Notes from the Founders Summit at 9Zero Seattle
Pacific Northwest Climate Week, a conversation with StepChange's Ben Eidelson, and a reminder that building a startup does not have to be a solitary pursuit.
On July 15th, Jeff Nichols, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Pilotlight, attended the Founders Summit at 9Zero's Seattle Innovation Hub, part of Pacific Northwest Climate Week.
One highlight of the day was a conversation with Ben Eidelson of StepChange, known to many in the climate community as 'Climate Papa.' Eidelson took the time to learn about the platform Pilotlight is building, which helps building owners and the consultants who serve them manage clean building compliance, tracking benchmarking, deadlines, and paperwork in one place instead of piecing it together by hand. His feedback was thoughtful, specific, and encouraging, the kind of attention from someone who has seen a lot of climate companies come through.
The summit also brought together a broader group of climate founders. For a startup, the day-to-day work can be an isolating pursuit, so time spent among others building toward the same goal was a valuable reminder of why the work matters.
Jeff also connected with Ian Vensel, the new General Manager at 9Zero. For companies building in climate tech, or anything adjacent to it, 9Zero has become a hub for founders, investors, and partners in the Pacific Northwest, and a community worth supporting.
Pilotlight thanks Ben Eidelson and Ian Vensel for the conversations, and the 9Zero Seattle team for hosting.