We are thrilled to announce that Wovoka is the keynote sponsor of the upcoming 9Zero Hero Tom Steyer Award Event on August 29th. This sponsorship underscores Wovoka’s commitment to climate action and sustainability, aligning perfectly with the principles highlighted in Tom Steyer’s influential book, Cheaper, Faster, Better.

I sat down with Lakshmi Reddy and Emin Israfil, the COO and CEO of Rubbish, a company building AI-powered waste characterization and management tools to create cleaner and healthier communities. We explored their paths into climate tech, how trash can be fun, and the company’s surprising origin story.

This week, I spoke to Russell Sprole, founder and managing partner of Virta Ventures, an early stage fund backing entrepreneurs and companies building sustainable businesses. We discussed equity-light climate tech, why founders can fail with great product, and how AI could set back our climate progress.

This week’s Member Spotlight is on Marko Lehtimäki, Co-Founder and CTO of Verge Motorcycles. We discussed how form can follow function, what gets people all-in on EVs, and how his bikes actually get better over time.

Join us for an evening of insight and inspiration as we launch our inaugural 9Zero Heroes series, honoring Tom Steyer, an American Climate Investor, hedge fund manager, philanthropist, environmentalist, and author of “Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We’ll Win the Climate War.”

I interviewed Phil Dillard, founder and CEO of Thruline Networks and creator of Wisdom Wednesday. He discussed how to bring value, his definition of success, and what makes a great entrepreneur.

I sat down with Aric Saunders, founder of Mana Energy and longtime member of the renewable energy industry. We discussed equitable energy, the talent pool in climate tech, and how the field has changed.

For the second of our two-part series on Wherobots, I interviewed Maxime Petazzoni, the company’s Head of Engineering. We discussed the Wherobots company culture, the growing attainability of climate neutrality, and the role of software in climate innovation. 

I sat down with Jia Yu, the co-founder of Wherobots, one of 9Zero’s most recent partnerships. We explored a gap in the market, the importance of accessibility, and the relationship between open-source technology and climate tech.

This week, I spoke to Ravi Mikkelsen, co-founder and CEO of Atmos Financial. We discussed banking’s connection to fossil fuel extraction, Ravi’s near 25 years of experience in the industry, and the line of hope and fear that he walks today.

I sat down with Kieran White and Andrew Porter of Curo, the company introducing the world to the Virtual Charging Depot. We are thrilled to have Kieran and Andrew as two of our first founders at 9Zero, and to share more about their work and climate impact in the interview below.

The first venture capital firm to join the 9Zero community and work from the San Francisco climate innovation hub was Climactic. We asked if they’d share some of their story with us.

9Zero is coworking with a purpose beyond just providing a desk, and we believe that connection is critical to accelerating innovation. That is why we are creating both physical and digital hubs to bring passionate people working on climate solutions together to advance innovation in the climate space.