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    About Shockwave

    woman threshing grains

    Shockwave’s mission is to fuel bold innovation for climate resilience by empowering frontline communities to thrive in an era of rapid change. Through strategic investments and grants, we catalyze transformative, scalable, and sustainable climate adaptation solutions.

    With an integrated capital model, we seed the future, both nurturing startups, and growing resilient systems. Our approach is grounded in optimism, creativity, and a commitment to progress that transcends traditional boundaries, driving a sustainable future for people and ecosystems worldwide.

    Here’s how we do it:

    • We provide seed funding at a critical, early stage, focusing on projects that elevate economic potential in developing nations.
    • Our approach combines program-related investments and philanthropic grants—ranging from $25,000 to $1,000,000 USD—to support organizations with proven solutions and growth potential.
    • With a 20-year vision, we’ll ignite an initial $50 million USD across investments and grants, and we’re just getting started. As our projects succeed, we’ll reinvest, amplifying our impact for the long term.
    • We believe optimism and creativity are the foundations of progress.

    Our vision for climate resilience begins with those most affected by the crisis. We’re committed to helping communities reduce risk, manage shocks, and build a sustainable path forward—–for people and for the planet.

    Shockwave: together we will adapt, empower, and thrive.

    Our Strategy

    OUR PROCESS

    Our Process: Clear, connected, and focused on impact.

    At Shockwave, we believe in the power of ideas. We’re not just funding solutions—–we’re building a network of changemakers, sharing knowledge, and fostering connections that amplify progress.

    Transparent Funding Model: We believe in openness. Wherever possible, we use a transparent approach for our funding operations. This ensures that our due diligence can be leveraged by others, providing value beyond just the organizations we support. It also holds us accountable to our partners, funders, and the communities we serve. We encourage others to embrace the same openness, driving collective progress.

    Curated Selection Process: With a vast vision and a nimble team, we focus on finding the right partners through a proactive, curated approach. We leverage a deep network to identify organizations that align perfectly with our mission. For efficiency and precision, we do not accept unsolicited proposals. Our targeted method ensures that we can deliver the greatest impact with clarity and purpose.

    In everything we do, we prioritize efficiency, collaboration, and a commitment to finding the right solutions together.

    OUR BACKSTORY

    Founded in 2020 by Paul Traina, Shockwave builds upon his commitment to addressing the world’s most urgent challenges.

    The name “Shockwave” draws inspiration from Alvin Toffler’s book Future Shock which predicted a world of such rapid change that it would overwhelm our capacity to adapt.

    At Shockwave, we aim to do more than just adapt—we strive to buffer and respond to the massive shifts driven by the climate crisis, empowering communities to thrive in an era of unprecedented change.

    Meet the Team

    Jennifer Wegbreit portrait

    Jennifer Wegbreit, ScD MPH

    Chief Executive Officer, Shockwave Foundation
    San Francisco, CA

    For over two decades, Jennifer has been a trusted partner to visionaries, helping them build stronger, more impactful organizations. She has held leadership roles across both academic and nonprofit sectors, where she provided strategic guidance, research, and evaluation for institutions such as the University of California Global Health Group, the University of California Women’s Global Health Imperative, and the Asante Africa Foundation. Her work has also extended to advising numerous family philanthropies and social impact organizations.

    Jennifer’s expertise lies in global health and development. She holds a Doctorate of Science in Human Ecology and Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health, a Master of Public Health in Environmental Health from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

    John Matthews portrait

    John Matthews, PhD

    Special Advisor: Water, Shockwave Foundation
    Corvalis, OR

    John has been working at the intersection of water with climate adaptation and resilience since 2007. John started and led World Wildlife Foundation’s freshwater climate adaptation program before co-founding the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA), in 2010, where he is the Executive Director.

    His work explores how we define and accelerate the uptake of our emerging set of best practices for water-centric climate resilience. He has led the development of new climate risk methodologies that have been used in dozens of countries, prepared green-bond criteria have certified more than 15 billion USD in water resilience investments over six continents, and advised well over 100 national governments on their internal risks and global climate commitments and programs.

    John received a doctorate in ecology, evolution, and behavioral ecology from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Bachelor of Arts in ethnomusicology from the University of Chicago. Before becoming a biologist, John worked as a book editor in publishing for 12 years.

    Paul Traina portrait

    Paul Traina

    Founder, Chairman, Shockwave
    San Francisco, CA

    Paul Traina is deeply committed to addressing the global climate crisis through innovative investments and philanthropic efforts. His focus is on improving food and water security for frontline communities facing the harsh realities of climate change. In addition to founding Shockwave, Paul serves on the board of the Pacific Institute, is a partner at Silicon Valley Social Ventures (SV2), and a member of Forward Global. He also mentors emerging social entrepreneurs through Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and consults with Stanford’s Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (Stanford SEED).

    A second-generation Internet pioneer, Paul played a pivotal role in shaping the technology that powers our connected world. He developed key software and systems that allowed the Internet to scale to what it is today, with a 30-year background dedicated to creating technology that brings people together and democratizes access to information.

    Paul was instrumental in the rise of Juniper Networks, where he led critical roles in both Engineering and Corporate Development. Before Juniper, he was a leading engineer and software architect at Cisco Systems, joining in its early days and helping build the foundation of the modern Internet.