The racial and gender complexion of climate innovation is changing, and with that change comes a needed spotlight on those left behind.
“It's not a question of whether we're going to switch to green energy in the next decade — it will happen,” said Steph Speirs, co-founder and CEO of Solstice, a solar company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “It's a question of whether the benefits will be equitable, whether they will be shared by everyone.”
On
April 15, Speirs and fellow environmental entrepreneurs Paris Smalls, co-founder and CEO of Eden GeoTech, and Michael Burtov ’02, founder and CEO of GeoOrbital, reflected on their rapidly evolving industry as part of Brandeis International Business School’s second annual
Business of Climate Change program. Investor, economist and entrepreneur Barbara Clarke, MA’91 moderated the discussion.
The event also featured the release of
new research examining the growth and makeup of climate-focused startups in the Northeast, and the presentation of the 2021 Brandeis Alumni Entrepreneurship Award to Burtov, whose startup hardware company is best known for making compact electrical bicycle wheels.
“Over the last 15 years, Michael has founded and led four startups through their lifecycle — bringing two of them to millions in revenue and millions in funding,” said Dean Kathryn Graddy. “He has taught and mentored hundreds of startup founders and executives. He has pitched celebrity investors on the popular TV show Shark Tank. And in 2019, Michael’s GeoOrbital bicycle wheel was named by TIME Magazine as one of the top inventions of the year.”
The Brandeis Alumni Entrepreneurship Award is given to a Brandeis graduate that best exemplifies the
Asper Center for Global Entrepreneurship’s values of entrepreneurial spirit and independent thinking.
Burtov said he sees entrepreneurship as service: “It is not self-serving, it is giving back to the world with your special ability.” He urged current Brandeis students to align their goals with what they are passionate about.
“It's important to remember that knowledge is not a substitute for passion,” said Burtov. “It's not the knowledgeable folks that make an impact in the world, it is the passionate ones.”
