Ed Barker talks to Aina Abiodun, President and Executive Director of VertueLab, about how the Hurricane Sandy blackout and failed emergency infrastructure in New York drove her into climate work, her five years in Germany learning how Europe funds climate tech, and why she moved to Seattle in 2023. Aina talks about VertueLab’s role funding and supporting climate entrepreneurs, how Washington’s Climate Commitment Act and Portland’s PCEF shape the ecosystem, and why early-stage hardware needs more support despite growth-stage capital concentration. There's a deep dive into VertueLab’s catalytic Climate Impact Fund One, including examples like Photon Marine, OpConnect, Community Energy Labs, and Cascadia Seaweed, then a discussion about the geo-restricted Opaline Climate Capital fund. Does the Pacific Northwest need more “hype,” better incentives and permitting for company relocation, and more infrastructure funds?
00:00 Intro: Hurricane Sandy and The Wake-Up Call
01:57 Nigeria, New York and the Climate Turning Point
03:56 From Sandy Volunteer to Climate Obsessive
10:05 Germany, the Pacific Northwest and Regional Climate Strategy
14:19 VertueLab: The Fund, the Model and Portfolio Companies
26:29 The Funding Landscape and Battery Innovation in Washington
33:57 Seattle Ecosystem: Strengths, Weaknesses and What's Missing
44:35 The Future of Climate Investing and VC's Hardware Reckoning
About Your Host
Ed Barker has enjoyed a weird and varied career. Ed is a Brit now resident in Seattle and has founded three startups, enjoyed a long career in corporate strategy, and most recently as a VC. Sound Investments shines a small light on the fantastic work being done in the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial community.
Studio 1878
Ed is Founder of Studio 1878, a podcast strategy and production studio focused on helping brands tell smarter, more human stories. We work with founders, operators, and marketing leaders to design shows that serve clear strategic goals. Studio 1878 handles the full process - from concept and positioning through recording, editing, and distribution. Our work blends editorial thinking with production craft, prioritizing substance over noise. The result is podcasts that build trust, credibility, and long-term brand value.
Aina Abiodun
Aina is President and Executive Director of VertueLab, a Portland-based nonprofit that provides funding, mentorship and federal grant assistance to early-stage cleantech entrepreneurs and operates out of the Seattle Climate Innovation Hub. A Nigerian-Canadian-American immigrant and three-time founder, she was the first Black woman to run a venture-backed tech company in Germany, and her path into climate work began after witnessing the unequal recovery from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 while working as a freelance brand strategist in New York. Before VertueLab, she founded Just & Green Partners, co-founded the cross-platform storytelling community Storycode, and advised brands from Meta to The Obama Foundation on social impact strategy. She holds an MFA from UCLA's film school and a BA from Amherst, and sits on the boards of Washington State Green Bank, Candide Group, and Climate Solutions. Based in Tacoma, she describes her work as \"systems interventionist\" — making climate innovation more just, more local, and more accountable to the communities it claims to serve.
Connect with Jim:
VertueLab: www.vertuelab.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ainaabiodun/
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