“Nurturing the Angel Economy for Climate Tech Start-ups”
Federal support for early-stage climate tech is contracting. Programs like ARPA-E face uncertainty, non-dilutive grants are drying up, and founders who once relied on public R&D funding are looking for new paths to first capital.
That means angel investors, and the networks that connect them, are becoming more important than ever.
This panel brings together angel groups, state-backed funding programs, and clean energy leaders from across the Mid-Atlantic to talk about what it actually takes to build a functioning angel economy for climate tech. Topics include how angel groups can collaborate more effectively, how programs like Maryland's Climate Tech Founders Fund ($1.7M for angel-sized tickets with a private match requirement) are working to deploy capital faster, the tax incentives that already exist for early-stage investors, and what founders need from this ecosystem to keep building.
Whether you're an angel investor, a climate tech founder looking for early capital, a supporter of local clean energy innovation, or someone exploring what it means to invest at the earliest stages, this is a working conversation designed to move things forward.
Agenda:
10:00 AM - Welcome and framing
10:10 AM - Panel introductions: Resilient Earth Capital, District Angels, MEIA Climate Tech Founders Fund, and invited angel groups
10:30 AM - Moderated fireside Q&A
10:50 AM - Audience Q&A
11:15 AM - Closing thoughts and calls to action
11:30 AM - Networking
DC Climate Week is not responsible for this event. It is organized by the organizing group, and being listed on the DCCW calendar is not an endorsement of content or partners.