The Easy Way to Take Your Climate Tech Business to the Next Level

It's smart business, and it's the right thing to do.

I recently set up a meeting between the CEO of a new environmental NGO and several climate tech venture capitalists. The VCs told me they wanted to learn more about the NGO in order to explore opportunities for collaboration. 

I couldn’t join the meeting, but I’m told by all of the participants that it went great. Lots of exciting conversation that engaged everyone in the room. 

But I was disappointed when I asked the CEO about donations. Fundraising was my main goal for the meeting. For all NGOs — especially brand new ones — financial support is vital. I had presumed that the very interested (and very wealthy) VCs would naturally offer to help. But they didn’t. The topic never came up. Perhaps the CEO should have been more direct about asking for donations. Or maybe the VCs wanted to get to know the organization better before they decided to support it. But still, I was disappointed. 

I was reminded how the business community pursuing climate and other environmental opportunities often forgets (1) how much they are drawing on the environmental community’s decades of prior work and (2) how they ought to recognize that by giving back. 

Here’s my PSA for the growing number of people in the business world pursuing environmental opportunities: 

First and foremost, welcome to the fray. You’re relatively new on the scene, and we are so glad you are here. We need you and admire you! You know a lot, and we're confident you'll add a lot. 

We’re seeing many new business initiatives in connection with climate, biodiversity, the push to eliminate plastics and other environmental initiatives. You have great ideas and you’re taking many of them to scale. By all means, keep up the great work. 

At the same time, please remember you are rather new here. You don’t know everything. So while you’re dipping your own toes in the water, take some time to get to know the landscape. You’ll find a thriving environmental community that can really help you and that could also do more with your support. 

And while you’re at it, take a moment to recognize that, as you develop your own grand plans, you’re drawing on hard work and investments by environmentalists over the preceding decades. That's what's facilitating your opportunity. 

Take climate. I hear you reference the 2015 Paris Climate Accord goals; your commitments to net zero as a business objective; your emphasis on “science-based” targets; and your investments in nature-based solutions. Those ideas result from decades of research, advocacy, negotiating, and convenings. They’re the product of the environmental community’s time, resources, and energy. The right thing for you to do is to honor and support those prior efforts. How? 

1. Engage respectfully. Speak up because new ideas are always welcome. But try to do so humbly. Recognize that the NGO people are just as smart as you and they have specialized knowledge and experience that is different from yours. The best way for you to engage is to knock on their door and seek their counsel and collaboration. As I’ve written before, business and NGOs can help each other. Bigger gains in environmental problem solving happen when the two groups lock arms. 

2. Roll up your sleeves and help. There are many ways to get involved. In a professional capacity, you have specialized knowledge that the NGOs don’t. In a personal capacity, I have yet to meet the NGO that couldn’t use spare hands. 

3. Become a donor. By and large, most nonprofits have no revenue. Their oxygen — the financial mechanism that allows them to stay in business — is good people who donate money every year. I ran one of the world’s largest nonprofits, and I can tell you, we were very grateful for — and frantically dependent on — donations of all sizes. These donations are existential. They pay the bills and allow NGOs to operate. They also boost morale every time one comes in, reminding the team that people are behind them. 

Supporting the environmental community in these ways will help you achieve more impact. You’ll also have fun. It can be transformative and fulfilling on a personal basis when you engage in a cause larger than yourself. 

So go on, dive in, and experience the rewards of making an outsized impact on the world while pursuing your business goals.

A former colleague — one of the best and most-well-connected investment bankers in the business — recently joined the board of an important environmental NGO. I asked the CEO, who is also a friend, how my banker friend was doing as a new board member. The CEO said he was doing great and told me about their first one-on-one meeting.

The CEO visited the banker in his fancy office. The banker asked the perfect question — one I recommend all businesspeople ask when they meet with an NGO that they admire. 

He asked: “How can I help?”

The CEO replied “Could you please introduce me to business leaders with whom we might partner or from whom we could solicit financial support?”

The banker called out to his assistant, “Please print my contacts.”

The conversation continued. The CEO told me he could hear a printer buzzing away behind him as it cranked out page after page.

The assistant later entered the office, handed a huge stack of paper to the banker, who turned it right over to the CEO. “These are all of my contacts,” said the banker. “Let me know who you would like to meet. I'll introduce you. I’ll try to go to the meetings with you too.”

The CEO told me — with a huge smile — that the list included many of the world’s most prominent leaders, investors, and philanthropists. People with whom he wanted to meet for years. 

You can do this too. 

Just ask: “How can I help?” 

You might not have the same high-powered list of contacts as my banker friend, but you’ll have many other opportunities to make a positive impact. Maybe the NGO can partner with your organization. Maybe you have some specific knowledge they need. Maybe they need a volunteer like you for some upcoming project. 

You don’t need to be a board member to do this, of course. There are many ways to engage.

And, if possible, say something like this too: “I’d like to be a financial supporter of your organization. What kind of support would be most helpful right now?”

Do this and you’ll feel good, you’ll directly engage in a good cause, and you’ll likely improve your business efforts. Win-win-win!

Of course this works in reverse too. The environmental community should always try to keep improving how they work with the private sector. Here are some of my ideas on how to do that. 

And dear readers, you see all of this play out every day. Please let us know what you think are the best ways for the two sectors to collaborate.

Onward,