HOST A RIPPLE ROUNDTABLE

WHAT IS A RIPPLE?

The Drop aims to get action-oriented minds in climate tech to meet and open our minds together. The Ripples is a format to get attendees to organize round table discussions (well, around pallets actually).

Like all other things happening at The Drop, the Ripples are not marketing or a place where a few people blast and brag. So, we want a discussion and something that everyone learns and grows from.

The Ripples will be during The Drop’s main day; the 17th of September.

STRUCTURE & SETUP

The format is: One subject (ideally a topic you discuss behind closed doors internally)

- 20+ people
- 40 minutes
- Two hosts (from different organizations)
- Silent-disco headphones so any number of people at the venue can listen in
- Microphones at the table
The moderators/organizers open the Ripple and do a ~5 minute introduction of the topic and question. The moderators/organizers are the time/space keepers to make sure it becomes a great conversation in the coming 30 minutes and then move to wrap up the discussion.

CHOOSING YOUR RIPPLE TOPIC

Your Ripple topic should be focused and specialized and avoid:

- Overgeneralized topics like "We need to invest in climate."

- "How to help founders with [generic startup problem]" unless it is a very climate-specific topic (such as FOAK or CAPEX financing, etc.)

- Overly broad subjects

The moderators/organizers open the Ripple and do a ~5 minute introduction of the topic and question. The moderators/organizers are the time/space keepers to make sure it becomes a great conversation in the coming 30 minutes and then move to wrap up the discussion.

TOPIC SUGGESTIONS

Best of all is a topic where you have strong opinions and thoughts, but if you need ideas, here are violent discussions we’ve had over the last 6 months:

1. Electrifying, digitalizing, re-industrializing and home shoring industry
2. Critical minerals and geopolitics

3. Is China the world’s biggest climate leader?

4. RIP Climate Tech or how can it give venture returns within venture timelines?

5. Is biotech having a revival or will it be too CAPEX intensive?

6. AI, AI, AI, AI, AI, AI, AI, AI, AI, and AI - how does it effect climate? Good and bad!

7. How do we get more Deep tech / ScienceTech / FrontierTech

8. Solar Radiation Management, “Buying more time,” and Adaptation Tech

9. Can we decarb long haul transport economically?

10. Removing carbon in a world where only profit and votes matter…

11. Activism and “blowing up pipelines” - are we there yet?

12. Base load: Nuclear, Geothermal, and energy storage

13. Cybersecurity and defence/military - where is the overlap with climate?

14. Wildfires, floods, and storms - what else do we need to wake up humanity?

15. How important is additionality versus volumes of money?

16. Alt funding: FOAK, CAPEX, Offtakes, …

17. Is FoodTech VC-incompatible - which would be disastrous?

18. Couldn’t a lot of the far-right’s views be very “climate aligned” - self-resilience, local jobs, prepping, sovereignty - can the current political winds be good for climate?

19. Is retrofitting the way or should we bet on new buildings solving embedded carbon?

20. Extreme weather events: can insurance keep up, and at what cost?

21. The global south: development, equity, and their role in a low-carbon future

22. Biodiversity loss and clean water: where do they rank in the climate crisis priorities?

23. The grid: decentralization, resilience, attack-vector, old and archaic, …

24. Corporate climate pledges: Real commitments or PR strategies? And, are the corporates the only ones with the scale to solve the problem?

25. Waste to X and circularity - just too expensive and won’t happen without regulation?

26. How can a CVC invest not knowing if there is a strategic fit with the corporate?