Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA — Symbium’s Climate Lightning Talks on October 14th at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica was a smashing success, bringing together thought leaders, investors, technologists, and students eager to shape the future of climate solutions. Held during the vibrant #LATechWeek by a16z, the event drew a standing-room-only crowd, underscoring the excitement and momentum around clean energy and climate innovation.
Organized in collaboration with RMI and the ABC Collaborative, the evening featured fast-paced fireside chats with trailblazing innovators across solar, transportation, manufacturing, and geothermal sectors. The format — a lightning-style series of engaging conversations — was expertly led by Leila Banijamali, CEO of Symbium, who guided speakers through insights on the boldest challenges facing their industries and the solutions they’re building to address them.
Symbium’s guests for the lightning talks conversations included the following leaders:
- Lai Phanhkomh, Director of Ops Efficiency at Sunrun
- Will Drewery, Co-Founder & CEO at Diagon
- Joselyn Lai, Co-Founder & CEO at Bedrock Energy
- Jeral Poskey, CEO at Swyft Cities
Each guest shared their vision for how their technologies are monumentally reshaping critical infrastructure and tackling the hardest systemic barriers, from accelerating renewable energy adoption to advancing sustainable urban mobility. The candid conversations highlighted a common theme: collaboration between innovators, policy leaders, and local communities is essential for achieving a zero-carbon future.
The event also provided a great networking opportunity, with attendees ranging from climate enthusiasts and investors to students from nearby UCLA and USC, eager to join the movement toward sustainable innovation. It was inspiring to see a shared determination to turn ideas into tangible impact — from tech entrepreneurs pushing the boundaries of what’s possible to students ready to take on internships and gain hands-on experience in climate work.
Below are some moments from the event:
This event was a testament to the power of coming together to exchange ideas and foster connections across energy, supply chain, and transportation. As Symbium continues to build solutions that streamline compliance and enable the growth of clean energy infrastructure, we are honored to collaborate with such passionate innovators and supporters in the climate space.
Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this event such a success! Stay tuned for more collaborations and exciting updates from Symbium in the months ahead.
Let’s keep building the future together! 🚀
To participate on stage or as a sponsor for Symbium events, contact us: hello@symbium.com
