Managing Director Tim Bouley sets the tone for a kickoff event dedicated to the biological solutions and food and agriculture cohorts in October 2025. (Credit: Daniel Beck)

Events

The Stanford Sustainability Accelerator hosts events for the Stanford community, as well as entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, and other professionals interested in developing and scaling sustainability solutions.

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Featured events

Stanford Food Speaker Series

This speaker series informs and connects the Stanford community with innovations, policies, and insights that shape the future of food and agriculture. Co-organizers: Accelerator, Bio-X, Center for Human and Planetary Health, Center for Ocean Solutions, Center on Food Security and the Environment, Nutrition Studies Research Group

View upcoming food events

Greenhouse gas removal showcase

Climate tech leaders outline solutions to greenhouse gas removal challenges

During a spring 2025 event hosted by the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator, more than 300 scholars, investors, entrepreneurs, and alumni learned about greenhouse gas removal and how researchers are working to enable it on a large scale.

Watch showcase highlights

Stanford Sustainability Accelerator Speaker Series

The Stanford Sustainability Accelerator Speaker Series invited entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, and others working in sustainability to share their stories about transitioning innovative ideas into scalable solutions.

View past event recordings

Scenes from recent events

From industry workshops to cohort kickoffs and book talks, the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator hosted a wide array of events in 2025. Explore scenes and sound bites below. (Background image above credited to Daniel Beck) 

A group of people watches a presentation in a conference room.
“Electrical grids must evolve to decarbonize,” said Managing Director Albert Chan at the electricity and industry kickoff. “That means system upgrades like grid optimization, end-use innovation, and renewable energy integration.” (Credit: Daniel Beck)
Three people are seated and one person is talking.
“Starting a company was not crazy,” said Shannon Miller, CEO and founder of Mainspring Energy, reflecting on her time as an entrepreneurial Stanford student during the kickoff. “The concept is not foreign here. That's refreshing." (Credit: Daniel Beck)
A woman at a podium addresses a crowd.
Sally Benson, professor of energy science and engineering, addressed policy, industry, and technology leaders at a fall Accelerator event on innovations in the cement and steel industries, which account for 15% of global CO2 emissions. (Credit: E Zarazua)
Two people seated at a table speak with a person who's standing up.
An attendee of the planetary intelligence kickoff event speaks with Managing Director Gemma Guilera and Faculty Director Yi Cui during a break between programs. (Credit: Chubing Li)
A lady in a red shirt speaks to a crowd. There is a person sitting on either side of her.
“We felt like people were addressing climate change impacts with 19th-century technology,” said panelist Emilie Mazzacurati at the climate adaptation kickoff event about why she co-founded a venture fund for climate resilience. (Credit: Stanford Video)
Two people sitting in front of a projector face a crowd.
“We think about non-traditional partners by questioning who is not at a given decision-making table,” said Secretary Yana Garcia of the California EPA in a conversation moderated by Managing Director Jeff Brown at the water kickoff event. “(Credit: C. Li)
An audience listens to two speakers at the front of the room. The walls of the room are orange and there are two screens displaying slides.
At the Stanford Food Speaker Series, former FDA Commissioner David Kessler and Stanford nutrition expert Christopher Gardner discussed how federal regulation and corporate incentives shape U.S. nutrition challenges. (Credit: Trevor Cambron)
A person speaks at a podiu.
“For millennia people gathered around dinner tables,” said Tim Bouley at the food, agriculture, & biological solutions kickoff. “Agriculture 12,000 years ago helped societies form communities—so it’s fitting we’re forming one today.” (Credit: Daniel Beck)
Rows of people listens to a speaker in a large conference hall.
“Doing the right thing isn’t just the right thing—it’s good business today,” said Paul Lightfoot, general manager of Patagonia Provisions, urging the audience to consider how food production can benefit people and planet. (Credit: Daniel Beck)