About us

Clymate Studios helps others on a mission to create a safe and stable climate.
The purpose of Clymate Studios is to accelerate action towards combating climate change through investing and advising startups, funds and non-profits.

Meet the Team

Tod Hynes

Founder, Clymate Studios Sr. Advisor for Climate & Energy and Sr. Lecturer, MIT
Tod Hynes is a Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he teaches a graduate course called Climate & Energy Ventures and Co-founded and advises the MIT Climate & Energy Prize. He is also a Senior Advisor for Climate & Energy at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and is the Vice Chair of the Board of the Woodwell Climate Research Center, a world leading provider of independent climate science. Over 50 companies have come out of the course, and in 2024, 160+ teams from 90+universities and 44 countries participated in the MIT CEP.

Tod founded Clymate Studios to help others help the climate. He has started and invested in 20+ companies in the climate and energy space since 2002. He stared a wind development company before tax equity investors entered the U.S. market, and he started XL Fleet, one the first fleet vehicle electrification companies which scaled across the U.S. and Canada and went public in 2020. From 2004-2008 he was the Dir. of Alternative Energy at Citizens Energy where he launched the company’s wind development business and assessed various clean energy and carbon offset development opportunities.

He co-chaired the Energy Committee of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions (CERC), the organization that greened the 2004 U.S. presidential Democratic and Republican National Conventions. He was treasurer and steering committee member of the Boston Climate Action Network from 2003-2008. In 2001, Tod started one of the first social networking companies, but he decided to focus on climate.

Mr. Hynes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Science from MIT.

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Tod founded Clymate Studios to help others help the climate. He has started and invested in 20+ companies in the climate and energy space since 2002. He stared a wind development company before tax equity investors entered the U.S. market, and he started XL Fleet, one the first fleet vehicle electrification companies which scaled across the U.S. and Canada and went public in 2020. From 2004-2008 he was the Dir. of Alternative Energy at Citizens Energy where he launched the company’s wind development business and assessed various clean energy and carbon offset development opportunities.

He co-chaired the Energy Committee of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions (CERC), the organization that greened the 2004 U.S. presidential Democratic and Republican National Conventions. He was treasurer and steering committee member of the Boston Climate Action Network from 2003-2008. In 2001, Tod started one of the first social networking companies, but he decided to focus on climate.

Mr. Hynes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Science from MIT.

Founder in Residence

Seema Gupta

Co-Founder, CEO, Climate Scale-Up

Co-founder and CEO of Climate Scale-Up, an innovative program created to help late stage or growth stage companies scale internationally.

Expertise in navigating complex stakeholder ecosystems, being shaped by international experiences and entrepreneurial ventures. Experience across the value chain from retail to mining, creating a holistic understanding of business operations and challenges faced by various sectors.

Background in computer science from Columbia University and an MBA from MIT with a certificate in sustainability, bringing a structured approach and unique perspective to the table.

Daniela Gorza

Investment Associate / founder in residence

Daniela Gorza is an investor and entrepreneur. She has experience in various investment roles around the world, including positions at the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, and IDB Invest.

She also worked in strategy consulting firms in both Asia and the US, advising companies on market entry strategies. She is the former founder and CEO of Hangabout, a startup that developed a smart mobile app for global event discovery, showing 5 million events daily. While in business school, Daniela founded MITBuilds, a database aimed at scouting MIT startups and facilitating introductions to potential investors.

Currently an investment associate at Clymate Studios, Daniela is also a founder in residence. Her current project involves developing an AI-driven tool to optimize individual network management and connections. Holding an MBA from MIT Sloan, Daniela is based in New York.

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