Joining the Climate Change Fight

One of the things that I love about my job is meeting the amazing young talent that is aiming to join the fight against climate change. Thirteen years ago, I transitioned by co-founding Evergreen Climate Innovations (formerly known as Clean Energy Trust), and now through the launch of Buoyant Ventures. I can confidently say that the passion and diversity of the climate-focused talent pool has never been so rich. To help support some of these soon-to-be climate leaders in their career goals and aspirations, I carve time out each week for calls and meetings. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a sucker for a good email or, perhaps more importantly, a referral from someone I respect.

As evidence of how effective this type of outreach can be, Buoyant hired a rockstar new team member last year based upon a well-written, and deeply personal email, and the mention of a close friend who referred him to us. From that e-mail alone, we were off to the races. After an internship with us before going to business school, Jacob Gleason became Buoyant’s first Principal.

I wrote this blog to help educate folks looking to join the climate workforce after college or from another industry, and for people that I can’t meet with personally, hopefully, it gets them started in the right direction. Let’s dive in!

1. ‍There is absolutely no reason to go into a meeting or call unprepared. Even two minutes of looking at someone’s LinkedIn will help you avoid asking uninformed questions or coming off like an amateur. Even better, look at their LinkedIn posts, Twitter feeds, or personal blogs for more background. Be ready with a few thoughtful and specific questions, not broad requests like “Tell me about your career” or “What’s hot in climate now?”‍
2. Always email a confirmation in advance. Include your LinkedIn and/or resume so that the contact has your info readily available. It’s helpful to have it at the top of their inbox.
3. ‍If meeting on Zoom, be sure to be in a quiet place and don’t walk around with your phone. Turn on your camera even if your contact doesn’t have theirs on because this is a chance to make an impression, even if you eventually turn it off because they have theirs off. Don’t worry if they have their camera off — I will often take these interview calls when I am driving or on the train because I am squeezing them in, so my camera may be turned off. I also schedule these kinds of meetings at the end of my day after business hours, so be sure to accommodate your contact’s schedule and time zone.
4. ‍If you are seeking a meeting, do not send a Calendly link and make your contact find a slot. While I understand the convenience of Calendly, the interaction comes off as transactional and insensitive if you don’t use it intelligently. If you are scheduling with someone’s assistant or support partner, then it is okay to offer your Calendly link to help speed up the process. Otherwise, I recommend offering a couple of chunks of time two weeks out and start the scheduling ping pong. When you settle on a time, send the calendar invite — do not ask or expect your contact to.
5. ‍Always end the meeting on time, even if it starts late. Feel free to go longer if your contact offers up more time, as usually that means they are enjoying the conversation or have something else they want to cover, but treat their time as a thing of value that you can’t give back.‍
6. Be sure to write a well-written thank you email. If the person has offered some additional introductions, summarize them in the email and provide a short bio or blurb that they can easily forward to those contacts. I usually like to ask for a potential connection to opt into the introduction. Still, sometimes I will share emails and ask the networker to CC me on their outreach so I can chime in if I am fairly confident the person will say yes and not be a bottleneck in their search. Also, as you make progress with additional connections, it’s beneficial to circle back to thank the connector once more and let them know that you followed through. And ultimately, be sure to update the connector on your search.

Next, for people looking to break into ClimateTech, here are some of the basics that I always offer newbies:

1. Sign up for and read the ClimateTechVC newsletter and MyClimateJourney blog/podcast, and support Canary Media’s excellent daily coverage of the sector. These folks have done an amazing job of aggregating valuable information about ClimateTech companies, climate science, investors, news, regulation, and most importantly, jobs. I read them religiously. Also, MCJ has a slack channel for members looking to make connections.
2. LinkedIn can make you ready for almost any job interview. Go beyond surface-level information to see what content individuals have liked and/or posted. If you’re in school, you likely have a subscription to Pitchbook, Crunchbase, TechCrunch+, and many other resources which can offer unique (and usually expensive!) insights into ClimateTech companies and investors. If you’re talking to a VC, be familiar with the deals they have done and their firm’s portfolio.
3. ‍Review the websites of investors in the ClimateTech space. Many of them will aggregate and link to job openings for their portfolio companies. ClimateTechVC has an long list of venture investors in the space on their website. Start perusing the portfolio companies of these funds and accelerators.
4. Timing is everything. Be mindful of companies or funds that have recently closed financing rounds or are currently fundraising, as they likely will be on a near-term hiring spree.
5. I asked my Buoyant teammates for other resources, and here are some of their recommendations:

• Buoyant’s Newsletter, The Lighthouse — insights, deal fundings, other content
• Entrepreneurs for Impact by Chris Wedding — Duke professor and investor
• Terra.do — curriculum and listings for job seekers in climate
• Climatebase — A climate-focused career accelerator, aggregator of climate focused jobs, and much more
• OnDeck’s ClimateTech ecosystem — A networking platform for climate-focused individuals either working in, or looking to work in, ClimateTech
• ClimateTech Jobs — job postings and resources for any stage of your career
• Catalyst with Shayle Kann podcast — for all things ClimateTech and the future of decarbonization
• Katie Kross’s Twitter and LinkedIn Feeds — Katie, MD at Duke, tweets job postings from ClimateTech startups to corporate sustainability roles, though it does skew towards MBAs

Lastly, if you are not an engineer or scientist, never fear, there is a place for you at high growth ClimateTech companies. Buoyant generally invests at the Seed and Series A stages of a company’s life, and these companies are typically adding sales, marketing, and operational talent. Also, data scientists are in high demand at many ClimateTech companies, especially in our portfolio that is focused on digital solutions. If you don’t have advanced education or a degree in data science but even have some aptitude or coursework in it, you will be able to find many opportunities. Write an excellent cover letter when applying for these jobs explaining your passion and citing something that you find inspiring about their business.

There is room for everyone in this fight against climate change. After all, it is the battle of our lifetime.