Civil Engineering Departmental Seminar
Founding And Investing In Climate Ventures
2022 was a watershed year for climate change innovation, investments, and public policy. 1 in 4 venture capital dollars have been invested into climate technology this year, according to PwC. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage is one of the most promising areas of early-stage innovation and commercialization. This seminar will provide a landscape for identifying and commercializing carbon removal technologies, from a founder's perspective.
Melissa Zhang is a Harvard MPA-Stanford MBA joint candidate and co-founder of RockFix, a carbon sequestration startup that seeks to advance net zero mineral extraction. RockFix is funded by Breakthrough Energy's Explorer Grant, NYSERDA's Venture for ClimateTech Accelerator, and Stanford's TomKat Award. Melissa co-teaches climate venture-building at Stanford University and renewable energy policy at Harvard University. Melissa was previously an ESG portfolio manager at BlackRock, strategist at Google X and MioTech, and ESG Researcher for the State of California. Outside of entrepreneurship, Melissa is researching a forthcoming book (Kogan Page Press, 2023) on business decarbonisation with a focus on female leaders. Her proposal won finalist for the 2021 Financial Times and McKinsey Bracken Bower Book Prize. Melissa is a member of the Harvard Innovation Lab, the global On Deck Climate Tech Fellowship, and the Aspen Institute's Young Climate Leaders Program.