Join the Syndicate
Invest via our SPVs into climate startups we collectively source and diligence.
About · From weak signals to world standards
Investors and operators, working at the intersection.
Cool Climate Collective brings together investors and operators at the intersection of climate and technology to accelerate system-level solutions. Our members have built companies like Tesla, Stripe, Google, Meta, DoorDash, Slack, Square, and Airtable — and now put that experience behind the earliest climate teams.
Manifesto
Our north star is clear.
Backed by a decade of building, scaling, and investing, we work with the boldest teams at the earliest moments — fixing systems at the seams across electrons, atoms, flows, and signals. Then we give them more than capital: IP support, go-to-market, talent, and policy navigation, drawn from the collective.
We engage the collective network in diligence, leaning on their expertise. We co-invest with smart people, and we look for strong indicators of execution — especially in the team and its traction. Then we support founders with our pool of experienced operators, The Collective.
From weak signals to world standards. Foresight-led, market-made.
For a deeper read into the framework beneath all of this, start with Mehrad's original climate-investing framework, or explore how it has evolved into the five doctrines on our thesis page.
Six ways to engage
Ways to interact with the collective.
Join an Investment Committee
We match scientific, domain, and industry experts to ad-hoc ICs on live deals.
Learn About the Fund
Get broad, diversified exposure to an early-stage climate technology portfolio.
Pitch Your Startup
For us to put $100k–$350k into your round.
Co-Invest With Us
Let's share our favorite climate startups.
Have Another Idea?
We constantly incubate new initiatives and spin them out through the ecosystem.
Team
Who runs the collective.
Cool Climate Collective was founded in 2021 by Mehrad Yaghmai and Tristan Pollock. Mehrad is Managing Partner and works with a rotating set of venture partners to diligence and support portfolio companies.
Mehrad Yaghmai
Founding & Managing PartnerMehrad architected the systems design behind a growing ecosystem for climate innovation. A decade operating in Dubai shaped his entrepreneurial edge — building and exiting ventures in e-commerce and EdTech, steering advanced-manufacturing projects, and partnering with FDI initiatives and the Dubai Future Accelerators to catalyze the region's startup economy. He previously directed Terra.do's "Climate Change for VCs," guiding 40+ corporate and family-office investors, and contributes foresight research that translates systems insight into strategy and tooling. LinkedIn →
Teddy Hennes
Platform PartnerTeddy fast-tracks early-stage startups with rigorous due diligence and high-leverage ecosystem building. He previously ran operations for an executive membership platform uniting cross-sector leaders around venture philanthropy and public-private partnerships. Over ten years he built customer-centric systems and an influential network of executives driving long-term impact in economic opportunity, education, and global security. LinkedIn →