Carbon Xprint to present at Greentech Investor’s Forum on November 11th 2016
Democratizing Investments in Clean Energy and Carbon Offsets: Opportunities for Small Investors
| Date: Friday, November 11, 2016
Time: 8:00am – 10:00am Organizer: Gelvin Stevenson, PhD Host: Sidley Austin LLP Location: 787 Seventh Ave. (AXA Equitable Building, between 51st and 52nd Streets), 23rd Floor |
The Greentech Investors Forum (GIF) will have a new format for November 11’s meeting. We will hear from four companies (and one Sector Expert) that are creating similar opportunities—raising and employing capital from smaller investors to combat climate change.
The International Energy Association has calculated that investments in clean energy of at least $1 trillion a year are needed to “prevent climate catastrophes”. In 2015, only $330 billion was invested globally and $52 billion in the US.
Where will that additional money come from? The big players, eg pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, wealthy family offices and corporation must lead the way. But they can’t do it alone. It is urgent to develop ways to facilitate clean investments from everyone—even small investors.
Several entrepreneurs and companies are doing just that—developing investments for “the little guy”—committed and aware people with more modest resources. Companies active in this area—and who will speak today—include two established actors:
- CoPower, which streamlines up-front financing for clean energy projects and
- Carbon Capital Credit, which allows people and families to offset their footprints by investing in climate friendly changes in developing countries;
and two startups:
- Carbon XPrint, which allows people to offset their carbon footprint ton-by-ton of CO2 with minimum or zero risk; and
- Climate-IT, a new crowd-funding equity platform for clean energy companies.
Here are the speakers and more information on the companies:
CoPower. Trish Nixon, Director of Investments [by phone]
Proven technologies like solar PV panels, geo-exchange heating and cooling systems, LED lighting and other energy efficiency retrofits can help our buildings and communities reduce CO2 and generate clean energy, profitably. But high upfront costs and specialized investment expertise required is limiting deployment of these solutions. Distributed clean energy projects are often too small to access mainstream infrastructure finance.
CoPower unlocks capital for climate solutions by empowering individual investors to participate in – and profit from – the shift to a world powered by clean energy. Our online platform makes it easy to access curated investment products backed by renewable generation and energy efficiency projects in underserved markets. In turn, we offer developers access to streamlined project financing to build more green infrastructure across North America.
Leo Leibovitch, Project Director, Carbon Credit Capital
Carbon Credit Capital allows individuals and families to offset their carbon footprints with small investments that offset the carbon footprint of any product, service, or organization. Carbon Credit Capital’s projects are located globally, in China, Brazil, The United States, and Uganda, with more added on a regular basis.
Projects are designed to not only generate high-quality carbon offset credits, but also bring benefits to people living in the areas where these projects are implemented. Rigorous international standards are used for the development of projects, the calculation and monitoring of emissions reduction, and the consistent issuance of carbon credits.
Apart from generating the highest quality carbon offsets, the projects also provide a host of socio-economic “co-benefits” to the local communities. These benefits include better living conditions, job opportunities, access to clean and renewable energy, improved health, and even trust funds for the communities, which provide direct reimbursements, and a framework for sustainable and responsible economic development.
Gary Kier: Carbon XPrint
Carbon XPrint is a start-up that aims to make it easy to translate concern for climate change into measurable action that comes with a financial reward. It uses deposits which earn interest.
Carbon Xprint products work much like traditional financial products such as savings bonds and CDs. When a consumer purchases a CX product, the funds are directed toward certified green projects. At the end of the deposit term, consumers get their money back with interest. In addition, CX’s pricing structure makes it simple to quantify your efforts and balance your carbon footprint.
A Carbon Xprint product is priced at the cost of one ton of carbon dioxide or equivalent greenhouse gases (CO2e), generally considered to be around $40/ton. The money from a CX purchase goes toward financing certified energy-efficiency, energy storage, and renewable-energy projects.
Carbon Xprint verifies that each investment is certified by a reputable institution. This ensures that the funds are directed toward projects that fight climate change and help build a better future. At the end of the deposit term, the investors receive their money back (with interest), just like traditional financial products such as savings bonds or CDs. In many cases, that money will be insured or guaranteed.
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REGISTER EARLY—SECURITY IS TIGHT.
Register at the GIF Eventbrite page: Greentech Investors Forum Eventbrite Page
Or contact Gelvin at gelvin.stevenson@gmail.com.
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Dan Tefft: Climate-IT
Clime-IT™ is launching a comprehensive SEC-registered Equity Crowdfunding Portal unlike anything that exists today. Focused exclusively on profitable climate change solutions (e.g. adaptation, mitigation, carbon sequestration), Clime-IT™ will feature investment opportunities from businesses raising between $500K to $50 million/year. Projects are being sourced from established relationships with a global network of Cleantech business incubators. It is structured for worldwide expansion through licensing of regional portals under the umbrella of the parent company Clime-IT™ LLC.
PHASE I is designed for accredited and institutional investors.
PHASE II will be directed at “The Crowd” (unaccredited investors) and will include an extensive marketing blitz aimed at educating and involving potential clients.
More than just an investment, portal Clime-IT™ will be an all-encompassing, green-jobs-posting, collaboration-prompting, community-rallying, and information-driven identity network ruled by one overarching principle: Protecting our planet with people, passion, purpose and profits.
Clime-IT.com is poised at the confluence of the Fintech, Cleantech, and next industrial revolutions. It is a solution that supports all other climate solutions.
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GIF thanks Investors Circle for its generous support, Geoff Miles and Chino Maduagwu for developing and operating GIF’s video, social media and design capabilities, ToniaPopke for her financial expertise, and Jesse Goldstein, PhD, for his continued support.
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Sector Expert: Hillary McMahon, Managing Director of Hazel.
Hillary has worked as Director of Intelligence at Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room, and previously as an expert and as a thought leader at the World Resources Institute, the UN, the European Commission and others.
FORMAT: Each speaker will give a 10 minute presentation and then we’ll have five minutes for discussion. That will leave 15 minutes for open discussion.
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Disclaimer: The Greentech Investors Forum (GIF) is not soliciting funds for the presenting companies, nor is it encouraging parties to invest in them. We try to find good companies—not necessarily good investments. They have been advised on what is acceptable in terms of predicted results, but GIF takes no responsibility for what they actually do, say, or how they perform in the future.
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Agenda: 8:00 to 8:20 – Networking
8:20 to 8:30 – Introductions
8:30 to 9:30 – Trish Nixon (by phone), Leo Leibovitch, Gary Kier and Dan Tefft. Each speaker will make a 10 minute presentation, followed by five minutes of discussion.
9:40 to 9:50 – Hillary McMahon, Managing Director, Hazel
9:30 to 10:00 – Discussion
Security: Security is tight, so please register early. If there is a problem at the Security Desk, please contact Gelvin Stevenson at 917-599-6089.
Fees: $50, payable ahead of time or at the door. Cash or checks and credit cards accepted.
$25 for call-in. Registered call-ins will be emailed the call-in numbers and, if available, the slides to be presented.
$20 for students and faculty
To register, visit this Eventbrite site Greentech Investors Forum or send your contact information to Gelvin Stevenson at gelvin.stevenson@gmail.com or 917-599-6089. And contact Gelvin If you have questions or need more information.
Bios
Trish Nixon, Director of Investments, CoPower
Trish is Director of Investments at CoPower, a clean energy investment firm empowering individuals to invest in the low carbon transition. There, she is responsible for capital raising strategy, including product structuring and investor relations. In her prior role at the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, Trish founded Impact8, a social venture accelerator, and led venture services for the SVX, a private impact investing platform. She also spearheaded the development of the MaRS/Virgin Unite Impact Venture Fund (“Catalyst Fund”).
Trish has written and contributed to a number reports on impact investing including “Mission Possible: Assessing the Appetite, Activity and Barriers for Impact Investing Among Canadian Foundations,” and “Opportunities for Impact: A White Paper on Social Impact Investing” for TD Bank. She is the 2016 Recipient of the Edward Newton Award for Social Innovation, presented by MaRS, and co-recipient of the Clean50 Award for Environmental Entrepreneurship.
Previously, Trish was a financial reporter at Reuters, and has worked in sponsorship marketing at RBC and GMR Marketing. She holds an M.A. International Relations from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland).
Leo Leibovitch, Project Director, Carbon Credit Capital
Leo leads the efforts to establish the Company’s position as a premier provider in the direct sales and brokerage by promoting bulk transactions of carbon offsets. A seasoned expert in the emissions markets, he holds a successful management and business development track record having been at several prominent players in the climate finance industry, including international direct investors, carbon project developers, GHG consultancies, and energy commodity trading desks.
Gary Keir, Founder & CEO, Carbon X-Print
Gary Keir grew up in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and worked in the family roofing business. He did a stint as an environmental biologist. Gary moved into IT and project management, analysis, and programming. He has visited the front line of climate change in Alaska’s Arctic 15 times as a leader for backpacking and rafting trips. His solution to this problem is Carbon Xprint Bonds.
Dan Tefft, Founder & CEO of Climate-IT
Previously, Dan was the Founder & President of TreeBanking, Inc., which engaged in tropical reforestation. TreeBanking, Inc. was conceived as a system to engage the general public in the process of reforesting large tracts of deforested land in the tropics. The business model was based on an online platform reminiscent of Scottrade or E-Trade whereby clients could buy, sell, trade and track the value of their investment in tropical hardwoods that were planted within the reforestation projects. Values are easily assigned based on growth and spot price of various species of tropical hardwoods. Profits are realized as the clients’ trees are systematically harvested.
Trees planted during TreeBanking, Inc.’s business cycle continue to mature within a reforestation project in Costa Rica generating a slow but substantial ROI for clients and a significant exit for investors.
Before that, Dan was Managing Partner for Greenlinecare, an environmental engineering firm, based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Hilary McMahon, Managing Director, Hazel
Advancing the low-carbon economy at Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room | Clean technology strategist | Devoted to actionable, high-impact change
Hilary McMahon puts sustainability strategies into action every day. Sustainability and the role of the private sector is the foundation of Hilary’s professional life as the former Director of Intelligence at Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room, and previously as an expert and as a thought leader at the World Resources Institute, the UN, WBCSD and the European Commission. From energy efficient retrofits of cargo ships to “smart island” economies, the skills that Hilary provides as a business development professional and senior strategist has made financially beneficial projects like these come to life. Creating deal flow, vetting projects, developing strategy, and empowering large teams to work together are skill sets Hilary brings to any engagement.
Hilary has a particular interest in the role of technology and new business models in solving social and environmental challenges. As such she has been instrumental in many important projects e.g. as a Judge for the MIT Co-Lab, Echoing Green Fellowship and Yale Low Carbon Case competition, as a reviewer for the World Energy Outlook, a selection committee member for Bloomberg NEF and a nominee for the C3E Energy Award. Communicating on energy and sustainability comes naturally to Hilary, and provides a global perspective as a result of her experience working all around the World and with a multitude of change makers. Hilary is the Managing Director of Hazel, an Advisory Service for investors looking to have positive impact in the world.
