We recently had the pleasure of bringing together 160 of the brightest minds in California’s clean energy ecosystem for our inaugural NEX Level event. Entrepreneurs from all over the Golden State convened with policymakers, funders, and clean energy experts to share clean energy resources and success stories in Berkeley. We proudly showcased the new CalTestBed cohort, PowerForward grant awardees, and leaders who’ve navigated the ecosystem and seen success through CalSEED and beyond. Attendees engaged in tailored matchmaking sessions, connecting with funders, energy leaders, and key partners in funding, industry, policy, national labs, and mentorship.

CEO of Climformatics, Dr. Subarna Bhattacharyya, explained why this gathering was so important, “many of the attendees have technologies that can be game-changing and planet-saving, including ours. And so you can see those kinds of ideas, how you can build on them, how your technology can fit into how their technology can fit into yours, all of that amalgamation can happen. The best part is that this is inspired by our work here and supported by the California Energy Commission. So we get to learn a lot more about that.”

Dandelion Energy CTO, Kathy Hannun, is working to bring geothermal energy to residential buildings. She was excited to connect with folks working on similar projects. “I’m most excited about being in a place with many other people who care about the same things as me and are working towards clean energy in California.”

This event showed that California opportunities are rich and the ecosystem to support clean energy startups is robust. Through connections and creativity, we can solve big problems and advance toward a more just, clean energy future.

CEO of Community Energy Labs, Tanya Barham, spoke on a panel and expressed gratitude for the event.

“We talk about vibrant collaboration. I’m really excited because I get to see all these other clean-tech entrepreneurs,” she said. “I think these are some of the best entrepreneurs worldwide trying to solve this problem being supported by one of the most innovative state funding mechanisms in the world. So it’s amazing to be a part of that.”

Here are recordings of some of our core sessions, including the new CalTestBed cohort introduction, an address by the California Energy Commission Chair, a keynote panel on the opportunities available to California clean energy companies, and a founder-to-founder discussion between two women leaders.

You can also browse a collection of photos from the event on CalSEED’s website.

Thanks to our partners, Momentum and the California Energy Commission, for making NEX Level possible.