This roundtable is presented under the umbrella of the Georgian Startup Summit, continuing the tradition of connecting local innovators with the global frontier of technology and investment.

As the global community races toward net-zero goals, Georgia and the region are seeing a rise in climate-driven innovation and green investment. This roundtable explores how the green transition can be accelerated through collaboration between cleantech entrepreneurs, renewable energy developers, and sustainable finance leaders.

Three key players at the intersection of innovation and capital will share their insights on building scalable green solutions, unlocking funding for climate infrastructure, and aligning with global ESG trends:

• Mark Sandler – CEO of Step Energy, a company leading the deployment of solar and distributed energy systems

• Taavi Vellest – Founder of Cleori Energy, a Baltic innovator in smart energy and grid optimization

• Aleksandre Jashiashvili – Representative of ProCredit Georgia, a frontrunner in sustainable banking and green lending

The session will examine both the technological advances powering the transition and the financing models making them viable at scale.

Key Talking Points:

• Scaling renewable energy: trends in solar, battery storage, and energy tech

• Financing innovation: how banks and investors assess and support green projects

• Forms of green finance, their requirements and types of projects

• Lessons from the Baltics and Europe: smart energy models that could work in Georgia

• Public-private collaboration to accelerate impact and reduce risk