April 20, 2026
Global Adaptation & Resilience Investment (GARI) Inaugural Summit
Climate adaptation is a $2 trillion investment market— an “unavoidable opportunity”. Investors are looking for scalable, real-economy solutions and investible products across public and private markets. The GARI Summit will convene investors and experts to discuss investment, share strategies and perspectives, and engage capital with solutions.
What the Summit Will Deliver
- Curated sessions to highlight investment opportunities across asset classes.
- Case studies to translate resilience theses into strategies and investment approaches.
- Discussions of frameworks for screening and portfolio construction.
- Policy & blended finance panel to engage investors with DFIs, philanthropies, and public funds.
- Global community building and active cross-sector networking with follow-up opportunities.
Agenda
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Setting the Stage: The Adaptation Investment Need and Opportunity
This session highlights the nature and scale of adaptation needs globally, explores where and how those needs are translating into tangible demand for adaptation and investment opportunities for private capital today, and the economic and financial benefits from investing in adaptation.
Speakers:
- Alexis Trittipo, Partner, McKinsey
- Kanmani Chockalingam, Senior Fellow, McKinsey Global Institute
Focus: Market Landscape | Institutional Investors | Corporate Strategy | Public Finance
Structuring Resilience: Innovative Capital Solutions for a $Trillion Market
How are investors using innovative mechanisms to meet that demand and create resilience?
Speakers:
- Moderator: Andrew Eil, Climate Risk Consultant and Investor
- Danielle Fisher, Vice President, Sustainable Investment Banking, Crédit Agricole CIB
- Emma Fuller, Co-Founder, Fractal Ag
- Peter Hall, Ambition Loop
- TBD, WaterEquity
Focus: Innovative finance
Municipal Finance for Climate Resilience
How are investors using innovative mechanisms to meet that demand and create resilience?
Speakers:
- Moderator: Jenna Bryan-Krug, Data Product Innovation Lead - Resilient America,The Resiliency Company
- Ignacio Montojo, Partner, HR&A
- Monica Reed, CEO & Founder, Kestrel
- Ina Hoxha, Chief Investment Officer & Deputy CEO, Climate Bonds Initiative
Focus: Public Finance | Fixed Income | Infrastructure
Structuring and Selling a Resilience Bond
Case study discussing the practical process of structuring and selling a bond used for resilience.
Speakers:
- Moderator: Dana Hummel, Vice President, Sustainable Finance, RBC Capital Markets
- Nikolai Sklaroff, Capital Finance Director, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
- Adam Guerino, Associate Portfolio Manager, ESG / Impact Global Fixed Income,Nuveen
Focus: Public Finance | Fixed Income | Infrastructure
Breakthrough Adaptation Technologies
Venture perspectives on emerging adaptation technologies that will change industries.
Speakers:
- Moderator: Darren Clifford, Founder & Managing Director, Adapt [us]
- Sonami Velani, Co-founder & Managing Partner, Streetlife Ventures
- Katie MacDonald, Co-founder & Venture Partner, Tailwind Ventures
Focus: Venture Capital | Technology
Breakthrough Adaptation Technologies
Venture perspectives on emerging adaptation technologies that will change industries.
Speakers:
- Moderator: Darren Clifford, Founder & Managing Director, Adapt [us]
- Sonami Velani, Co-founder & Managing Partner, Streetlife Ventures
- Katie MacDonald, Co-founder & Venture Partner, Tailwind Ventures
Focus: Venture Capital | Technology
Unlocking the Hidden Adaptation Economy: Tools for Public Market Investors
Identifying adaptation and resilience opportunities within publicly traded companies
Speakers:
- Moderator: Lori Collins, Senior Advisor, GARI
- Umar Ashfaq, Research Director, MSCI Institute
Focus: Data/AI | Institutional Investors
From First Check to Scale: Building the Capital Continuum for Climate Adaptation
How innovations are incubated by impact investors to reach commercial scale and investors.
Speakers:
- Moderator: Morgan DeFoort, Managing Partner, Factor[e] Ventures
- Jay Lurie, Head of Capital Markets, Odyssey Energy Solutions
- Anjali Deshmukh, Senior Advisor, Prime Coalition
- Ernst Theodor Sack, Partner, Blue Bear Capital
Focus: Energy | Emerging Markets | Venture Capital
AI and Scaling Adaptation Technologies
Growth equity companies focused on A&R technologies.
Speakers:
- Moderator: Jay Koh, Managing Director, The Lightsmith Group
- Ian Kline. President & CEO, The Cadmus Group
- Bessie Schwarz, CEO & Co-Founder, Floodbase
- Ted Calligeros, Head of Cargo, North America, Parsyl
Focus: AI | Insurance | Technology | Growth Equity
Smarter Resilience Investing with Causal AI
How causal AI can be used to make decisions about A&R investing
Speakers:
- Devin Young, Co-founder and CEO, Anthos
- DJ Passey, Co-founder and CTO, Anthos
Focus: Advanced Analytics | Underwriting Strategy
A Resilient Portfolio
This fireside chat explores how institutional investors can integrate adaptation into portfolio strategy across asset classes.
Speakers:
- Jay Koh, Managing Director, The Lightsmith Group
- Emily Chew, Head of Sustainability, GIC
Focus: Institutional Investors | Portfolio Strategy