Mentor | Climate & Sustainability

C10 Labs • New York, NY

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

C10 Labs is an AI-native venture fund and venture platform that partners with exceptional founders to build and scale category-defining AI companies. Through AI Nexus NYC, C10 Labs brings together founders, investors, operators, researchers, corporate leaders, and industry experts to support the development and commercialization of high-potential AI startups. We are expanding our mentor network and seeking experienced leaders across climate, sustainability, and environmental innovation who want to help founders solve meaningful industry challenges and build enduring companies.

Requirements

• Enjoy helping founders work through difficult and ambiguous problems.
• Bring practical operating, investing, technical, or market experience.
• Be candid, thoughtful, and constructive in your feedback.
• Understand that strong mentorship involves challenging founders, not simply encouraging them.
• Be curious about how AI can create new solutions across climate and sustainability markets.
• Want to help startups create measurable impact while building scalable and financially sustainable businesses.

Nice To Haves

• Experience across areas such as: Climate Technology, Corporate Sustainability, Decarbonization, Carbon Accounting and Carbon Management, Carbon Markets, Climate Finance, Circular Economy, Waste Reduction and Resource Recovery, Sustainable Supply Chains, Environmental Data and Analytics, Climate Risk and Resilience, Water and Natural Resource Management, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, Green Buildings and Infrastructure, Environmental Services, ESG and Sustainability Reporting, Clean Technology, Nature-Based Solutions, Climate Policy and Regulation.

Responsibilities

• Advise founders on product strategy, business models, market positioning, and commercialization.
• Help startups identify their highest-value customer segments and use cases.
• Provide practical feedback on go-to-market strategy, pricing, partnerships, and customer acquisition.
• Challenge assumptions and help founders prioritize the opportunities that create the greatest commercial and environmental value.
• Share lessons learned from building, operating, investing in, or scaling companies within climate and sustainability markets.
• Help founders understand how sustainability and climate-related purchasing decisions are made within large organizations.
• Introduce startups to potential customers, pilot partners, corporate sustainability teams, investors, and industry experts when appropriate.
• Advise founders on navigating long enterprise sales cycles and complex stakeholder environments.
• Help companies design credible pilots and convert successful engagements into longer-term commercial relationships.
• Provide insight into procurement, implementation, and adoption within regulated or operationally complex industries.
• Help founders understand evolving industry trends, policies, regulations, reporting requirements, and market dynamics.
• Provide feedback on environmental impact claims, sustainability metrics, and customer value propositions.
• Support companies working through regulatory, technical, financial, or commercialization barriers.
• Help founders distinguish between compelling climate impact and a scalable venture-backed business model.
• Advise companies on how AI and data can create durable technical, operational, or commercial advantages.
• Help founders refine their fundraising strategy and investor positioning.
• Review pitch materials and provide feedback on how companies communicate their market opportunity, impact, traction, and differentiation.
• Introduce founders to relevant climate investors, strategic partners, family offices, corporate venture groups, or grant and non-dilutive funding resources when appropriate.
• Help startups understand the milestones required to become institutionally investable.
• Support founders preparing for investor meetings, strategic partnership discussions, and diligence.
• Participate in mentor office hours, workshops, panels, founder meetings, and community events.
• Collaborate with other mentors, investors, operators, and C10 Labs team members.
• Contribute insights that strengthen AI Nexus NYC programming and founder support.
• Participate in Demo Day or investor-readiness activities when appropriate.

Benefits

• Opportunity to work alongside ambitious founders developing AI-enabled solutions to important environmental and economic challenges.
• Become part of a growing community of investors, operators, researchers, corporate leaders, and entrepreneurs working to advance New York’s AI and innovation ecosystem while helping startups build stronger products, partnerships, and companies.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed