On March 10th, Ali Adler, Angela Ferrante, and Allison Kopf, moderated by Pat Sapinsley discussed “Investors and Innovators Building and Supporting Clean Technologies.”

The topics of conversation during this WISE event were definitely content heavy, and while the forum certainly serves to facilitate interactions between women in the sustainability and energy industries, these events are profound discussions on industry that just so happen to have an all-female perspective… the “all-male panel” is getting a bit tiresome.

Just as BEEx itself demonstrates, public sector investment has led to profound private sector engagement. Public/private partnerships present the opportunity for really interesting alliances. On the logistical side, they allow for a stability that, in the past, the likes of VC’s and other investment resources have been hesitant to heavily involve themselves with. The biggest disconnect between the technology companies and the sources for financing has come from the judgment of success; on one side, the extent to which a technology achieves its target purpose (increasing efficiency, eliminating waste, etc.) and on the other, basic return on investment. The aim, moving forward, is “making energy efficiency palatable to the finance world”.

Net Impact, Columbia University’s Sustainability Management Chapter
SUMANI Trendster Blog
Written by: Abigail Orzolek, SUMANI Director of Communications
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An excerpt from WISE: Cleantech Pioneers. For more video, visit the event page here.