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I build partner ecosystems that drive growth. Over 15+ years I've developed a playbook…
Articles by Laura
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Laura Fitton reposted thisLaura Fitton reposted this🚨 LAUNCHING DEEP BLUE: a new outcomes payment facility designed by Levoca, ORRAA and Rare to unlock larger, longer-term pools of capital for community-led ocean conservation. Announced at Climate Week NYC, Deep Blue addresses one of the largest barriers to scaling outcomes-based finance by enabling governments, corporates, and philanthropies to pay for independently verified results, using those commitments to unlock upfront capital to deliver them. Instead of funding one transaction at a time, Deep Blue pools and deploys capital across a portfolio of Ocean conservation initiatives. 💙 "The Ocean has always generated enormous value, for climate, for food security, for the resilient coastlines that hundreds of millions of people depend on. Conventional finance has never known how to pay for it," said Melissa Walsh, PhD, Director of Blue Finance Innovation, ORRAA. "Deep Blue changes that, turning verified ocean outcomes into transparent commitments that funders can trust, and that delivers long term financing supporting community resilience and nature regeneration." Deep Blue launched at a gathering of conservation, finance, and philanthropic leaders hosted by UBS in New York. With a first close target of ~$50M and potential to grow toward a $100M facility, this is what building a capital market for the Ocean looks like. 🐠 Kate Hansen Schweigart, Zach Levey, Karen Sack, Caleb McClennen, Ph.D., Brett Jenks, Tanya Marin, Jack Stuart, Chip Cunliffe, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance
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Laura Fitton reposted thisLaura Fitton reposted this“The climate crisis is not just about sacrifice; it can actually be an opportunity.” Alba Forns shared how Climatize is opening up renewable energy investment to more people, enabling them to support projects from as little as $10 while seeing the impact their money can make.
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Laura Fitton reposted thisLaura Fitton reposted thisHeading to #ClimateWeekNYC for the next few days. I'm looking forward to seeing my Watershed team, our customers, and the crowds of people who dedicate their careers to building a more sustainable economy. Those same sustainability leaders, no strangers to uphill battles, also now find themselves in a time when clean energy is the most scaleable power source, growth and carbon have fully decoupled, and the economic argument for sustainability has become as strong as the environmental one. If you're heading to New York, I hope the week is an energizing one.
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Laura Fitton reposted thisLaura Fitton reposted thisHOT OFF THE PRESS: For the first time ever, the IEA has published a dedicated Electrification Report. It is an absolute treasure trove of data. Here are some of the key takeaways that stood out to me when I peer-reviewed it. 1) Electrofficiency: The headline electrification rate undersells electricity's real role. Electricity is 23% of final energy, but it delivers almost 40% of useful energy - the heat, mobility, cooling and light people actually need. That is because electric technologies waste far less than fossil fuels. In the High Electrification Scenario, electricity reaches 35% of final energy by 2035 but supplies over half of all useful energy. 2) Transport has large potential. Battery prices have fallen 90% since 2010. Around half of oil-based road transport could be electrified competitively today. If battery costs keep falling, that rises to over four-fifths. 3) Heat pumps can compete in most places that need heat. They are competitive in around 75% of heating markets across advanced economies and China. Half of global space heating demand could be electrified cost-effectively. 4) Industry is the sleeping giant. Around 40% of energy used for low- and medium-temperature industrial heat can be electrified cost-effectively right now. More in the future. 5) Electrification is an energy security strategy. EVs already avoid 2.3 million barrels of oil a day. That is more than the volume that bypassed the Strait of Hormuz via the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline this summer. In the High Electrification Scenario, importers cut their fuel bills by USD 400 billion a year by 2035. The gap is policy. Under current settings, electrification only reaches around 30% by 2035. Very few countries have a comprehensive, cross-sectoral electrification strategy. Grids need to expand 40% faster than over the past decade. Full report here: https://lnkd.in/eiZby9TS
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Laura Fitton reposted thisThe GHG Protocol built the foundation for corporate emissions management over three decades. Most of what companies know about their own footprints, they know because of it, and there are still plenty of good use cases for reporting. But the GHGP was built as a reporting system. The gaming and perverse incentives Michael Grunwald documents in this The New York Times piece are what happens when a reporting framework tries to do accounting's job. The gap between reporting and accounting is what has me so enthusiastic about the work of the academics steering the E-ledgers Institute toward GAAP-like accounting for emissions. Bob Kaplan (Harvard Business School), Maria Zuber (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Arun Majumdar (Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability) and Karthik Ramanna (Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford). ELI isn't trying to replace reporting, it's building what lies upstream of it. The Proto-Standards they have published for E-liabilities and E-assets enable a full accounting of emissions as products and services move through complex global supply chains. Only removing and storing previously generated CO2 can count as an asset, and avoided emissions show up in the form of lower liabilities. The ledger requires mass balance, which makes the kinds of problems described in this piece visible. Land use is a powerful case study in how reporting systems break. This recent paper in Management Science is a great explainer (for people interested enough to read): [https://lnkd.in/gvhiSM57] We need an accounting system where everything adds up. Without it, we'll be able to keep screwing up the world with limited ability to hold anyone accountable.Laura Fitton reposted thisDear Climate Folks, This is important. This New York Times op-ed shows how the accounting rules for tracking greenhouse gas emissions — the Greenhouse Gas Protocols, managed by the World Resources Institute — favor special interests over science. Two world-leading experts have already resigned over this. Other experts should weigh in. https://lnkd.in/g6M6e9QA
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Laura Fitton reposted thisLaura Fitton reposted thisIs it strategic to publish my 2,000+ word manifesto about a UN climate report on Sunday night of a holiday weekend? Nope! But here ya go. Does the UN call for a “renewable energy revolution” and “transformational change” of our society? Yep! And I' am so here for it. https://lnkd.in/gksHtsmfI read the new UN climate report so you don't have to.I read the new UN climate report so you don't have to.
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Laura Fitton reposted thisLaura Fitton reposted thisI've heard thousands of climate denial arguments over the last few decades. But do you know they all fall into one of 5 categories? 1. Climate isn't changing e.g. it's just the urban heat island effect, the data is insufficient, etc. 2. Humans aren't responsible e.g. it's the sun, natural cycles, volcanoes, chemtrails, Planet Nibiru, etc. 3. The impacts aren't bad e.g. greening is good! CO2 is plant food! warmer is better! etc. 4. We can't fix it e.g. it's too expensive, it's too late, what about China, we need fossil fuels 5. It's fake e.g. it's a global conspiracy, too uncertain, etc. I know what you're thinking: What about argument X? Trust me, I've heard argument X. And I bet it falls into one of the categories above. Think about it! So why does this matter? Because too often we get encouraged when someone goes from category 1 to 2; or 2 to 3; or even 3 to 4. At least they admit it's real and human-caused, we think! But I don't get encouraged. Because I know that every type of argument above has the same goal: to delay climate action as long as possible. The only way forward is to abandon this list entirely. If someone brings up an argument, answer it briefly using Skeptical Science [https://lnkd.in/gr9HRXu2] but don't get drawn into the whack-a-mole game. Pivot immediately to how climate solutions will give us a better future, and we all want that. For more, watch: https://lnkd.in/g25bVZe Figure below is from this 2023 analysis -> https://lnkd.in/gbEXWMxR
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Laura Fitton reposted thisLaura Fitton reposted thisHeaded to San Francisco Monday for an event with the Bay Area Restaurant Collective. I didn't pick the title but I wish I had-The Good, the Bad and The Automated: A candid conversation on hospitality technology. Thank you Amanda Flores and Diana Hossfeld for the invite. It's a quick trip but would love to sneak in coffee or a drink if anyone wants to chat restaurants, AI, or Colette.
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Laura Fitton reposted thisLaura Fitton reposted thisWe’re one month out from NYCW, when New York City turns into the world’s smallest village of climate friends. Today we’re releasing our tracker to get ready for the work / fun to begin! Let’s meet up and make new things happen. Here is a snapshot of where we’ll be: — Our signature convening, Data Centers as a Catalyst for Climate Innovation, will feature a rock star lineup @ Goals House — I’m speaking at The Nest Campus with one of my faves, Mike Schroepfer, on solving hard problems and *building* the future — Matt Logan, Mike Jackson, and I are hosting an Earthshot Ventures breakfast to dig into recent portfolio wins — Earthshot and Elemental are once again co-hosting Female Founders & Funders, always a blast with Sophie Purdom — Danya Hakeem will speak at Climate Group’s AI forum with the Mayor of Phoenix — Mitch Rubin will be at Builders Vision exploring data centers as key customers for low-carbon materials — Kim Karris will speak at Salesforce on the power of catalytic capital — Melissa Uhl is a judge at the Electric Innovation Initiative awards. Shoutout to Chris Lee, David Hochschild — We are partnering on the FOAK summit with Jack Fritzinger & FOAK deal room with portfolio CEO Ethan Cohen-Cole — We’ll host policymakers and innovators with Emerson Collective, Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Institute, and Conservative Climate Foundation. Hat tip to Tyler M., Max Frankel — Karaoke 🎵…IYKYK… with Andrew Beebe, Agate S. Freimane More to come, stay tuned. Where will you be?
Laura Fitton commented on a post
3w
amazing! great work, again, Jen!
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Laura Fitton reacted on thisLaura Fitton reacted on thisI am truly and deeply honored to be named one of the honorees of the Boston Business Journal’s 2026 Icons Award, alongside such a distinguished group of extraordinary women. Some of the honorees are dear friends and women I have long admired for their leadership, courage, impact, and commitment to our community. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to each of them. Honorees are: Beth Boland, Partner, Foley Lardner Melanie Foley, executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Liberty Mutual Katherine Craven dministration and Finance, Babson College Ellen Ginman, President of WellSense Birgit Girshick, President Charles River Laboratories Sandy Edgerley, co-founder of The ‘Quin; founder and owner of Hexagon Properties Cathy Lewenberg , CEO of Bevi Sheryl McQuade, Regional President New England Metro, TD Bank Lucy Perez, Senior Partner and Global Co-leader at McKinsey Health Institute Anne Tangen, President and CEO of BankFive I look forward to celebrating together on Friday, December 4. Thank you to the Boston Business Journal for this meaningful recognition. #BBJIcons #WomenInLeadership #Boston
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Laura Fitton liked thisLaura Fitton liked thisWhen someone questions you in front of other people, the instinct is to defend yourself. The moment you do, you've agreed there's something to worry about. Backstage after her first Oscar, a reporter asked Jennifer Lawrence if she was worried she'd already peaked at 22. I taught communication at Duke for more than 10 years, and her answer is worth stealing. Instead of listing her upcoming films, she just said, "Well, now I am." That's a move I call reflect and amplify. You take the doubt, hand it back, and make it bigger than they did. You show you know exactly what game they're playing. Follow Dorie Clark for more on becoming a better leader
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Laura Fitton reacted on thisLaura Fitton reacted on thisMy New York Climate Week -- a story in seven photos... 1️⃣ When I first joined Watershed 2+ years ago, I learned the company's mission was to accelerate what they called "the climate economy". To help position business to thrive in a world in which the sustainable choice is also the economically smart one. Today, signs of the climate economy are evident. Growth has decoupled from carbon. It's no longer a trade-off. 2️⃣ With fossil fuels more volatile and expensive, clean power is now the most viable path forward for scale. In 2025, renewables overtook coal in global electricity generation for the first time. Watershed cofounder Christian Anderson kicked off our event with this photo of a floating solar field that has been built literally on top of a former coal mine site in Huainan, China. 3️⃣ Over the last year, we introduced a layer of AI agents to help sustainability leads move faster toward surfacing decarbonization paths, and this week, our brilliant head of AI products, Yubing Zhang introduced the next generation of Watershed AI: collaborative agents to help companies shift from individual speed to organizational progress. 4️⃣ Our head of energy Matt Konieczny then laid out a riveting vision for Watershed Energy Management, a new product that will help companies act on energy projects that bring down costs and emissions. I can't share the numbers but the immediate sign-ups in the room show just how much this is top of mind for sustainability leaders. https://lnkd.in/gW2JjdAH 5️⃣ We closed the event with a frank and grounded conversation between Dr. Ayana Johnson and Alexa Schirtzinger on AI emissions, civic action, and the urgency of the next 6 months. If you haven't read Dr. Johnson's work, start now. 6️⃣ This packed room of people, in the stunning hall Kate Custus and Julie Munro found that was built into the belly of a bridge, very much felt like their own renewable energy source. The sustainability leaders in it are moving some of the world's most impactful companies forward and, meeting them, it's clear the climate economy is is great hands. 7️⃣ Late night photos post-event are the best photos, even if we were too tired to figure out how camera angles work and had to retake this three times. I'm obsessed with this team and so happy to be a part of it.
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Laura Fitton reacted on thisLaura Fitton reacted on thisAnyone else trying to juggle all the things with Biotech Week, Boston AI Week & Fintech Week packed together?? 😅 Find me today at the World Medical Innovation Forum, Thursday at Women Applying AI’s anniversary event at MassChallenge & the WNE FinTech & AI Incubator panel on AI Discussions in the C-Suite, and wrapping up on Friday at the Human-Centric AI Summit moderating Promises & Pitfalls of AI in Healthcare with the Massachusetts Health Council. Looking forward to seeing our Massachusetts Life Sciences Center board members Chris Coburn, Brian Johnson and Thea James, MD, MPH, MBA speaking this week!
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Laura Fitton liked thisLaura Fitton liked thisInvesting is a story about the future. And with climate change, tariffs, the Iran War, America stepping away from global leadership, that story of the future is changing. That is a story of uncertainty. So it was so good to have a conversation with Sanjeev Krishnan, Will Coleman, and Mark Miness about these changes, in the lovely Vestwell offices. And it was preceded with geopolitical discussion with Sec John Kerry and Bill Tarr. Chatham house rules, so I can’t share the details, but I can share the publicly available reports, which are in the comments. But those reports do share some certainties in this uncertain times. Electrification and the rise of renewables. A multipolar world is emerging. Populations aging and growth decelerating. What I’d add that I learned about the private market is that there is a similar trend to publics, where investors are crowding into mega cap “easy button” investments. My hope is that with the world changing, more investors stop looking for an easy button and start answering hard questions. After all, hard to be passive in a crisis.
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Laura Fitton reacted on thisProud to be a part of the Cartier Women's Initiative as a fellow. Cartier thank you for amplifying out work at Climatize.Laura Fitton reacted on thisCollective action can turn climate concern into measurable impact. Alba Forns created Climatize to harness that potential, giving everyday people a way to support renewable energy projects and play a part in the clean energy transition. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ekMjSHav
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Laura Fitton reacted on thisJoin the Women in Cleantech & Sustainability events at SD Climate Week and share with your friends, neighbors and colleagues! We want everyone in the community invited to climate week. These are easy entry, free events open to everyone: Oct 3 | San Diego Climate Week Hike & Network: 2:30–5:00 PM: https://luma.com/lzho9hyg Oct 4 | Kiss the Ground Film Screening & Networking: 5:00–8:00 PM: https://luma.com/f0c Oct 7 | Small Group Networking (Virtual): https://luma.com/e9eicdwc Let me know if you are coming! Looking forward to seeing Skye Richmond, Nina Bazan-Sakamoto, Shelby Rust Buso, Daisy Xie, Staci Reidinger, Richelle Sampson, Sandra Peterson, Sasha Doppelt, Natalie Patton, Sara Eve Fuentes, Evin Elif Baysal
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Laura Fitton reacted on thisLaura Fitton reacted on thisWonderful to connect with Eneida Roman at The Women's Edge Top 100 VIP Reception
Experience & Education
Publications
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Twitter for Dummies
Wiley
A fully updated guide to the how and why of using Twitter
The fastest-growing social network utility sports new features, and they’re all covered in this how-to guide from a leading Twitter marketing consultant. Nearly 20 million people are tweeting on Twitter, and this book shows you how to join them and why you should. You’ll learn the nuts and bolts of using Twitter, how to make good connections, and how it can benefit your life and your business.
Twitter is the fastest-growing of…A fully updated guide to the how and why of using Twitter
The fastest-growing social network utility sports new features, and they’re all covered in this how-to guide from a leading Twitter marketing consultant. Nearly 20 million people are tweeting on Twitter, and this book shows you how to join them and why you should. You’ll learn the nuts and bolts of using Twitter, how to make good connections, and how it can benefit your life and your business.
Twitter is the fastest-growing of the social networking tools; this book gets you up to speed on the basics as well as how Twitter can enrich your life and boost your business
Explains how to sign up, find friends and people you want to follow, make the most of shortcuts, use popular Twitter tools, and Twitter on the go
Discusses how Twitter can be used for business, fundraising, and maintaining contact with people who share common goals
With complete information about all the latest Twitter enhancements, Twitter For Dummies, 2nd Edition will help you get the most from this popular social networking tool.Other authors -
Environmental and Economic Costs of Soil Erosion and Conservation Benefits
Science
Soil erosion is a major environmental threat to the sustainability and productive capacity of agriculture. During the last 40 years, nearly one-third of the world's arable land has been lost by erosion and continues to be lost at a rate of more than 10 million hectares per year. With the addition of a quarter of a million people each day, the world population's food demand is increasing at a time when per capita food productivity is beginning to decline.
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Toxic Wastes and Race Revisited: An Update of the 1987 Report on the Racial and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Communities with Hazardous Waste Sites
Center for Policy Alternatives
Analysis of new zip code data tracking the correlation of race with toxic waste sites, controlled for socioeconomic status.
Other authors
Honors & Awards
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PepsiCo Women's Inspiration Awards
PepsiCo
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Women to Watch
MassHighTech
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National Youth Science Camp CT delegate
National Youth Science Camp
Selected as one of two CT delegates to attend the National Youth Science Camp honors program in 1990.
Languages
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Spanish
Limited working proficiency
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Ukrainian
Elementary proficiency
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Russian
Elementary proficiency
Organizations
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MassTLC
Board Ready Bootcamp - Spring 2022 cohort
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INBOUND
Advisory Board Chair
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The Nantucket Conference
Advisory Board
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Xconomy
Xconomist
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oneforty.com
Board Chair
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Women's Business Forum of Bucks County
Board of Directors
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Just Community
Board of Directors
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Twilight Wish Foundation
Board of Directors
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Student Environmental Action Coalition
National Board Representative
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Katie Griff
AI doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to work for society’s most critical industries. From healthcare to defense, current solutions lack the deep knowledge to solve organizations’ highly complex use cases. Enter Trase, led by Grant Verstandig, Baskar Sridharan, and Joe Laws. Trase is combining industry-leading tech with deep domain expertise to deliver autonomous, end-to-end, turnkey agents designed to drive real ROI across highly regulated sectors, with compliance, trust, and security guiding their every move. Today, Trase launched out of stealth with $10.5 million in pre-seed funding from Red Cell Partners and VIPC | Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation. Learn how we’re enabling last-mile AI adoption across various enterprises, starting with healthcare, energy, and national security: https://lnkd.in/egJYdNKz
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John Ang
Glad to finally announce that we're partnered with Amazon on it's Amazon Devices Climate Tech Accelerator. What makes this program unique is the the way it's designed. Participants receive dedicated support from Amazon technical experts to validate real deployment potential that can help reduce the carbon impact of millions of Amazon devices. 👉 If you're an interested startup, learn more and apply to the 2026 cohort here by February 24: https://lnkd.in/g6DZbtVh
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