Rooted & Rising
On April 22nd, 2026, VertueLab hosted our first annual Earth Day event, Rooted & Rising: Powering Climate Tech for the Next Generation.
This gathering was an undeniable success thanks to the incredible climate community in Seattle. Individuals from all sides of our ecosystem came together; from VertueLab climate founders to ecosystem partners, curious community members to University of Washington next-gen entrepreneurs — the excitement around climate tech was palpable.
Fireside Chat featuring Lisa Stiffler, David Gory, and Anne Carlson
VertueLab held a Fireside Chat as the featured program. The panel, moderated by Lisa Stiffler from GeekWire, included under-30 entrepreneur David Gory; founder of Airbuild, and over-30 entrepreneur Anne Carslon; co-founder of Jiminy's.
Their conversation delivered a fresh perspective on the importance of intergenerational collaboration within the climate tech community. Stay tuned for a closer-look into their Fireside Chat!
Rishabh Kumar, Anshul Prakash, Harshavardhan G Reddy with their project, Seract.
Oliver Olmedo presenting his team’s project, CurbAI,
VertueLab invited students from the University of Washington’s next-gen entrepreneurs to present the projects that they are building for the future.
While cross-generational guests discussed the importance of climate innovation, we asked them to brainstorm a Rooted Reflection. We wanted to find out what drives climate action across different generations — and how the evening’s conversations could widen the scope of everyone’s perspectives. Answers spanned from reflections highlighting personal stake in the health of our planet, to visions of an equitable future, and even shoutouts to the work being done by VertueLab:
I’m rooting for…
“Clean energy access for the developing world.”
“New tech and founders with an optimistic vision of the future.”
“People coming together for a cause.”
"The end of global warming [through] helping climate tech entrepreneurs.”
“All things PNW climate week.”
“Strong, healthy, stable collective action.”
And finally,
“I’m rooting for you, VertueLab!”
