CONFERENCE PROGRAM

BUSINESS AS USUAL IS DEAD

We have reached a critical mass. The stage has been set, and opportunities for green business are expanding by the day. The old world of profit at any cost is dead, killed by a NEW MARKET where customers, investors, regulators and the future workforce reward those who show true GREEN LEADERSHIP. Sustainability has become BIG business and it makes GOOD business sense. Still unsure? Come and see for yourself. At the GREENTECH FESTIVAL, we bring together best-in-class examples of GREEN BUSINESS INNOVATION, technology and leadership so you can stay at the frontier of this incredible new movement. Join our community and let’s show the world that sustainability means business!

09:30

15'

Welcome Ceremony

Dale Rickert / Max Wasler / Kai Wegner

In the opening ceremony of the Greentech Festival 2024, we will launch discussions off with deep insights into the future...

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Welcome Ceremony

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

09:30-09:45

In the opening ceremony of the Greentech Festival 2024, we will launch discussions off with deep insights into the future of sustainable business and global policy. To build a better world we need brave voices calling for change and leaders willing to take risks in order to correct the collision course we are heading on. ‘Business as usual’ is dead and in our brave new world, sustainability must become synonymous with good business. The market, customers and investors have clearly show that they will reward those who stand behind inclusive, sustainable and ethical values so let’s start the conversation, unafraid to take on the challenges before us.

SPEAKERS

Dale Rickert Global Head of Product
GREENTECH FESTIVAL

Host

Max Wasler CEO
GREENTECH FESTIVAL

Speaker : Welcome Remarks

Kai Wegner The Governing Mayor of Berlin

Speaker : Opening Remarks

09:45

30'

Opening Panel: Can the LA28 Games be a Movement for Good?

Seleta Reynolds / Oscar Zarate / Aaron Paley / Alissa Walker / Dale Rickert

Love it or hate it, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are approaching fast. LA has promised that the Games will...

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Opening Panel: Can the LA28 Games be a Movement for Good?

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

09:45-10:15

Love it or hate it, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are approaching fast. LA has promised that the Games will be an event like no other: radical reuse of venues minimising strain on the environment, new infrastructure projects designed to benefit all, and to top it off, the city plans to invest in its citizens making sure this event ‘leaves nobody behind’. Yet this wouldn’t be the first time that a city set their olympic and paralympic hopes high and came up wanting. What can LA do to make sure its sustainable dreams for the Games come true and that LA28 can truly be a movement for good? 

SPEAKERS

Seleta Reynolds Chief Innovation Officer
Los Angeles Metro

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Oscar Zarate Director of Advocacy and Organizing
Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Aaron Paley President
Community Arts Resources (CARs)

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Alissa Walker Editor
Torched

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Dale Rickert Global Head of Product
GREENTECH FESTIVAL

Moderator : Panel Discussion

10:15

35'

Panel: Is Sustainable Mobility the Key to Transforming Cities at Speed?

Lindsay Sturman / Adam Lenz / André Kaufung / John Penney / Aura Vasquez

Affordable, clean electromobility should be the holy grail for cities and regions globally, but the question remains: how do we...

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Panel: Is Sustainable Mobility the Key to Transforming Cities at Speed?

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

10:15-10:50

Affordable, clean electromobility should be the holy grail for cities and regions globally, but the question remains: how do we get there? What is the role of government and incentives in stimulating change and incentivizing inclusive mobility? How can the private sector create products that serve all segments of the community, and what can each of us do to support the decarbonization of every aspect of our lives?

SPEAKERS

Lindsay Sturman Co-Founder
Livable Communities Initiative

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Adam Lenz Head of Sustainability & Environment
Waymo

Panelist : Panel Discussion

André Kaufung Managing Director
CharIN e.V.

Panelist : Panel Discussion

John Penney Chief Sustainability Advisor
CoMotion

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Aura Vasquez Former Commissioner
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

Moderator : Panel Discussion

10:50

05'

Live Pitch: CoMotion New Mobility Challenge Winner

Saad Youssefi

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Live Pitch: CoMotion New Mobility Challenge Winner

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

10:50-10:55

SPEAKERS

Saad Youssefi CEO
Batteryz

Speaker : Pitch

11:15

35'

Panel: Creating Resilient and Sustainable Cities

Michael Geißler / Ada Williams Prince / JC Arce / Gerhard Mayer

Cities, regions and nations must transform to sustainable systems at record speed. Yet where we currently stand, even if we...

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Panel: Creating Resilient and Sustainable Cities

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

11:15-11:50

Cities, regions and nations must transform to sustainable systems at record speed. Yet where we currently stand, even if we were to switch off all systems today, we’d still be faced with decades of drastic climate effects. So, how should we adapt to the compounding social, environmental and economic effects of climate change? Let’s explore what climate resilience can offer us all and how we can build future communities that protect against climate change without leaving anybody behind.

SPEAKERS

Michael Geißler CEO
Berlin Energy Agency

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Ada Williams Prince Senior Philanthropic Advisor
Independent

Panelist : Panel Discussion

JC Arce Co-founder
The Collidescope Foundation & LA Climate Week

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Gerhard Mayer Architect
RAW International

Moderator : Panel Discussion

11:50

10'

Berlin Business Delegation: Introductions to Networking Lunch

The mayors office of Berlin will be bringing a delegation of over 40 attendees to GTF Connect LA including leaders...

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Berlin Business Delegation: Introductions to Networking Lunch

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

11:50-12:00

The mayors office of Berlin will be bringing a delegation of over 40 attendees to GTF Connect LA including leaders in business, the startup scene and public life. As a warm-up to our networking lunch, a selection of this delegation will introduce themselves to the audience, mentioning what they are wokring on and the kinds of partnerships they are seeking. We hope this curated networking activity will faasciliate deeper business and administrative ties between Berlin and Los Angeles.

12:00

1h 00'

Networking Lunch and Green Investors Crunch

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Networking Lunch and Green Investors Crunch

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

12:00-13:00

13:00

10'

Wakeup Keynote: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Decarbonisation

Eric Corey Freed

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Wakeup Keynote: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Decarbonisation

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

13:00-13:10

SPEAKERS

Eric Corey Freed Principal, Director of Sustainability
CannonDesign

Speaker : Keynote Speech

13:10

35'

Panel: CREATING CHANGE!

Nurit Katz / Adam Mendler / Erin Simon / Conyers Davis / Cassie Rauser

Our mandate is clear: if we’re going to turn around the climate disaster, we’re going to have to change everything,...

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Panel: CREATING CHANGE!

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

13:10-13:45

Our mandate is clear: if we’re going to turn around the climate disaster, we’re going to have to change everything, everywhere, all at once. Change, however, is difficult and requires a calculated and concerted approach. If we truly want to change everything, the irony is, we need to start small, choose our battles and know which levers to pull to get the desired response. Come and hear from standout changemakers who are working within the system to create deep change.

SPEAKERS

Nurit Katz Chief Sustainability Officer
UCLA

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Adam Mendler Creator & Host
Thirty Minute Mentors

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Erin Simon VP and Head, Plastic Waste and Business
World Wildlife Fund

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Conyers Davis Global Director
USC Schwarzenegger Institute

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Cassie Rauser Climate & Sustainability Strategist
MorphoStrategies

Moderator : Panel Discussion

13:45

10'

Fireside Chat: Why Supporting Local Manufacturing is a BIG Sustainability Issue

Tracy Gray / Adam Mendler

As geopolitical tensions rise, awareness is growing about the need for investment in local manufacturing. Yet many people miss the...

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Fireside Chat: Why Supporting Local Manufacturing is a BIG Sustainability Issue

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

13:45-13:55

As geopolitical tensions rise, awareness is growing about the need for investment in local manufacturing. Yet many people miss the incredible flow-on effects of investing in this traditional backbone of the American economy: home-grown and high-tech manufacturing can be regulated limiting environmental damage, local jobs support disadvantaged communities and a burgeoning economy can reinvest in local environmental and social programs. Let’s rethink economies, and rebuild our future for generations to come.

SPEAKERS

Tracy Gray Founder and Managing Partner
The 22 Fund

Speaker : Fireside Chat

Adam Mendler Creator & Host
Thirty Minute Mentors

Moderator : Fireside Chat

14:20

30'

Panel: The Soft Side of Startup Success

Sandeep Ahuja / Kent Wakeford / Alissa Baier-Lentz / Fred Walti

In the face of climate change, we are in desperate need of innovative solutions, leaders with vision and functional teams...

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Panel: The Soft Side of Startup Success

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

14:20-14:50

In the face of climate change, we are in desperate need of innovative solutions, leaders with vision and functional teams to help them drive it home. But what does it take to build and work in a Cleantech startup? What do Cleantech entrepreneurs do? What makes them different from everyone else? How do you align “doing good” with making money and ROI? How do we lead and find our way in uncertain and stressful times? Join us for a conversation with seasoned mavericks from the cleantech space who will share their insights, stories, and tips on how to thrive and make a difference.

SPEAKERS

Sandeep Ahuja CEO
cove.tool

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Kent Wakeford Co-Founder & Chairman
Breaking

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Alissa Baier-Lentz Co-Founder & COO
Kintra Fibers

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Fred Walti CEO
Network for Global Innovaiton

Moderator : Panel Discussion

14:50

30'

Panel: Sustainable Hollywood: from fairytale to action!

Audrey Vinant-Tang / Jennifer Sandoval / Adam Gordon / Steve Vitolo / Allison Begalman

“If you can dream it, you can do it” were the inspiring words attributed to Walt Disney. Yet if we...

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Panel: Sustainable Hollywood: from fairytale to action!

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

14:50-15:20

“If you can dream it, you can do it” were the inspiring words attributed to Walt Disney. Yet if we don’t want sustainability in film production to remain a dream, then we’re going to have to start acting today! Concrete action in this space is essential, as the film industry has the potential to change the world: when Hollywood makes big shifts in their sustainable practices, technologies, and workflows, other industries take note. This panel will feature leaders in green production who are turning sustainable dreams into reality.

SPEAKERS

Audrey Vinant-Tang Senior Director of Sustainability Strategy
NBCUniversal

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Jennifer Sandoval Director of Business Development
Earth Angel

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Adam Gordon Managing Partner
Wildflower Ltd

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Steve Vitolo CEO
Scriptation

Panelist : Panel Discussion

Allison Begalman Co-Founder
Hollywood Climate Summit

Moderator : Panel Discussion

15:20

10'

Green Startup Slam Grand Final

JC Jung / Max Wasler

Come and witness the grand final of the Green Startup Slam, live, on stage in LA. Decided through audience voting,...

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

Green Startup Slam Grand Final

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

15:20-15:30

Come and witness the grand final of the Green Startup Slam, live, on stage in LA. Decided through audience voting, one lucky startup will be chosen as the winner of the Green Startup Slam, USA 2024. The winner will receive a market readiness workshop with BCG X Greentech and be sponsored to attend next year’s international Green Startup Slam Grand Final at the flagship GREENTECH FESTIVAL in Berlin from the 3-5th of June 2025.

SPEAKERS

JC Jung Managing Partner
Global Sustainable Future (GSF)

Co-Moderator : Startup Slam

Max Wasler CEO
GREENTECH FESTIVAL

Co-Moderator : Startup Slam

16:00

10'

The Sustainability Managers’ War Chest: Results of Northwind Market Research

Aaron Burgess

GREENTECH FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

The Sustainability Managers’ War Chest: Results of Northwind Market Research

Friday 15.11

Main Stage

16:00-16:10

SPEAKERS

Aaron Burgess Chief Climate Officer
Northwind Climate

Speaker