Process of funding technology critical to the energy transition at different stages (e.g., seed/venture, grants, project financing), advantages and downsides of each funding option, new developments including the IRA.
Vikrum Aiyer is the Head of Global Public Policy & External Affairs at Heirloom, which is on a mission to remove 1 billion tons of C02 by 2035 using the world’s most cost-effective Direct Air Capture technology. Formerly, Aiyer served as the Deputy Director in American Civil Liberties Union, where he oversaw economic justice and gender justice campaigns in the National Political Advocacy Department. During the Obama Administration, Aiyer served as Senior Policy Advisor in the White House for innovation and manufacturing policy, and as the Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. After leaving the administration, Aiyer built and led the public policy and strategic communications practice for the tech startup, Postmates, up through its $2.6 billion acquisition by Uber.
David Gelinas focuses on capital structure optimization for sustainable infrastructure companies. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Lilac Solutions, a lithium extraction technology company that provides essential raw materials for the EV transition. Lilac raised $150 million Series B in October 2021. Prior to joining Lilac, David was VP of Finance at Stem, a global leader in software for energy storage systems. At Stem he raised hundreds of millions of corporate equity and project finance for energy storage systems, ultimately leading to Stem's public listing on the NYSE. Prior to Stem, David was an investment banker at J.P. Morgan, Nomura, and Guggenheim. David holds a BA from Cornell University.
Alex Luce is a General Partner at Creative Ventures and leads the firm’s climate tech focus area. Previously, Alex led CalCharge, a public-private partnership advancing battery and energy storage innovation. He also spent time with Prelude Ventures, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E), a solar energy startup company, and several R&D labs around the world. Outside the office, Alex has lived, worked, and travelled in many parts of the globe. He is passionate about the outdoors and loves spending time exploring the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. Alex holds a M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from UC Berkeley where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and a B.S. in Engineering Physics from the University of Arizona where he was a National Hispanic Scholar.
Angeli Patel is the Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Business. She is also a Lecturer at Berkeley Law for the Business in Society and the Sustainable Capitalism & ESG Executive Education course. Previously, Angeli was an attorney in the Sustainability & ESG Advisory Practice at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in San Francisco, where she advised clients on the governance of climate and social risks. Angeli has also held an advisory role at the UN Global Compact Network Australia focused on corporate sustainability matters. Prior to her legal career, Angeli was at The White House's Office of Management and Budget in the Obama Administration and served as a policy advisor at the Ministry of Finance in the Government of Chile. In addition to her career in law and government, Angeli is an adviser to Mandala, a mental health and DEI startup, and launched her own puzzle company for women of color in 2021.
Jason Slagle is an associate in the San Francisco office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he is a member of the firm's energy and climate solutions practice. Jason’s practice focuses on advising clients across solar, wind, energy storage, energy efficiency, distributed energy resources, and other renewable technology industries. He represents project developers and investment banks on both distributed and utility-scale renewable energy projects in project finance, project development, and regulatory compliance for the commercial and residential sectors. Jason’s practice also includes joint ventures, sales, and acquisitions of project assets and special purpose entities, as well as general corporate matters. Prior to law school, Jason was a marine science technician in the U.S. Coast Guard.