Floodbase: Bessie Schwarz

Fellow Climate Warriors, welcome to another episode of Climate Tech Cocktails.

In this episode, we’re grabbing a drink with Bessie Schwarz, co-founder and CEO of Floodbase  (Formally known as Cloud to Street)…

“Floodbase has pioneered the field of satellite flood tracking, with our science appearing on the cover of Nature in 2021. Our Flood Intelligence Platform has enabled the United Nations and several national governments to improve flood disaster response. We are now powering a new type of flood insurance to help flood-vulnerable communities around the world access financial support and adapt in the face of increasing climate disasters.”

📻 Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Audacy and Substack👉

We’re grateful to have you with us, fighting the good fight with a cool beverage in hand.

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📝  Show Notes Below👇

🎧 New podcast episode: 

“We have realized that there are so many solutions that we have now and it’s a matter of investing in them that is the actual barrier to us adapting to climate change. Meaning, meeting the need with the money required at the time.” 

- Bessie Schwarz, founder and CEO of Floodbase. 

Find Bessie on LinkedIn, and check out Floodbase’s website here. 

🍺 What we drank during the episode: Calidad Beer (Matt) and Threes Brewing Beer 🍺(Bessie).

Enjoy the show!

📻 Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Audacy and Substack👉

Interested in sponsoring? 

Please reach out to [email protected]

Companies/Startups mentioned during the show:

🌊Floodbase

🌊Yale University

🌊Threes Brewing 

🌊Calidad Beer

🌊African Risk Capacity

🌊Near Space Labs

🌊Raincoat

🌊Aclima

People/places/things mentioned during the show:

🧠Dr. Beth Tellman

🧠Adaptation

🧠Atmospheric Rivers

🧠Parametric Insurance

🧠Mexico City

🧠FEMA

🧠COP 27

🧠Barbados

🧠Bridgetown Initiative 

🧠Minister Mia Mottley

🧠The World Bank

🧠Nigeria Floods

🧠Marty Schneider

🧠Rema Matevosyan

📚The Ministry for the Future - Kim Stanley Robinson

📚Gilead - Marilynne Robinson

📚Walking with the Wind - John Lewis

-TIMESTAMPS-

[00:00] Intro

[01:38] Drink of the Show

[03:20] Bessie going to Mexico

[05:03] Where is Bessie from

[05:45] Hawt dawg not a hawt dawg

[06:16] Time at Yale

[07:15] Met co-founder (Dr. Beth Tellman)

[07:57] Working on adaptation

[10:07] 2 things to shift society

[11:31] Investments in adaptation

[13:03] Adaptation is hopeful

[15:05] Invest in what we have

[16:25] Experience working in developing countries

[18:12] Original funding

[20:23] What was learned from early work

[23:40] Parametric insurance

[26:02] African risk capacity

[27:36] What happens when prices increase

[32:20] Understanding flood insurance

[35:31] Barbados and Mia Mottley

[38:24] Understanding the loans

[42:52] What happened in Nigeria

[45:07] Source of Bessie’s drive

[49:07] Marty Schneider and Bessie’s mom 

[54:28] 5 to 10 year vision

[58:25] Financial impact

[01:03:03] Rapid fire questions 

[01:04:19] Book recommendations

[01:07:15] Loved startups and founders

[01:09:35] Final thoughts

[01:11:32] END