Red Sky Summit

Our team had a wonderful time learning from experts from all corners of the wildfire safety ecosystem at Convective Capital's Red Sky Summit, including fire chiefs, community organizations, local governments, and utilities . Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the amazing technology companies present from their portfolio including (but not limited to!) Pano AI, Overstory, BurnBot, XyloPlan. We're proud to be in the family –– special thanks to Bill Clerico, Jay Ribakove, and Amy Brown for making it all happen. It seems as though every year we become better equipped at fighting wildfires, can't wait to check in on progress at the next one!

This week, Anjana Agarwal got to attend the Red Sky Summit, a conference focused on technology solutions to the wildfire crisis, and was able to have terrific conversations with wildfire thought leaders on wildfire innovation, risk mitigation and burden sharing, and what wildfires mean for utility business models. It was great to spend time with The Ad Hoc Group clients in the space, including Timothy Barat at Gridware, Joaquin Ramirez Cisneros at Technosylva, Sonia Kastner at Pano AI, and Mishal Thadani at Rhizome. Seeing Gridware receive a shoutout from Sumeet Singh, P.E., the COO of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, was really fun! We also got to hang out with AHG advisor Melissa Semcer, and other AHG friends like  Anukool Lakhina at BurnBot, Inc., Karim Al-Khafaji at Overstory, and Clay Ramel at Treeswift. Anjana led an “Unconference Session" on whether we’ve seen the last utility bankruptcy. The consensus was that we have not, and the hope is for more states to replicate the California Wildfire Fund nationally.  Thank you so much to the crew of Convective Capital, especially Bill Clerico and Lia Kennett, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, for organizing such a standout event! #wildfire #wildfireinnovation #climatetech

Had an amazing time at the Red Sky Summit in San Francisco representing Nova! 🌟 It was a great opportunity to connect with industry leaders and dive into discussions on wildfire, wildfire tech and the incredible leaders driving change. Key takeaways: 1️⃣ Change is happening. After spending the last 15-ish years in wildfire, the speed of change finally feels like it is accelerating. 2️⃣ Change is bottom-up. It's being driven by boots on the ground with support from chiefs, managers and decision-makers. Foot on the gas. I am grateful for the insights and connections made—excited to apply these ideas moving forward! Red Sky Summit #wildfire #technology #innovation

Another great Red Sky Summit in San Francisco yesterday. Thank you Convective Capital, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and all the great presenters for sharing your perspectives on Wildfire. In particular, a big shout out to XyloPlan's own Dave Winnacker for sharing his thoughts on how the "asset can become the peril" in an urban conflagration. The informative insurance panel brought great input and perspectives from Nancy Watkins, Pascal Karsenti, and Tim Doggett. Also, thank you to those that chatted the XyloPlan team during the Firetech Showcase. We enjoyed the opportunity to share how Fire Pathways effectively modeled the behavior of the Mountain Fire and to discuss our risk score for insurers as well as our mitigation solutions for fire agencies and developers. If you have any follow up questions or would like additional information, please DM me or send us an email at info@xyloplan.com https://lnkd.in/g5US9-nB

XPRIZE joined experts from diverse sectors including government, wildfire-fighting, insurance, utilities, and venture, to discuss the importance of navigating risk transference and resilience at the second annual Red Sky Summit hosted by XPRIZE partner Convective Capital. XPRIZE SVP, Partnerships & Impact Elaine (Fischer) Hungenberg was joined on stage by Dr. Tim Doggett (Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance), Pascal Karsenti (Nephila), Nancy Watkins (Milliman), and Dave Winnacker (Moraga-Orinda Fire District). They discussed consequential roles of insurance, data modeling, and community action in ending destructive wildfires. "Risk transfer and resilience are essential alongside early detection and rapid suppression—key areas we’re advancing through the XPRIZE Wildfire competition. Together, these approaches drive meaningful impact, protecting communities and building a future where wildfires are proactively managed." - Elaine Hungenberg Learn more about the current XPRIZE Wildfire teams and their solutions that will help end destructive wildfires here. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gfXbt6ch cc: Peter Houlihan, Andrea Santy, Claudia Shekufendeh, Colin Peartree, Cat Kutz, Bill Clerico, Jay Ribakove XPRIZE Wildfire is supported by: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Pacific Gas and Electric Company Minderoo Foundation Lockheed Martin Conrad N. Hilton Foundation COSTA NAVARINO American Family Insurance Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited

Thank you to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Convective Capital for the invitation to attend the Red Sky Summit in San Francisco on the ancestral lands of the Ohlone peoples. It was an incredible day of learning from members of the fire service, foresters, practitioners, technology entrepreneurs, utility and insurance executives, philanthropists, non-profit leaders, researchers, and elected officials. I had a blast representing FPInnovations and facilitating an Unconference Conversation about how international collaboration can help us move the sticks in wildfire technology development and implementation (and taking my first trip in a Waymo)!

Our Executive Director of Programming Meg McCabe, represented Fire Safe Marin at the Red Sky Summit in San Francisco yesterday, joining a diverse group of leaders from fire services, forestry, technology, utilities, insurance, philanthropy, non-profits, research, and government sectors—all coming together to address the urgent wildfire crisis. The discussions were both inspiring and challenging, posing critical questions that demand innovative solutions: •How can we scale solutions to address the wildfire threat at a global level? •Should we rely on community-driven change, or is it time for policy overhauls, akin to the transformative impact of the Clean Air Act? •How can technology enhance our understanding of risk and drive more effective resource allocation? •What role do public-private partnerships play in developing sustainable, long-term solutions? •In California, how do we resolve the insurance crisis to retain and attract providers in high-risk areas? The summit reinforced that, in "drastic times", bold, collaborative action is more crucial than ever. It’s a powerful reminder that addressing the wildfire crisis requires every sector to come together to forge resilient pathways forward. Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority Bruce Goines Todd Lando Jason Brooks Fire Aside Red Sky Summit #MarinCounty #WildfirePreparedness #RedSkySummit

We closed out the summit with a Firetech Showcase, featuring over 20 demonstrations of wildfire innovation—from staffing software to BurnBots. Head to our website for the full list of demonstrators: https://lnkd.in/gAksUdMY

The heart of the Red Sky Summit is our afternoon of “unconference conversations,” where participants propose discussion topics and take the lead in facilitating them. We encourage a wide range of topics, including those that may spark controversy. Our goal is to foster a constructive environment for open debate and dialogue. Today’s topics ranged from FEMA Grants for Community Resilience to Military-Wildfire Synergies. 

When customers face a choice between paying their energy bills and putting food on the table, Pacific Gas and Electric Company must prioritize affordability. COO Sumeet Singh, P.E. Singh discusses how the company is leveraging technology to support mitigation efforts while keeping costs down.