Announcement Detail

Fireside Chat: From Idea to Impact. Building Credibility in Climate Tech
Date: Friday, March 27, 2026
Time: 11:00 am - 12 pm PST
Location: Virtual
Join us for a Fireside Chat with Karen Baert, Co-Founder and CEO of Ammobia and former WCS Pitch Competition winner, as she shares what it takes to stand out, build credibility, and look like a winner while scaling breakthrough climate technology.
Ticket price:
- Free for WCS Members
- $15 for Non-Members
- Interested in becoming a member? Please learn more and apply here
Please note: This event will be recorded.
What does it really take to stand out, and win, in the competitive world of climate innovation?
Join us for a Fireside Chat with Karen Baert, Co-Founder and CEO of Ammobia and a previous Women in Cleantech & Sustainability Pitch Competition winner, as she shares her journey from breakthrough idea to fundable, high-impact startup.
Ammobia is a seed-stage company born out of Stanford, pioneering a novel approach to clean ammonia production that dramatically lowers pressure, cost, and risk—unlocking decarbonization opportunities across fertilizers, chemicals, marine shipping, and heavy industry. Karen will reflect on what helped her company “look like a winner” to judges, investors, and partners, from technology readiness and market clarity to storytelling, credibility, and founder presence.
Drawing on her experience across climate tech, venture investing at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, strategy consulting at Bain & Company, and the Stanford Hydrogen Initiative, Karen will offer candid insights into:
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What differentiates winning startups in pitch competitions and fundraising
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How founders can signal credibility, momentum, and scalability
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Lessons learned building a deep-tech company in a high-stakes climate sector
Designed for women-identifying founders and operators in cleantech and sustainability, this Fireside Chat offers practical takeaways, honest reflections, and inspiration from a founder who has successfully navigated the path from problem to platform and emerged as a winner.
Speaker:
Co-Founder & CEO, Ammobia
Karen Baert is a co-founder and CEO at Ammobia. Ammobia is a seed-stage start-up out of Stanford revolutionizing ammonia synthesis by enabling cost-effective clean ammonia production. Their novel, innovative integrated reactor and ammonia separation method enable ammonia production at 10x lower pressure, drastically reducing capex/production cost and increasing the flexibility and safety of ammonia production. With their breakthrough technology, Ammobia is on a mission to decarbonize fertilizers, chemicals, marine shipping and heavy industry.
Prior to Ammobia, Karen Baert was Innovation Strategist at the Stanford Hydrogen Initiative, Investor at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Strategy Consultant at Bain & Company and worked at multiple climate tech companies.
Karen Baert holds a degree in Chemical Engineering (Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium), Renewable Energy Engineering (Technical University of Berlin, Germany) and an MBA (Stanford Graduate School of Business, USA).
About the FoundHER in Climate 2026 - Women Entrepreneurs Coaching Series
As the impacts of climate change reverberate and global energy transitions gain urgency to meet growing demand, women remain underrepresented in founding roles across climate tech and sustainability. The global climate tech market is projected to reach $100+ billion by 2030, with $20 billion in VC investments into US climate tech companies in 2024 alone. However, across the same period, solo female founders in the climate sector received less than 2% of that total funding, reflective of the larger trend of women-only founders receiving 2% of VC funding globally. To close the gap, targeted support systems and comprehensive resources are critical for equipping female founders with the tools and networks they need to succeed.
FoundHER in Climate 2026 is an exclusive and comprehensive 10-month program designed to fast-track women entrepreneurs building in the climate, cleantech, and sustainability sectors into the top 50% of investable ventures. The program - running from January through October 2026 - features expert-led workshops, office hours, fireside chats, and networking sessions to build critical business skills for early-stage founders looking to raise seed funding. Top industry leaders and successful founders provide hands-on guidance in fundraising, leadership, marketing, pitching, and legal fundamentals, with completion of the series intended to prepare participants for the WCS Pitch Competition and Reverse Pitch Events.
Learn more here | Schedule
EVENT SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE! Please email us at info@womencleantechsustainability.org if you have any questions.

