About Latitude Climate
Latitude Climate was co-founded in 2017 by Jeff Cole after nearly two decades focused on climate and sustainability. In 2026, Jeff returned to lead the firm, drawing on a network of experienced, vetted climate professionals with the collective expertise to take on engagements ranging from focused technical analyses to complex transactions.
The firm has advised investors, carbon project owners, developers, families and policy makers, including Resource Management Services, Tierra Resources, the California EPA secretary, The Nature Conservancy, Spatial Informatics Group and Sempervirens Fund.
Leadership
Jeff’s career is bookended by two of the world’s largest and tightest-run companies, Goldman Sachs and Shell, with a run of startups in between. His background brings a corporate perspective on financial discipline and governance, paired with first-hand knowledge of what it takes to build innovative businesses from scratch, allowing him to provide value to both sides when they come to the table.
He co-founded two climate-focused startups, SEmetric Development and Latitude Climate, and has helped launch or scale seven more: Ecos Technologies, Full Circle Biochar (now Bio365), Forest Carbon Works (acquired by Chestnut Carbon), Greenline Climate, Kateri Climate (acquired by Cultivo), and the North American nature-based solutions businesses of Shell and Blue Source (acquired by TPG/Anew).
As Shell’s General Manager of Nature Based Solutions in North America, he built the business, recruiting and leading the team, taking founding stakes in carbon project developers such as Greenline Climate and Kateri Climate, and evaluating dozens of opportunities across forestry, agriculture, grasslands, wetlands, blue carbon and biochar.
At Blue Source (now Anew), he championed and launched the firm’s forestry practice and built the team of in-house developers that delivered California’s first early-action compliance forest carbon project, along with pioneering commercial improved forest management, avoided conversion and soil conservation projects. He led the development of projects generating over 3 million carbon credits and $30 million in revenue for partners including The Forestland Group, Campbell Global, National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy, and spent significant time both in the woods and building forest carbon models for verifiers and regulators.
At California Environmental Associates, he advised Fortune 500 companies on sustainability strategy, led carbon analyses for ClimateWorks Foundation’s “Design to Win” global climate strategy, and developed business plans in the biofuel and biochar sectors.
Earlier, he co-founded SEmetric Development, an ESG supply chain software company acquired by Ecos Technologies. At Ecos, he went on to lead product management and marketing for the company’s enterprise management system and launched its first European partnerships and offices.
He began his career in investment banking and structured finance at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong and New York, executing debt, equity, M&A and project finance transactions.
Career