What’s the Net Impact of Your AI Startup?
A 1.5-hour collaborative brown bag conversation for climate-aligned founders, investors, and sustainability professionals on how to meaningfully define, communicate, and improve the net impact of AI-enabled startups.
Join Josh Felser, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Climactic VC, and Cynthia Leung, for an interactive discussion focused on answering the question:
“What’s the net impact of your AI startup—and how do you know?”
Investors are increasingly asking founders to articulate not just their potential upside, but also the full-stack impact of their models, systems, and supply chains. In this brown bag session, we’ll explore frameworks, language, and shared challenges around defining and communicating what it means to be a net positive company in the age of AI and climate urgency.
Participants will co-create a shared whiteboard of principles, pitfalls, and tools—leaving with clearer ways to think, speak, and measure impact across their company’s lifecycle.
What to Expect
Framing from both perspectives – founder/operator + VC/investor
Open whiteboard brainstorm of tactics, metrics, and blind spots
Peer-shared tools and stories from across the ecosystem
Co-synthesis of principles and language to take into future pitches and evaluations
Pizza!
Key Questions for the Session
When an investor asks, “What’s your net impact?”—what do (or should) you say?
How do you weigh trade-offs like energy use vs. emissions avoided?
What metrics, frameworks, or principles are actually helpful?
What makes for a clear, honest, and credible impact story?
What does net positive really look like in practice?
Who Should Attend
9zero members and invited guests—founders building with AI, climate investors, sustainability professionals, and others navigating the complexity of impact in innovation.
12:00–12:10 PM: Welcome & Framing: Cynthia + Josh introduce the problem and opportunity.
12:10–12:20 PM: Prompt + Live Whiteboard: “How do you answer the net impact question?”
12:20–12:35 PM: Facilitated Group Discussion: Reflections, patterns, and open questions.
12:35–1:05 PM: Shareback + Co-Synthesis: Participants share tools, principles, frameworks, or tensions.
1:05–1:15 PM: Closing Reflection: What are you taking with you? What’s still unclear?
1:15–1:30 PM: Networking and Open Discussion
Josh Felser is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Climactic VC, a seed-stage fund investing in software-first climate solutions. A veteran entrepreneur and investor, he previously co-founded Freestyle Capital and led early investments in companies like Airtable and Patreon. Felser also co-founded Spinner and Grouper, both acquired by major tech firms. A Duke alum, he’s long been active in climate advocacy and brings a passion for innovation, music, and the outdoors to his work.
Cynthia Leung is a clean energy strategist with 15+ years of experience across utility solar, mobile storage, and energy access. She led strategic partnerships at Moxion, supported the Clinton Climate Initiative’s Islands Energy Program, and helped develop over 1 GW of solar at SunPower. Cynthia holds an M.S. in Sustainability Management from Columbia and a B.A. in Quantitative Economics with a minor in Global Sustainability from UC Irvine. She’s passionate about systems thinking, mentorship, and climate resilience and is currently writing her first book, One Small Step.
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About 9Zero: We are a community of founders, investors, engineers, scientists, and innovators who together, drive climate action. Through our club, events, meetups, and connections, we spark collaboration and accelerate solutions. If you’re working toward a healthier, more resilient world, you belong here. Join us - 9Zero.com