Light Dao Salon: Fireside Chat with Dee Zheng: Building the Next Generation of Climate Companies (LA)
Join Light Dao and our community of conscious entrepreneurs and investors for a salon evening filled with connection, deep conversations, and a fireside chat hosted by Katrina De Angelis.
Join us for an intimate fireside chat with Dee Zheng, Managing Partner of Bad Climate Advice, Venture Partner at Hustle Fund, and former Managing Director of Orca Climate Fund.
Dee has spent decades working across energy, manufacturing, petrochemicals, steel, private equity, and investment banking. He has also built and exited a manufacturing company and invested in early stage companies across energy, materials, chemicals, agriculture, and manufacturing.
We will talk about what Dee looks for in founders and companies at the earliest stages, where he sees new opportunities emerging, and what it takes to build a company that can grow from an ambitious idea into a durable business.
The conversation will also explore how his experience as an operator shapes the way he invests, what founders often learn as they move from building a product to building a company, and how investors think about technologies that take time, capital, and strong execution to reach scale.
This will be a candid conversation for founders, investors, and especially those building new companies in climate, energy, manufacturing, and related industries with climate in mind.
THE EVENING WILL INCLUDE
• 7-7:20 Arrival & connection
• 7:20-7:30 Curated connection activity
• 7:30-8:15 Fireside chat
• Community Q&A
• 8:30 - 9:30 Relationship building + intentional connecting
Come connect with founders, operators, investors, and leaders exploring how business can create regenerative value for people, communities, and the planet.
ABOUT YOUR HOST
Katrina DeAngelis is the LA Ecosystem Lead for Light Dao and a leadership and organizational systems architect working at the intersection of regenerative business and human development.
Her work focuses on supporting founders, investors, and organizations in evolving beyond extractive operating systems and into models that enable greater ownership, coherence, and long-term resilience. She advises leaders and teams on organizational design, leadership development, and ecosystem strategy.
ABOUT OUR GUEST -
Dee Zheng, Managing Partner of Bad Climate Advice
As Managing Partner of Bad Climate Advice, Dee Zheng helps empower a new generation of visionaries, backing those redefining the boundaries of sustainability, resilience, and global impact.
Currently a Venture Partner for the Energy and Manufacturing verticals at Hustle Fund, Dee helps pre-seed companies in these sectors scale to the next stage. At the helm of Orca Climate Fund as Managing Director, Dee led investments at the pre-seed and seed stages that advance climate and cleantech innovation—enabling transformation in chemicals, materials, manufacturing, energy, and agtech.
Dee’s journey includes co-founding and exiting a manufacturing startup serving utility-scale generation facilities ranging from 60MW to 3 GW, and decades of operating experience in the energy, petrochemicals, and steel industries, as well as asset management roles in private equity and investment banking. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and SUNY Albany.
Dee also supports early-stage purpose-driven entrepreneurs with an unwavering commitment to the planet through organizations such as Activate, Generator, and Greentown.
VENUE DETAILS: The gathering is in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. The exact address will be sent to confirmed guests.
DRESS: We encourage authentic self-expression!
GUEST POLICY
Light DAO is a members-driven community rooted in trust and intentional connection.
Approved guests are welcome to attend one in-person gathering before applying for deeper participation through Local or Global Membership.
Please note:
• All attendees must RSVP individually
• Invitations do not guarantee approval or entry
• Unapproved walk-ins and +1s cannot be accommodated
We encourage thoughtful responses to the application questions so we can curate a meaningful experience for everyone attending.
ABOUT LIGHT DAO
Light DAO is a trusted global community of over 7,000 conscious entrepreneurs, investors, and creators dedicated to expanding human consciousness, regenerating life, and building a more abundant future.
Through salons, dinners, retreats, councils, and collaborative ventures, Light DAO brings together people who are creating meaningful impact across business, technology, health, wellness, education, investing, and culture.
We look forward to sharing an inspiring gathering of connection, expression, and possibility with you.