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Insider's climate advisory council convened recently for a roundtable discussion. They told us they're motivated by current innovation on the climate crisis, but labor is a hurdle. The advisory council is part of Insider's One Planet initiative, the optimist's destination for climate action. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. Help wanted: skilled workersLabor is a hurdle for the green transition, said Donnel Baird, the founder and CEO of BlocPower.
Persons: Alyssa Gilbert, Ford, Cynthia Williams, Williams, It's, Donnel Baird, BlocPower, Baird, Omar Elmawi, He's, Elmawi, there's, we're, Elijah McKenzie, Jackson, McKenzie, We've Organizations: Service, Grantham Institute, Climate, Environment, Imperial College London, Ford Motor, EV, Labor, International Monetary Fund, Human Rights, Oil Locations: Europe, Kenya, Africa
BlocPower: 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50
  + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com   time to read: +1 min
Brooklyn-based cleantech company BlocPower is squarely positioned with a mission to fight climate change while solving social injustices, focusing on renewable energy, reduction of carbon pollution, and urban redevelopment in lower-income areas. BlocPower was founded in 2014 by Donnel Baird, the child of Guyanese immigrants, who drew on his experience growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn in an apartment without well-functioning heating and cooling systems. This retrofitting of older buildings can lead to major energy savings, 30% to 50%, and a reduction of at least 40% in greenhouse gas emissions, BlocPower says. In Buffalo, BlocPower inked a contract with utility National Fuel Gas Company to upgrade hybrid heating and cooling systems in 34 low-to-middle income residential and commercial buildings. It also sealed a deal with Fujitsu General America to bring a better-functioning automatic heating and cooling unit to the U.S.
But some early-stage founders told Insider they had trouble getting access to SVB's services. SVB's reliance on VC networks made it less accessible to some underrepresented founders, they said. With its focus on venture-backed startups, Silicon Valley Bank provided loans and lines of credit to businesses that often wouldn't qualify for such services at a larger bank. But the earliest-stage companies — those without significant venture funding or a notable VC backer — were still sometimes shut out, founders told Insider. Jean-Charles and Alvarez-Bailey said they didn't believe bias or discrimination was at play in SVB's decisions — they simply didn't meet the bank's VC funding threshold.
Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. Baird, the founder and CEO of BlocPower, a climate-tech company electrifying buildings in underserved communities, had more than $1 million in deposits at SVB. SVB worked with more than 1,550 clients in the climate-tech and sustainability sectors, particularly community solar. Baird said SVB was a great partner for early-stage startups because, unlike many traditional banks, it would provide loans, credit cards, and bank accounts. "People who aren't in Silicon Valley are thinking, 'Look at these rich, immature tech bros who cannibalized their own bank.
Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by US regulators on Friday. It's been a chaotic day for the startup world following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank. Insider spoke with eight startup founders about how they're responding to the crisis. Other founders weren't as fortunate: They still had their company's funds at Silicon Valley Bank as the FDIC announced it had taken control of the bank. A couple of early-stage founders told Insider they did not hold accounts with Silicon Valley Bank.
The round, which includes more than $24 million in Series B funding, was led by VoLo Earth Ventures. Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Credit Suisse, New York State Ventures, Kimbal and Christina Musk, and NBA player Russell Westbrook also were part of this equity round. The company also raised $130 million of debt financing led by Goldman Sachs, bringing BlocPower's total capital raised to-date to more than $250 million. BlocPower, a two-time CNBC Disruptor 50 company, has focused on improving the energy consumption and efficiency issues that many of the old buildings in the U.S. face. Since its founding in 2014, BlocPower says it has completed energy projects in more than 5,000 households, commercial buildings and houses of worship.
This year's economic caution marked a huge contrast to 2021's exuberance and record VC funding. Insider spoke with six founders about how they've handled the abrupt switch from market exuberance to economic caution. But at the same time, they said, they've sought to pounce on new opportunities created by the economic downturn. ElektraShifting landscapes, changing prioritiesAfter a year of record venture capital funding, the abrupt shift in investor sentiment hit hard in 2022, founders told Insider. Artificial intelligence startups are the latest beneficiary of VC hype, buoyed by breakthrough software tools such as DALL-E and ChatGPT.
The clean energy company turning city blocks greener
  + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com   time to read: +5 min
New York CNN Business —BlocPower, a Brooklyn-based clean energy company, is bringing eco-friendly, all-electric heating and cooling systems to older buildings in lower income communities, with the goal of reducing carbon footprints and energy bills. By replacing dated equipment like gas powered furnaces with heat pump systems, the company says it is able to dramatically change a building’s environmental footprint. Building owners that have turned to BlocPower say they see a real difference. BlocPower lowered bills, made the energy system quieter, cleaned the air and offered cooling solutions that tenants are thrilled with. “What needs to happen now is we need to shift gears and move the entire infrastructure of energy systems and buildings away from fossil fuels to clean energy,” said Baird.
Donnel Baird, CEO and Founder, BlocPowerDina Averuk/InsiderSince 2014, Baird's BlocPower — which contracts with local governments, utilities, and building owners to replace fossil fuels in buildings with cleaner alternatives like heat pumps and solar panels — has retrofitted more than 1,200 buildings in New York City and now has citywide electrification projects with Ithaca, New York, and Menlo Park, California. "Greening buildings creates a quadruple bottom line," Baird told Insider. "It creates jobs for local people, saves building owners and residents money on their utility bill, improves health by reducing pollution and reduces emissions. The question was, could you make money while doing it?"
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