Founder Summit
REGISTRATION OPEN - SPACE LIMITED
During PNW Climate Week, 9Zero is holding the first-ever Climate Founder Summit, convening a curated room of only climate founders. Brought to you by RSF | Regenerative Social Finance & Climate Door
Founders building climate companies will get the opportunity to meet each other, exchange lessons learned, tool share, and have the kinds of conversations that rarely happen in larger public events.
RSF’s mission is to change finance and finance change. By offering investment notes, donor advised funds, and loans, they mobilize money toward positive impact. Since 1984, they have innovated finance tools and invested in healthier food systems, cleaner climates, whole-child education, community impact, and more. Learn more about RSF at rsfsocialfinance.org
1:45-2:10 pm: Opening networking and intro
2:10-2:45pm: Designing Your Climate Funding Journey: Matching the Right Capital to the Right Stage
2:40-2:50pm: Beto Yarce, director of OED on the Seattle Climate Innovation Hub
3:00-3:45pm: Climate Debt Panel w/ Marc Diaz from RSF Minh Le from Stifel Bank , Susan Su from Toba Capital
4-6pm: Peer Groups and Workshops
Founders-funders work session with Darian Parrish - PwrOn
Showcase on using AI to measure and manage climate impact - with Karina Miller and Kevin Morgan-Rothschild of Climate Point in Ocean Conference Room
Climate hardware startups with Tom Gurski - BlueDot Motorworks in Rainforest Office
Climate hardware startups with Tom Gurski - BlueDot Motorworks in Rainforest Office
Climate Door Growth Office hours
Jamie Moran - & Liam Howe - Climate Door
Legal office hours
Ben Golden Consulting PLLC - in Coral Reefs Office
Walker Stanovsky - Philip Lee LLP - Climate Lawyer - GHG and energy transactions and regulation - in Desert Office
Using Sustainability Data to Build, Pitch, and Scale- Alex Crease. This workshop will show hardware startup founders how sustainability data, including LCAs, can strengthen positioning, support investor conversations, and reveal new business opportunities. Participants will apply these ideas to an example market segment, then reflect on how similar insights could help make their own product strategy more competitive, resilient, and fundable.
6-8pm: Happy Hour - Join us for an exclusive evening, tailored for meaningful connections amongst leaders in the climate space.
Attendees are welcome to use the 9Zero Climate Hub coworking space before, after, and in between sessions. Grab a desk, take calls in a private phone booth, and get real work done — the conference fits right into your day. Just show up.
About 9Zero: We’re a members-only community of founders, investors, scientists, and innovators accelerating climate solutions through meaningful relationships. Apply to join at www.9Zero.com
By registering for this event, you agree to share your information with the event organizers, PNW Climate Week, and Climatebase / the Climate Week Network. You may receive updates from these organizations, and can opt out at any time in accordance with their respective privacy policies.
About Kathleen Paylor from RSF
Kathleen brings over two decades of bold, values-aligned leadership in philanthropy and impact investing.In 2008, Kathleen founded Conscious Capital, a pioneering firm dedicated to aligning money with meaning. Now, as VP of Impact Investing and Philanthropy at Regenerative Social Finance (RSF), Kathleen leads with heart and precision. She builds bridges between institutions and individuals ready to activate their wealth in service of a more equitable and regenerative future. Before joining RSF, Kathleen led the high-net-worth fundraising team at FoodCorps, a national nonprofit advancing food justice and education.
About ClimateDoor
ClimateDoor is the growth partner for energy, agtech and critical resources companies in the clean economy.
We embed as the external growth team for ventures, funds, and Indigenous nations: opening doors to buyers, stacking non-dilutive capital, and moving deals from pilot to commercial. Most climate companies do not fail on technology. They fail on commercial traction. That gap is what we close.
Learn more at climatedoor.com