Sonam Velani On Why Cities Are The Frontlines Of Climate Adaptation

Cities are getting hammered by climate shocks.

These concrete jungles are highly exposed to extreme weather events and slow-onset climatic changes — from wildfires (Los Angeles) to floods (Nashville, Lagos, Karachi) to heatwaves (Delhi, Houston, Madrid).

This exposure is only going to increase. Roughly half the world’s population live in urban areas today, but their share is due to exceed 70% by 2050.

Sonam Velani is on a mission to get cities ready for a hotter and wilder world.

Sonam is the Co-Founder of Streetlife Ventures, a specialist VC fund that’s reimagining how and where we invest to build climate resilience into the bones of our cities, systems, and societies.

In this episode, she brings a sharp, systems-thinking lens to the climate challenge facing cities, drawing on her career on Wall Street, at the World Bank, and in New York’s City Hall to explain what’s needed to make urban environments survive and thrive in a climate-adjusted future.

She also lays out her thesis for what makes a VC-ready adaptation startup, and offers a glimpse into Streetlife’s diverse portfolio of exciting early-stage companies.

Whether you’re a founder, investor, or simply adaptation-curious — this episode is a must-listen.

Listen below, download from the Podcasts page on Climate Proof, or tune in via Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

We talk about:

👉 Why Sonam and Streetlife are obsessed with cities

👉 The role of tech and venture capital in climate-proofing urban environments

👉 What makes for an “investable” adaptation startup

👉 The high-potential companies in Streetlife’s portfolio — from seawall innovators to AI-powered risk monitoring platforms

👉 How the Trump administration and current market turbulence may (or may not) affect the adaptation economy

💡 Learn more about Streetlife Ventures HERE

🗞️ Sign up to Sonam’s Climate Tech Cities newsletter HERE

🔎 Check out the companies Sonam talks about in the episode👇

Rhizome
Dorothy
Tenax
ISeeChange
Harvest Thermal
Kettle
Stand
Sola

Thanks for listening!

Louie Woodall
Editor