We’re thrilled to announce the finalists for the upcoming Make It in Brooklyn: Climate Tech Pitch Contest! Get your tickets now!
On Tuesday, September 24, these five finalists will come together at Hana House to present their innovative ideas and solutions to a panel of climate technology experts. Innovators will go head-to-head, unveiling groundbreaking concepts that fuse technology with climate practices. Get ready to be dazzled by the ingenuity and creativity of Brooklyn’s climate tech community!
The finalists are:
CARBONPILOT
Chief Technology Officer: John Bogil
CarbonPilot is a pioneering software company revolutionizing corporate decarbonization through insetting. Their innovative verification platform enables businesses to reduce their carbon footprint by investing directly in sustainable practices within their own supply chains.
CARBONBRIDGE
Co-founder and Chief Sales Officer: Sophia Xu
CarbonBridge is a groundbreaking biotechnology company pioneering the conversion of waste greenhouse gases into sustainable fuel using advanced microbial technology. Their innovative approach centers on a proprietary bioreactor that enables economically viable gas fermentation, resulting in an unparalleled fuel production process that maximizes energy efficiency while minimizing carbon footprint and costs.
UNIFIED GROUND
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer: Jamil Ellis
Unified Ground is an innovative technology platform bridging the gap between environmental investments and local impact. Their mission is to empower community-based organizations and small businesses by connecting them with crucial environmental funding opportunities. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, Unified Ground creates a seamless ecosystem where environmental investors can easily find and support grassroots initiatives and local enterprises committed to sustainability.
PLANTAER
Co-founder: Manuel Benitez Ruiz
Plantaer is a revolutionary green technology company reimagining urban landscapes through innovative, plant-integrated building materials. It addresses the pressing challenges of extreme heat, air pollution, and sterile architecture in our cities by transforming traditional concrete into living, breathing ecosystems.
CYCLEAU
Founder and Chief Executive Officer: Noemi Florea
Cycleau is at the forefront of sustainable water management, offering an innovative solution to the global challenges of water scarcity and contamination. Their flagship product is a compact, highly efficient water treatment system designed to revolutionize how we use and reuse water in buildings.
The judges panel includes:
GREG HUMPHRIES
Across his career, Greg’s experience has focused on building new products, and commercializing new ideas. After launching a number of new business units at ZX Ventures, he joined NYU Stern to complete his MBA. There, Greg focused on transitioning to focus on climate tech and tough tech, and joined Vycarb in Summer 2023 as their head of Business Operations. His work now focuses on getting Vycarb’s carbon removal tech into the world – managing new deployments and operations for the company.
GRIFFIN REILLY
Griffin Reilly is the Department Manager of Area Substation Planning and Analytics at ConEdison. His team is responsible for the 20-year capacity expansion plan needed to ensure the electric grid is ready for New York’s growing electric needs. This includes increases to peak power demand due to transportation and building electrification, as well as incorporating the effects of distributed generation such as solar and large-scale batteries.
IBEN FALCONER
Iben is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at itselectric, a Brooklyn-based urban EV charging company. She is passionate about sustainable and equitable solutions for our cities and our planets. Iben has been a strategic consultant and advisor for architects, urban designers, and planners throughout her whole career, having worked at firms like BIG, SOM and Gehl, as well as institutions such as Columbia GSAPP, MoMA, and the Urban Land Institute.
Sonam velani
Sonam Velani has worked across the world and across the public and private sectors, connecting the dots between cities, climate, and capital. She is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Streetlife Ventures, a seed stage venture fund investing at the intersection of cities and climate. Previously, Sonam financed $10 billion of transportation, energy, and water infrastructure projects at Goldman Sachs, helped build coastal protection and water systems in Asia at the World Bank, launched drone mobility solutions in Africa at Zipline, and developed New York City’s $15 billion Green New Deal at the NYC Mayor’s Office. Sonam was recently featured in Business Insider as one of the world’s top 10 women leaders solving the climate crisis and is on the Crain’s Business 40 Under 40 List.
Tone Søndergaard
Tone spearheads the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub which aims to grow the US offshore wind industry by harnessing the entrepreneurial powers of global industry-leading startups. By building collaborative partnerships, she is on a mission to accelerate nascent technology and business development that will drive inclusive offshore wind supply chain advancements. Her role entails all aspects of strategic development, program oversight, and daily management of this initiative and physical space in Industry City. Tone comes with 10+ years of experience in innovation and development of transatlantic partnerships, sustainable business support programs, and climate change initiatives. As Founding Director of Circular City Week New York, her passion for community and ecosystem building runs deep. Tone holds a master’s degree in International Business and Politics from Copenhagen Business School, partly completed at Columbia University.
Our emcee is:
SABINA SETHI UNNI
Sabina Sethi Unni is a public theater artist, community organizer, and urban planner who tells funny stories about our changing climate in public spaces. She’s proudest of performing in open spaces in every corner of the city: Hunts Point Riverside Park, 34th Avenue Open Street, Queens Botanical Garden, Qahwah House, Washington Square Park, Newkirk Open Street, La Plaza Cultural, Lt. Frank McConnell Park, Rockaway Beach, Gowanus Dredgers Community Boathouse, PYO Chai, Edgemere Farm, Rockaway Community Park, 31st Avenue Open Street, PS Family NYC, & more.
