Opna was founded with the vision of a thriving, equitable planet where anyone - companies or individuals - can build projects that contribute to a low-carbon economy while safeguarding our environment, communities, and biodiversity, and combating climate change. To make this vision a reality our mission is to unlock climate finance for climate initiatives that address climate change with speed, scale, and equity.
Where it all started
Opna was founded in Feb 2022 by Shilpika (Shilps) Gautam, a Guinness World Record-breaking climate advocate with 15+ years of experience in carbon markets, building commodities, capital markets, and fintech businesses for startups and global financial institutions.
For Shilps, Opna is a natural extension of her experience in tech, financial services, and climate, offering a significant opportunity to build a just, thriving, and healthy low-carbon economy.
Drawing from her experiences in climate advocacy and roots in the global south, Shilps believes that corporations have the capacity, responsibility, and resources to drive the transition to a sustainable future. Through Opna, she aims to allocate upstream capital, raise sustainability standards, and reduce entry barriers, enabling everyone to participate equitably in the low-carbon economy.
Shilps Gautam
Founder at Opna
What does ‘Opna’ represent?
Opna means ‘to open’ or 'to unlock' in the Nynorsk and Icelandic languages. It also closely resembles the Hindi and Urdu word ‘Apna’, which means 'ours' and points to the need for ownership and empathy as we create solutions for our planet and communities.
Opna inspires us to zoom even further into ‘trust’ and ‘transparency’ and ‘ownership’ to build a level and equitable climate financing landscape - a landscape where we elevate climate standards, help companies transition to more sustainable solutions credibly, and critically accelerate the path to net zero.
Climate science meets fintech
Unrivaled experience across carbon, climate, fintech, capital markets, and commodities.
Our backers
Our values
Grit
Our goals are audacious and pressing. To achieve them, we take an optimistic view that the solutions are out there and a positive, proactive attitude to get things done.
Accountability
We’re transparent and honest in our communications with our customers and each other. We mean what we say and we’re open about the things we don’t yet know. Feedback is welcomed and encouraged — it’s how we learn and improve.
High agency
The planet hasn’t got time for perfection or for people to wait for permission. While we’ll never compromise integrity or quality for the sake of speed, we’re scrappy when it’s needed.
