Climate Investment Bootcamp
A one-day intensive that equips investors with the skills to back climate technology and still expect a sound financial return.
Transition to net zero, with a sound financial return.
Venture capital plays a decisive role in getting new climate technologies and business models to market. But the past decade has seen a boom and bust in clean technology investing, and the space remains complicated by policy shifts and technology uncertainty.
This program gives an overview of current government policy, industry trends and the solutions the transition genuinely needs — plus the specific resources investors should know about, so that return expectations are grounded rather than hopeful.
Five things you leave with.
Policy fluency
Current global climate policies and mandates, and what they mean for where industry opportunity actually sits.
Clean-tech pitfalls
The specific challenges of investing in clean technology, and how to avoid the ones that have historically destroyed returns.
Sharper investment skills
Fundamentals applied to real deals, worked through in live discussion with industry experts.
What is really needed
Which solutions genuinely move the needle on climate challenges, separated from what merely markets well.
A co-investing network
Time alongside like-minded climate investors, many of whom go on to co-invest together afterwards.
One intensive day, five modules.
1 · Climate investing basics
Policy, trends and opportunity areas. Venture capital fundamentals. Due diligence specific to climate. Early-stage commercialization challenges and public–private partnerships.
2 · Legal and market structure
Legal basics for the asset class, plus a sub-vertical market overview.
3 · Public policy and markets
Public policy and government mandates, with a guest speaker on low-carbon innovation.
4 · Market deep dive
Corporate net-zero frameworks and what they mean for where corporate demand appears.
5 · Live case studies
Real due diligence on actual startups, ending in an investment recommendation write-up and presentation.
Who taught it.
Professor Ilya A. Strebulaev
The David S. Lobel Professor of Private Equity and Professor of Finance, Stanford Graduate School of Business. Founder and director of the Stanford GSB Venture Capital Initiative; an expert in corporate finance, venture and angel capital, and innovation financing.
Jing (Jane) Ge
Managing Partner, Vectors Capital. A climate-tech investor and policy researcher, affiliate researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, founder of Vectors Angel, previously with Goldwind Capital, Tsing Capital and UC Berkeley's CITRIS Foundry.
Yixing Xu
Research Director, Breakthrough Energy Sciences — the Bill Gates-founded organisation working to accelerate innovation in sustainable energy and emissions reduction.
Professor Xiaoling Zhang
Professor and Director of the University of Hong Kong's Sustainability X-Lab. A Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher and among Stanford's top 2% most-cited scientists in environmental engineering, with 300+ publications.
Built for allocators.
Family offices & foundations
Those wanting comprehensive knowledge and a network in climate investing before committing capital.
Corporates & businesses
Teams building a corporate venture or strategic investment capability in the transition.
Asset managers
Professionals adding climate technology to an existing mandate.
Individuals & angel investors
Investors going direct into early-stage climate companies.