EarthX E-Capital Summit Catalyzes Investment into Innovative Environmental Solutions

This April, the 5th annual EarthX E-Capital Summit will convene hundreds of investment firms, family offices, incubators & accelerators, dealmakers, established companies, startups, industry innovators, policymakers and thought-leaders from around the world to discuss new opportunities in sustainable investing given industry trends and the United States’ new presidential administration. The invitation-only event is designed to catalyze action by convening investment and business leaders in order to curate powerful partnerships and drive substantial, positive impact on investments, businesses, people and our planet.

The E-Capital Summit will take place from April 28 through April 30 and will be comprised of a two-day investor forum/conference, curated one-on-one meetings and a highly-competitive, global pitch competition.

“This year we are looking to expand the focus and coverage of the E-Capital Summit to also include traditional investors and businesses in these important discussions. Our vision is to demonstrate to industry leaders from the investment, business, and deal making systems that sustainability and profitability are not mutually exclusive but actually go hand-in-hand.” says Vikram Agrawal, Director of EarthxCapital “The E-Capital Summit is a unique forum that not only educates and convenes investment and business leaders, but also provides valuable opportunities to inspire and catalyze action through meaningful connections and deal making.”

The Impact of E-Capital | Over the last four years, startups that have participated in the E-Capital Summit have gone on to raise more than $500 million in funding from investors from around the world. Investors and businesses alike have found that coming together with the purpose of finding meaningful partnerships and investment opportunities incites progress and impact. Results have included:

• Last year’s Climate Tech Prize runner up, energy efficient building coating EnKoat, secured Phase 1 NSF SBIR funding in 2020 and was featured in Cleantech Group’s 2020 “50 to Watch” list.
• After attending the 2020 E-Capital Summit, Varuna Tech, which provides water distribution system monitoring, raised $1.5M — one investor being Clean Energy Trust, which also attended last year’s summit.
• 10Power Partners and SimpliPhi Power announced they would bring clean energy to Haiti, after both attended the 2020 summit.
• NeoCharge launched the world’s first UL listed smart splitter last year after the summit. NeoCharge and EVmatch also announced a partnership after attending the summit together.

Investment Forum | E-Capital’s two-day conference brings prominent investors, innovators, dealmakers, established companies, startups and policymakers to the virtual stage on Wednesday, April 28, and Thursday, April 29. Vanessa Chan, chief commercialization officer for the U.S. Department of Energy, will speak on opportunities for investment and commercialization from the perspective of the Biden Administration. Russell Read, former chief investment officer for the Alaska Permanent Fund and CalPERS, will moderate a conversation on the candid views of limited partners (LPs) and institutional investors on investing in sustainability-focused private equity and venture capital funds. Jonathan Webb, founder and chief executive officer of AppHarvest will join us for a fireside discussion on how leading sustainability-driven innovators can lead to indirect investment & economic development opportunities. Jonathan Rose, president and founder of Jonathan Rose Companies, will join a panel on day two discussing how PropTech is driving profitability and resiliency in real estate.

Other conference topics include “Financing Innovation for Sustainability-Related Infrastructure Solutions,” “SPACs: New Capital Vehicle for Sustainability-focused Companies”, “Family Office Appetite for Direct & Indirect Sustainability Investing”, “The Circular Economy Value Chain Driving Business Profitability and Resilience,” “Global Water Value Chain: Investment Opportunities for One of Earth’s Most Critical Resources”, “Innovations in Agribusiness/AgTech Providing Food Security”, “Energy Companies Leading Critical & Profitable Sustainability-focused Initiatives” and “Trends from America’s Sustainability Start-Up Ecosystem.”

Capital Connections | On Friday, April 30, E-Capital will curate one-on-one meetings between investors, companies and dealmakers. Notable investors and dealmakers who will participate include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Regeneration.VC, Closed Loop Partners, Barclays and Shell.

EarthX Climate Tech Prize | Early-stage climate tech companies will pitch investors for an opportunity to win up to $10,000. On Tuesday, April 27, twenty companies will participate in a preliminary round of pitching, live on EarthxTV. Finalists will present again on April 30, and the winner will be announced that afternoon.

As usual, EarthX E-Capital has partnered with the Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) from the University of Texas at Austin, one of the country’s leading clean technology incubators. Investors and companies are invited to apply for an invitation, and general participants are welcome to request access. The entire event is free, thanks to a generous donor.

Visit earthx.org/conference/e-capital-summit to learn more about this Earth Week 2021 E-Capital Summit.

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ABOUT EarthX

EarthX convenes the world's largest environmental expo, conference, film festival, and virtual TV channel, and is a member of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature. Founded in 2011 as Earth Day Dallas by environmentalist and businessman Trammell S. Crow, the Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization promotes environmental awareness and impact through conscious business, nonpartisan collaboration and community-driven sustainable solutions. In 2019, the April event drew over 177,000 attendees, 2,000 environmental leaders, and 750+ exhibitors. In 2020, the April virtual event drew over 570,000 live-stream views and reached 171 countries. EarthxTV, launched in Fall 2020 as a web-based live stream platform for balanced, inclusive environmental conversations, programs, emerging media & films. Visit www.EarthX.org or follow us @earthxorg on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.