March 27th, 2024
Planet First Action:
Bridging The Investment Gap To Sustainable Valuation
March 27th, 2024
Planet First Action (PFA): Bridging the Gap to Sustainable Valuation
Industry and government have made significant strides over recent years in addressing climate action. In the U.S. the combination of the Inflation Reduction Act, The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and The CHIPS and Science Act allocated billions through incentives, tax credits and funding opportunities to spur continued research, development and deployment across the energy transition and the decarbonization of industries and communities. New technological breakthroughs across sectors seem to be announced every week.
Against that backdrop, the inaugural event of Planet First Action brought together thought leaders from across industries to speak to their first-hand experience of the financial materiality of sustainability and an orientation towards climate. They shared not only deep insights on the nature of valuations and the role ‘sustainability’ plays in valuations and in capitalization, but also how those direct, individual experiences tie back to inform a better understanding of the risks and opportunities that exist as a result of macroeconomic and socio-political trends.
Hosted by Gordon & Frost & Bernstein Private Wealth Management, the audience of Founders, CEOs, investors, policy-makers, and community leaders learned from a distinguished group of panelists, representing the preeminent organizations in their respective fields, all while building meaningful connections amidst exhibits provided by four pioneering climate tech companies.
Scroll below to learn more & engage!
About The Hosts
Featured & Partner Organizations
The Panelists & Exhibitors
The Conversation Continues!
About The Hosts
Bernstein Private Wealth Management offers wide-ranging solutions to businesses, investors, family offices, foundations and more, powered by independent research of unmatched breadth and scale which in turn is harnessed by best-in-class financial advisors to create personalized and flexible solutions.
When it comes to insights into the risks and opportunities of a changing landscape, and the capacity and tools to capitalize on them, there are few, if any, in the space that can meet the moment as well as the financial advisors at Bernstein Private Wealth Management. Learn more here.
Gordon & Frost is redefining what it means to be an agency partner in order to truly meet and exceed the needs of our clients in today’s rapidly changing world.
Founded by award-winning industry experts Ryan Gordon & Jacob Frost, the Gordon & Frost team is composed of successful founders, policy experts, strategists, experts in international markets, researchers, financiers and communications professionals, and is purpose-built to meet this generational moment, supporting those organizations at the forefront of the the energy transition, the decarbonization of our society, environmental justice, and job creation, building the new economy.
Operating internationally across +40 countries, G&F serves clients across commercialization and sustainability: commercializing impact business and climate tech companies across industries and growth stages, and supporting established companies to pivot towards sustainability and incorporate ESG principles and practices into their operations and business model. Learn more here.
Featured & Partner Organizations
Erin Bigley
Chief Responsibility Officer of AllianceBernstein
Erin Bigley is AB's Chief Responsibility Officer and a member of the firm's Operating Committee. In this role, she oversees AB's corporate responsibility practices and responsible investing strategy, including integrating environmental, social and governance considerations throughout the firm's research, engagement and investment processes. Bigley joined the firm in 1997 and previously served as a portfolio manager and trader for the global and Canadian bond strategies. She spent two years based in London as the global head of Fixed Income business development for institutional clients. Bigley served as a Fixed Income senior investment strategist for over a decade, and as head of the strategist team from 2018 to 2021. Most recently, she held the role of head of Fixed Income responsible investing, where she oversaw the Fixed Income team's responsible investing strategy. Bigley holds a BS in civil engineering from Villanova University and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management. She is a CFA charterholder.
Learn more about Erin and AllianceBernstein here.
Tony Curnes
Founding Partner of Purpose Venture Group
Tony Curnes is one of the Founding Partners of Purpose Venture Group, a strategy consulting firm working at the intersection of climate, finance and policy, with a focus on growth and go-to-market strategy, strategic finance and organizational transformation.
Some of PVG’s past and current clients include high-growth startups such as Mill, Rondo Energy, and PosiGen as well as incumbents such as Airbnb, Arcadia, and Mosaic.
Tony and the team at PVG have also incubated and launched two national non-profits: Rewiring America and the Power Forward Communities coalition, and are true leaders at the forefront of the industry, making ‘impact investible’.
Learn more about Tony and PVG’s strategic services here.
Clare Doyle Dowd
Head of Policy at BlocPower
Clare oversees the company's policy, funding, and government affairs practice. She champions enterprise partnerships, enhancing BlocPower's strategic alliances including partnerships with the MIT Sustainability Lab and DOE National Labs.
With a robust background in community investment, affordable housing, clean energy, and decarbonization, Clare has facilitated the creation of 1,200 affordable homes and led multiple transactions valued at $120M to convert vacant historic properties to market-rate housing in Cleveland. An alumna of Mount Holyoke and Harvard's Kennedy School, she earned distinction as a Public Service Fellow.
Learn more about Clare and BlocPower’s award-winning work here.
Jackie Logan
CEO, CIO and Co-Founder of Raise Green
Jackie Logan is the CEO, CIO and Co-Founder of Raise Green, the investment platform democratizing access to investment in climate tech companies and energy transition opportunities. Awarded Impact Investment Platform of the Year - 2022 by Environmental Finance, and a Techstars Future of Finance portfolio company, Raise Green continues to grow with incredible success, with a record-breaking month this past January, and just being named a top ten platform in both average check size and average successful raise size in 2023. Jackie brings over 25 years of experience in the capital markets and in private wealth management, with tenures at both Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, as well as experience on the leading edge of fintech.
Learn more about Raise Green and climate tech investment opportunities here.
Andrew Staniforth
CEO of Assembly OSM
Assembly OSM, an incredible climate tech company pioneering modular, climate-positive skyscrapers to achieve their mission of a future where the growing need for housing can be met in a scalable and sustainable way. They do this by harnessing the manufacturing techniques of the aerospace and auto industries. The innovation behind their process and their technology truly is unparalleled - cutting down time by 40% already, and with the ability to be climate positive in just a few short years.
Andrew has developed over 1M square ft. in Manhattan, and previously designed plans for the first city built from the ‘internet up’ at Google’s Sidewalk labs.
Andrew and Assembly OSM have already raised over $62M in funding (with approval of additional pre-development financing from NYCEEC), stacked their first building in Brooklyn, and commenced their second project (both in NYC), and are leaders in transforming and decarbonizing the built environment.
Learn more about Assembly OSM’s innovative approach here.
Pioneering Climate Tech Companies On Exhibit
CLIP
The genius of CLIP is in its beautiful, powerful simplicity - helping you to electrify your ride. Having closed their seed round and locked in strategic investors securing their supply chain, founders Clément de Alcala and Som Ray are incredibly well-positioned to achieve their mission of democratizing access to e-bike technology. On exhibit is the ‘CLIP’, the product named to the Times List of 100 Best Inventions of 2022 and received the Rider’s choice award in 2024. CLIP easily connects to convert any standard bike into an e-bike. And what’s more, with half of all urban trips being 3 miles or less, by switching to CLIP urban commuters can remove over 5% of global CO2 emissions each year. Learn more here.
Kelvin
Kelvin brings new tech to old buildings - their smart radiator covers, heat pumps, and thermal batteries save money, reduce carbon emissions, and enable pinpoint temperature control for apartments in legacy buildings, without disruptive renovation. On exhibit is the Cozy, the smart radiator cover that increases profitability for building owners, simplifies control for tenants, improves safety, and enables compliance with local sustainability laws. Having sold over 30,000 to date, it’s no surprise that CEO Marshall Cox and Kelvin are growing rapidly, including a recent partnership announcement of up to $100M committed to deployment of their products in legacy multi-family buildings and campus properties. Learn more here.
Assembly OSM
Assembly OSM stacked their first high rise in one day in Brooklyn NY, and has just received pre-development financing for their second construction in East Harlem from NYCEEC. Tackling one of the toughest regulatory environments in the world, AOSM is off to the races in building climate-positive buildings for a sustainable future. On exhibit is a scale model of a module from one of AOSM’s all-electric buildings, which are 55-70% more energy efficient and have 35% less embodied carbon. The module also highlights AOSM’s unique, industry leading technology which offers a turnkey solution to highrise development, cutting timelines by up to 40% which translates to significant cost-savings for developers. Learn more here.
Voltpost
Voltpost is tackling EV charging infrastructure head-on, bringing an elegant solution to a problem facing a variety of challenges - from permitting requirements, to space, availability, to cost, time and more, by converting lamp-posts into EV charging stations. Facing a massive, and growing market, EV curbside charging is in high demand (NYC alone has a mandate of 10,000 chargers by 2030 - up from <500 now). Rapid growth is almost certain, and CEO Jeff Prosserman is in talks with cities and utilities across the country as they seek to leverage Voltpost’s technology, and end-to-end solution including installation, maintenance, and operations. Learn more here.
The Insights Continue!
Tune in to the first series of the Planet First Action Podcast to hear more insights from some of these incredible panelists, and from the one and only Cam Lawrence, CEO of Newlab!
Watch the filmed episodes on YouTube, or listen to the audio-only versions wherever you get your podcasts!