​Ripple Hosts

​Rushad Nanavatty

​RMI, Third Derivative

​Rodney Carew

​Delta40

​TL;DR

​Summarize the Ripple in a couple of sentences

​Topic overview

​Why is the topic relevant?

​Africa is on the brink of a climate tech surge, and those who act now will shape the future of global innovation, investment, and growth. For investors, this is a rare chance to be early in a high-upside market. For corporates, it’s a strategic opportunity to align with the next wave of climate solutions. For startups, it’s a moment to scale their businesses and define what climate-positive growth looks like.

​By 2100, 40% of the world — or 4.2 billion people — will live in Africa, driving massive new demand for everything. 70% of Africa’s 2040 building stock does not yet exist. It will demand 250% more protein and 300% as many vehicles by 2050.

​The continent is no stranger to scale: there are 350+ African companies with $1B+ in annual revenue and nine tech unicorns. Yet while global climate tech VC funding has averaged $65 billion per year, Africa has captured just $0.9 billion - only 1.4%.

​What this means is immense untapped potential and the opportunity to establish a first-mover advantage.

​Technological breakthroughs in energy, ag, chemicals, fuels, and materials – mostly in the West and China – are opening new frontiers. The question isn’t if these innovations will take hold, but where and by whom they will be built first. SSA, with its combination of soaring demand, the best solar resource in the world, and freedom from legacy infrastructure, is uniquely well-positioned.

​We will talk about several specific opportunities – green ammonia, bio-inoculants, and gene-edited crops, building materials and advanced cooling, electrified industrial heat and long-duration energy storage, new geothermal and geological hydrogen, advanced biofuels and fleet electrification, and a range of CDR solutions.

​This isn’t about philanthropy, poverty reduction, and access. It’s about profit, positioning, and leadership. Whether you're backing the next climate unicorn, sourcing breakthrough solutions, or building one yourself, the question is the same: Will you help shape the market, or watch someone else do it first?

​What’s up for discussion?

• ​Why are startups in sub-Saharan Africa well positioned to be at the forefront of advancing emerging climate tech solutions - such as for industrial decarbonization and carbon dioxide removal?

• ​What makes these startups and the region uniquely positioned to address the climate crisis?

• ​How can we crowd in capital and de-risk these technologies to advance the investment into these founders and technologies?

​Dream outcome

• ​Help participants understand the immense opportunities to advance climate tech solutions in sub-Saharan Africa.

• ​Build excitement around the investment opportunities in the region.

• ​Gain input from investor attendees on what challenges they’ve faced to date for investing in the region.

• ​Gain input from startup/entrepreneur attendees on what opportunities they see for establishing operations in sub-Saharan Africa.

​Who should attend?

• ​Anyone interested in learning about opportunities to advance climate tech in Africa Investors interested in supporting Africa founders, specifically climate tech innovators and startups.

• ​Corporations that do work in Africa or are interested in learning more about climate-tech solutions coming from the region.

• ​Startups, entrepreneurs, or companies interested in expanding their work into sub-Saharan Africa.