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Floating Farms, Sponge Cities and the Climate Solutions Already Working | Harjeet Singh | TED

What if every dollar you spend today could save you 10 dollars tomorrow? Development expert Harjeet Singh reveals how climate solutions like floating farms and “sponge cities” that absorb floodwater aren’t just clever adaptations — they’re smart economics. He explains why wealthy nations must fund the adaptation efforts of developing countries and shows how anybody…

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What if every dollar you spend today could save you 10 dollars tomorrow? Development expert Harjeet Singh reveals how climate solutions like floating farms and “sponge cities” that absorb floodwater aren’t just clever adaptations — they’re smart economics. He explains why wealthy nations must fund the adaptation efforts of developing countries and shows how anybody can build resilience to climate change no matter where they are. (Recorded at TED Countdown Summit 2025 on June 17, 2025)

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38 Comments

38 Comments

  1. @harirao6991

    October 9, 2025 at 11:29 am

    Good job 🎉❤

  2. @Stephill-f8o

    October 9, 2025 at 11:51 am

    Wird sehr „spannend“ werden. 😬Grad für die Landwirte. 😢In meiner Gegend gibt es fast auf jeder bewirtschafteten Fläche Beweise von Keltensiedlungen. Wir sind froh, wenn “Goldgräber” ihren Mund halten, wenn sie was finden🤫. Die meisten suchen eh illegal. 😤Wenn man sie erwischt und anzeigen möchte, drohen sie mit Veröffentlichung ihrer Funde, was bedeuten könnte, dass Ackerflächen wegen Forschungszwecken brach gelegt werden müssten. 😣Landwirte sind derart eingeschüchtert, dass sie es lieber hinnehmen, nachts die Sondler auf ihrem Acker buddeln zu haben, als Anzeige zu erstatten. Traurig. Geschichte und Archäologie sind zwar spannend, dürfen aber nicht auf Kosten der Landwirtschaft gehen. 🙏

  3. @Jasonxbr

    October 9, 2025 at 11:53 am

    The real reason for not adopting climate change solutions is greed, corruption, powerful oil, natural gas, coal, companies lobbyists that pays oops I mean contributions to the politicians donors and their affiliates. 😢😢😢😢😢😢 when all the reachable resources are completed runs dry and the sea levels have rise, the deserts has formed into wasteland while all the pollution has ruined the habitats, declining humans population and food and water security then maybe they will look into renewable. FYI. Your not going to leave earth and escape your destruction on planet and try to do the same on another. First its not financially viable and two the tech isn’t there without deaths and contamination with aliens microbes. Add we humans aren’t designed to leave earth with out long terms effects physical and psychological 😢😢😢😢😢 a complete failure of the highest order by the capitalism of greed, corruption, power, control, regulation, oversight, laws and ethical practices. We ourselves doomed humanity 😢😢😢😢😢

  4. @saranbhatia8809

    October 9, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    Yes we need to act collectively and use collective wisdom for bringing the desired objectives for happy coexistence.

  5. @flynfrd

    October 9, 2025 at 12:21 pm

    India is a 3rd world country. We have been modern farming for decades. Ted gives him a platform because he has a towel on his head. He’s speaking of climate change, but India is THE WORST for the environment. Change India, don’t change the world. Put you money where your mouth is.

  6. @kingofhoarbags

    October 9, 2025 at 1:10 pm

    Climate change is out of style.
    Try coming up with a new better hoax.

  7. @contrarianviewpoint

    October 9, 2025 at 1:19 pm

    You’ve got an impossible task of convincing older people that human caused climate change amounts to anything. That is because we were fearmongered and propagandized on this 50 years ago. We have seen through the decades the lies and deceit. The only thing that has really changed is the words they use and the talking heads on TV. We call BS, you lied so much there is no credibility. We heard all this crap back in the 70s and 80s and it was our grandparents that told us that is was BS. Turns out our grandparents were right and the so called experts were wrong. Now we are the grandparents telling our grandchildren that it is all lies, except now it’s on Youtube instead of the family gatherings and church socials from decades ago. Doesn’t make the fearmongering or propaganda any different.

  8. @SeegerInstitute

    October 9, 2025 at 1:26 pm

    Thank you for this talk, but has a regenerative farmer who is trying to restore, vibrant ecosystems to process, incoming solar energy through photosynthesis with a holistic approach as long as the discussion centers around fossil fuel energy without acknowledging that we have destroyed the planets capacity to process energy into matter, and other things, we will not advance this conversation. We need to change the story from one of the blame of fossil fuel energy to one of human civilization, starting with the dawn of Agriculture 13,000 years ago to acknowledge that our relationship with the planet has been corrupted, and that we no longer understand that our survival depends on the survival of the entire ecosystem, and that it is only in support of life in general, and acknowledging that life is an interconnected Superorganism in evolution that we can survive. At the moment we are acting as a virus, killing our host, but it is not exclusively about Solar about fossil fuel energy. It’s about environmental degradation, and not caring for the planet.

  9. @ExistentialWolf

    October 9, 2025 at 1:33 pm

    The crisis is mechanical hysteresis … the ultimate contribution to social human virtue is minimizing one’s food waste.

  10. @sophia.shamani

    October 9, 2025 at 4:45 pm

    Important 🙏🏻 Thank you for caring for our planet

  11. @YuviYouelles

    October 10, 2025 at 8:24 am

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  12. @FeltonFoster-m1y

    October 10, 2025 at 8:24 am

    Don’t fade Belvarium presale just because it’s early — that’s where the real gains come from.

  13. @ThierryPreciado

    October 10, 2025 at 8:25 am

    $BLV Belvarium could be one of the best-kept secrets of this cycle.

  14. @HeddaPeek

    October 10, 2025 at 8:25 am

    The tokenomics of Belvarium are super clean — love seeing long-term thinking from the team.

  15. @AlfonsoSingh-t7h

    October 10, 2025 at 8:25 am

    You can tell Belvarium team is serious. No fluff, just execution.

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    October 10, 2025 at 8:25 am

    It’s early, but the Belvarium community is growing FAST.

  17. @MaryanneWaiters

    October 10, 2025 at 8:25 am

    Belvarium doesn’t rely on hype — they’re building real infrastructure.

  18. @AliyaStierwalt

    October 10, 2025 at 8:25 am

    Loading up on Belvarium BLV while it’s still flying under the radar.

  19. @MaykaSlayton

    October 10, 2025 at 8:25 am

    I’ve stopped chasing hype — Belvarium token is a fundamentally strong long play.

  20. @BeauFarrar

    October 10, 2025 at 8:25 am

    The vision behind Belvarium is aligned with where Web3 is actually heading.

  21. @EveretteMarchetto

    October 10, 2025 at 8:25 am

    Every few years there’s a project like Belvarium that catches early BLVievers big wins.

  22. @CalebPatron-v4j

    October 10, 2025 at 8:26 am

    I can feel it — Belvarium team is setting up for something major 💎🌐

  23. @AngeloMarchetto

    October 10, 2025 at 8:26 am

    Low cap now, but the potential upside is massive. Keep an eye on Belvarium

  24. @AnnetteBivens

    October 10, 2025 at 8:26 am

    I’ve been through enough cycles to know a gem when I see one. BLV Belvarium is it.

  25. @GranadosBostick

    October 10, 2025 at 8:26 am

    This isn’t a gamble — BLV Belvarium is a calculated early entry.

  26. @KerenVasquez-z6q6s

    October 10, 2025 at 8:26 am

    Belvarium’s whitepaper is 🔥 and the devs are clearly experienced 💻📄

  27. @RangelKeefer

    October 10, 2025 at 8:26 am

    Remember when AVAX and SOL were under $1? Belvarium is at that stage.

  28. @ChangHalcyon

    October 10, 2025 at 8:26 am

    Not every low cap deserves attention. Belvarium does.

  29. @LoganMccray-i5y

    October 10, 2025 at 8:26 am

    $BLV Belvarium could be one of the best-kept secrets of this cycle.

  30. @LarissaAngulo-q3q

    October 10, 2025 at 8:27 am

    I’ve stopped chasing hype — Belvarium token is a fundamentally strong long play.

  31. @ConstantinoWray

    October 10, 2025 at 8:27 am

    Low cap now, but the potential upside is massive. Keep an eye on Belvarium

  32. @QuinnMondanaro

    October 10, 2025 at 8:27 am

    It’s early, but the Belvarium community is growing FAST.

  33. @althea1315

    October 10, 2025 at 10:25 am

    I really love learning about new initiatives towards tackling climate change, but lately I have been feeling very hopeless due to the countless natural disaster events occurring worldwide and the lack of action towards fixing its source. However this Ted Talk was very inspirational and brought me a lot of hope, so thank you Harjeet, this is one of my favourite Ted Talks 🙂

  34. @cnealmartin

    October 10, 2025 at 1:46 pm

    35 years of climate change predictions, someone please name 1 that has come true??

    • @BonnieShadow33

      October 11, 2025 at 8:07 pm

      Glaciers melting. Rising sea levels. I gave you a bonus one.

  35. @doubleuenbeeeh

    October 10, 2025 at 5:08 pm

    “so what you and I can do?”

  36. @bck-89

    October 11, 2025 at 9:46 am

    India wale khana hagenge..kahan mutenge..aur kahan kudha fekenge wahi sikh jaae ..wahi badi baat hai…

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Science & Technology

The VC Backing the American Dream with Manan Mehta, Unshackled Ventures

Immigrant founders have built some of the world’s most valuable companies, but many still face barriers that make it harder to get a startup off the ground. Visa restrictions, limited access to friends-and-family capital, shallow networks, and a venture industry built around pattern matching can keep promising founders from getting funded before they have a…

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Immigrant founders have built some of the world’s most valuable companies, but many still face barriers that make it harder to get a startup off the ground. Visa restrictions, limited access to friends-and-family capital, shallow networks, and a venture industry built around pattern matching can keep promising founders from getting funded before they have a chance to prove themselves.

In this episode of Build Mode () , host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Manan Mehta, co-founder and managing partner of Unshackled Ventures, () to talk about why he believes immigrant founders represent one of venture capital’s biggest overlooked opportunities. Manan breaks down how Unshackled built an investment model designed to help founders navigate immigration barriers, why traditional VC pattern matching causes investors to miss potential outliers, and how his team evaluates founders at day zero—often before they have a product, customers, or traction. He also explains why the structural gaps that make some founders harder to fund may be exactly where investors should be looking for outsized returns.

They get into:

The four structural barriers immigrant founders face when starting companies in the U.S.

How Unshackled Ventures helps founders navigate visas while building their startups

Why VC’s reliance on pattern matching can cause investors to miss outlier founders

How Manan evaluates founders before they have a product, customers, or traction

The IQ, AQ, EQ, and SQ framework Unshackled uses to evaluate founder potential

Why resilience, lived experience, and a founder’s relationship to the problem can matter more than a polished pitch

Why structural gaps can create some of the biggest opportunities for investors

How founders without traditional networks can find alternative paths to early capital

Why founders should understand their personal “why” instead of trying to fit the traditional VC mold

Subscribe to Build Mode on Apple Podcasts () , Spotify () , or wherever you like to listen () . And watch the full videos on YouTube () . New episodes of Build Mode () drop every Thursday.

Chapters:

00:00 – Why VCs Miss Outlier Founders

01:45 – Why Manan Mehta Founded Unshackled Ventures

04:15 – The Problem With VC Pattern Matching

06:15 – The Friends-and-Family Gap for Immigrant Founders

08:18 – How Unshackled Helps Founders Navigate Visas

10:40 – Building a Startup in Today’s Immigration Environment

12:19 – Solving One of Unshackled’s Hardest Immigration Cases

14:39 – What the U.S. Stands to Lose16:59 – Raising Unshackled’s First Venture Funds

19:40 – Can You Start a Company on an H-1B Visa?

22:13 – How to Evaluate a Founder at Day Zero

28:30 – Measuring IQ, AQ, EQ, and SQ

30:26 – How Fear Drives VC Pattern Matching

33:01 – Why Structural Gaps Create Outlier Opportunities

35:14 – Finding Startup Capital Outside Traditional VC

38:09 – Why Founders Need to Understand Their “Why”

Hosted by Isabelle Johannesen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

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The High Risk, High Reward Model of Backing Immigrant Founders l Build Mode

Immigrant founders have built some of the world’s most valuable companies, but many still face barriers that make it harder to get a startup off the ground. Visa restrictions, limited access to friends-and-family capital, shallow networks, and a venture industry built around pattern matching can keep promising founders from getting funded before they have a…

Published

on

Immigrant founders have built some of the world’s most valuable companies, but many still face barriers that make it harder to get a startup off the ground. Visa restrictions, limited access to friends-and-family capital, shallow networks, and a venture industry built around pattern matching can keep promising founders from getting funded before they have a chance to prove themselves.

In this episode of Build Mode, host Isabelle Johannesen sits down with Manan Mehta, co-founder and managing partner of Unshackled Ventures, to talk about why he believes immigrant founders represent one of venture capital’s biggest overlooked opportunities. Manan breaks down how Unshackled built an investment model designed to help founders navigate immigration barriers, why traditional VC pattern matching causes investors to miss potential outliers, and how his team evaluates founders at day zero—often before they have a product, customers, or traction. He also explains why the structural gaps that make some founders harder to fund may be exactly where investors should be looking for outsized returns.

Subscribe to Build Mode:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Wherever you like to listen
New episodes of Build Mode drop every Thursday.

Chapters:
00:00 – Why VCs Miss Outlier Founders
01:45 – Why Manan Mehta Founded Unshackled Ventures
04:15 – The Problem With VC Pattern Matching
06:15 – The Friends-and-Family Gap for Immigrant Founders
08:18 – How Unshackled Helps Founders Navigate Visas
10:40 – Building a Startup in Today’s Immigration Environment
12:19 – Solving One of Unshackled’s Hardest Immigration Cases
14:39 – What the U.S. Stands to Lose
16:59 – Raising Unshackled’s First Venture Funds
19:40 – Can You Start a Company on an H-1B Visa?
22:13 – How to Evaluate a Founder at Day Zero
28:30 – Measuring IQ, AQ, EQ, and SQ
30:26 – How Fear Drives VC Pattern Matching
33:01 – Why Structural Gaps Create Outlier Opportunities
35:14 – Finding Startup Capital Outside Traditional VC
38:09 – Why Founders Need to Understand Their “Why”

Hosted by Isabelle Johannesen. Produced and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience development led by Morgan Little. Special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.

Continue Reading

Science & Technology

Hands-on With Google’s New Pixel 11 Devices

Get a hands-on look at Google’s new Pixel 11 lineup, from the more durable Pro Fold, an updated new camera bar, and of course, a push for Gemini AI features.

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Get a hands-on look at Google’s new Pixel 11 lineup, from the more durable Pro Fold, an updated new camera bar, and of course, a push for Gemini AI features.

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