School of Management alumna makes Forbes “30 Under 30” list for investing in clean energy

Marisa Sweeney ’14 made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in energy for 2022. She is a vice president at Generate Capital. Over her career, Sweeney has invested more than $1 billion into projects and companies ranging from anaerobic digesters to community solar farms to clean water platforms to sustainable fertilizer factories. She majored in finance and politics, philosophy and law.

Q. Why Binghamton University?

A. It was one of the most impactful choices I’ve made. I applied to 19 colleges, but after a high school friend, now Dr. Asli Ozcan ’13, let me sit in on her class during an admitted students’ day and told me how much she loved Binghamton, I enrolled that night. I was intent on making the most of my experience by meeting new people, getting involved and taking my studies seriously. I was constantly wondering what I was supposed to be doing with my life.

Q. How did your career begin?

A. My friend and mentor, Josh Katz ’13, insisted I apply to the Goldman Sachs summer analyst program as a sophomore. After two summers of interning, I landed a full-time analyst role in the credit risk management and advisory group in New York. The job gave me context for the vast landscape of finance, which seemed elusive and daunting early on in my career.

It was a fascinating time to work in the credit department. My colleagues were impressive, highly motivated and engaging, and senior folks invested time to bring analysts up to speed. I’d arrive at 7:30 a.m. to support margin requirements for an interest rate trading desk in London, work on reporting for Goldman management and its many regulators and leave late at night after finishing credit analyses on leveraged buyout transactions for industrial companies. The variety of work gave me a strong sense of what areas I enjoyed most.

Q. Why change your focus to clean energy?

A. I knew working 70+ hours a week for decades without conviction in my work was a recipe for dissatisfaction. The allure of wealth accumulation and all its associated fancy trappings would not be enough to sustain my motivation if I didn’t have passion for my work.

I began focusing on what sectors made me excited and curious. I covered energy companies during my internship and was fascinated by the nuance in managing commodity prices, assessing the likelihood of project success and making huge capital investment decisions. I wanted to choose an area with a major growth trajectory, so I settled on technology and alternative energy.

While I’ve always been passionate about environmental causes and believe fighting climate change should be the highest priority of my generation, it wasn’t clear how this could translate to a career. Once again, I was inspired by Josh [Katz ’13] after he landed a job at Onyx Renewable Partners, a Blackstone-backed portfolio company focusing on renewable energy development and strategic acquisitions, and referred me for an open analyst position. Though I was new to the space, I did my best to convey my interest, hunger and ability to work relentlessly to master new skills. I landed the job and knew I had found my niche.

Q. What are your current projects?

A. I’m spending more time investing in sustainable technologies and industries like anaerobic digestion, renewable natural gas and advanced recycling robust-growth profiles. Generate Capital PBC launched Upcycle, an integrated circular economy program that aims to provide corporate and municipal customers with waste-to-value solutions. Our platform even includes investments in upstate N.Y. facilities that process food waste that would otherwise be sent to the landfill.

In 2021, I launched Women in Climate Investing & Finance with co-founder Meghan Pasricha of Riverstone. The purpose is simple: provide a space for women to authentically connect under the broad tent of climate finance and united by their desire to support one another.

Q. What are you proud of?

A. I’m proud of myself for identifying and leaning into my passion early once I recognized it. If my early 20s were characterized by optionality and constantly grappling with the tough question of what to do with my life, the last half was defined by going deep to pursue my mission: scaling solutions to climate change and generating above-market returns. I intend to spend decades investing in this space. I’m proud of following my gut instinct and taking the leap to try something new by breaking into renewable energy at Onyx. I’m proud that I moved to San Francisco where I knew very few people to work for a small investment company led by a compelling founding team. Generate Capital PBC has had stunning success, scaling from about $100 million of assets and 16 employees when I joined in 2016, to more than $3 billion of assets and 300+ employees today.

Q. How does it feel to be included on the Forbes list?

A. I feel a strong sense of pride to be able to represent Binghamton! I aim to leverage any associated hype from the recognition to encourage people to seriously consider pursuing careers in the climate space. There is abundant opportunity and we’re at an all-hands-on-deck moment when it comes to the effort required to scale solutions to climate change.

Q. Why have you remained connected to Binghamton?

A. I remain connected because I am so grateful for the excellent education I received. Faculty members such as Dina Layish taught me the fundamentals of finance and gave me the room to grow as a leader through the PwC Scholars program. I want to pay it forward for future Bearcats because alumni like Tracy Caliendo ’97, Maddy Deshchenko ’08 and Dennis Wall ’07 helped me when I was starting my career at Goldman. I want to stay connected because post-college friends and roommates like Joanna Kenney ’14; Saba Siddiqui ’14; Andrea Cioffi ’14, MBA ’20; Lauren Leong ’14, MS ’15; Tahmina Igamberdiev ’13; Alex Willis ’15; and Erin Roth ’15 supported me while I navigated the early years working in finance. Without their assistance, I’m not sure if I would’ve made it through the beginning of my career as smoothly or successfully. These folks helped me to believe in myself.

The late Dean Upinder Dhillon exemplified the servant leadership model. His unique combination of ambition, lightheartedness and dedication was rare. His passing is a great loss for the Binghamton community, and I am grateful for his leadership, guidance and commitment to mentorship.