Six years ago, UNCAGED was just beginning its journey to rethink what materials could be. This September, we joined some of the industry’s most important conversations around next-generation materials, fashion, deep tech, commercialization, and climate innovation.
For us, that marked a significant milestone. These were the rooms where the industry tackled questions we have been working on from the start: How do breakthrough materials move from the lab into real products? What does it take to scale them? And how do we build the partnerships, infrastructure, and investment needed to accelerate adoption?
Our September event calendar took us across New York, with a strong presence during Climate Week NYC. We connected with founders, designers, scientists, brands, institutions, and investors working to turn material innovation into industry change.
Here’s a look back at where UNCAGED participated.
UNCAGED at New York Fashion Week 2026
New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is one of the world’s major fashion weeks, held twice a year in New York City, where leading and emerging designers debut upcoming collections.
Thursday, September 17 | Newlab, Brooklyn
Built in NYC: The Next Generation of Fashion × Deep Tech
During New York Fashion Week, UNCAGED Co-Founder and CEO Stephanie Downs spoke at the Sustainable Design Impact Hub Fashion × Deep Tech event. The gathering brought designers, scientists, founders, investors, and industry leaders together to explore how deep-tech innovation can shape the future of fashion.
UNCAGED at Climate Week NYC 2026
Climate Week NYC brings business leaders, policymakers, investors, innovators, and organizations together across New York alongside the United Nations General Assembly. This year’s events gave us opportunities to share ELEVATE and take part in conversations spanning materials, fashion, and climate investment.
Tuesday, September 22 | Parsons
A Climate-Friendly, Total Ethics Fashion Future
The event featured a lecture by Collective Fashion Justice founding director Emma Håkansson on materials, methane emissions, and the intersection of climate and ethics. A screening of SHIRINGA: Fashion Regenerating Amazonia was followed by a panel discussion with Emma, Parsons’ John Bartlett, and UNCAGED Co-Founder and CEO Stephanie Downs.
Wednesday, September 23 | Columbia University
Gotham Foundry Symposium: Regenerative Materials Across Industries
The annual symposium brought together thought leaders around regenerative material innovation, workforce training, industry engagement, and broader access to the materials innovation ecosystem.
Thursday, September 24 | Newlab
New Climate Futures
UNCAGED was featured as a select startup at New Climate Futures. The event brought entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and industry leaders together to advance climate technologies toward real-world impact.
See our New Climate Futures post on LinkedIn
Thursday, September 24 | UVC
Climate Week Brunch: Family Offices & VCs Investing in Climate Tech
The brunch brought family offices, venture capital investors, and climate tech founders together for a discussion about the future of climate investing. Speakers included Lisa Morris of AKS Family Partners LP, Evan Carmean of Green Spark Ventures, and Jose Garza, Co-Manager of the Rockefeller Climate Solutions strategy and the Credit Suisse Rockefeller Ocean Engagement Fund. Elisa Miller-Out, Managing Partner of Chloe Capital, moderated the discussion.
Friday, September 25 | Penn 2, NYC
Korea Climate Tech Summit
We closed our September event calendar at the Korea Climate Tech Summit, which brought founders, investors, corporate leaders, and climate experts together while strengthening connections between the Korean and U.S. climate tech ecosystems. UNCAGED was selected as one of the few startups to pitch and present ELEVATE.
See our Korea Climate Tech Summit post on LinkedIn
Across these events, we shared our work with the people shaping how new materials are designed, adopted, and scaled. To continue the conversation about ELEVATE, get in touch with UNCAGED.