Climate Week, 2026 - Built World Resiliency: From Data Centers to Materials (Organized by Zacua Ventures and JLL Spark)

This event (two panels and an accompanying happy hour with refreshments) spotlights high-growth emerging technology startups tackling critical infrastructure challenges in the Built Environment—from resilient power delivery for data centers to advanced materials and transparency platforms for infrastructure operations. We bring together founders with institutional real estate and infrastructure investors to connect frontier innovation with the capital and market access needed to scale durable, high-performance solutions across the global built world. The panels provide actionable insights to deliver reliable power for AI workloads, strengthen building-material supply chains, and improve procurement transparency through automated assessments—helping create a more resilient, resource-efficient built environment. The Built Environment is under pressure from every direction: surging energy demand, supply-chain volatility, tightening regulations, and aging infrastructure. The companies that will define the next era of real estate and infrastructure are building for resilience from day one. Built World Resiliency brings together startup founders and investors to explore how the next generation of infrastructure is being designed to perform under these new realities. Panel I — Powering AI: Building Resilient Compute Infrastructure (4:00 PM). AI is driving unprecedented demand for energy and physical infrastructure. This panel features two startups designing and engineering data centers and power systems that are faster to deploy, more efficient to operate, and less dependent on strained grid infrastructure—making resilience a competitive advantage, not a trade-off. Featuring: FLEXNODE's Chief Growth Officer Zak Kostura + ASTON POWER's co-founder Greg Robinson, moderated by Isela Bahena, Private Equity Infrastructure at Nuveen

Panel II — Stronger Materials, Smarter Buildings (4:30 PM). The materials that go into every building are facing new scrutiny, from performance requirements and procurement mandates to environmental disclosure standards. This panel explores next-generation cement technology, AI-driven material intelligence, and automated lifecycle assessments that help project teams build with better data, better products, and greater confidence. Featuring: CURA's founder Erin Bobicki + PATHWAYS' founder Leise Sandeman + ACELABS' co-founder Vardhan Meta, moderated by Markus Gatterwe of Holcim (Ventures) The event opens with a networking session around 3:30 PM, followed by panels from 4:00–5:15 PM, and then a light happy hour lasting till 6:30 PM. The lineup and content may change as we confirm additional speakers and institutional partners.