SOPHIA WENNSTEDT

CO- FOUNDER AND CEO, BLIP ENERGY

Sophia is passionate about climate justice and energy equity. Drawing on her background working as a Mechanical Engineer on Roomba, she pivoted into the energy space with work at Exelon and at Tesla as a Product Manager for the home energy order portal. Sophia has been recognized by Forbes 30 under 30 Energy, Harvard Climate Circle, and has shared her perspective and experience on panels for ReutersNEXT, Chicago Venture Summit and SXSW.

WENDY MULLIN

CO-FOUNDER, CHRGSYSTEM

Wendy Mullin is a clothing designer behind the brand Built by Wendy established in 1991. She has sold her line through her flagship stores in LA, NY, Brooklyn, and SF. She has written 4 sewing books through Random House and was the creative director for Wrangler Jeans. She is also a costume designer in the Costume Designers Guild IATSE 892. With over 30 years operating and founding a business, she is taking her interest in sustainability to the next level. CHRGsystem is a LACI innovator’s portfolio company.

ROMY FAIN

CEO, HEAT INVERSE

Dr. Fain has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science specializing in mid-infrared photonics from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY where Heat Inverse is now based. She also has a BS in Mechanical Engineering specializing in micro devices for clean energy from UC Berkeley, and 10+ years as a prototyping and manufacturing entrepreneur in the San Francisco Bay Area. She enjoys playing with her two Boston Terriers, hiking the trails around Upstate NY (and elsewhere), playing music with her mother, metalworking/gadgetmaking, and mentoring (or simply meeting) women in underrepresented fields like STEM and business leadership.

ANCA TIMOFTE

CEO & CO-FOUNDER, HOLOCENE CLIMATE CORPORATION

Anca Timofte is the CEO & CO-FOUNDER of Holocene. She has a background in chemical engineering and has worked on carbon capture technology for more than ten years, including as a process engineer to design, model, and commission some of the world’s first direct air capture plants. At Holocene, Anca and her team employ organic chemistry to develop an efficient, regenerative CO2 removal system. Anca is originally from Romania. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering from Washington University. She earned a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from ETH Zurich and completed her research thesis at Stanford University. She completed a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University focused on climate technology deployment and climate finance with an emphasis on carbon dioxide removal.

JACQUELINE AMABLE

CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, MATEREAL, INC.

Jacqueline Ros Amable is the CEO & cofounder of Matereal. Before joining Matereal, she was the founder and Managing Director at Venture For ClimateTech, Regional Director of the Americas for Techstars, and CEO and founder of Revolar, a wearable technology company at the intersection of safety and fashion. It was through Revolar that she became one of the first Latinas to raise millions from institutional investors but she is most proud of the team she built and high quality products they shipped. These experiences shaped her work at Matereal, which is using breakthrough chemistry and AI to revolutionize the plastics industry.

RENATA MOSHKOVICH

FOUNDER, MIRAMI

Renata Moshkovich, a seasoned professional with 15 years of expertise in digital marketing, business analysis, product, and brand management. Passionate about leveraging technology to drive positive social and environmental impact. Dedicated to empowering individuals to make sustainable choices and fostering corporate accountability.

ARZU SANDIKCI

CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, RHEA’S FACTORY

Arzu is a distinguished molecular biologist and CEO of Rhea’s Factory with over 15 years of experience in the biotech industry and a Postdoc from MIT. Specializing in enzyme and genetic engineering, her work has improved several proteases, polymerases, and metabolic enzymes. With a robust foundation in both academic and industrial settings, Arzu has extensively contributed to synthetic biology. Previously, as a key player in a climate-tech startup, she was the founding team’s first employee and head of bioengineering, leading the development of a technology roadmap and establishing the company’s technical backbone with a vision for a sustainable future.

LIZZY KOLAR

CO-FOUNDER, CEO, SCOPE ZERO

Lizzy Kolar is Co-founder and CEO of Scope Zero. Lizzy holds a master’s degree in sustainable design engineering from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University. Lizzy developed her expertise in residential utility consumption as an engineer at Ameresco, where she designed cost-effective energy and water efficiency upgrades for military base housing across the United States. Lizzy is leading Scope Zero’s mission to reduce personal utility bills and fuel expenses by $300B per year, removing the carbon emissions equivalent of 125M cars from the road.

SARA ALAO

CEO, CO-FOUNDER, STARS EDGE LTD

Sara Alao is the CEO and Co-Founder of Stars Edge Ltd. She holds a BEng in Aerospace Engineering, MSc in Astronautics and Space Engineering, and is a PhD Candidate in Aerospace. Sara is an active member of the International Aviation Women’s Association. She also interned at ESA Clean Space Office for Space Sustainability. Sara enjoys being a speaker in Industry and Conferences as well as at student outreach events in the topic of Space Sustainability. She has hosted a virtual academia and industry conference for Space Sustainability.

EMILY DININO

FOUNDER AND CEO, THERMOSHADE

Emily Dinino is the Founder & CEO of ThermoShade, a Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator portfolio company tackling the problem of extreme heat with innovative outdoor cooling panels. Emily has extensive experience in finance and entrepreneurship across investment banking, venture capital, and nonprofit finance. She has been an investor in mission-driven technology and consumer companies from Pre-Seed to Series C and is intimately familiar with the challenges early-stage companies face. Emily holds a BA from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.