Greetings to almost 4k Impact Supporters! 🌍 This is Jonas Ahm-Lundgren writing 👋 In today’s episode, we sit down with Sonam Velani, co-founder of Streetlife Ventures, a New York–based VC firm backing bold solutions where climate, cities, and infrastructure collide.

From her early years in a flood-prone Chicago basement to helping shape New York City’s climate plan at City Hall, working at Goldman Sachs and the World Bank, and now investing in the urban green transition, Sonam brings an extraordinary 360° perspective.

We spoke about her journey, the realities of fundraising as an emerging manager, the underfunded but urgent case for adaptation, and what the sustainable city of the future should really look like.

📋 Agenda

* Sonam’s journey: from Mumbai to Harvard to VC 🎓🌍

* Why cities are ground zero for the climate crisis 🏙️

* Streetlife’s thesis: five verticals reshaping urban life ⚡

* The tough fundraising climate (and how to survive it) 💼

* Adaptation vs. mitigation: why we need both 🌡️

* Portfolio highlights: Daisy Chain, Harvest, Estia 🚀

* A vision of the sustainable city of the future 🌍

Meet Sonam Velani 👩‍💼

Born in Mumbai and raised in Chicago, Sonam’s early years were shaped by infrastructure — or rather the lack of it. Her family lived in a flood-prone basement apartment, a lived experience that sparked a lifelong obsession

A full scholarship to Harvard allowed her to study government, economics, and urban planning. Unlike many peers, Sonam now jokes she’s “one of the few people who actually uses what I learned in college every single day.”

Her path has taken her through:

* Goldman Sachs, financing large-scale infrastructure during the financial crisis.

* World Bank, developing resilient infrastructure frameworks.

* New York City Hall, drafting the city’s ambitious climate plan toward net zero by 2050.

* Zipline, helping scale drone-delivered medicine.

These experiences, combined with co-founder Laura Fox’s operator background (Sidewalk Labs, Citi Bike), inspired them to launch Streetlife Ventures, a fund uniquely focused on urban climate solutions.

Why Cities Are The Climate Frontline 🌆

“Half of humanity lives in cities. 70% of emissions come from cities. And 75% of the 2050 urban infrastructure hasn’t been built yet.”

For Sonam, that makes cities ground zero for the climate crisis. Streetlife Ventures invests across five verticals: 🏢 Buildings ⚡ Energy 🚚 Mobility & logistics 💧 Waste & water 🌡️ Adaptation

Their strategy pairs startups with real estate firms, infrastructure partners, and city governments, ensuring that innovation gets deployed where it’s needed most.

They also run Climate Tech Cities, a global community of 25,000+ people with local chapters, events, and talent matchmaking, a grassroots network accelerating the climate transition from the ground up.

Fundraising in a Tough Climate 💼

Raising a first-time climate fund in 2025 is not for the faint of heart. Interest rates are high, LPs are cautious, and geopolitics are volatile.

But Sonam argues the case for urban climate investment is undeniable:

* $5 trillion in capital needed over the coming decades.

* 75% of 2050 infrastructure is yet to be built.

* Climate risk is economic risk.

Streetlife has found traction with family offices (especially next-gens), corporates seeking early deal flow, and individuals from tech looking to apply their skills and wealth to climate.

Adaptation vs. Mitigation ⚖️

One of Sonam’s strongest messages: adaptation is vastly underfunded.

* 93% of climate finance goes to mitigation; only 7% to adaptation.

* Yet 90% of climate risk impacts cities.

* Every $1 invested in adaptation saves $6 in avoided disaster costs.

Streetlife backs startups delivering co-benefits, solutions that mitigate emissions and build resilience:

* DaisyChain Energy → Arbitraging utility rates to fund rooftop solar, EV chargers, and heat pumps.

* Harvest → Smart thermal pods that shift energy use, cut emissions, and provide backup during blackouts.

* Estia → Cooling wearables that protect workers from extreme heat, the deadliest climate risk.

The Sustainable City of the Future 🌍

For inspiration, Sonam points to Copenhagen: waste-to-energy plants like CopenHill, efficient district heating, bike-first design.

But the broader vision is distributed, resilient, and liveable:

* Buildings powered by efficient district systems.

* Water captured and reused onsite.

* Streets designed for biking and walking, not futuristic air taxis.

“The sustainable city shouldn’t feel futuristic. It should just feel comfortable, affordable, and resilient.”

Sonam’s Advice 🌱

* For careers: Any skill, finance, ops, marketing, can apply to climate. Think of your career as a portfolio, not a ladder.

* For investing: Climate businesses must still be good businesses. “Faster, better, cheaper” always wins.

* For impact: It’s financial and social. Many portfolio companies deploy in affordable housing, cutting both emissions and renters’ bills.

* For mindset: Optimism is non-negotiable. “Agency and optimism inspire action—doom and gloom does not.”

Closing ✨

Sonam Velani embodies what makes climate investing so powerful: a blend of lived experience, global perspective, and hard-nosed pragmatism. Her optimism is contagious, and her work at Streetlife Ventures shows that cities, our most complex systems, can also be our most powerful levers for change.

Tell us what you think: Are cities the key to unlocking the climate transition? Reply to this newsletter or drop us a note at ImpactSupporters@thefootprintfirm.com.

Thanks for reading, Jonas Ahm-Lundgren

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit impactvc.substack.com

🏙️ From Chicago Basements to Climate Unicorns: A Conversation with Sonam Velani

Impact Supporters

🏙️ From Chicago Basements to Climate Unicorns: A Conversation with Sonam Velani