Programs +
24 months ago, a group of committed folks embarked upon the mission of creating a world-class community of climate tech entrepreneurs rooted in New Haven, CT. That community–aptly titled ClimateHaven–aimed to attract talented folks from around the city, state, and region.
After joining this group 18 months ago, I’m pleased to report ClimateHaven is thriving. Equally exciting, we’ve built an incredibly strong foundation for ClimateHaven’s future. We now have a remarkable team, a dynamic community of 25 startups (!), a robust network of partners, and a welcoming home in downtown New Haven.
With this foundation constructed, we can continue to build upon it–by improving and expanding the programming, resources, and network that our entrepreneurial community needs to scale their climate tech ventures.
The presence of a strong foundation also offers an opportunity for transition. I joined ClimateHaven as a board member and founding CEO because I saw the enormous potential of the climate tech community in New Haven. With that potential unleashed and the ClimateHaven community now a wonderful, dynamic force, I take this moment to step back from my role as founding CEO and open the door for new leadership to build on our strong foundation.
As many of you know, I have been commuting from my home near Boston during my time at ClimateHaven. Recently, I received an offer to become the U.S. CEO of an international climate investment firm that is establishing its U.S. headquarters in Boston. It is a wonderful professional opportunity which comes with a valuable benefit: it will enable me to spend more time with my amazing family. As much as I love my role at ClimateHaven, this was an opportunity I simply could not turn down.
Luckily for me, I get to remain an active part of this community. I will remain on the ClimateHaven board of directors, continue to write the Startup Playbook, lead the /Climb workshops, and enthusiastically advise the ClimateHaven startup community.
Our board of directors has begun the search for our next CEO, and I encourage you to share the job description with stellar potential candidates. In the meantime, Casey Pickett, Managing Director-Incubation, and Haley Lieberman, Director of Community & Marketing, will serve as interim co-leads for ClimateHaven. Casey and Haley will continue to work together with our thoughtful and dedicated staff in supporting our community of climate tech entrepreneurs. ClimateHaven is in excellent hands with this team.
I won’t have the pleasure of holding the CEO title any longer, but I will take great joy in continuing to work with all of you, invest alongside you, and together support the great work the ClimateHaven community is doing for the love of the planet.
And remember–this is by no means a goodbye, just a see you later!
If you’ve gotten to know Ryan over the past year and a half, then I’m sure you share my sadness that he is stepping down as CEO. Ryan has delivered what we had hoped for in a founding CEO, and more. His passion for tackling the climate crisis and supporting the entrepreneurs who are making that challenge their life’s work is contagious and inspiring. The leadership he provided building ClimateHaven from an idea to a thriving startup incubator was essential and sets us up for continued growth and impact.
When we hired Ryan knowing he was not going to move to New Haven we knew that it would be difficult for him and his family and his time with us was likely to be limited, but we believed he was the right leader to take us from 0 to 1. He delivered, and we are very grateful. We are also thrilled that he will continue to stay actively engaged in ClimateHaven, working with the entrepreneurs who he believes in so strongly.
The Board has already kicked off the search process for our next CEO and encourages outstanding potential candidates to apply.
We know that in this interim period ClimateHaven will not miss a beat thanks to the leadership of our fantastic staff, led by Casey Pickett and Haley Lieberman, who will lead the organization together until we welcome a new CEO.
On behalf of the entire board of directors we want to congratulate Ryan on his next big professional challenge and offer our deepest thanks for the essential contributions he made to the first chapter of ClimateHaven’s history. We are more excited than ever about the future.
Josh Geballe
Chairperson, ClimateHaven Board of Directors
Well, this certainly makes Green Drinks all the more special. Join us this Thursday from 5:00pm–7:30pm and we will celebrate the transition together. We’ll say our proper goodbyes, see you laters, wish a certain ClimateHaven team member (spoiler alert–Casey Pickett!) a happy birthday, and share more about what lies ahead. Plus, there will be plenty of beer, wine, and time for networking with old friends and new ones–all thanks to Brown Rudnick, our sponsor for the event.
Prior to Green Drinks, our friends at FORGE are running a Rocket Pitch starting at 3:30pm. Hardware-focused startups will pitch to a panel of manufacturing experts and get real-time feedback on how to best improve their product. Folks who are coming for Green Drinks are welcome to attend.
A transition within an organization is a GREAT time to support it! Lucky for us, we’re participating in the Great Give this week, and you have a chance to participate too! Created by The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven in 2010, the Great Give is a 36-hour online fundraising event which unites donors with nonprofits serving Greater New Haven in a fun and engaging way.
The 2024 Great Give starts tomorrow, May 1, and culminates on Thursday evening, May 2, during Green Drinks (yes, we will remind you at Green Drinks). By donating to ClimateHaven during the Great Give, you will provide meaningful support to the organization during our transition, help us unlock matching funds, and give us the chance win some great prizes.
Do it for ClimateHaven, for our startups, and for the planet! How can you say no to that?
Fighting climate changes means decarbonizing our planet. But founders cannot get caught in the trap of relying solely on the decarbonizing attributes of their technology as the basis for their business. Certainly, a decarbonizing technology is necessary for a climate tech business. But we can’t let that necessity cloud a simple fact:
Decarbonization alone is not sufficient when building an enduring business.
Why? Greenhouse gases are an externality that is not priced, which means you must find a way, independent of your technology’s decarbonization prowess, to find and incorporate the most valuable attribute of any business: revenue. Honestly derived, consistently recurring, and meaningfully growing revenue.
Read more in this week’s Startup Playbook.
We opened up our startup application membership portal less than a year ago. We knew there were some great climate tech founders in New Haven, but you never know exactly what’s going to happen when you try something new.
Less than a year later, I can’t believe we are welcoming our 25th climate tech startup to ClimateHaven. It is a testament to the brilliance that exists in this region and the commitment talented people are making to solving our planet’s problems.
This edition of the ClimateHaven dispatch has featured ClimateHaven the organization (my fault!). But ClimateHaven the community is about the startups, their technologies, and their incredible growth potential. Next newsletter, the focus will be rightfully back on them. It is incumbent upon all of us to support these entrepreneurs, enable their growth, and harness the power of community to make entrepreneurship just a little less hard.
If we can do that, then a regenerative economy and a healthy planet awaits!
Until next time,
Ryan
P.S. Follow ClimateHaven on LinkedIn, X, and Instagram to keep up on our progress between newsletters.
