Episode Summary
Executive Summary: Taj Eldridge describes a climate strategy rooted in inclusion, culture, and practical capital allocation. He argues climate should be framed as a health, wealth, and justice issue to broaden participation, and he details his work across fund-of-funds investing, climate workforce development, and pop-culture-led climate engagement to accelerate adoption and build a more diverse, place-based climate ecosystem.
Main Topics: Climate, inclusion, and identity as a connected agenda (Priority: 5/5): Eldridge argues inclusion in climate must go beyond race and gender to include geography, disability, and access to opportunity. He frames climate solutions as more effective when underserved and historically excluded communities are centered. Portfolio of climate initiatives and capital allocation (Priority: 5/5): He outlines his current work across Include Ventures, CREST, and Clean Energy Culture, describing a portfolio approach that combines LP capital, grants, workforce programming, and cultural activation to drive climate outcomes. Personal journey into climate through finance, fashion, and health (Priority: 5/5): Eldridge traces his path from banking and entrepreneurship in fashion and wine to climate incubators and funds, explaining that his kidney disease diagnosis sharpened his view of climate as a public health and environmental justice issue. Climate theory of change: from moral framing to economic and cultural framing (Priority: 4/5): He says public engagement requires speaking to self-interest—health, money, jobs, and quality of life—while still pursuing climate as an emergency. He emphasizes green wealth and cultural influence as levers for behavior change. Need for diverse funding models and measurement tools (Priority: 4/5): Eldridge stresses that venture is only one tool among many and calls for grants, debt, project finance, university partnerships, and better measurement infrastructure to assess climate impact and fund more solutions. Pop culture, entertainment, and sports as climate accelerants (Priority: 4/5): He believes entertainers, athletes, and media can normalize climate-friendly choices and make the transition feel aspirational, citing examples of artists investing in climate-adjacent companies and his own Clean Energy Culture work. Systemic barriers: privilege, geography, and centralized ecosystems (Priority: 4/5): He criticizes the assumption that success requires Silicon Valley, arguing for place-based innovation, cross-border collaboration, and more inclusion of voices from the Global South, the Caribbean, and underserved U.S. regions.
Key Arguments: Climate should be discussed as a public health, economic, and social justice issue because people respond most strongly to impacts on their own lives and livelihoods. Inclusion in climate must be broader than race and gender; it should also include geography, disability, and class, because talent is universal but opportunity is not. A fund-of-funds model with both LP and grant capital can lower barriers for emerging climate fund managers who struggle with the cost of raising first funds. Venture capital is important but insufficient; climate finance should also include debt, project finance, grants, university partnerships, and alternative structures. Pop culture and entertainment can shift behavior and norms faster than policy alone by making climate feel relevant, cool, and socially rewarded. Regulation is necessary, but it must be thoughtful because hardwired rules can create unintended consequences and may not fit all communities equally. Climate action must be place-based and globally connected rather than centered only in Silicon Valley or a few elite convening spaces. Listening to communities is essential because local users often understand problems and solutions better than outside investors or founders. Measurement remains an underdeveloped frontier in climate and impact investing, creating opportunities for new tools and businesses to assess outcomes. Young people are a major source of optimism because they will inherit and improve the climate movement beyond the current generation.
Data Points: Daily minutes: 96.50 minutes - Eldridge says Adam Grant told him there are 96.50 minutes in a day, which he uses as a reminder to spend time on what matters. Climate funds supported with grants: 10 funds - Include Ventures made grant investments into 10 climate funds in the U.S. and Europe. Include Ventures age: About 1.5 years - He says the fund of funds started about a year and a half prior to the interview. Target climate jobs: 25,000 jobs - He describes a JFF/Ares partnership aiming to create 25,000 climate jobs over five years. People to reach with climate job awareness: 100,000 people - The same initiative aims to ensure 100,000 people learn about climate jobs. CREST timeframe: 5 years - The climate workforce program is described as a five-year effort. CREST funding total: $25 million - He references a $25 million program funded by the Ares Foundation. CREST U.S. allocation: About $19 million - JFF leads the U.S. portion of the CREST program. CREST India allocation: About $6 million - WRI leads the India portion of the CREST program. Riverside ranking: #4 in the nation - He says the Riverside accelerator became the number four place in the nation for Black entrepreneurs according to Entrepreneur Magazine. Personal family duration: 23 years married - He says he has been married for 23 years and is a father of three.
Pivotal Quotes: "talent is universal, opportunity is not." — Taj Eldridge: He explains why inclusion must be viewed broadly across geography, disability, and access. "We are a capitalistic consumer society in this country. And so, the way of the dollar, the way of the dollar is spending is going to influence corporations." — Taj Eldridge: He argues that consumer choices can drive corporate climate action, alongside regulation and culture. "we need to fall forward fast in this space." — Taj Eldridge: He describes the urgency of climate action and the need to learn quickly from mistakes.
Implications: The episode suggests climate progress will accelerate when finance, culture, and policy work together and when underrepresented communities are treated as source material for solutions, not just beneficiaries. It also points to major opportunities in climate workforce development, alternative capital, and measurement tools.