DC Climate Week: An Inside Look with Co-Founder C’pher Gresham
Season 4: Episode 21
In this special episode of Climify, host Eric Benson chats with C’pher Gresham, co-founder of the very first DC Climate Week. They dive into how the event got started, what kind of speakers and activities you can expect — from garden tours to job fairs — and the lessons C’pher learned along the way. They also talk about why community involvement and working across political lines are so important for real climate action. Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at DC Climate Week and pick up some tips on how you can bring a Climate Week to your own community!
About our guests
C’pher Gresham is an accomplished entrepreneur, leader, and technologist dedicated to driving global impact through innovative ventures. As the former CEO of SEED SPOT and global leader of AWS Activate: Founders, he has established a reputation for fostering entrepreneurship and innovation. C'pher is also known for co-founding Swillings Coffee and Front Row, a pioneering NFT marketplace. Currently, he is a co-founder of Gridvolve, a platform focused on innovation for the electric grid. He is one of the co-founders and co-organizers of the inaugural DC Climate Week.
C'pher's diverse journey includes being a Mandela-Washington Fellow, conducting oceanography studies aboard a Caribbean ship, and working internationally in Uzbekistan, Benin, and other countries. He serves as a mentor at George Washington University and holds a B.A. from The George Washington University. Additionally, he earned an MBA Summa Cum Laude from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, specializing in early-stage financing.
Links mentioned in this episode
Music in this episode
Nature sound effect by bbc.co.uk – ©2023 BBC
Climify Theme Song by Casual Motive
The Season 4 Climify Team
Eric Benson (Host)
Cam Burkins (Producer)
Bhavna Bhavanishankar (Experience Researcher and Multisensory Educator)
Adam Dziaba (Designer)
Jacqui Himmel (Multimedia Journalist and Scriptwriter)
Abigail Zhuk (Design Researcher)
Climate Design Assignments
At the end of each episode, we ask our guests what their ideal climate design project would be. They have four weeks with a class full of design students. We translated their response into a project brief that you can use for your class.
