Emerging into impact
I grew up wanting to be an inventor. Inspired by films like “Back to the Future”, I wanted to build cool stuff. Time machines were particular interest of mine — spending precious before-bedtime playtime as a child building them out of my toys with my Mom. Perhaps a classic engineer’s story that some others can relate to!
Through a high school robotics club, I developed a passion for robotics — a passion that led me to pursue my engineering degrees specializing in the field. Countless hours spent in the basement applied mobile robotics lab at my Alma Mater gave me those degrees, and immersed me into the world of robotics software.
My robotics journey progressed onward, working at startups doing cutting-edge robotics work, with a promise to bring real robots into the real world. Learning from and working alongside some of the worlds most brilliant minds in robotics gave me so much. I was part of something special — moving what was previously only in the lab into the real world. We were getting rid of the boring jobs — letting humans focus on human tasks.
However, while I understood the importance of moving the imperfect machine that is our economy forward, I couldn’t help but think of all of the problems left in its wake. Both on the people less fortunate to be so well-positioned, as well as the environment we all share and live in. I believe that unfettered growth has consequences; and that the mechanisms for how we often view this progress must unfold are often rooted in violence.
I’ll leave that to be unpacked by those more qualified by myself, but my general takeaway is that I found the need to do something with my life to move the world towards real progress. The kind that takes into account more than those fortunate enough to be on top.
I wasn’t in San Francisco on Red Day, but I remember the impact it had on me. Smoke from wildfires during a global pandemic led the city to be illuminated in an apocalyptic red-orange hue. Seeing pictures from all of my friends of the unimaginable sight outside provided a very real reality check and functioned as a distinct turning point for me. I had always been a climate realist, but now cognitive dissonance couldn’t help me turn a blind eye. I knew I had to help somehow.
If we, as a society, are attempt to undo enough of the damage that we have done to the planet to allow for all of us to keep existing, we must fundamentally rewire the economy. Extractive industries must become regenerative. Corporations must be structured to value people and the environment we share, at least equal with if not over profit. Ecosystems that have been damaged must be restored.
The complexity of the interconnections of all living things and the environments we all depend on to sustain ourselves is something that we must value, as a society, on par with stock market indices. Because if this crashes, our finances, pension funds, or social security won’t be the only things we lose — it will be the environment we live in and often take for granted.
I fundamentally believe most of us have a role to play — to do what we can with whatever skills we have, the best work we can do to address the affects of the global climate crisis. I am an optimist, but also a realist, and it will take a fundamental effort to achieve this.
This is why I am pleased to share that I have co-founded a company with a mission to help prevent massive biodiversity loss. I’m not alone in this mission. Through the Antler pre-seed accelerator program in Paris, I’ve met my co-founder Martin de Stoppani.
Together, we are shaping our company to to be impact-first. Our mission statement includes “to protect, sustain, and improve natural ecosystems, for all who depend on them”, and we believe in this.
We’re very early right now, and are surrounding ourselves with a world-class ecologists, community leaders, and other experts to build the perfect product to help value the biological complexity of life on the planet we share.
We look forward to sharing more details soon!