Keeping it Cool: A Climate Innovation Podcast

Today we’re joined by Amy Gobel, the Co-Founder of the Alliance for Responsible Capitalism (ARC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering business leaders to engage in climate policy and corporate political responsibility. Through ARC, Amy collaborates with business students and professionals to promote education on the intersection of business, climate, and policy, aiming to drive systemic change in corporate governance and environmental impact.Amy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-gobel-68109bb2/ Alliance for Responsible Capitalism: https://www.alliance4rc.org/ The En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator: https://www.climateinteractive.org/en-roads/ Questions, comments, or feedback: Email me at lr2693 [at] nyu.edu Cover art © Anita Sheih 2025, check her out! https://www.instagram.com/anita.indd/Podcast theme music created with Suno

Today on Keeping it Cool, we're joined by Oliver Shafaat, founder and CEO of Sci-Lume Labs, a materials science company developing Bylon™: a biodegradable, recyclable fiber made from agricultural waste. With a PhD in biochemistry from Caltech and years of experience leading fiber R&D in Japan, Oliver combines deep scientific expertise with a passion for sustainable innovation. Bylon is designed to match the performance of synthetic fibers like nylon and polyester while offering a circular, fossil-free alternative that integrates seamlessly into existing textile manufacturing processes. Sci-Lume Labs is currently scaling production and collaborating with apparel brands to bring Bylon to market.Oliver’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-shafaat/ Sci-Lume Labs: https://www.sci-lumelabs.com/ Questions, comments, or feedback: Email me at lr2693 [at] nyu.edu Cover art © Anita Sheih 2025, check her out! https://www.instagram.com/anita.indd/Podcast theme music created with Suno

Today we’re joined by Karen Sheffield, Founder and Managing Partner of Pachamama Ventures, a venture firm investing in early-stage U.S. climate tech companies. After 16 years as a finance executive at Fortune 100 companies and 4 years as an active angel investor, Karen launched Pachamama to back brilliant founders tackling the climate crisis. She also previously served as a Finance Director at Visa, and previously held roles at PepsiCo and American Airlines. Karen holds a double degree in Finance and Economics from TCU and an MBA from UT Austin.Karen’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-sheffield/Pachamama Ventures: https://www.pachamamavc.com/Questions, comments, or feedback: Email me at lr2693 [at] nyu.eduCover art © Anita Sheih 2025, check her out! https://www.instagram.com/anita.indd/Podcast theme music created with Suno

Today on Keeping it Cool we’re joined by Adam Masser, COO and General Counsel at Ivy Energy, a climate tech company making clean energy accessible for renters and multifamily buildings. Ivy Energy’s software platform brings solar benefits to tenants and property owners alike, solving a long-standing equity and billing challenge in distributed energy. Prior to Ivy, Adam helped scale legal and operations teams at Arcadia and brings a systems-thinking approach to climate innovation, bridging law, policy, and technology to accelerate the energy transition. Learn more about Ivy Energy at https://www.ivy-energy.com/.Adam’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-masser/ Questions, comments, or feedback: Email me at lr2693 [at] nyu.edu Cover art © Anita Sheih 2025, check her out! https://www.instagram.com/anita.indd/Podcast theme music created with Suno

Today on Keeping it Cool, we’re joined by Tiffany Yeh, Co-Founder & CEO of Eztia Health, a company developing passive cooling materials to reduce heat stress without electricity. Recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 – Social Impact, Tiffany combines her background in materials science and medicine to create innovative solutions for extreme heat, one of the most pressing challenges of climate resilience.Eztia’s first product is a lightweight, wearable cooling device designed to help prevent heat-related illnesses—offering a sustainable alternative to energy-intensive cooling systems. Learn more about Eztia at https://www.eztiahealth.com/.Tiffany’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyyeh11/Questions, comments, or feedback? Email me at lr2693 [at] nyu.eduCover art © Anita Sheih 2025, check her out! https://www.instagram.com/anita.indd/Podcast theme music created with Suno.

Today on Keeping it Cool we’re joined by Mehrad Yaghmai, a Founding Partner of Cool Climate Collective, an investment collective dedicated to funding entrepreneurs tackling the climate crisis. Mehrad has brought together investors and operators at the intersection of climate and technology to support early stage climate tech founders, with co-investors that include Y-Combinator, Builder’s Vision, Collab Fund, Third Sphere, Mission One, and Climate Capital. Learn more about Cool Climate Collective at https://www.coolclimatecollective.com/. Mehrad’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mehrady/Mehrad’s Podcast, Climate on the Edge: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/climate-on-the-edge/id1766353019 Questions, comments, or feedback: Email me at lr2693 [at] nyu.edu Cover art © Anita Sheih 2025, check her out! https://www.instagram.com/anita.indd/Podcast theme music created with Suno

Today we’re joined by Helen Yang, the Founder & CEO of Clement Packaging, a company creating compostable packaging for sustainable consumer products. Clement Packaging is dedicated to the fight against plastic pollution by offering a bamboo alternative to typical petroleum plastic packaging. Learn more about Clement Packaging at https://www.clementpackaging.com/. Helen’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenyang2376/ Questions, comments, or feedback: Email me at lr2693 [at] nyu.edu Cover art © Anita Sheih 2025, check her out! https://www.instagram.com/anita.indd/Podcast theme music created with Suno

Today’s episode features Aiyana Bodi, Manager of Drawdown Labs at Project Drawdown, a non-profit dedicated to helping the world stop climate change as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible. Project Drawdown is a trusted, science-based, and independent guide for effective climate action across the globe. Learn more about Project Drawdown at http://www.drawdown.org. Aiyana’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aiyana-bodi-96871383/ Questions, comments, or feedback: Email me at lr2693 [at] nyu.edu Cover art © Anita Sheih 2025, check her out! https://www.instagram.com/anita.indd/Podcast theme music created with Suno

Today we welcome Nisha Desai, the Founder & CEO of Intention, a platform designed to democratize climate investing. Intention makes it easy for anyone to invest in climate tech startups without becoming an accredited investor through their crowdfunding platform. Learn more about intention at https://www.investwithintention.io/. Email Nisha: nisha [at] investwithintention.ioNisha’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nisha-desai-8b8a3b8/Questions, comments, or feedback: Email me at lr2693 [at] nyu.edu Cover art © Anita Sheih 2025, check her out! https://www.instagram.com/anita.indd/Podcast theme music created with Suno

Welcome to the first episode of the Keeping it Cool Podcast – your dose of climate optimism. This episode introduces the podcast by giving background on me, Lena, your host. It gives some context on the current state of the climate crisis and introduces the format of the podcast, some topics we will cover, and what to expect over the next few episodes. Questions, comments, or feedback: Email me at lr2693 [at] nyu.edu References:Time, Here Are All of Trump’s Major Moves to Dismantle Climate Action – https://time.com/7258269/trump-climate-policies-executive-orders/Banking on Climate, The Mortgage Lending Opportunity in Building Decarbonization: https://edc.nyc/sites/default/files/2024-12/NYCEDC-Banking-on-Climate-Mortgage-Lending-for-Decarbonization.pdfIEA, Renewables 2023 Executive Summary – https://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2023/executive-summaryNYC Comptroller, NYC Climate Dashboard – https://comptroller.nyc.gov/services/for-the-public/nyc-climate-dashboard/emissions/Cover art © Anita Sheih 2025, check her out! https://www.instagram.com/anita.indd/Podcast theme music created with Suno