Climate Dinner in Hudson Valley
This program is an invitation-only gathering of experienced founders, operators, and investors actively engaged in climate and sustainability.
This intimate dinner is designed to bring together leaders at a similar stage to exchange perspectives on building, scaling, and financing climate solutions. The evening features complimentary dining, a thoughtfully curated guest list, and a facilitated conversation to ensure meaningful, peer-to-peer dialogue.
Our goal is simple: create a trusted, small-group environment that maximizes connection at the table and fosters relationships that extend well beyond the evening.
Our guest speaker is Gabriel Rodríguez-Calero. Gabi is the Co-Founder of Ecolectro, an Ithaca-based revolutionizing green hydrogen. Ecolectro has raised over $10MM with investors including Starshot Capital, Toyota Ventues, NY Ventures, Techstars, and more. They employ nearly 25 people right in Ithaca!
About UVC
Upstate Venture Connect (UVC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting high-growth founders across Upstate New York to the resources, mentors, and investors they need to scale and thrive. Through our Community Advocate program, we’ve built trusted, on-the-ground networks in regions like Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, and the Capital Region - helping founders find the right connections faster and building entrepreneurship community at the center.
Gabriel G. Rodríguez-Calero, Cofounder of Ecolectro
Dr. Gabriel G. Rodríguez-Calero has a BS in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras and an MS and PhD in Chemistry from Cornell University. He has conducted research and development and worked on the commercialization of material science and energy systems technologies for over ten years. Gabriel has over 20 peer-reviewed publications, and is an inventor on several patent applications. At Ecolectro, Gabriel serves as the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). He currently manages and leads the company through funding rounds (the company has raised $27M in a combination of VC, and Non-Dilutive Funding), strategy direction and supports the business and technology development teams. Ecolectro is commercializing technology to dramatically change the CapEx & scalability of hydrogen generation hardware (i.e. electrolyzers) building electrolyzers with materials that scale, are clean, and at ultra-low costs. Besides fighting climate change, he also enjoys running, reading, and basketball.