First Matter
/fUHRst ˈmætə/. noun
1. The substance in Alchemy responsible for all transformation
2. The fundamental chaos at the origin of things filled with potential energy
3. The first and most pressing subject
We’re a team of driven climate tech strategists who believe in the power of first principles.
We bring to the table experience as climate-tech founders, corporate innovators, capacity builders, and investors.
Nina Ali
Founder & Principal
Claire Rampen
Principal Consultant
Rachel Ashton Lim
Associate Consultant
Our Origins
2010-2019
Market Strategies Developed from Real-World Experience
When Nina Ali joined Siemens Energy in 2010, the widescale adoption of renewable energy wasn’t a given. As a mechanical engineer by training, she knew that the industry still faced many technological hurdles before it could reach cost parity with fossil fuels.
But less than a decade later, Nina had managed go-to-market four times: utility scale solar in Latin America, smart grid software in Asia Pacific, high voltage clean air breakers in North America, and wildfire mitigation portfolio in California…. and also sold over $700M, including first-of-their-kind projects.
What she came to understand was that the future of new climate solutions didn’t rely on technological advancements alone: A strong sales strategy, fueled by organized market intelligence, was crucial for success.
2019-2021
Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Commercialization for Start-Ups
Wanting to put what she had learned to good use, Nina joined Elemental Excelerator in 2019, where she eventually became their Director of Portfolio Company Growth and was amazed by the ingenuity of the team and founders she worked with. But while she was there, she noticed a troubling trend: climate tech founders had often previously been advised to apply generic start-up formulas that were made for software, but it was hurting their businesses.
2021 to Today :
The Formalization of First Matter
Convinced that there was a better way forward for climate tech founders and innovators across industries, Nina spent 18 months researching and developing the science of commercialization, based partially on the lessons learned from her own work and her work advising others. And as she started to introduce these concepts and ideas to key allies in the market, she found that it filled a clear need. And thus, First Matter was born.
The First Matter Formula is our proprietary methodology for commercializing climate tech. It produces reliable, repeatable results.
Our principles
Our work, approach, and the curriculums we’ve built are always underpinned by the following:
Focus on strategy
Climate tech start-ups face longer development and sales cycles. That means they are inherently less agile and have to be more thoughtful in how they analyze and go-to-market.
Find the underlying science
The First Matter approach finds the universal underlying science while keeping the frameworks flexible.
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."
All concepts are made to be as clear and simple as possible, without losing important nuance.
“Working with First Matter was an awesome experience. They elevated our strategy and gave us the tools to defend it. I learned a ton from them and would happily work with them again.”
Geoff Douglass
CEO, Mythos AI
