Yair Reem Keynote Speaker

Partner at Extantia Capital, steering €204 M climate flagship fund
Managed Hasso Plattner Ventures (€300 M AUM) & family PE/VC portfolio
13‑year Unit 8200 leader, awarded for excellence in intelligence

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Yair Reem's Biography

Yair Reem is a venture capitalist, engineer and climate‑tech strategist who helps organisations translate net‑zero ambition into investable action. As a Partner at Extantia Capital, he drives the firm’s “carbon‑math” methodology, quantifying gigaton‑scale impact while delivering competitive returns. In November 2024, he co‑led Extantia’s €204 million Flagship Fund, one of Europe’s largest climate‑hardware vehicles, backing breakthroughs in green hydrogen, advanced geothermal and carbon removal.

From 2010‑2019, Yair worked alongside SAP co‑founder Hasso Plattner, managing his €300 million venture arm and overseeing the family office’s global PE/VC portfolio. Operating as both GP and LP, he developed a dual‑lens investment approach now deployed at Extantia. His early diligence on clean‑tech 1.0 and involvement in the coalition that evolved into Bill Gates‑led Breakthrough Energy Ventures cemented his conviction that climate hardware can outperform.

Before transitioning to venture capital, Yair spent 13 years in Israel’s elite Unit 8200, commanding teams of up to 500 specialists in high‑stakes cyber operations and earning multiple awards for excellence. He serves on the Investment Committee of the Israel Innovation Authority, evaluating applications for government start‑up funding. Between 2019‑2024, he acted as part‑time CFO and adviser to Zürich‑based aviation‑AI pioneer Daedalean, assisting in raising $69.8 million in equity and EU Horizon 2020 grants.

An electrical‑engineering graduate of Technion with an MPA from the Hertie School and the Wharton Advanced Management Program, Yair combines technical expertise with narrative clarity. On stage, he demystifies climate‑hardware economics, maps policy tailwinds and equips leaders with frameworks for identifying the next “gigacorn.” Off stage, he is a devoted father of two who enjoys experimenting in the kitchen and constructing Lego masterpieces—demonstrating that complex systems can be both creative and fun.

Better, faster, cheaper and greener: Building businesses for the resilience decade

Yair explores how to create clear winners by delivering solutions that are not only faster, better, and cheaper—but also inherently sustainable. In an era defined by supply chain shocks, resource constraints, and shifting industrial priorities, he unpacks the components of resilience that are reshaping what it means to build enduring companies. From cost-efficiency and localisation to sustainability and strategic alignment, this talk offers a blueprint for executives to navigate the resilience decade.

The brutal truth about the energy transition: Stop waiting for breakthroughs and start scaling what works

Yair challenges the obsession with “next big things” and calls out the real issue: a lack of focus on scaling existing technologies that are already faster, better, and cheaper than their fossil-fuel counterparts. He argues that the energy transition won’t be driven by elusive breakthroughs but by relentless execution and ruthless efficiency. It’s time to stop dreaming and start doing—because the winners of the energy race will be the ones who act now with speed and scale.

Climate tech is not about climate: Why we’ve got it all wrong—and what really drives decarbonisation

Yair argues that we’ve misunderstood the climate challenge. It’s not about saving the planet—it’s about saving people. And if it’s about people, we can’t afford to throw out the baby with the bathwater—sacrificing current industries, livelihoods, and economic stability in the name of future gains. The real path to net zero won’t be driven by tree-hugging ideals, but by building resilient businesses that are cost-competitive, locally rooted, and inherently sustainable. Climate tech must serve human needs first—by outperforming what it replaces and creating value in the real economy. Because the companies that win this decade will be the ones that are not just green—but also tough, fast, and built to last.