Anjana Agarwal On Adaptation Tech For Utilities

It's hard work being a start-up founder. Harder still in the climate adaptation space.

First off, you've got the challenge of explaining to would-be clients and investors what climate adaptation actually is. Then you have to figure out what form of language moves them from curious onlookers to engaged participants.

To help deal with these obstacles, founders are on the hunt for "go-to-market Sherpas" — professionals who can guide them from the "promising idea" phase to the "commercial juggernaut" stage.

Today's guest — Anjana Agarwal — is one such "Sherpa". With her company, The Ad Hoc Group, she helps climate tech start-ups with a resilience focus navigate the complexities of regulation, procurement, and scaling in the notoriously risk-averse utility sector.

In our conversation, Anjana offers a frank diagnosis of the challenges facing adaptation tech start-ups, from mismatched language between founders and their utility buyers to political and economic barriers at the state and federal level.

She also highlights some of the company's adaptation tech clients, including Pano AI and Resilient Structures, and how they're making inroads with major utilities.

It's an episode for all you adaptation tech-heads out there, and anyone curious about how America's utilities are grappling with the blight of worsening climate extremes.

🔗Links:

Sign up to the Power Resilience Forum 2026 HERE

Learn more about The Ad Hoc Group HERE

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Questions? Comments? Email Louie at louie@climateproof.news.