ClimateHaven Green Drinks Event Recap

August 24, 2023 – We’re always looking for an excuse to get together with climatetech innovators. So, we jumped at the chance to spend a summer evening with them at the new ClimateHaven space in the heart of New Haven, Connecticut. FORGE collaborated with ClimateHaven, Green Drinks New Haven, and the Yale Planetary Solutions Project to host a fun night of drinks and networking in advance of ClimateHaven’s grand opening in the fall. This will be the first of a series of Green Drinks at ClimateHaven.

“The right partners make all the difference, and FORGE is the perfect partner for the ClimateHaven community. We share a passion for startups, an understanding of the challenges in scaling hardware technology, and an unwavering commitment to entrepreneurs. I can’t think of a better partner with whom to launch our quarterly networking series than FORGE,” said ClimateHaven CEO Ryan Dings.

More than 200 climatetech friends packed into ClimateHaven for a chill night of local beer, good wine, and great conversation. How do we know it was chill? Because The Chill Band was playing R&B and smooth jazz!

Climatetech innovators and startup teams, innovation ecosystem members, venture capitalists, manufacturers and suppliers mingled, enjoying ClimateHaven’s beautiful panoramic views of downtown New Haven. After a set of Chill Band tunes, Dings welcomed the guests. “Climate change unites economic opportunity and moral imperative, and entrepreneurship is the ultimate economic development tool,” he said.

Dings introduced New Haven’s Mayor Justin Elicker, who said “New Haven is becoming more and more of a destination [for innovation] because it’s incredible!”

We heard from:

• Mayor Elicker
• Tanya Wiedeking, Interim Director of the Yale Planetary Soulutions Project
• FORGE Vice President Adam Rodrigues

“How do we turn knowledge into action? ClimateHaven will turn good ideas into solutions,” said Tanya Wiedeking, Interim Director of the Yale Planetary Solutions Project.

Then, MakeHaven cofounder and executive director J.R. Logan led a tour of the MakeHaven makerspace next door. Startups gain access to MakeHaven with their ClimateHaven membership. With 10,000 square feet of makerspace, there were a lot of facilities to see, from the metal shop to the plastics area.

Guests left ClimateHaven at the end of the night with new friends and the excitement of what is to come once doors officially open. The FORGE team loved hearing about Connecticut’s latest climatetech innovations and seeing New Haven’s thriving green startup ecosystem!

Thank you to our partners for supporting this and other FORGE events.

If you’re a startup, manufacturer, innovation ecosystem organization, or potential sponsor interested in learning more about or getting involved with FORGE, contact us today!