Capital.Bonnie Lind, VP Global Energy & Climate Tech at Brown & Brown.

Panelists' Bios:

Emily Rose-Principal at Advantage Capital, has spent her career investing in or advising on tax credit acquisition across all asset classes. A recovering lawyer, a former banker, and a quixotic home gardener, she was drawn to the impact-through-public/private-partnerships provided by tax equity, as well as the creative nature of transactions, generally. Emily has led teams of transaction closers and asset managers for more than 15 years, shepherding billions of dollars of tax liability into critically important developments, with investment sizes ranging from $3MM to $500MM+, across all US geographies including Hawaii and Alaska. She’s successfully advised clients who are investing specifically for yield as well as those who are seeking a triple bottom line.Recent career highlights include being awarded the 2024 RE100 Changemaker Award for structuring and closing a tax credit transfer plus REC transaction and, of course, appearing as a guest lecturer at Stanford’s Design School, providing tax credit finance background for Designing Sustainable Cities seminar.Mark Gudiksen-Managing Partner at Piva Capital, has over 20 years of experience at the intersection of technology, company building, and investing. Piva Capital invests in people, companies, and breakthrough technologies ushering in a new industrial era. Previously, Mark was at TPG Capital and McKinsey & Company. Mark received a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Harvard University and a B.S. in Chemistry from Stanford. His doctoral work in nanotechnology was recognized with several highly cited publications in leading scientific journals, such as Science and Nature. He is passionate about deploying technology and capital to drive real and sustainable impact in the world, and enjoys developing people, nurturing companies, and investing alongside great entrepreneurs. In his spare time, he loves being outdoors with his family, enjoying food and wine, and wrapping his head around a good puzzle.Amy Zhao-early-stage climate tech investor at Clean Energy Ventures (CEV), a fund that backs innovative founders and technologies that can achieve gigaton-scale level of abatement. She focuses not only on the equity investment into these category-defining companies but also their sophisticating capital stack to navigate the scale-up journey. Previously, Amy was a management consultant in the Strategy& Houston office, where she advised power and utilities sector clients across the U.S. She holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University.Bonnie Lind-VP at Brown & Brown. Bonnie brings more than 20 years of expertise in energy and finance to her role with Brown & Brown’s Global Energy and Climate Technology group. She focuses on structuring innovative insurance and risk solutions that enable energy development and the deployment of emerging technologies, including financing support for merchant energy storage. Her career spans leadership in finance, development, and asset management for energy and climate technology companies. Bonnie has spearheaded transformative projects such as New England’s first wind farm for grid resiliency, Hawaii’s first utility-scale battery integrated with wind, and California’s first front of the meter distributed energy virtual power plant. As Nevada’s Head of Economic Development for Energy & Sustainability, she advanced utility-scale projects and played a pivotal role in bringing Tesla’s battery gigafactory to the state. Bonnie also serves as Chair of the San Francisco Bay AreaChapter of Women of Renewable Industries and SustainableEnergy (WRISE).

This event is jointly organized by Stanford Professionals in Energy (SPIE) & Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

“By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of SF Climate Week.”