A Digital Garden in a Sea of Suits: Reinventing the Climate Tech Gathering
MONTAUK CLIMATE
A Digital Garden in a Sea of Suits: Reinventing the Climate Tech Gathering
Montauk Climate is a climate tech incubator focused on building impactful companies through strategic collaboration with mission-driven founders. Their approach emphasizes the optimization of capital, talent, and ideas to foster success in the climate technology sector. During NYC Climate Week—one of the industry’s busiest periods with over 600 events—Montauk Climate needed to create a memorable experience that would meaningfully connect funders and founders.
01 THE ASK
Create a distinctive event during NYC Climate Week that would effectively bring together funders and founders in the climate technology space, while standing out in an extremely crowded event landscape.
02 THE INSIGHT
The traditional climate tech event landscape is dominated by fireside conversations, pitches, and presentations. These formal environments, typically characterized by corporate atmospheres and conventional networking approaches, often create barriers to authentic connection. The saturation of this format presented an opportunity to differentiate through a more innovative, experiential approach.
03 THE SOLUTION
Early Spring partnered with Toronto-based digital artist Diana Lynn VanderMeulen to create an immersive experience titled “Pixel As Seed.” The installation explored the intersection of digital art and land conservation, drawing inspiration from the artist’s personal experience in revitalizing unused farmland. The pixelated ecological imagery invited attendees to contemplate the relationship between technology and environmental preservation.
04 THE RESULT
The environment facilitated natural networking and authentic conversation earning recognition as a standout gathering during NYC Climate Week, successfully differentiating Montauk Climate while fostering meaningful connections between climate tech leaders and innovators.