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C T I N N O V A T O R S , 2 0 2 5 1 3 Lee brings a connector's mindset to leading New Haven's ClimateHaven through shiing green tides Mission Driven >> By Norman Bell What a difference a year makes. Last fall, climate research, green energy and sustainable choices seemed to be on a roll. Millions of dollars of federal subsidies had been approved and were in the pipeline. Until they weren't. Yes, elections have consequences. And few felt those consequences as acutely as ClimateHaven, a New Haven incubator/ accelerator for climate-tech startups, and its CEO, Justine Lee. Lee, a self-proclaimed "pragmatist," declines to use the word pivot to describe what's happening to the work of 42 startups — weighted toward solar, wind and grid efficiency technologies — under ClimateHaven's growing umbrella. But, she acknowledges, there have been some "reordering of priorities." Nowhere is the shi more apparent than in ClimateHaven's offering in connection with New York City's Climate Week in late September. ClimateHaven's Water Tech Future Forum brought together a mix of about 400 scientists, academics, the green community, government officials and Wall Street interests. Another 400 were on the waitlist, Lee said with a mix of surprise and appreciation. Amazon and Xylem, a global water tech firm, spoke about their water challenges and the opportunities to do pilots and real-world demonstration projects, which are critical to a startup's success. ere was also a discussion, from the investor perspective, on the capital stack available for scaling new technologies. e event put a bright spotlight on the Water Innovation Hub, a collaboration between ClimateHaven and the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA). Xylem is also a partner in the hub, which seeks to give water startups a bridge to pilot projects and commercialization. e Water Innovation Hub debuted in May at the Yale Innovation Summit and quickly launched a global competition in partnership Juine Lee CEO ClimateHaven Education: Bachelor's degree, Yale University; law degree, Columbia Law School Age: 51 LEE CEO Justine Lee stands in ClimateHaven's New Haven office, where she leads the accelerator/ incubator's efforts to help climate-tech startups bring new technologies to market. PHOTOS | STEVE LASCHEVER Continued on next page