The Billion-Dollar Bank Underwriting the Clean Energy Transition
Description
Ken LaRoe has done what no one else in U.S. history has: founded three banks. His first two were financial successes. His third—Climate First Bank—is his answer to unfinished business. Built to align money with mission, it’s now America’s fastest-growing new bank, surpassing $1.4 billion in assets while financing the clean energy economy.
In this episode, Ken shares what he learned across 25 years of banking—why financial performance and climate action can’t be opposites, and how being, in his words, a “rabid environmentalist and rabid capitalist” became his edge. He explains how Climate First’s fintech arm, OneEthos, built proprietary software that powers $30 million in solar loans each month across 700+ installers—without relying on tax credits or Wall Street intermediaries.
Now, as the bank prepares for an IPO, Ken is proving that mission-driven finance can outperform the market—and that the clean energy transition runs on something deeper than capital: conviction.
Show Notes
Guest: Ken LaRoe, CEO of Climate First Bancorp and Executive Chairman of Climate First Bank
Comnpany: Climate First Bank
For more low-carbon innovations now scaling—and the playbooks that drive their adoption—subscribe or follow the podcast, plus our:
United States
