Donnel Baird is the founder of BlocPower, a climate tech company based in Brooklyn, NY, that analyzes, finances, and installs clean energy and decarbonization upgrades in buildings in underserved communities. BlocPower creates jobs for qualified local low-income workers, energy savings for building owners, reduces carbon emissions and asthma rates, and provides financial returns to investors. In 2021, the company announced a historic partnership with Ithaca, New York to decarbonize 100% of the city’s buildings—the first such project in the United States. 

BlocPower is backed by Kapor Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and Volo Earth Ventures. Baird is a graduate of Duke University and Columbia Business School. He spent four years as a political and community organizer, and two years managing a national initiative to leverage American Reinvestment and Recovery Act energy efficiency investments in underserved communities. 

He is a member of the board of directors of several organizations including the New York FederalReserve Bank Second District Board, the Climate Reality Project, and the Coalition For GreenCapital. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Committee of the US SEC Small Business CapitalFormation. An award recipient of the Columbia Business School Entrepreneur of the Year in 2021,the National Venture Capital Associations Startup Innovator of the Year in 2022, and TIMEMagazine’s inaugural 'Dreamer of the Year' in 2022. In 2022, Fast Company named BlocPowerthe #4 Most Innovative Company in the World, TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential Companies,and the 42nd Most Disruptive Startup in the world by CNBC.