Climate and technology incubator Elemental Excelerator is taking its annual Interactive event public for the first time next week.
The Interactive 2021 conference for investors and the larger climate community runs May 19 to 21, with each day having a different theme within Elemental's focus of climate and equity. Interactive's first two days are open to the public, a first, according to Elemental CEO Dawn Lippert.
It's the eighth year of the conference and second straight held virtually.
"This is a reflection of our 5-year strategy and open-sourcing many of our learnings, convenings, and big questions about how we get to an equitable climate future," Lippert emailed to Pacific Business News. "We set a big and diverse table at Elemental. While we directly fund entrepreneurs, policy fellows, interns, and projects, everyone will be needed to get to our climate future, and we all have something to learn from each other. That's why we're opened up Interactive this year."
She said she expects a global audience with nearly every time zone represented.
Next Wednesday is Interactive's "Learn" day and features a film about climate and the community. Lippert will host and there will be a virtual chat lounge.
Thursday is the "Solve" day, typically for 70-plus invited entrepreneurs, but now for whoever would like to participate. People who RSVP can answer questions about their interests and join discussion topics like indigenous voices in economic development, startups and climate policy, or transitioning from a degree to a career in climate-tech.
The idea, Lippert said, is to bring people together who don't usually sit at the same table. Some featured guests have been listed on Elemental's website, but others are to be announced Monday.
Friday is for investors only to learn about Elemental's latest dealmaking, the way it invests in startups, and its portfolio trends.
Elemental Excelerator, a nonprofit, annually invests in 15-plus startup companies in its annual cohorts and has done so for 117 companies since 2009, focusing on the areas of energy, agriculture, water, mobility, and circular economy.
