Mehrad Yaghmai
Partner at Cool Climate Collective
Mehrad Yaghmai
Partner at Cool Climate Collective
Sacramento, California
Overview
Work Experience
Partner
2021 - Current
As founding partner, brought together investors and operators at the intersection of climate and technology to support early stage climate tech founders. Grew the collective to 1200+ members, who have engaged with our founders in various capacities beyond just providing capital as part of the investment, ranging from hiring support, workshops and trainings, coaching and advisory. We bring together investors and operators at the intersection of climate and technology. Climate change is a problem of atoms, not just bits. And within it rests the single largest investment opportunity, ever. Learn more at: coolclimatecollective.com Invest with us: https://angellist.com/s/cool-climate-collective/sb5X3
Advisor
2024
Aquaporo is tackling the growing risk of water stress that will affect billions across the world unless we deploy solutions that sustainably scale and match emerging market requirements. Have the privilege to advise the CEO & Founder in a holistic capacity ranging from Go-To-Market, Financial Planning and 360 Advice.
Producer
2024
As a producer of Climate on the Edge, I contribute to a podcast dedicated to examining advanced climate interventions and innovative technologies that are critical to addressing the global climate crisis. The podcast delves into key topics at the 'edge of climate' such as carbon removal, solar radiation modification, rewilding, and other emerging solutions that are being developed to mitigate the effects of climate change. Our mission is to raise awareness, drive public discourse, and mobilize funding for these high-impact strategies. Through expert interviews and rigorous analysis, we aim to inspire actionable solutions and foster innovation in the fight against rising global temperatures.
Partner
2021
Solution is a board game of hope and action for the climate. We have spent thousands of hours during the game’s development to build the game’s foundation on cutting-edge climate research. For example, the core solutions in the game are inspired by the ground-breaking work of Paul Hawken, the creator of Project Drawdown and One Generation. Other research, such as the feedback loop cards and the starting points for global temperature, is based on NASA, the IPCC, UNFCCC, NOAA, Yale, Stanford, the World Resources Institute, the World Economic Forum, the AMPERE Database, and more.
Dubai Future Research Contributor
2021
Contributing to climate research reports for Dubai Future.
Member Board of Directors
2023
As a member of the Board of Directors at Qureos, I provide strategic oversight and guidance to drive the company's mission of empowering rising talent in emerging markets. My role involves shaping the company's vision, ensuring effective governance, and supporting the executive team in achieving key objectives and sustainable growth.
Co-Founder
2019
As Co-Founder of Qureos, I lead product development including the R&D and deployment of our AI initiatives, leveraging vector databases and open source LLMs. Prior to focusing on product development, I co-lead partnerships with our first cohort of university and corporate partners that saw hundreds of students receive specialized mentorship in the form of cohort-based and experiential on-the-job learning engagements. Qureos is an experiential workforce technology for the future of talent - with a focus on emerging talent in emerging markets. Combining corporate engagements, AI match-making and mentorship from industry.
Program Director
2021 - 2022
Was the Program Director for Terra.do’s Climate Change for VCs, curated experience for corporate VCs, family offices and angels exploring climate tech. -Guest speakers from Congruent Ventures, BEV, Generate Capital, Prime Coalition, MUUS. -Participants came from institutions such as Salesforce Ventures, JetBlue Ventures, First Minute Capital, a16z, JFF. -Various alumni are now in various climate roles, including Partner @ Propeller, Senior Advisor @ EDF, climate investor @ SIG.
Business Strategy Analyst
2020 - 2020
Family-owned Multi-Family Real Estate investment firm. -Evaluating new PropTech solutions from property management software, construction technology, and marketplaces. -Monitor trends, themes, technologies, innovations and synthesize their impact on Cavendish's business operations as well as the industry as a whole across a variety of domains. -Exploring Mass Timber (CLT) & Prefabs usage in new development projects in East Sacramento. -Conducting research, analysis and evaluate investment prospectus including sourcing, structuring, negotiation, diligence, execution and post-deal stakeholder management.
Partner
2013 - 2020
Dubai-based Venture Studio offering strategic and operational innovation services for SMEs, corporates, startups & entrepreneurs. -Developed and executed product roadmaps, owning product strategy including PRD, GTM planning, positioning, and overall messaging. -Worked with corporate clients to create, plan and strategize innovation strategies (from Executive Coaching programs to Internal Hackathons). -Supporting founders launch their startups (10+ to date across multiple industries). -Led the product management for various projects & startups, including the management of balanced teams of software developers, product designers, and PMs. -Source & facilitate partnerships with diverse industry stakeholders. -Developed user research systems (validating/finding product-market fit) for early concepts; from user behavior observations, trend monitoring, and conducting focus groups. -Created programs and consulted on design thinking, business modeling, and revenue stream/partnership opportunities. Key Engagements: -Developed and managed Innovation Programs including an Entrepreneur-in-Residence program for Themaar Investments’ portfolio; with the goal of increasing revenue by enhancing underutilized assets; 3 projects concluded & 1 investment to date. -Worked with Canon Emirates to take an initial concept from a Hackathon win to a regional Blue Ocean Strategy implementation project, where the prototype was presented to Canon Japan/EMEA executive management. -Managed the product, from concept-to-launch of HR SaaS startup (1CliqueSystems). In 2019 was recognized by World Economic Forum and the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) as 1 of the top 100 Arab start-ups shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Co-Host
2018 - 2020
Hosting weekly conversations with many of UAE's prominent leaders and thinkers. Each of our Guests are actively contributing to the vitality of the UAE community and economy. Our goal on the podcast is to inspire you to drive progress in your professional and personal life.
Education
BA
2007 - 2009