Browning the Green Space

🎉 Thrilled to celebrate our VC OnRamp Program's success! Last week, our executive director, Kerry Bowie, had the joy of reconnecting with three out of four of the previous Azolla Ventures program interns who participated in the 3rd year of our VC OnRamp Program, supporting prospective analysts and associates in venture capital firms — Zach Sugerman (MBA, Boston University) Sujay Dhanagare (Master’s in Environmental Management, Duke University) Shuvam Rizal (Master’s in Science and Sustainability, Tufts University) Kerry had a great time catching up with each of them and looks forward to connecting with David F. (MBA, Columbia University) during New York Climate Week in September! In addition to mentoring sessions, BGS facilitated a series of primers and a simulation exercise to help students navigate the space - Venture Capital Primer, Climatetech Primer, Climate Justice Primer, Finance Primer, and VC Simulation. We’re deeply grateful to those who helped make this program possible: Keith Kinch (Browning the Green Space) Ryan D. Taylor (Startup Advisor, formerly Azolla Ventures) Ian Johnston (The Engine) Brahm Rhodes, Ph.D. (Malaika Ventures) Peter Sopher (Clean Energy Ventures) Tenzin Choeyang (Azolla Ventures) Julianne Zimmerman (Adasina Capital) #Climatetech #BrowningtheGreenSpace #BGSMatters #VentureCapital #ClimateInvesting #MentorshipMatters

Last day to apply for the COPILOT Program to help pilot projects in the communities in the Gulf Region that need them the most. Apply by Tuesday, July 15th: www.pilotathon.com

🌍✈️ Last month, BGS Executive Director Kerry Bowie traveled to Detroit and New Orleans to attend two powerful gatherings of visionary Black leaders driving innovation, equity, and sustainability: the Black Innovation Alliance (BIA) Sustainability Summit and Agape. While the BIA Sustainability Summit focused on national and international strategies, Agape was centered on Southern strategies—recognizing that nearly 60% of Black Americans live in the South. Kerry, in addition to being a founding member of BIA and decade-long attendee of the Gathering on the Vineyard facilitated by Mosaic Genius and HEAD AND HEART PHILANTHROPY, has also been attending Agape since its launch just one year ago. During these convenings, Kerry had the pleasure of reconnecting with brilliant partners and colleagues working at the intersection of entrepreneurship, community, and climate justice, including:  🌱 D. Rose Barboza – Black Owned Maine 🌱 Dr. Christal M. Jackson – Mosaic Genius and Head, Heart Philanthropy, Founder of Agape 🌱 Sherelle Withers – Innovation Metropolis 🌱 Jenna Scott – Black Innovation Alliance 🌱 Dr. Brahm Rhodes – Malaika Ventures, Village Capital, Fictive Ventures 🌱 Sherrell Dorsey – Build the Good 🌱 Kelly Burton, PhD – Black Innovation Alliance   🌱 Kwamena Aidoo – Corridor Ventures  🌱 Kelli Saulny – Corridor Ventures  🌱 Nathaniel Smith – Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE)  🌱 Kwaku Osei – Cooperative Capital & The LOVE Building  🌱 Shawna Young, MBA – Camelback Ventures We’re deeply grateful for spaces like the BIA Sustainability Summit and Agape that center community, collaboration, and sustainability—and amplify the brilliance of Black changemakers across the country. The future of climate justice and innovation is bold, Black, and deeply connected. ✊🏾💚 #BrowningTheGreenSpace #BlackInnovationAlliance #SustainabilitySummit #Agape #ClimateEquity #BlackLeadership #ClimateJustice #BGSMatters

The Summer 2025 MassCEC Support Internship Program Success (SIPS) Initiative has kicked off with an incredible group of 2 and 4 year degree students! Thank you to all our employer host partners who have hired these students for summer internships, our partners at First Gen Leadership and The Upward Project for recruitment and workshop support and to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center for funding the program! This week, we were thrilled to welcome Marion Jones, MPA from Nexamp and Jhenny Saint Surin from Eversource Energy as speakers for our "Intro to Clean Energy Careers" workshop where they shared their career journeys and insights around opportunities in the sector. As you can see from Marion's post below, we've thoroughly enjoyed using the platform SpatialChat to build community and engage students virtually. As the program continues, we'll be diving into additional career pathway exploration, environmental and energy justice and professional development workshops around networking and the job search process. #workforcedevelopment #firstgen #internships #climatejobs #environmentaljustice #cleanenergy

Excited about partnering with Energy Tech Nexus to connect and pilot climatech solutions in communities throughout the South! Looking forward to catching-up with friends and partners next week in New Orleans at Agape to share more about our plans. Please encourage interested parties to apply by July 15th! #BGSMatters, #removingbarriers, #climatesolutions, #creatingjobs, #buildingwealth, #reducingenergyburden, #communitypilots

Attention MA Clean Energy Employers! Are you still looking for summer talent? The MassCEC SIPS Initiative still has plenty of funding available and BGS has over 60 eligible students looking for opportunities in clean energy and climate! Fill out the employer interest form below and BGS will connect you with these talented and eligible students. bit.ly/SIPSemployerform

Our Executive Director, Kerry Bowie, was honored to join the UMass Energy Transition Symposium for a lively and thoughtful debate on how best to achieve a just energy future through technological abundance or conservation and behavior change. Kerry represented the technology-driven approach, while Hendrik Van Den Berg offered a case for conservation. In his closing remarks, Kerry emphasized that it’s not an “either/or” but a “both/and.” Reaching a just energy future will require both innovative technologies and shifts in human behavior and policy. We’re grateful to Kerry’s former colleague, Dr. Dwayne Breger, for the invitation, and congratulate him on his upcoming retirement! We’re also grateful to Hendrik Van Den Berg for the great debate, to Jared Starr and Erin Baker for organizing, and to the many UMass students, faculty, and staff who made the event a success. A special shoutout to the graduate and undergraduate students who presented their climate, clean energy, and decarbonization research during the poster sessions—we hope you continue to explore these critical questions and lead the way forward 🌎 #BGSMatters #EnergyTransition

Our Executive Director, Kerry Bowie, was excited to attend the Manufacturing Accelerate Program (MMAP) Award Announcement Event in Worcester on April 24th as a nonprofit partner to Active Surfaces, a member of the first cohort of our #ACCEL program. Kerry also had the chance to meet two new Austins — Austin Vella, Community Engagement and Marketing Manager at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and Austin Fehr, Device Engineer at Active Surfaces. We’re thrilled to see Active Surfaces and the other awardees, including Holden Lai from Osmoses, scale their manufacturing operations in Massachusetts. Congratulations to Active Surfaces and co-founders Shiv Bhakta ☀️ and Richard Swartwout on this well-deserved recognition! 

📣 Calling all Energy Efficiency Contractors! 📣 BGS is thrilled to cohost the upcoming webinar "Reduce Your Risk: Build a Thriving Business with Fast Track Management Tools" alongside the Building Performance Institute, Inc. on April 30th from 5- 6 PM. Join us to learn about a free new business toolkit developed specifically for energy efficiency contractors providing customizable employee handbooks, financial templates and helpful guides on how to streamline operations. Available in both English and Spanish. More details and registration link below! #MWBE #energyefficiency #businessdevelopment #BGSmatters

🎉 BGS is thrilled to be supporting the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources Clean Energy Internship Program for the 2nd year in a row as the education and opportunity partner! We'll be working to recruit BIPOC students into the program as well as providing career and professional development workshops and mentoring for all students in the summer program in partnership with Emerald Cities Collaborative (ECC). STUDENTS: We are actively recruiting RI students to participate in the Summer 2025 session. Current or recently graduated students of RI-based colleges/universities or RI residents attending out of state colleges/universities can fill out a brief intake form below to receive support from BGS this spring. Please spread the word with your networks! ➡️ RI Student Interest Form: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eJ86tftP EMPLOYERS: We are also recruiting RI based employers to host interns this summer. Please fill out the Employer Interest form below or attend one of our upcoming Employer Info Sessions to learn more- the first one is today at noon! ➡️ RI Employer Interest Form: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eGRyajxX 🗓️ April 7th Virtual Info Session Registration: bit.ly/RI-Info-APR7 🗓️ April 15th Virtual Info Session Registration: bit.ly/RI-Info-APR15