Progression 2026 in partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Overview
In partnership with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team, Progression 2026 brought together climate innovators, investors, Olympic athletes, and climate scientists at the USANA Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah. Held one month after the 2026 Winter Olympics, the event was built on a simple idea: nature is nonpartisan, and outdoor sport can bring people together where politics often divides us.
Across two days, Progression 2026 spotlighted founders building high-impact solutions in Clean Energy and Climate Resilience, paired with the athletes and outdoor community who feel the stakes of a changing climate firsthand. By partnering with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team, Progression created the neutral ground where founders, investors, experts, and the outdoor sports community could come together to move the future forward.
Keynote & Featured Speakers
Progression 2026 opened with a keynote from Dr. Robert Eccles, one of the sharpest voices on sustainable capital. Nick Goepper, Olympic and X Games medalist, followed with a fireside on risk at scale. He talked candidly about the calculations behind a hard trick, and the parallel to funding ideas before they are proven made itself.
The day also brought a roundtable with Tom Cwik, Chief Technologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Bonnie Minke, Director of Business Development at UCAR, on where public climate science ends and private capital picks up. Sophie Goldschmidt, CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and other outdoor sports leaders closed the day with the case that sport has a stake in this fight.
Featured Climate Startups
Presenting companies were selected through Progression’s Double Investment Committee (IC) model. An Investor Selection Committee (partner-level and above, drawn from different funds) and a Proximity Stakeholder Committee review the same pool through different lenses. We weigh both results equally to surface the startups with the strongest combination of commercial potential, credibility, and real-world relevance.
Five finalists earned a place on the Progression 2026 stage, each building a high-impact solution across clean energy and climate resilience:
Future of Clean Energy Investing Panel
The program featured a forward-looking discussion on the future of clean energy investing, examining how capital can accelerate the technologies and infrastructure behind the energy transition. The panel brought together leading investors to explore where innovation and capital are most urgently needed, and the models enabling climate solutions to scale.
Progression 2026 Investor Selection Committee
2026 Venue & Setting
Progression 2026 took place on Thursday, April 2nd and Friday, April 3rd, 2026, in Park City, Utah. The event opened Thursday evening with a welcome reception hosted by Holland & Knight at High West Saloon. Friday began with breakfast and a tour of Utah Olympic Park, followed by the core conference programming at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team’s USANA Center of Excellence powered by iFIT. The day closed with a dinner and networking reception hosted by KPMG.
Progression 2026 Partners
Thank you to our incredible partners and Proximity Stakeholders who helped make Progression 2026 a success. Your support continues to drive meaningful innovation and connection across climate, capital, and the outdoors.
