Office of the City of Yokohama Rep. to the Americas will host “Japan Gateway for Climate & Deep Tech” during New York Tech Week, convening investors, corporates, and policymakers from the United States and Japan.

This event will explore how climate and deep tech innovations can move from proof of concept to large-scale deployment, with a particular focus on U.S.–Japan collaboration.

For the concept and program details, please see below.

If you are interested in attending, please register via the link below:
https://partiful.com/e/8hY03hoEB7xDq7J3Rc7B

Background

Where will climate and deep tech actually scale—and with whom?

As AI-driven energy demand accelerates and geopolitical shifts reshape global supply chains, investor focus is moving toward one critical question: which markets, platforms, and partnerships can turn innovation into real-world deployment.

At the same time, cities and states across the U.S. are taking on a more decisive role in shaping the conditions for that deployment. Governors in 24 states—representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of its population—remain committed to climate action, while 46 states and more than 350 cities continue to advance local initiatives. Beyond federal policy, these subnational dynamics are becoming increasingly central.

In parallel, attention is turning to partners capable of supporting the transition from proof of concept to commercialization. Japan, with its deep industrial base, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and global corporate networks, is emerging as a critical partner in enabling large-scale deployment—particularly in sectors such as energy systems, infrastructure, and materials.

This event will convene investors from the U.S. and Japan, along with policymakers and industry leaders, to share insights on these trends from a U.S.–Japan investor perspective, and to explore where and how the next phase of scaling will take place through emerging opportunities for U.S.–Japan collaboration.

Overview

• Date: Monday, June 1st
• Time: Doors open at 2:30 PM. The session will take place from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, including a networking segment.
• Venue: Baker & McKenzie LLP (452 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018)
• Format: Invitation-only (Up to 130 participants)
• Initiated by: City of Yokohama, Greennex Global, ShibuLA Ventures
• Venue Sponsored by: Baker & McKenzie LLP
• Tea Sponsored: ITO EN
• In Partnership with: Deep Tech Forum
• Time Table

Program Detail

1. Introduction
2. Keynote “How NYC is Building the Next Climate Tech Hubs”

At NYCEDC, Nicole leads innovation programs to address NYC’s most pressing climate challenges and help shape a NYC economy that is more inclusive and sustainable. Her portfolio focuses on de-risking and accelerating climate solutions that decarbonize buildings and construction, develop a renewable energy system, and enable low-carbon alternatives in transportation.

3. Fireside Chat
   “Where to Scale Next: U.S.–Japan Investor Perspectives on Climate & Deep Tech” (30 min)

• Latest investment trends in climate and deep tech
• When and why Japan becomes part of a scaling strategy
• What Japanese corporates look for in partnerships
• Key challenges and success factors from PoC to commercialization

<Speakers / Moderator>

Masami Shibamoto
Senior Manager
JERA Americas

Masami Shibamoto is a Senior Manager at JERA Americas, where he leads strategy and corporate venturing initiatives focused on the energy transition. His work centers on identifying and scaling climate and deep tech solutions that enable flexible and reliable power supply, accelerate time-to-power, and support the build-out of next-generation energy infrastructure.
Through JERA Ventures, he works with startups, investors, and academic partners to de-risk and commercialize emerging technologies across distributed energy systems, AI-driven optimization, and power generation. His recent focus includes microgrids, 24/7 carbon-free energy, and energy solutions for data centers.

Richard Bourgeois
Associate Director for Innovation Partnerships
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

Richard Bourgeois is the Associate Director for Innovation Partnerships at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), working to build and sustain innovation ecosystems that accelerate the adoption of clean and affordable energy technologies. He previously managed Innovation’s Commercialization portfolio and led NYSERDA’s efforts to establish the National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium. Prior to joining NYSERDA Richard worked as a research engineer, earning over twenty U.S. patents for advancements in solid oxide fuel cells, hydrogen electrolysis and grid-scale energy storage. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York State with an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an undergraduate degree in engineering from Boston University.

Raluca Florea
Principal on the investment team
Decarbonization Partners

Raluca Florea is a Principal on the investment team at Decarbonization Partners, a $1.4 billion joint venture between BlackRock and Temasek focused on late-stage venture and growth equity investments in climate-relevant innovation. She is a co-founding member of the Decarbonization Partners investment team and has helped build the firm’s investment platform from the ground up, spanning fund strategy, portfolio construction, LP fundraising, and growth investing.
Raluca brings significant experience investing across multiple stages of company growth, from incubation and early company formation through growth equity, IPO execution for public market access, and private exits. Her sector expertise spans energy transition, advanced mobility, aerospace, industrials, carbon markets, and the broader intersection of technology and physical-world transformation.
Before joining Decarbonization Partners, Raluca spent eight years at Bregal Energy, investing across the energy sector from incubation through exit and partnering with companies and management teams across the full investment lifecycle. Earlier in her career, she worked in Credit Suisse’s Global Energy & Renewables investment banking group and at McKinsey & Company, advising energy and telecom clients across Europe and the Middle East.
Raluca holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest.

Kevin Ninomiya
CEO & Co-Founder
ShibuLA Ventures

Currently based in New York, Kevin Ninomiya has a diverse range of experience spanning from startups to large corporations, working as an active startup supporter, ecosystem developer, and U.S. attorney. After working as a development engineer in the electronics industry, he gained experience in innovation-related roles in digital transformation (DX) and green transformation (GX) at large corporations. He also founded an EdTech startup. In 2023, he established the law firm Global Gateway Law and the venture studio ShibuLA Ventures, where he supports US market entry for startups and large companies. Additionally, he serves as an advisor for startups at major accelerators such as Berkeley SkyDeck and Silicon Valley’s Bronco Venture Accelerator.

4. Fireside Chat: The Manufacturing Backbone of Climate Innovation: Scaling Deep Tech Through Industry

<Speakers / Moderator>

Cvic Innocent
Founder & General Partner
Frankenbuild Ventures

Cvic Innocent, Founder & General Partner at Frankenbuild Ventures, is an ex-NASA turned investor in the inevitable tough tech of the future. A core differentiator is her integrated approach across technology, policy, and finance. Frankenbuild Ventures, or F(v), invests in frontier tech, often first-of-a-kind, rugged technologies, shaping the future of sustainable cities. Think robots in the ocean, outer space, underground mines, or in computers.

Stacey Weissmiller
President & CEO
American Manufacturing Futures Institute

Stacey Weissmiller, President & CEO at American Manufacturing Futures Institute, a NPO redefining the role of manufacturing in America’s economic development, is a strategist and ecosystem builder focused on the future of advanced manufacturing, industrial innovation, and workforce transformation. She excels at connecting public and private stakeholders across manufacturing, supply chains, workforce systems, and innovation ecosystems to accelerate deployment and long-term industrial competitiveness.

Sabrina Sasaki
Partner
Monozukuri Ventures

Sabrina Sasaki, Partner at Monozukuri Ventures, is a venture ecosystem builder connecting investors, startups, corporations around hard tech commercialization. Her work focuses on bridging global innovation ecosystem enablers between North America and Japan for robotics and physical AI infrastructure. Her cross-border approach integrates venture capital, strategic partnerships, and ecosystem development to help frontier technologies move from pilot stages to commercial milestones.

5. Startup Pitch
Selected startups participating in the pitch session include companies working across fusion energy, circular materials, thermal electrification, critical mineral recovery, and advanced sensing technologies. Several are backed by leading investors, strategic industrial partners, and U.S. federal programs.

<Moderator>

Stella Song
Founder
Greennex Global

Stella Song is the founder of Greennex Global, a New York-based cross-border platform connecting international institutional partners — including government agencies, corporate venture arms, and sovereign-adjacent funds across Japan, Singapore, Europe, and beyond — with the most promising U.S. climate deep tech startups. Through Greennex’s programs, including the Climate Gateway series co-hosted with the City of Yokohama and Enterprise Singapore, the Global Founder Studio co-hosted with Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon, and the Greennex Intelligence Series featuring conversations with investors from GE Vernova Ventures, Rockefeller Foundation, and Cathay Innovation, Stella has built one of the most active cross-border climate deep tech platforms operating out of New York. Her work spans deal sourcing and due diligence, investor-facing program design, startup curation, and cross-border deployment facilitation — with a growing focus on syndicate formation and venture capital as Greennex builds toward its next phase as a U.S. climate deep tech investment platform.

<Startup List >
• Realta Fusion — Compact Fusion Energy
A university spinout developing modular magnetic mirror fusion systems for industrial-scale deployment. The company achieved a world-record 17 Tesla magnetic field on confined plasma and is backed by a $36M Series A and U.S. DOE fusion program support.

• Evrnu— Circular Textile Materials
Commercializing regenerative lyocell fiber made from post-consumer cotton waste, capable of being recycled multiple times without quality degradation. The company has secured over $330M in purchase commitments from global apparel brands.

• MIMiC Systems — Next-Generation Heat Pumps
Developing solid-state heat pumps with no refrigerants and no moving parts, targeting major reductions in HVAC energy consumption and emissions through advanced thermoelectric systems.

• FAST Metals — Critical Mineral Recovery
Recovering rare earths and high-value minerals from industrial waste streams through a proprietary low-energy hydrometallurgical process. The company is backed by a major global mining player.

• Florrent — Grid-Scale Energy Storage
Developing next-generation ultracapacitors for renewable integration, EV charging infrastructure, and grid stabilization. The company’s proprietary low-cost energy storage technology targets critical power stability gaps that conventional batteries cannot efficiently address.

• Turnover Labs — CO2-to-Chemicals / Industrial Decarbonization
A startup developing on-site electrolysis systems that convert industrial CO2 emissions into high-value chemical building blocks such as plastics, solvents, and fuels. The company claims 500% longer operational lifetime and 40% better energy efficiency than conventional systems.

6. Networking (Approx. 60 min)