THE HEAT 2025 will bring alive the optimism of climate-tech — with future-food tastings, product demos, music, art, expert workshops and storytelling. Here are some of the creative minds who are working on content.
The talented team that are putting THE HEAT together.
THE HEAT's Head of Content
MARTINS
THE HEAT's Curator of Participants
THE HEAT's Partnership Curator
THE HEAT's Curator of Stories
THE HEAT's Curator of
Social Interactions
THE HEAT's Curator of
Pitch Coaching
THE HEAT's Logistics Curator
THE HEAT's
Future-Food Curator
THE HEAT's Music Curator
THE HEAT's Energy-Tech Curator
THE HEAT's Climate
Robotics Curator
THE HEAT's New-Materials Curator
THE HEAT's Climate-Film Curator
THE HEAT's Curator of
the Festival Rock Band
THE HEAT's Curator of
the Bristol Area Community
There will be no dull panels or over-long keynotes at THE HEAT 2025.
Instead, festival-goers will experience short, lively presentations from some of the key people leading the battle to decarbonise our planet.
Get involved in an open discussion on an interesting topic. Participants will be able to choose which conversation circle to sign up for in advance. We’ll announce conversation circles over the coming months. If you’d like to lead one, email david@voyagers.io
It’s a festival. Not a conference. So participants will get hands-on at THE HEAT 2025.
Festival-goers will broaden their knowledge in compelling interactive sessions led by experts.
More information on workshops will be released over the coming months.
More information on workshops will be released over the coming months.
More information on workshops will be released over the coming months.
More information on workshops will be released over the coming months.
More information on workshops will be released over the coming months.
More information on workshops will be released over the coming months.
More information on workshops will be released over the coming months.
From drumbeats to DJs and films, we will bring the festival vibe to THE HEAT.
COMEDIAN
LIV TORC & CHRIS REDMOND
"HOT TAKES"
BERBER / AMAZIGH DUO
David Rowan is founder of VOYAGERS and chief curator of THE HEAT. He was founding UK editor-in-chief of WIRED and wrote the book “Non-Bullshit Innovation” (Penguin). David also runs the VOYAGERS Climate-Tech Fund.
Mariana is the VOYAGERS Community Builder, responsible for building valuable connections between the 3,500+ people in the VOYAGERS community of people working on impactful things in climate tech, health tech and more. Her role includes organising three-day adventure weekends in magical places; local dinner meetups in 24 cities; online workshops and networking; direct introductions between VOYAGERS; and other online and offline activities that build peer support.
What started off as a marketing career in the corporate world turned into a mission to support climate-tech founders solving what I believe is the most pressing issue of our era: the rapid collapse of our natural world. A large part of my time is devoted to enabling dialogue, fostering collaboration, creating inspiration-inducing, action-triggering events and experiences that I hope will lead to a better tomorrow. Another big part goes to enjoying the here and the now with my wife and two kids, most likely playing outside near our home in Hamburg, Germany.
Joe Rowan is VOYAGERS’ Chief of Staff and curator of stories at THE HEAT. He’s writing stories about participants for the festival magazine, as well as all other content that goes out on THE HEAT’s social-media channels. He is also helping to put together the agenda, including finding speakers, and helping with the general logistics of the festival.
Juliette is the founder and CEO of Climate Connection, an ecosystem-builder organisation that runs 40+ events per year to bring together changemakers working at the intersection of climate and innovation. Prior to this, Juliette spent 5+ years in the US working in early-stage deeptech and climate startup creation. She is also a leadership coach, a public-speaking coach, and a passionate advocate of the need for greater awareness and support for founder mental-health resources.
Nils, who is working with our pitching startups to hone their stories, is a serial entrepreneur with 20+ years experience as founder, business developer and company leader. He crashed a few companies, but also made a number of successful exits. Today, he helps early startups, growth and large companies accelerate and scale through increased revenue, targeted sales and smart investments. And it all starts with honing your perfect pitch!
Michelle is the event lead at Fusion Events, an agency based in Oxfordshire that specialises in managing events that have sustainability at their core. Working in the events sector for 20+ years, she has experience managing an unusual variety of events, including festivals, award ceremonies, conferences and technology showcases — all of which feed into THE HEAT’s varied programme. Michelle is an IEMA associate member.
Daniel is founder of Solvable Syndicate, founding editor of FoodTech Weekly, operating advisor to Mudcake / Nordic FoodTech VC / Blume Equity, angel investor in 30+ startups, advisor to 15+ food-tech and bio-economy startups, and mentor at accelerators Big Idea Ventures, Katapult and Norrsken.
Nathalie Nahai is an artist, musician and founder of the Flourishing Futures Salon. Author of the bestselling book, Webs of Influence, she works at the intersection of psychology, technology and the arts.
Emma oversees the development and management of the Energy Tech Cluster at Harwell, which is supported by the Science Technology Facilities Council at UK Research and Innovation. She has been instrumental in building on the strong foundations of the Cluster with innovative energy-technology companies, UK public bodies, academia and industry to share knowledge, focus on funding streams and concentrate on areas of growth. Key to the Energy Tech Cluster’s success is taking its primary focus and ensuring that across collaboration with a multidisciplinary focus approach is actively supported.
Dr Patrick Meier leads the Climate Robotics Network and previously served as Strategy Lead for Robotics at the Swiss Institute of Technology (EPFL). He is a 5x founder with 15+ years of leadership experience in humanitarian- and climate-tech. Patrick is also a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and was born and raised in Africa.
After some years in design and innovation consulting for global brands and lately transforming the Design Hotels platform into a more conscious business, Ksenia is currently focused on impact and sustainability advisory within looms.world, exploring new ideas of circularity and the role of creativity in climate change.
Tristan is an award-winning filmmaker, founder and anthropologist focused on accelerating climate action. He is co-founder of the London-based production company Possible Studio, and has published films and stories with The Guardian, Al-Jazeera and the Huffington Post. Tristan is a Shuttleworth Foundation grant recipient and MIT Innovator Under 35.
Rabin Yaghoubi, who has creatively crowdsourced the VOYAGERS Band for this evening’s entertainment, is the chief corporate development officer at Aleph Group, the global leader in powering digital media growth in over 130 emerging markets. Previously, he was chief commercial officer at Babylon Health, ran strategic partnerships for Google in EMEA (including launching key products like Maps and Shopping) and managed DoubleClick’s media business globally. Rabin is a prolific angel investor and advisor, having acted as EIR at Seedcamp, Europe’s leading early-stage fund, and invested in and advised over 50 early and late-stage digital businesses.
Briony works across the creative and tech industries in Greater Bristol to optimise the conditions for business success. She is a connector, facilitator, and problem-solver often found focusing on economic and human health and how the two intertwine. She’s a practicing nutritional therapist and founder of the Bristol Business Bugle which exists to connect, inform, and celebrate across creative, tech, and innovation.
Josh brings expertise from a career in financial services and public policy to bear on the challenges (and opportunities!) of scaling climate-related businesses. He has a background in formulating economic policy, strategic risk management, building wealth management products and currently works exclusively with climate-tech businesses in the UK and Europe to advance their business plans and fundraise for expansion.
Stuart Goldsmith is an internationally award-winning comedian, podcaster, speaker and comedy expert. His TV credits include performing stand-up on Conan, hosted by comedy icon Conan O’Brien. He has performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the New Zealand International Comedy Festival and the prestigious, invitation-only festivals Just For Laughs in Montreal and SXSW in Texas. His 2023 solo stand-up show Spoilers won the prestigious Best Show 2023 at Leicester Comedy Festival and was one of the best-reviewed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023, where he played to sellout audiences. The Times praised Stuart’s “excellence” and his “intelligent, well-crafted act” and The List said: “He’s especially, piercingly funny on the hypocrisies we all indulge in.” Stuart performs his climate comedy at eco festivals and at corporate events internationally. The purpose is to engage attendees in the important issue of sustainability and climate change; to send out a call to action and alleviate our collective dread by tackling a very serious subject via a very entertaining medium. He has appeared at high-profile climate festivals including Net Zero Festival and Blue Earth Summit in the UK and GreenBiz in the US. Stuart hosts the internationally renowned “Comedian’s Comedian” podcast, with over 25 million downloads. stuartgoldsmith.com
Hot Poets is an ambitious, award-winning, internationally focused CIC, working to powerfully communicate climate-change science and action through spoken-word poetry. They do this by creating dynamic arts and science collaborations with top climate-change organisations, scientists and world-class artists, including UNFCCC’s Resilience Frontiers, The Met Office, LSE, RSPB, UCL, Southbank Centre, The Gaia Foundation and 3M. Their poems have been viewed, heard or seen over 6 million times, presented at the Southbank, NBC UNIVERSAL, TedXLondon, and COP26, 27 and COP28 in collaboration with the UN. By giving science a story, Hot Poets has positively impacted the work of scientists, farmers and academics across the world.
Liv Torc is world-shaping, creativity-championing poet, performer, producer and UN consultant, who seeks and delivers creative solutions to the pressing problems of our time. Co-Artistic Director of Hot Poets and producer of the poetry stage at WOMAD, Liv has performed at Glastonbury Festival, UNESCO in Paris, TEDxLondonWomen and R4’s Poetry Please. Her published books include Show Me Life and The Human Emergency.
Chris Redmond is a writer, musician and multi-artform facilitator. Co-Artistic Director of Hot Poets, founder of Tongue Fu, his career spans 30 years and 20 countries, with collaborators including Kae Tempest, Lemn Sissay, Irvine Welsh and Hollie McNish. His poetry and music has featured on BBC Radio 1-6, ITV, Sky Arts, CBBC, in The Guardian and Independent.
Singer and songwriter Iness Mezel, awarded “Best Female African Artist” and “Best North African Artist” at the All Africa Kora Music Awards, performs as a duo with Nora Abdoun, her lifelong friend and bandmate who plays traditional Amazigh percussion. Both women are of Amazigh culture from Algeria, a rich and endangered oral tradition spanning two millennia, and their minimalist organic music celebrates the heritage of their unsubdued ancestors, honoring freedom and respect for nature. Their spellbinding performances invite the audience into a tribal gathering full of energy and joy, with clapping and call-and-response singing.
Photo credit © Yuka Kasahara
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