Join SFI’s monthly seminar on the third or fourth Thursday of the month. We’ll cover innovative policy and financial mechanisms designed to rapidly decarbonize the global economy.

Up next:

In this seminar on Thursday, February 29, SFI is delighted to host Chante Harris, Founder & Managing Partner, Eunoia Group.

See below for a preview of Chante’s talk.

2024 will continue to be an unprecedented year for investment in and big wins in the decarbonization of infrastructure. From the $12.5 billion acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners by BlackRock to General Atlantic's recent acquisition of Actis, this year is shaping up to be one of the biggest where we see investors double down on clean energy adoption through distributed and large capital projects across shipping ports, data centers, railroads, and others. This moment presents a unique opportunity for highly competitive risk-adjusted returns that integrate incumbent and promising emerging technology solutions at scale while bettering communities' resiliency, well-being, and overall health.

Much of the early discussion around climate was around the invention of breakthrough gigawatt-scale technologies that could lower emissions at a lower cost than today. Fast forward, and most of the focus today is on the pace at which technology and infrastructure come together to decarbonize our built environment. 

To tackle climate change, technologies must reach commercialization. To do so, our understanding of climate technology and the investment that accelerates its deployment must evolve. Join this discussion where we'll dive into how climate tech founders and their investors can close the gap by building ecosystem capacity and testing new capital structures that build on the core competencies of venture capital and project finance.

Recommended readings: 

• Skill sets for The Great Deployment: Zoning, permitting and project finance
• Expert voices: Chante Harris on clearing climate tech bottlenecks

Speaker bio:

Chante Harris is a champion of social and financial innovation. Throughout her career, she has successfully scaled nationwide campaigns, technologies, and ideas for the Obama Administration, Fortune 500 companies, and startups. Her writing and work have been featured by ImpactAlpha, Business Insider, The Milken Institute, and other notable publications.

As an operator, she secured and deployed millions of dollars for the implementation of climate projects and energy-efficient technologies. In 2020 she built a $10 million early stage climate tech venture studio in the U.S. focused on global companies deploying technologies across mobility, buildings, agriculture, waste, water, materials, and carbon. After her time as a climate tech strategist with Schmidt Futures, she founded a derisk-as-a-service studio and investment platform addressing the multibillion-dollar funding gap for deep tech climate technologies at the critical early infrastructure project stage.

Named by Forbes as a 30 Under 30 in the Energy Category,  Nasdaq as a Woman to Watch in 2022, ACEEE as a Champion for Energy Efficiency, GreenBiz as 30 Under 30 Leader, and Women Enews as a Pioneering Woman in Sustainability, Chante is at the helm of driving climate innovation and advancing the energy transition across the globe. Chante has traveled the world to speak at global events like COP, Aspen, GreenBiz, and TechStars.

In addition to her work leading in climate tech and investment, Chante launched and built the only global 5,000+ digital collective and global community that is 100% dedicated to advancing women of color working across the sustainability industry. 

Chante is on the advisory committee for the first-ever global Climate Center being built on Governor's Island in NYC and sits on the Board of Summit Impact.

All are welcome to attend. RSVP for Zoom access.