Zeina Fayyaz Kim
Head of Growth at Adaptis
New York City Metropolitan Area
Overview
Work Experience
COO
2025 - Current
Rekindle is a social impact real estate firm building multigenerational villages to ease the unprecedented social, economic and emotional burdens Americans are facing.
Head of Growth
2023 - 2024
Adaptis is a decarb decision platform for buildings and a team of 25+ engineers, building scientists, and sustainability experts co-led by two women PhDs. I led growth strategy and operations at Adaptis.
Partner
2021 - 2024
Climate Capital backs companies working to reduce emissions, mitigate the worst effects, and help humanity adapt to a changing climate. I've led investments in companies like Quilt (Gradient, Lowercarbon), Sway (Third Nature), and Posh Robotics (YC W22).
Climate Capital is an investment firm that supports companies that directly or indirectly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
Co-Founder
2020 - 2024
Diamond List is an annual curation of underrated climate startups built on nominations from top-tier climate investors. We modeled Diamond List after Hollywood’s Black List for under-the-radar screenplays.
Head Of Strategy
2021 - 2022
The Plant is a $300M+ historic preservation and adaptive reuse project, turning a former coal-fired power plant that once electrified Grand Central Station into a global home for climate solutions. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, the building will be carbon-negative and host climate-centric events, co-working, public art, and a startup incubator. I managed fundraising and partnerships, owning the pitch deck, leading construction site tours, and attracting tenants and partners like Techstars, Patagonia, Nespresso, and Volvo.
Consultant
2021 - 2021
Uncharted is turning sidewalks into data centers. It is the first US company to reach a binding agreement with a city (Poughkeepsie, NY) to install its technology directly in the public right of way. Led market research and competitive analysis in preparation for their Series B. Their Series A was the largest ever (at that time) by a Black female founder.
At Uncharted, we’re building the operating system for last mile infrastructure.
Raised $7,000,000.00 from Elemental Impact and Backstage Capital.
Chief of Staff
2019 - 2020
Imbellus (acquired by Roblox and McKinsey) was a cognitive assessment company, building videogame-inspired simulations for companies like McKinsey to hire their entry-level talent globally. Partnered with CEO to drive overall strategy, fundraising, public relations, and M&A.
Consultant, Education
2019 - 2020
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan's LLC for philanthropic activities. Ran diligence for the education team's talent/diversity portfolio, resulting in 8 grants totaling $7mm to women and PoC founders.
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative supports community-driven solutions to accelerate progress in science, education, and justice.
Associate Partner
2016 - 2019
John Doerr, Brook Byers (Kleiner Perkins), and Kim Smith's (Stanford GSB) vision to apply the venture model in public education. Invested in talent/diversity x education; coached CEOs and senior leaders in the portfolio; designed/curated all portfolio events and services.
Summer Associate, Investment Management
2015 - 2015
Wrote MD-level briefing on Goldman’s acquisition of Imprint Capital Advisors; awarded Goldman Sachs MBA Fellowship for outstanding community and leadership achievements.
Goldman Sachs is a multinational financial services firm providing securities, investment banking, and management services.