Alyssa Spagnolo Employee Spotlight
We recently sat down with Alyssa Spagnolo, Growth & Strategy Lead at Banyan Infrastructure, to learn about her path to climate finance, what motivated her to make the career pivot that landed her here, and what she likes to do when she isn’t on the grind. From her background in technology to her formative post-grad years in venture capital, it makes sense that Alyssa has found a home and a mission here at Banyan Infrastructure.
Please share your background and what led you to Banyan Infrastructure.
My passion for technology began early. After undergrad, I started my career as a founder, building a deep-tech hardware company. We developed an over-ear headphone equipped with brain-sensing technology to enhance focus using neurofeedback. This technology aimed to provide a non-drug alternative for managing attention in an increasingly distracting environment filled with notifications, interruptions, and open-concept offices.
This experience introduced me to venture capital while raising funds for my startup. I was drawn to venture capital as it offered a transformative opportunity early in my career to witness and engage with a wide range of companies and founders across various industries. I spent the next five years in venture capital, investing in fast-growing startups across fintech, deep tech, consumer, B2B SaaS, AI, and more.
During this time, I had the privilege of working with some incredible founders. I believe that founders are among the most brilliant, hardworking, and ambitious people. It was a privilege to have a front-row seat to company-building, witnessing high-functioning teams, explosive growth, and the ups and downs of their journeys. I learned so much from this experience, but most importantly, I discovered that I love working with founders and supporting them on their journeys.
My transition to Banyan Infrastructure was driven by my fascination with climate tech—it’s always been something I have been drawn to, but it continued to feel increasingly urgent that I do something about it. After being exposed to many new technologies in various industries, I spent most of my free time learning about climate tech. I believe there is no more urgent issue than preserving our ability to live on this planet—it’s truly existential. From an investor’s perspective, I see enormous financial potential in the climate transition. Every industry must adapt and decarbonize, and I believe this will lead to a significant wealth transfer. Intellectually, I find the science and commercialization strategies in climate tech incredibly stimulating, with many complex problems to solve as we transition to net zero. I also believe it’s fundamentally a good business to be in—clean energy is becoming more cost-effective, technology is advancing, and the business case for climate tech is stronger than ever.
Why did you choose to work at Banyan Infrastructure?
While exploring opportunities in climate tech, I became particularly interested in the scale problem of climate. While we have the technology needed to produce low-carbon or no-carbon energy, such as solar and wind, which have been around for over 50 years and are becoming cheaper, the challenge lies in rapidly scaling these technologies to meet net-zero goals. Banyan Infrastructure addresses this critical issue by enabling investors and bankers to funnel more capital into climate technologies and managing those assets once operational.
Despite the significant increase in climate funding over the years, we still face an annual multi-trillion-dollar investment gap if we are to meet our net-zero targets by 2050. Banyan tackles the complexity, time-consuming nature, and administrative burden of financing and operating distributed renewable energy assets. Without technology, achieving the necessary scale is impossible.
Our platform serves as the digital system of record for renewable energy assets and portfolios, providing much-needed automation and intelligence to streamline processes, reduce overhead costs, and increase profitability. By automating mundane tasks and offering valuable insights, Banyan empowers investors and developers to make better decisions, augment their teams, and manage risks more effectively. This mission is incredibly important and exciting to be part of.
What do you hope to accomplish at Banyan Infrastructure?
At Banyan, I aim to contribute meaningfully to the company’s growth, go-to-market (GTM) strategy, and development of a playbook for becoming a dominant climate tech company. I also hope to gain exposure to various business units—sales, marketing, product, and customer success—and learn how to solve problems across different domains. Additionally, I’m eager to deepen my knowledge of climate tech and the challenges in scaling these technologies to meet our global climate goals.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I love spending as much time as possible in nature and with friends and family. I also enjoy trying new hobbies and am constantly seeking to learn something new, whether in the arts, new sports or activities, or expanding my knowledge. As a Canadian living in California, I’m always exploring new places and cherish the feeling that every weekend here feels like a vacation.