24-25 October 2024, San Francisco
The Golden Gateway to Carbon Removal Pioneers in the Americas
400 CDR experts under one roof. This October, join and work alongside a diverse group of business pioneers, innovative scientists, and influential politicians striving for climate stability.
Meet the West Coast Speakers
Introducing the leaders and experts taking centre stage in San Francisco. From leading buyers and investor heavyweights to NGOs and tech developers, we've assembled a diverse and senior group of CDR champions to help you meet you ambitious climate goals.
Katie Sullivan
Global Managing Director
Phil De Luna
Chief Carbon Scientist & Head of Engineering
Gillian Lui
Sustainability Manager
Na'im Merchant
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Steve Oldham
CEO
Randy Spock
Carbon Credits & Removals Lead
Ryan Edwards
Director of Climate Policy
Anu Khan
Founder & Executive Director
Giana Amador
Executive Director
Diego Saez-Gil
Founder & CEO
Jennifer Jenkins
Chief Science Officer
Erik Hansen
Chief Sustainability Officer
Tim Sperry
CEO
Giana Amador
Executive Director
Ryan MacPherson
Director, Climate Innovation & Investment
Anu Khan
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Our Mission: One Gigaton of Carbon Removed from Earth's Atmosphere
Unrivalled connections
Unmatched insights
Unbound opportunities
Access to the Americas and Asia
San Francisco is emerging as one of the world's central CDR hubs. Hundreds of corporate buyers are located within the region, it's a gateway to LATAM and Asia, and offers instant access to the investment capital of the world, Silicon Valley.
Unparalleled senior networking
An expertly curated audience of 400 senior executives and decision makers, 80% C-Suite or Director level. Schedule all the vital meetings you need for the year, across two days in our exclusive summit networking app.
Hear the latest insights, unlock your next opportunity
Join interactive discussions around CDR buyers, hear from state-level policy makers; learn from Silicon Valley's investment leaders and be involved in the CDR conversation.
2024 Sponsors
These industry leaders are supporting innovation, investment and collaboration in carbon removal.
Meet our Carbon Unbound USA ‘24 Advisory Board
CDR pioneers crafting the discussion.
Brad Ack
Chief Executive Officer
Ocean Visions
Giana Amador
Executive Director
Carbon Removal Alliance
Nikki Batchelor
Director of Carbon Removal
XPRIZE Carbon Removal
Sarabeth Brockley
Head of Carbon Strategy
Nasdaq
Harris Cohn
Head of Sales
Charm Industrial
Kerry Constabile
Vice Chair, Energy Technical Advisory Committee & Senior Climate Expert
Gold Standard
Natalia Dorfman
CEO & Co-Founder
Kita
Kristin Ellis
Partner
Lowercarbon Capital
Alexander Farsan
Head of Climate and Environment
Klarna
Justin Freiberg
Managing Director
Yale Carbon Containment Lab
Mars Garza
Co-Founder
Alcove
Julie Gosalvez
Chief Marketing Officer
Climeworks
Annie Guo
Strategic Origination Lead, Carbon Removal
Microsoft
Angela Hepworth
SVP Commercial Innovation
Drax
Robert Höglund
Climate Advisor
Milkywire
Tito Jankowski
CEO
AirMiners
Hannes Junginger-Gestrich
Founder & CEO
Carbonfuture
Anu Khan
Deputy Director of Science & Innovation
Carbon180
Michelle Li
Founder
Clever Carbon
Jim Mann
Founder & CEO
UNDO
Radhika Moolgavkar
Head of Supply & Methodology
Nori
Luke Rondel
Head of Growth
Running Tide
Ben Rubin
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Carbon Business Council
Gaurav N. Sant
Pritzker Endowed Chair in Sustainability
UCLA Samueli School of Engineering
Benjamin Schulz
Founding Partner
Carbon Removal Partners
Mitchel Selby
Sustainability Fund
Shopify
Chris Sherwood
Secretary-General
Negative Emissions Platform
Anna Stukas
VP Business Development
Carbon Engineering Ltd
Susan Su
Partner
Toba Capital
Christian Theuer
Policy + Comms
Heirloom
Duncan Turner
General Partner
SOSV
Ongeleigh Underwood
Director
Circular Carbon Network
Rob van Straten
CEO
Skytree
In numbers
C-Suite or Director Level
Organisations in Attendance
New Audience Members Event to Event
Don't Just Take Our Word For It
Just some of the delegate praise for previous Carbon Unbound summits.
Tickets are now live!
Get access discounted rates and fast-track your CDR journey.
2024 Marketing Partners
2024 Summit Themes
VC Funding in Silicon Valley, and Beyond
How are investors responding to early-stage CDR demands?
The Power of Community Engagement
Addressing concerns, considering impacts and listening to local voices
State-Level CDR Policy
Sharing policy trends and updates from California, and state-level actors
What’s On?
Carbon Unbound West Coast hosts two full days of action-packed sessions and networking, here's your laser-focused CDR agenda.
Thursday 24th October
Morning
Coming Soon...
Afternoon
Coming Soon...
Friday 25th October
Morning
Coming Soon...
Afternoon
Coming Soon...
Unbound
Sustainability Pledge
Through the partnerships made, the momentum built and the knowledge shared, we are confident that our summits are helping engineer a carbon neutral world. We recognise that our events
portfolio generates its share of emissions...
Which is why we have partnered with Milkywire's Climate Transformation Fund to account for carbon emissions across our
global event portfolio.
What’s On?
Carbon Unbound West Coast hosts two full days of action-packed sessions and networking, here's your laser-focused CDR agenda.
Thursday 24th October
Morning
Carbon Unbound is partnering with Terraset to create a first-of-its-kind event activation to unlock philanthropic capital and catalyse permanent carbon removal. Leveraging Terraset's tax-deductible vehicle for carbon removal, we’re calling on our audience to make history and drive real impact by allocating dollars to a portfolio of incredible CDR companies, which is then used to purchase CDR.
- Andes
- Capture6
- Charm Industrial
- Climeworks
- Frontier
- Graphyte
- Heirloom
- Octavia
- Planetary
- Spiritus
- TerraFixing
With the top 10 buyers combined representing ~92% of purchases, and a growing removals gap, our goal is to change the narrative around CDR purchasing, spotlight some incredible CDR providers and leverage the summit to make a quantifiable, tons removed difference while ensuring transparency and enhancing trust.
Putting our money where our mouth is, Unbound is matching Marketplace donations up to $10,000. Join us in allocating tax-deductible $$$ to CDR and showcase your commitment to accelerating us to gigaton-scale!
Adam Fraser - CEO, Terraset
Kevin Niparko - Co-Founder, CDR.fyi
Tito Jankowski - Co-Founder & CEO, AirMiners
Oliver Katz - Co-Founder & CEO, Unbound
- Policies that create demand for carbon removals are needed to increase CDR innovation and scale-up. State-level action is on the rise. Which states have made significant progress in the last two years, and how?
- US States are the laboratories of higher policy and offer, in many ways, more direct pathways for impact. These state CDR policies vary significantly, reflecting diverse approaches and levels of commitment to decarbonization. What are the most significant policies in leading ‘CDR states’?
- Besides policies, incentives for carbon removal vary widely, reflecting each state's unique priorities and resources. What can new ‘state’ players learn from CDR leading states, and how do regional variations impact the policy choice?
- Efforts in policy work have shifted. Newer and underserved solutions (ERW, BICRS, mCDR, etc.) are currently taking the spotlight from DAC. What are the motivations for this shift?
- California is leading the way in CDR; however, other states have different or opposing views. How do you find common ground that can work for companies and their clients who work interstate?
Wil Burns - Co-Director, Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal
Giana Amador - Executive Director, Carbon Removal Alliance
Kyle Clark-Harris - Manager Carbon Removal Policy, RMI
Nora Cohen Brown - Head of Market Development & Policy, Charm Industrial
Quinn Antus - Program Manager Emerging Market Carbon Management/CDR, Colorado Energy Office
- Where are the credits coming from?
- What are the different types of projects (Nature-based Solutions vs Novel) and types of credits (removal vs avoidance)
- What determines a high-quality project?
- What are the beneficiaries' most important needs? For example, the project's finance ability, the sustainability of inputs, actual construction and duration, permeance risk, leakage, and additionality.
Brian Hartmann - President, NorthStar Clean Energy
Invite-Only Breakout Session - CDR-curious buyers come together and learn about how to make a purchase, the benefits of including CDR in their sustainability roadmap, and how to choose the right strategy for their company.
Adina Mangubat - Accelerator Director, AirMiners
Elias Cain - CDR Funding Portfolio Manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Experienced start-up leaders share their scale-up journey, and key learnings around investment strategy and partnership selection.
Lisa DeMarco - Senior Partner & CEO, Resilient LLP
Brennan Spellacy - CEO & Co-Founder, Patch
Diego Saez-Gil - Founder & CEO, Pachama
Steve Oldham - CEO, Captura
CDR needs stable, multi-year demand to scale. That foundation can and should come from government because CDR is a public good. But this requires policy that is resilient to political shifts, like a possible new administration after the US election. How do we build both demand and resilience in CDR policy, in the US and beyond?
Anu Khan - Founder & Executive Director, Carbon Removal Standards Initiative
Organisations invite attendees to participate in intimate discussions around critical challenges related to CDR development. The session will culminate in the delegation sharing new ideas.
1. Standardizing to Scale: How can we Develop Global CDR Benchmarks?
Russell Karas – SVP, Head of Commodities, Xpansiv
2. Unlocking Funding for Electrochemistry-Based CDR: A Guide for Startups, Investors, & Research Funders
Silvan Aeschlimann - CDR Advisor, Third Derivative
3. CDR Co-Benefits: How Can We Maximise Positive Impact?
Fiona Perera - Manager, Methodology Development & Innovations – Gold Standard
4. Empowering the Global South: Scaling Carbon Removal with Smallholder Farmers
Matt Rickard - COO, Biochar Life and Mercy Awuor Ogembo, County Manager, Kenya
5. Understanding Quality and Risks in Nature-Based Carbon Removal
Ross Bernet - Carbon Removal Buyer & Senior Program Manager, Microsoft
6. Energizing DAC: The Massive Opportunity for Clean Energy Providers
Patricia Loria - VP of Business Development CarbonCapture
7. How can Governments (Federal, State, & Local) Help to Create a Robust CDR Market?
Elias Cain - CDR Funding Portfolio Manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
8. The Road to Credible CDR: Insights from Climate Vault's RFP Program
Brynn Esterly - Head of Carbon Removal Solutions, Climate Vault
9. Removing Barriers: How Pioneering Buyers Can Unleash Scope 3 Solutions In The Built World
Jesse Hudecki - Head of Carbon Products and Partnerships, CarbonCure
10. Biochar Co-Benefits: Maximizing Revenue & Climate Mitigation by Developing End-Use Markets
Myles Gray - Executive Director, US Biochar Initiative
11. Sustainability Professionals & CDR Startups: What's Important to Both Sides of the Table
Jason Grillo - Strategic Partnerships, AirMiners
Afternoon
- How should buyers consider supporting DAC incumbents, who are scaling now, versus new entrants with novel DAC technologies, which are projecting lower costs but are way earlier in their journeys?
- Given the increased interest in, and purchases of, conventional solutions like biochar and reforestation, how has this impacted more cost-intensive CDR pathways like DAC?
- One of DAC's co-benefits is job creation. How do we attract and retain talent, especially those from remote areas? How do we ensure local communities benefit from these economic and employment opportunities?
- CDR.fyi's weighted average DACCS price decreased 43% from $1261 to $715 per tonne between 2022 and 2023. Where do we expect this number to land over the next year, and what is driving down cost?
Jason Hochman - Co-Founder & Executive Director, The DAC Coalition
David Elenowitz - Founder & CEO, Zero Carbon Systems
Kajsa Hendrickson - Director of Policy, Carbon180
Phil de Luna - Chief Carbon Scientist & Head of Engineering, Deep Sky
- California’s compliance market has been in operation for over 10+ years and has been linked to the Québec markets for a decade. How do compliance markets influence the VCM in North America? Will CDR become more compliance-driven?
- SBTi has also developed a Net-Zero Standard, which defines what it means to achieve net-zero emissions at the company level. What actions are required by key stakeholders in the CDR market to restore trust and liquidity?
- California’s Air Resource Board’s (CARB) Cap-and-Trade Program has included carbon removal credits since 2022. What successes and lessons have been learned, and how can it help similar programmes elsewhere?
- For a variety of reasons, carbon credit buyers incorporate soil carbon credits and other nature-based solutions into their portfolios. How effective are the processes for monitoring, reporting, and verifying the authenticity of these removals?
Katie Sullivan - Managing Director, IETA
Carl Berglund - Co-Founder & CCO, Nordbex
Ida Hempel - Vice President, Galvanize Climate Solutions
Jennifer Jenkins - Chief Science Officer, Rubicon Carbon
Shannon Smith - Chief Commercial Officer, Chestnut Carbon
Toby Janson-Smith - Chief Program Development & Innovation Officer, Verra
Start-Up your engines! A selection of investors will be positioned in the breakout room, ready to meet start-ups.. Start-ups take a seat and have 3 minutes before a bell is rung, at which point they move to the next investor.
XPRIZE finalists and Innovative start-ups will present their cutting-edge CDR solutions and business cases to a panel of investor judges.
Alex Kopelyan - Senior Director & Partner IndieBio, SOSV
Benjamin Schulz - Founder, X-SAF
Anca Timofte - CEO & Co-Founder, Holocene
Colton Dirksen - Chief Business Officer, CarbonRun
Michelle Torelli - CEO & Co-Founder, CarbonForge Technologies Inc
Tetsuo Moriyama - CEO, Carbon Xtract Corporation
- Potential scale and status of CDR in the mining sector: where are we now and where are we heading?
- Market incentives: outside of the VCM, what key opportunities exist for different market strategies?
- Challenges: What key challenges need to be tackled to help with the adoption of CDR in the mining sector?
Bart de Baere - Senior Geochemist, WSP Canada Inc
Cara Maesano - Manager Climate Aligned Industries, RMI
Rhys Savage - Carbon Removal Scientist, Isometric
Sean Lowrie - Head of External Affairs, Arca
- Are all open-system pathways (enhanced rock weathering (ERW), ocean alkalinity enhancement, biomass sinking and blue carbon ecosystems) gaining terrain in the CDR Ecosystem? What has the progress been, and what can we expect in 2025?
- What have been the main roadblocks in scaling open-system CDR economically and sustainably?
- MRV is crucial in effectively deploying open-system carbon removal (CDR) methods. Which part of MRV is the most challenging, and what have been strides forward?
- Open- and closed-system CDRs have different approaches and are often seen pitted against each other. How can we encourage these to work in tandem, meeting different needs? How can we achieve a necessary balance between both systems?
Ben Tarbell - CEO, Ebb Carbon
Kate Richmond - Principal Engineer, Industrial & Climate Tech, Synapse Product Development
Katie Sierks - Carbon Removal Senior Program Manager, Microsoft
Friday 25th October
Morning
Anca Timofte - CEO & Co-Founder, Holocene
Randy Spock - Carbon Credits & Removals Lead, Google
- Over the past year, the volume of purchases has increased, but the number of companies purchasing has yet to. What is prohibiting new buyers from entering the market?
- Many companies are still prioritising their own emission reductions over-investing in carbon removal. What levers are likely to convince corporates to include CDR in their strategies and act now?
- What elements of project design and implementation interest buyers most when putting together their CDR portfolios? What are the risks to look out for?
- Governments play a crucial and formative role in helping to fund, build, and scale the CDR industry. Both the US and Canadian governments actively buy credits. What can they do better to incentivize private companies to follow suit? And how can the federal government play a role in increasing the supply of high-quality removals while bringing down the cost of private-sector purchasing?
Nikki Batchelor - Executive Director, XPRIZE Carbon Removal
Adam Fraser - CEO, Terraset
Erik Hansen - Chief Sustainability Officer, Workday
Juliet Kirby - Founder & CEO, Gentoo.earth
Na’im Merchant - Co-Founder & Executive Director, Carbon Removal Canada
Nishad Pai - Head of Business Development, Heirloom
Kevin Niparko - Co-Founder, CDR.fyi
- Several fossil fuel companies are investing in start-ups and research initiatives focused on carbon removal technologies. What is the motivation for fossil fuel companies to enter the CDR market?
- What can the CDR sector learn from extractive industry companies and are we tapping into their expertise enough?
- Have there been notable projects and initiatives between CDR developers and extractive corporations? What has been the key to success?
- Are governments doing enough to incentivise partnerships and/or sustainable transitions, and are efforts different in countries where extractive industry companies are state-owned?
Ryan Edwards - Director of Climate Policy, Oxy
Organisations invite attendees to participate in intimate discussions around critical challenges related to CDR development. The session will culminate in the delegation sharing new ideas.
1. Standardizing to Scale: How can we Develop Global CDR Benchmarks?
Russell Karas – SVP, Head of Commodities, Xpansiv
2. Unlocking Funding for Electrochemistry-Based CDR: A Guide for Startups, Investors, & Research Funders
Silvan Aeschlimann - CDR Advisor, Third Derivative
3. CDR Co-Benefits: How Can We Maximise Positive Impact?
Fiona Perera - Manager, Methodology Development & Innovations – Gold Standard
4. Empowering the Global South: Scaling Carbon Removal with Smallholder Farmers
Matt Rickard - COO, Biochar Life and Mercy Awuor Ogembo, County Manager, Kenya
5. Understanding Quality and Risks in Nature-Based Carbon Removal
Ross Bernet - Carbon Removal Buyer & Senior Program Manager, Microsoft
6. Energizing DAC: The Massive Opportunity for Clean Energy Providers
Patricia Loria - VP of Business Development CarbonCapture
7. How can Governments (Federal, State, & Local) Help to Create a Robust CDR Market?
Elias Cain - CDR Funding Portfolio Manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
8. The Road to Credible CDR: Insights from Climate Vault's RFP Program
Brynn Esterly - Head of Carbon Removal Solutions, Climate Vault
9. Removing Barriers: How Pioneering Buyers Can Unleash Scope 3 Solutions In The Built World
Jesse Hudecki - Head of Carbon Products and Partnerships, CarbonCure
10. Biochar Co-Benefits: Maximizing Revenue & Climate Mitigation by Developing End-Use Markets
Myles Gray - Executive Director, US Biochar Initiative
11. Sustainability Professionals & CDR Startups: What's Important to Both Sides of the Table
Jason Grillo - Strategic Partnerships, AirMiners
Afternoon
- Nature-based solutions (NBS) in agriculture are increasingly being adopted in California to address environmental challenges and enhance sustainability. Which solutions have been the most favourable and why? Do these practices differ from other agricultural states?
- In the US, farmers are known to be fairly conservative in adopting new practices. How do project developers motivate farmers to change and improve practices?
- Regenerative agriculture is critical to decarbonising the food sector, however, the responsibility for delivery is often with the farmers who face an increase in risk and costs. How do carbon credits support farmers, and how much do subsidies impact regenerative agriculture?
- The potential for storing carbon in soil is greater than previously believed. ERW and biochar also promise to positively re-shape agriculture for farmers and storage capacity. What are the main opportunities and challenges for these approaches?
Matthew Potts - Chief Science Officer, Carbon Direct
Ikarus Janzen - CCO, Varaha
Maddie Hall - CEO, Living Carbon
Tripp Wall - CEO, Pantheon Regeneration
Natalie Urban - Director of Origination & Partnerships, Symbiosis
Gather in the LIVE Carbon Removal Marketplace to discover how much has been donated! We’ll hear where the money has come from, where it’s going, and we'll push a final call for donations.
- What are the necessary frameworks for CDR to serve as a tool for climate and environmental justice, and how can environmental justice be incorporated in the early stages of CDR?
- Indigenous peoples and local communities' wisdom, lived experiences, and essential priorities are indispensable in growing an industry. What are the most important benefits to communities and First Nation / indigenous people to consider in supporting the development of CDR projects in their area / on their land? And what are the first steps a developer needs to take when talking to locals about potential project development?
- Economic, social, and environmental impacts are often mentioned in the same phrase as benefits. How does this work in practice, though? Is this the case, and how do we achieve all three at once?
- Where concerns over communal involvement, benefits, and respect for ancestral lands and their inhabitants are strong, CDR may not gain a local ‘social licence’ to operate. How can we turn negative experiences and scepticism into something positive? What have been success stories?
Chris Neidl - Co-Founder, OpenAir Collective
Francesca Hillery - Director of Programs & Partnerships, Global Ocean Health & Member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes (California)
Gillian Lui - Sustainability Manager, REI
Hendrik Tiesinga - Co-Founder, Tambora Carbon Removal
- What is the status of Silicon Valley's interest in carbon removal technology? How does it compare to appetite in other climate industries?
- Where are the current funding gaps, and how has this changed since last year?
- The “Valley” remains the powerhouse but what other regions are emerging as investor hubs?
- The "valley of debt" represents a critical period in a startup's lifecycle, marked by financial challenges, while achieving sustainable growth and profitability. How can investors assist in overcoming this period?
- How big is the current market for non-dilutive funding and how can these instruments assist start-ups, especially with FOAK projects?
- Once start-ups move from strategy to execution, billions of dollars are needed from large-scale investors to meet their expectations, and CDR companies’ risk profiles usually don’t match. How can we bridge the chasm?
Matt Eggers - Managing Director, Prelude Ventures
Meghan Edge, Head of Carbon Investments, Ripple
Mike Biddle - Partner, Evok Innovations
Susan Su - Partner, Toba Capital
Picture the Scene
You’ll join us at Convene, 40 O'Farrell in the beating heart of San Francisco. Amongst iconic landmarks and well connected, it’s the perfect space to listen, share and form the ideas of the future.
Nearest Stations
- Union Square/Market St Station Northbound
- Market St & Stockton St
- Market St & 3rd St
Closest airports
- Oakland International Airport: 35 minutes by cab, 1 hour by train
- San Francisco International Airport: 25 minutes by cab, 50 minutes by train
Hotel Recommendations
- Budget Conscious: Hilton San Francisco Union Square
- Mid-Range: Hotel Nikko San Francisco
- High-End: Palisociety
A Priceless Experience
One ticket to gain access to the best in the industry. Our goal has–and will always be–to create an accessible space for diverse conversations and growth around CDR.
Need a discount?
Click on the relevant group below, fill out a contact form and we will be in touch!
Super Early Bird
Early Bird
General Admission
Sold Out!
$1795
$1895
Need a discount?
Click on the relevant group below, fill out a contact form and we will be in touch!
Have Questions? Read our FAQs
Need more answers? Contact our team by clicking the button below.
Is the summit streamed/ available digitally?
We believe nothing can replace the value of in-person meetings and sitting behind a screen for hours on-end hinders creativity and focus. Taking place in the heart of San Francisco, we've made the decision to do away with virtual streaming. Get out from behind your desk and come away energised, with the connections and insights you need to take your project to the next level.
I'm a start-up. Are there special rates?
Start-ups are entitled to a special discount if you meet certain critera. Please get in contact with delegates@unboundsummits.com and share your number of employees, series of funding and company focus.
What is included in my ticket?
A full two-day, in-person summit pass. Listen to all live discussions and join the debate. Access to our networking app two weeks before and four weeks after the summit. Breakfast, lunch, networking break snacks, and coffee for both days. One hour of closing networking drinks on day 2.
What is your refund policy?
Up to 30 days before the event date you can cancel and request a refund, there will be a 15% cancellation fee. After this point, we unfortunately are unable to provide a refund. You can however transfer your pass to a colleague anytime.
Do you have an event app, and am I able to book 1-1 meetings?
Yes! Meetings and networking is at the core of our summits. As an attendee, you will receive information about how to join our event app two weeks before the summit. On there, you will be able to connect with other attendees and set up meetings onsite.
How can I apply for a press pass?
For more information on press attendance, please email rupert@unboundsummits.com.
Secure Your Place!
The Golden Gate City awaits! For any booking enquires or further details, our team is on hand to help.
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We’re better together. CDR solutions require thought from all areas of science, business and politics.
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Looking for hotel recommendations, more details, or session information? Don’t hesitate to reach out.