Climate change is the challenge of our generation. Urgent action is needed to mitigate its devastating effects and build a more sustainable future. Here’s where climate tech comes in – it’s  a rapidly growing field offering innovative solutions to decarbonise industries, reduce  greenhouse gas emissions, and adapt to a changing climate. 

Climate tech is not just good for the planet but also presents a wealth of new opportunities for professionals. At LMC, we want to help decarbonise the built environment, one candidate at a time by connecting the best talent in the space to the best companies.

This blog article will discuss the power of climate tech careers by exploring the stories of Sarah
Ho and Weronika Janusek. Motivated by their shared ambition to tackle climate change challenges in the built environment sector, Sarah and Weronika aim to revolutionise the carbon emissions data ecosystem. Their solution concentrates on addressing the growing demand for climate-related financial disclosures but also tries to future-proof investments and development strategies, increasing asset longevity and including stakeholders’ participation in this process.

Keep reading to get inspired by Sarah and Weronika’s journeys!

How did you first become interested in working in climate tech?  

Sarah’s interests in foreign policy, habitats and climate protection led her to move from digital marketing into architectural studies, enabling her to identify and tackle complex issues from various domains. During summer 2023, BIG Innovation South London programme invited Sarah for a new business idea which led to the team’s setup exploring solutions to identify opportunities to solve real estate and construction industry most pressing issues, impacting the end consumer, climate change and the economy. Also, participation in Techstars London hackathon AI provided her with the exposure on the benefits of AI across social and professional sectors and opening of networks.

Weronika’s entrepreneurship experiences originated from the recognition of the importance of integration of data complexity and analysis into strategic decision-making aligned with sustainability. On the occasion of the European Innovation Academy accelerator program, together with an intentional and multi-disciplinary team, she explored a data-driven approach towards impacting consumer purchasing behavior within the construction materials sector. This was followed by an advisory position in Green Offshore Tech accelerator exploring IoT as a solution for supply chain management.

What is your educational and training background and how has it  influenced your career in climate tech? 

Sarah‘s architectural journey at the Architectural Association fostered innovation, entrepreneurship, and diverse cultural learning. Influenced by her studies on geopolitical factors, knowledge production, and stakeholder analysis, these elements collectively shaped her approach to world management and systems. Sensitive to socio-economic challenges, her project experience across small to large-scale developments of varying complexities upholds her holistic approach, enabling her to bridge strategy and execution on projects and businesses comprehensively. 

Weronika’s journey began with sustainable development research during Architecture degree at Central Saint Martin’s where she tried to understand the interrelation between cities and  their underlying “invisible” energy systems dependence, referring to Adam Smith’s “invisible  hand” analogy. In the “Invisible Energies in City Making” dissertation she drew a parallel  between the wider economic incentives and the feasibility of scaling sustainable architectural  projects. This is where her interest in value creation strategies in real assets began  understanding the cruciality of integrating sustainability factors into the very core of business models. 

From your experience, what are the essential skills that someone  needs to succeed in climate tech?  

Sarah and Weronika agree that there is no universal formula for a person to succeed in climate  tech, but there are a few skills that will definitely help you get there, such as: 

In what ways do you see the climate tech industry evolving in the next two  years, and how can aspiring professionals prepare for these changes?

In the opinion of Sarah and Weronika, there are 3 key ways in which aspiring professionals can get ready for the upcoming changes in the area: 

We will continue to encourage those who are considering to work in climate tech to explore opportunities, as the space may come across mainly for scientific solutions which isn’t necessary the case. The space needs more advocates that will remove  barriers to entry for those with ideas to meet potential funders directly at speed. 

Climate tech could potentially emerge as an investable and attractive asset class as we approach 2030, and if policies and funding increase their support for this area across industries.

We anticipate improvement in public and private funding and support space for climate tech, specialists and allies are needed to ensure market fit, traction to generate the return investors  are anticipating. The funding landscape is projected to improve with more attention given to mechanism and framework to fund at speed what is classed as risky investments due to lack of successful track record on new ideas.

From the built environment perspective, we think climate tech could resolve the decentralized nature of the sector while introducing data collection and sharing solutions among others. The current AI boom may become an opportunity to integrate sustainability and machine learning  through creation of smart tools. For the real estate sector, it means an increase in the development of data centers and the related emissions increase. For this reason, climate tech  may concentrate on energy efficiency but also work as a behavioral change solution to  address consumption at its core.

The time to act on climate change is now 

The journeys of our featured stories show the important role of lifelong learning and strategic networking in climate tech. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to navigate this path alone. Through the collaborative efforts of the EIT Campus and LMC, we’re bridging the gap between aspiring professionals and industry leaders. Our combined expertise offers a wealth of resources to empower you: 

EIT Campus: our platform provides access to a comprehensive library of courses designed to  give the opportunity to upskill and reskill within the sector, be it through our courses on data science, IoT, sustainability, and AI, or getting skills and industry insights on our blog. 

The time to act on climate change is now. By harnessing the power of lifelong learning, strategic networking, and the resources available through EIT Campus and LMC, you can build a rewarding career while contributing to a sustainable future. 

If you’re looking to start a career in climate tech, join us for our first event. Find more information and register here.