A Guide to Breaking Into Climate Tech

Written By Clement Kao

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, with far-reaching consequences that impact every living being on Earth. As product managers, we have a unique opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the fight against climate change by leveraging our skills and expertise to drive innovation in the rapidly growing field of climate tech.

Many product managers are eager to transition into climate tech roles but may feel uncertain about how to make the shift. The good news is that breaking into climate tech as a PM is more achievable than you might think, and you don't necessarily need certifications or extensive domain knowledge to get started.

In this essay, we'll explore actionable strategies and techniques for successfully pivoting into a climate tech PM role, and discuss why the product management skill set is highly transferable across industries.

Understanding the impact of climate tech

Before diving into how to break into climate tech as a PM, it's crucial to understand the potential impact of working in this field. We can evaluate the significance of climate tech using the “STN framework”, which assesses the scale, tractability, and neglectedness of a problem area.

The scale of climate tech as an opportunity area

Climate change is a global issue that affects every living being on the planet. The scale of the problem is enormous, with far-reaching consequences that span across ecosystems, economies, and societies.

By working in climate tech, product managers have the opportunity to create solutions that can positively impact billions of lives and help mitigate the devastating effects of climate change.

The tractability of climate tech as an opportunity area

While some aspects of climate tech, such as carbon sequestration or cold fusion, may seem daunting and complex, many solutions are surprisingly tractable.

For example, mounting cameras on cell phone towers to detect wildfires or developing smart irrigation systems to conserve water are relatively straightforward problems that can be tackled with existing technologies.

The tractability of many climate tech solutions is often underestimated, making it an attractive field for product managers looking to make a tangible impact.

The neglectedness of climate tech as an opportunity area

Despite the growing attention on climate change and the need for innovative solutions, specific interventions within climate tech are often overlooked.

While there may be a general awareness of the importance of addressing climate change, the focus on specific technologies, products, and initiatives is comparatively low. This neglectedness presents an opportunity for product managers to identify and pursue high-impact solutions that may have been previously overlooked.

Climate tech ranks highly on STN

By evaluating climate tech through the lens of the STN framework, it becomes clear that this field ranks higher than expected in terms of its potential for impact.

Product managers who choose to work in climate tech have the opportunity to create solutions that can drive meaningful change on a global scale, making it an incredibly rewarding and impactful career path.

But, what exactly does climate tech look like? Here are a few categories of opportunity areas to help you kickstart your own exploration into climate intervention.

Categories of climate tech focus areas

Climate tech encompasses a broad range of categories, each with its own unique challenges and opportunities for product managers. In no particular order:

  • Renewable Energy: Focus on innovation in energy generation, storage solutions, and distribution efficiency. Key subcategories include solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy.

  • Energy Storage: Improving battery technology, cost reduction, and scalability are significant areas of focus. This includes batteries (lithium-ion, solid-state), pumped hydro storage, and flywheels.

  • Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): Requires a deep understanding of chemical engineering principles and the potential market for captured carbon products. Subcategories include direct air capture and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage.

  • Smart Grids and Energy Efficiency: Focus on IoT technologies, data analytics for energy consumption optimization, and user interface design for non-technical users.

  • Sustainable Transportation: Emphasis on EV charging infrastructure, battery technology, user experience, and integration with renewable energy sources.

  • Green Building Technologies: Understanding construction practices, regulatory requirements, and innovations in materials science is vital.

  • Agriculture and Food Tech: Focus on biotechnology, supply chain logistics, and sustainability practices. Subcategories include precision agriculture, alternative proteins, and vertical farming.

  • Water Conservation and Management: Requires knowledge of water resource management, regulatory environments, and technologies for reducing water usage.

  • Climate Risk and Adaptation Technologies: Emphasis on risk analysis, geographical information systems (GIS), and developing products that can withstand extreme weather conditions. Also focused on identifying extreme events e.g. wildfire and enabling rapid response and adaptation.

  • Circular Economy: Understanding material science, logistics for waste collection and recycling processes, and market for recycled materials.

Strategies for breaking into climate tech as a PM

Now that we've established the potential impact of working in climate tech, let's explore actionable strategies for breaking into this field as a product manager.

Leverage existing PM skills and experience

One of the most important things to recognize is that the core skills and experience you've gained as a product manager are highly transferable to climate tech. Product management fundamentals, such as understanding customer needs, defining product vision and strategy, prioritizing features, and collaborating with cross-functional teams, are universal across industries.

Just as product managers have successfully transitioned into fintech, real estate tech, or security tech without extensive prior domain knowledge, the same holds true for climate tech. Your ability to quickly learn about new industries, gather insights from subject matter experts, and apply product management best practices is what makes you valuable as a PM, regardless of the specific domain.

When applying for climate tech PM roles, emphasize your transferable skills and experience, and highlight how your product management expertise can help drive innovation and impact in the fight against climate change.

Explore climate tech job boards and VC portfolios

When searching for climate tech PM roles, it's essential to know where to look. While general job boards may have some climate tech positions, you'll find more targeted opportunities by exploring dedicated climate tech job boards and the portfolio companies of venture capital firms investing in this space.

Some climate tech job boards to check out include:

In addition to job boards, research venture capital firms that focus on climate tech and explore their portfolio companies. Many of these startups may be actively hiring product managers to help drive their growth and impact.

Some notable climate tech VCs include:

When evaluating potential climate tech startups, look for external customer validation that is earned, such as press releases, features in major publications like The Wall Street Journal or Bloomberg, or partnerships with established organizations. This validation can help you identify startups with traction and potential for impact.

Network with climate tech professionals

Networking is a powerful tool for breaking into any new industry, and climate tech is no exception. Connecting with professionals who are already working in climate tech can provide valuable insights, advice, and potential job opportunities.

Some ways to network with climate tech professionals include:

  • Attending industry events and conferences, either in-person or virtually

  • Joining climate tech-focused groups on LinkedIn or other professional networking platforms

  • Reaching out to climate tech PMs, founders, or investors for informational interviews

  • Participating in climate tech hackathons or challenges to collaborate with like-minded individuals

When networking, be genuine in your interest and approach. Share your motivation for wanting to transition into climate tech, and ask for advice on how to best position yourself for success in this field.

Remember that networking is a two-way street; offer to help others in your network whenever possible, and be open to learning from their experiences.

The transferable nature of product management skills

As mentioned earlier, the core skills and experience you've gained as a product manager are highly transferable across industries, including climate tech. This transferability is one of the key reasons why you don't necessarily need certifications or extensive domain knowledge to break into climate tech as a PM.

Consider the example of a product manager transitioning from e-commerce to fintech. While the specific industry knowledge may differ, the fundamental product management skills remain the same. The PM will still need to understand customer needs, define product vision and strategy, prioritize features, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver a successful product. The same holds true for a PM transitioning into climate tech.

In fact, many successful product managers have transitioned into new industries throughout their careers, leveraging their transferable skills and quickly adapting to new domains. This adaptability is a core strength of the product management role, and it's what enables PMs to drive innovation and impact across a wide range of industries.

As you embark on your journey to break into climate tech as a PM, remember that your existing product management skills and experience are valuable assets that will help you succeed in this new domain. Focus on highlighting your transferable skills, educating yourself on climate tech trends and solutions, and demonstrating your potential to drive meaningful impact in the fight against climate change.

The interdisciplinary nature of climate tech

When working as a product manager in climate tech, it's essential to recognize that challenges in this field are rarely pure-play software problems.

Climate tech often involves a complex interplay of software, hardware, and operations, requiring product managers to collaborate closely with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

While software plays a critical role in enabling climate tech solutions, it's not the only piece of the puzzle. Hardware components, such as sensors, devices, and physical infrastructure, are often integral to the success of climate tech products. As a PM in this field, you'll need to think holistically about how software, hardware, and operations work together to create a seamless and impactful user experience.

For example, consider a smart energy management system for commercial buildings. While the software component may handle data analysis, visualization, and user interfaces, the system also relies on hardware sensors to collect data on energy consumption and physical devices to control lighting, heating, and cooling. Additionally, the successful implementation of such a system requires close collaboration with operations teams to ensure proper installation, maintenance, and user training.

As a climate tech PM, your role is to orchestrate the development and integration of these various components, ensuring that they work together seamlessly to deliver value to customers and drive impact. This interdisciplinary nature of climate tech product management makes the role both challenging and rewarding, as you have the opportunity to work at the intersection of multiple domains and create solutions that have a tangible impact on the world.

Exploring different paths to climate tech

When exploring product management opportunities in climate tech, it's important to consider the various paths available, including non-profit, government, and for-profit organizations. Each of these sectors offers unique opportunities and challenges for PMs looking to make an impact in the fight against climate change.

Non-profit organizations

Non-profit organizations play a crucial role in advancing climate tech solutions, often focusing on research, advocacy, and community-driven initiatives. As a PM in a non-profit, you may work on projects such as developing open-source tools for environmental monitoring, creating educational platforms to raise awareness about climate change, or collaborating with local communities to implement sustainable practices.

Working in a non-profit can be highly rewarding, as you'll be directly contributing to the organization's mission and making a positive impact on the world. However, non-profits often have limited resources and may require PMs to wear multiple hats and adapt to a more fluid work environment.

Government agencies

Government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels are increasingly involved in climate tech initiatives, from setting policies and regulations to funding research and development projects. As a PM in a government agency, you may work on projects such as developing tools for monitoring and enforcing environmental regulations, creating public-facing platforms to engage citizens in sustainability efforts, or collaborating with private sector partners to scale up climate tech solutions.

Working in government can provide a unique opportunity to shape public policy and drive systemic change. However, government agencies may have more bureaucratic processes and longer decision-making cycles compared to the private sector.

For-profit companies

For-profit companies, from startups to large corporations, are increasingly investing in climate tech as a means to drive innovation, create new markets, and meet growing consumer demand for sustainable products and services. As a PM in a for-profit company, you may work on projects such as developing renewable energy solutions, creating smart city technologies, or building platforms for carbon offset trading.

Working in a for-profit company can provide access to greater resources, faster decision-making, and the potential for rapid scaling of climate tech solutions. However, for-profit companies may face pressure to balance environmental impact with financial returns, and PMs may need to navigate competing priorities and stakeholder interests.

Ultimately, the choice between non-profit, government, and for-profit climate tech PM roles depends on your personal values, career goals, and the type of impact you want to make. Each path offers unique opportunities to contribute to the fight against climate change, and the right choice for you will depend on your individual circumstances and preferences.

Identifying specific problem spaces and interventions

One of the challenges that product managers face when looking for climate tech roles is the seeming lack of specific organizations to join. This is often because "climate tech" is a broad and multifaceted field encompassing a wide range of problem spaces and interventions.

To effectively navigate the climate tech landscape and identify specific opportunities, PMs need to identify a specific intervention that they’d like to jump into. From there, it’s significantly easier to find organizations that are tackling the intervention!

To identify specific organizations and opportunities, you can:

  1. Follow industry news and publications that cover specific climate tech sub-domains

  2. Attend conferences, webinars, and events focused on specific climate tech interventions

  3. Join online communities and forums dedicated to specific climate tech problem spaces

By taking a more targeted approach to exploring the climate tech landscape, PMs can uncover a wealth of opportunities to make a meaningful impact in the fight against climate change.

The growing role of AI in climate tech product management

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming a core technology in climate tech, with applications ranging from predictive maintenance of renewable energy systems to optimization of energy consumption in buildings and cities.

As a result, climate tech product managers are often required to have a strong understanding of AI and its potential applications within their specific problem space.

Some examples of how AI is being used in climate tech include:

  1. Predictive maintenance: AI algorithms can analyze sensor data from renewable energy systems, such as wind turbines or solar panels, to predict when maintenance is needed, reducing downtime and improving efficiency.

  2. Energy optimization: AI-powered tools can analyze data from smart meters, IoT devices, and weather forecasts to optimize energy consumption in buildings and cities, reducing waste and costs.

  3. Climate modeling: AI and machine learning techniques can help improve the accuracy and granularity of climate models, enabling better forecasting of climate impacts and informing adaptation and mitigation strategies.

  4. Precision agriculture: AI-powered tools can analyze satellite imagery, sensor data, and weather patterns to optimize crop yields, reduce water and pesticide use, and improve soil health.

As a climate tech PM, it's essential to have a strong foundation in AI and machine learning concepts, as well as an understanding of how these technologies can be applied to specific climate tech problems. This may involve collaborating closely with data scientists, machine learning engineers, and domain experts to develop and deploy AI-powered solutions.

To build your AI skills and knowledge as a climate tech PM, you can:

  1. Take online courses or attend workshops on AI and machine learning fundamentals

  2. Read industry publications and blogs that cover AI applications in climate tech

  3. Attend conferences and events that focus on AI in climate tech, such as the Applied AI Summit or the AI for Good Global Summit

  4. Collaborate with AI experts within your organization or network to gain hands-on experience with AI-powered climate tech solutions

  5. Experiment with AI tools and platforms, such as TensorFlow or AWS SageMaker, to build your practical skills

By developing a strong understanding of AI and its applications in climate tech, PMs can position themselves for success in this rapidly evolving field and drive the development of innovative solutions to address the urgent challenges posed by climate change.

Conclusion

Breaking into climate tech as a product manager offers a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on one of the most pressing issues of our time.

By leveraging your existing PM skills, exploring different paths in non-profit, government, and for-profit organizations, diving deep into specific problem spaces and interventions, and building your AI and machine learning knowledge, you can successfully transition into a rewarding and impactful career in climate tech.

As you embark on this journey, remember that the interdisciplinary nature of climate tech requires a holistic approach to product management, one that considers the interplay of software, hardware, and operations. Embrace the challenges and opportunities that come with working at the intersection of multiple domains, and stay focused on driving solutions that have a tangible impact on the world.

With your product management expertise, a passion for sustainability, and a commitment to continuous learning, you can play a crucial role in shaping the future of climate tech and creating a more resilient and sustainable world for generations to come.

Thank you to Pauli Bielewicz, Mary Paschentis, Goutham Budati, Markus Seebauer, Juliet Chuang, and Kendra Ritterhern for making this guide possible.

Clement Kao
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