I thought I would kick off Data Pointilism with writing I have already shared on LinkedIn, to give a preview of how I holistically reflect on conferences. Future editions will be less events-based and more ideas-based, but we gotta start somewhere!

SF Climate Week 2025 is a wrap! 🍹

I ended the week on a high but relaxing note with Ritika Puri's climate communications workshop. It was a low-key way to see what people learned at SFCW and write about it together. What I'm sharing below is a revised version of what I wrote!

I had two main goals for SFCW 2025: see what all the excitement was about and meet more people. It’s stunning how rapidly Climatebase has created a world-renowned climate conference. Since I currently am a Climatebase Fellow, I wanted to immerse myself in the extended Climatebase multiverse!

I planned to meet more Climatebase Fellows, but I also was curious to learn who some of the current interesting players were in various sectors of climate tech. I yearned to explore the vast landscape of climate solutions, out of curiosity as well as a vested interest to see where someone like me, a scientist with a physical sciences and data science background, could fit in.

I attended 1-2 events basically every day. Of the events, I got more value out of 9Zero Climate Innovation Hub's Seaweed as a Nature-based Solution panel than expected. It’s not my field, so I had no idea someone with my background could play a role in this sector, but it opened my eyes to how nature-based solutions are becoming more data-driven. The Carbonleap event, and Susannah Hill’s presentation especially, provided me with accessible talking points about the environmental concerns of data center expansion. Lastly, it was super meaningful to have a team dinner with the Materia Chemistries crew, as we’ve been working together for a few months and it was nice to share relaxed social time.

Overarching insights:
🤔 Companies are deeply contemplating supply chains, not just because startups need to be thoughtful about scale, but also because every link in the chain is an opportunity to decarbonize. Additionally, especially in the current economic climate, every step of the chain needs to be scrutinized.

🤔 There is a more pragmatic mindset to climate solutions these days, and a greater focus on relating climate change to everyday people and experiences. From Sway’s emphasis on replacing retail fashion plastic bags with seaweed-based biomaterials to (multiple) Climatebase Fellow projects about bringing actionable steps directly to consumers via daily reminders or tailored recommendations, we’re starting to focus more on high-touch aspects of people’s lives.

🤔 Storytelling makes or breaks every idea. We see this especially through the ways art can speak to people more deeply than any white paper.

Here’s what I’m up to next:
💚 If any of these reflections resonate with you, I’d love to talk more!

☕ I’m following up with people I connected with, through coffee chats or hikes.

👀 Publishing my reflections every day I attended SFCW has been, admittedly, hectic, but it’s inspired me to keep writing about my experiences in professional contexts. Watch this space!

Want more fun data reading like this?

Next up…

• About the author, Andreana Rosnik

• Founding principles behind Data Pointilism

• What is Impressionist Data?