It’s hard work being a start-up founder. Harder still in the climate adaptation space.
First off, you’ve got the challenge of explaining to would-be clients and investors what climate adaptation actually is. Then you have to figure out what form of language moves them from curious onlookers to engaged participants.
To help deal with these obstacles, founders are on the hunt for “go-to-market Sherpas” — professionals who can guide them from the “promising idea” phase to the “commercial juggernaut” stage.
Today’s guest — Anjana Agarwal — is one such “Sherpa”. With her company, The Ad Hoc Group, she helps climate tech start-ups with a resilience focus navigate the complexities of regulation, procurement, and scaling in the notoriously risk-averse utility sector.
In our conversation, Anjana offers a frank diagnosis of the challenges facing adaptation tech start-ups, from mismatched language between founders and their utility buyers to political and economic barriers at the state and federal level.
She also highlights some of the company’s adaptation tech clients, including Pano AI and Resilient Structures, and how they’re making inroads with major utilities.
It’s an episode for all you adaptation tech-heads out there, and anyone curious about how America’s utilities are grappling with the blight of worsening climate extremes.
Listen below, download from the Podcasts page on Climate Proof, or tune in via Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
📝Want the transcript? Become a member to get access here👇
We talk about:
👉 How The Ad Hoc Group helps growth-stage energy and resilience tech companies scale by navigating policy, regulation, and utility procurement cycles
👉 The persistent underinvestment in adaptation, despite growing physical climate risks and mounting pressure on utilities to respond
👉 Emerging tech solutions, including: early wildfire detection, hyperlocal weather intelligence, and climate resilient equipment
👉 The challenges engaging utilities on adaptation and the disconnects with venture-backed start-ups
👉 What the near-future of resilience for the US power sector looks like, from the evolution of tech solutions to the growing impact of state-level policy shifts
🔗 Sign up to the Power Resilience Forum 2026 HERE
🔗 Learn more about The Ad Hoc Group HERE
Thanks for listening!
Louie Woodall
Editor
