BIPOC Founders in Climate Tech: Capital, Credibility, and Community

​A candid conversation with BIPOC founders and CEOs building climate companies in sectors where access, trust, and networks still shape outcomes.

​This is not a “diversity panel.”

​This discussion is for founders navigating the realities of scaling in climate tech while often operating without the same inherited networks, pattern-matching advantages, or institutional access as their peers.

​Panelists include:

• ​Phil Croskey - CEO, MD Energy Advisors

• ​Doug Speight - CEO, AxNano

• ​Randy Allen - CEO, Still Bright

​We’ll talk openly about:

• ​Raising capital when investors still pattern-match around familiar backgrounds and networks

• ​Building credibility in industries where relationships and reputation compound slowly

• ​Navigating boardrooms, customers, and partnerships as an underrepresented founder

• ​Recruiting and retaining strong talent while scaling under pressure

• ​Managing the tension between mission, resilience, and personal sustainability

• ​Finding the right rooms, peers, and mentors as you grow

​It’s a practical discussion about company building, decision-making, leadership, and access to opportunity inside one of the most capital-intensive sectors in the economy.

​You’ll hear directly from founders and investors who have raised capital, built teams, navigated setbacks, and scaled through difficult markets.

​Ideal for:

• ​Climate tech founders and executives

• ​Emerging BIPOC operators and investors

• ​Builders in energy, industrials, mobility, carbon, software, infrastructure, and hardtech

• ​People looking for more honest conversations about leadership and growth in climate

​Host:

​Entrepreneurs for Impact (EFI) helps grow the climate tech ecosystem through (1) a confidential peer-group community for VC- and private equity-backed climate CEOs and (2) the Climate CEOs podcast and newsletter.