What were you doing prior to HBS? What made you decide to go to HBS?

Before HBS, I worked at Tesla as a design engineer and project manager. I had the opportunity to work on groundbreaking products alongside some of the smartest and most resilient people in the world. Over time, I noticed that the leaders I most admired often had interdisciplinary backgrounds. Around the same time, I realized I wanted to explore new industries and expand my skill set. HBS’s focus on leadership and its commitment to creating positive change felt like the perfect fit for my goals.

Tell us about your career journey since graduating. Were your roles always related to climate and, if not, how did your journey lead you to pursuing a career in climate?

I’ve been fortunate to stay in climate tech throughout my career. While at HBS, I interned at Membrion, a Series-A startup working in the water space, and a venture firm called The Engine. During my second internship at The Engine, I discovered cell-cultured meat. I was immediately captivated by the potential of growing meat without animals! It felt like a revolutionary solution to multiple global challenges—particularly food security, animal welfare, and human health. During school, I co-founded a pet food company to purchase cell-cultured meat and convert it into premium dog food. Classes on entrepreneurship, the Rock Center, and the alumni network provided invaluable resources in the early days. When we first started, regulation and consumer demand seemed like the biggest obstacles to commercialization. Eventually, my co-founder and I realized that our target suppliers needed help scaling their technology, so we parted ways and joined other companies in the alternative protein space. I’m still incredibly excited about the potential of cell-cultured meat—especially in transforming industries like pet food. An environmental impact study found that pet food - with its high protein content - is responsible for 25-30% of the environmental impact of animal agriculture.

What is your current role and what steps and tactics did you use to get hired in your current position?

I’m currently the General Manager of Newlab’s flagship location in Brooklyn, New York. Newlab is a venture platform that helps early-stage critical tech startups grow by providing access to community, customers, and capital. In my role, I manage a team that runs day-to-day operations, including prototyping facilities, and I serve as an optional startup advisor. I found out about the position through an HBS alum, and while I didn’t use any specific tactics to secure the job, the tight-knit MS/MBA community at HBS definitely helped open the door. I’m enjoying leveraging my experience to support hundreds of startups working on wildly different technologies, such as carbon sequestration and next generation heating and cooling.

How do you see your current role and/or company having an impact on climate change?

“Critical tech,” “deep tech,” and “tough tech” all describe startups tackling some of the most pressing and complex challenges of our time. Many of these companies face technical hurdles or market risks that require significant time and resources to overcome. Newlab helps these companies by offering access to the essential resources—such as pilot programs and a supportive community—so they can bring their solutions to market faster. In this way, Newlab plays a key role in advancing the commercialization of technologies that address climate change and its effects.

Given your role in climate tech, are there any innovations or trends that you’re excited about?

Having lived in many cities, I find myself drawn to the built environment. Not only are we upgrading our current cities, but we’re building new cities to accommodate a changing global population. The UN predicts the world's population will grow by roughly 74 million people each year - for comparison, New York City’s population is around 8.3 million - and much of this growth will happen in Africa. I love meeting founders that are working to transform our cities, making them more sustainable and resilient. Recently, I’ve been geeking out over technologies such as low-carbon cement, long-duration energy storage, and greywater recycling. Low-carbon cement can drastically reduce the carbon footprint of construction, long-duration energy storage will enable more reliable renewable energy systems, and greywater recycling could transform how we manage water resources in urban areas. These innovations, if scaled effectively, could radically reshape the way we live and work in the coming decades.

You pursued a dual degree (MBA/MS) at HBS and SEAS. How have each of those schools prepared you for your role and helped you on your career journey?

The MS/MBA program was a game-changer for me. The most valuable part was definitely the people I met, but the academic experience was equally formative.The engineering curriculum taught me the importance of humility in problem-solving—admitting what I don’t know and asking better questions. The HBS cases reinforced that everyone is doing their best with the resources available to them, while the frameworks provided a solid foundation in finance, strategy, and marketing. I've used concepts like "jobs to be done" and "willingness to pay" in every role since graduating.

What advice do you have for students pursuing careers at the intersection of business and climate change?

Warren Buffett once said that it’s wise to be “fearful when others are greedy, and greedy only when others are fearful.” Right now, it might seem like a risky time to enter climate tech, but those who take bold risks now and succeed will have a much greater impact than those who wait for the space to recover. You’re still early in your career and have the luxury of time on your side. Take risks and follow the challenges that excite you—even if you fail, you’ll gain invaluable lessons that will pay off over the long term.