Sectors:
Locations:
Min Investment:
Max Investment:
Target Investment:
Executive Education
Global Solutions Program
(2012 - 2012)
(2011 - 2011)
2024
• Driving the integration of artificial intelligence technologies in the climate tech sector, fostering innovative startups, and providing strategic leadership within MIT’s entrepreneurial ecosystem • Developing a suite of AI tools to support climate tech innovation and entrepreneurship in collaboration with an MIT professor
2024
• Awarded Dean’s Fellowship and Ida Green Fellowship for world’s oldest mid-career master's degree in management and leadership. • TA, Climate & Energy Ventures class • Managing Director, MIT Energy & Climate Hackathon
2020
2020
• Made 20+ investments through SPVs, funds and direct investing. Saw 2 portfolio companies achieve acquisition within 3 years. • Invested alongside VC firms like Founders Fund, 8VC, Softbank, SV Angel and others through Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs). • Scout for syndicates and funds, including SHL Capital, which invested in Notion, Figma, Hellosign, and Republic, is run by Sahil Lavingia (founder of Gumroad and employee #2 at Pinterest), and has LPs including Naval Ravikant, Marc Andreessen and more. If you're interested in discussing potential investment opportunities, advisor positions or board positions, I would love to connect. Skills: product development, product management, strategy, marketing and PR, software engineering, edtech, AI. Interest areas: climate tech, AI, post-revenue companies making a positive impact in the world with technology. Please don't hesitate to reach out directly, as I'm always happy to connect. No warm intros required! I invest in startups with small amounts starting at $1K. There is a well-explained rationale behind this approach, which you can read more about here: https://twitter.com/dunkhippo33/status/1397953351514349570. In addition, I serve as a scout for multiple investment syndicates/funds. If you're seeking a larger investment and your opportunity aligns with any of the syndicates/funds I'm associated with, I'd be glad to introduce you.
2011
• Accepted representation from National Speakers’ Bureau. Had keynote speaking engagements at MakerCon Europe, Humber Convocation, Globe & Mail Generative AI event, etc. Addressed audiences of TEDx, Climate Change AI, Terra.do, Climate Career Week, Climate Angels, Climate Capital, Smith School of Business, York University, Maker Faire Bay Area, SXSW, etc. Topics: climate, venture investing, entrepreneurship, education, career, etc.
2000
• Forbes contributor. Published articles in Forbes, MAKE Magazine, and Venturebeat, among others, with one Forbes article receiving 1M+ views and featuring in Forbes’ Most Read and Top Trending Stories, LinkedIn Today, and New York newspapers. Forbes contributor. • Published author. Self-published 5+ books, gained representation from a literary agent, and secured a deal with a major publisher (Dundurn Press). • Wrote a 10-minute play, a full-length musical, a virtual mini-musical, and a comedy show that were featured in the InspiraTO Festival, the Toronto Fringe Festival, the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
2023 - 2024
2023 - 2024
• Led the establishment and development of Koru Labs, focusing on innovative climate tech and artificial intelligence applications. • Functioned as Full-Stack Software Engineer, AI Product Manager and Prompt Engineer to design and develop product, software and prompt designs for various AI applications, e.g., AI-powered lesson plan generator. • Developed AI tools for climate entrepreneurs for an MIT professor, for usage in a MIT class about climate entrepreneurship and beyond. • Served as Managing Director of ClimaTech's Great Global Innovation Challenge. Created website and tech tools including AI startup selection tool, live AI judge, and more. • Created AI-powered forecasting model to predict electricity demand using historical data, Azure, GPT, Pandas, Scikit-Learn, etc. • Enhanced UX/AI proficiency with OpenAI's GPT model, prompt engineering, and natural language processing techniques. • Collaborate with client and users to gather requirements, provide product and prompt solutions, and implement new techniques. • Presented regular product and prompt engineering findings and innovations to stakeholders, incorporating feedback for refinement. • Developed AI-based chatbot system to facilitate Python learning by utilizing PyTorch and natural language processing techniques. • Programmed AI-powered sentiment analysis web app using React and Google Cloud Natural Language
2023 - 2024
2023 - 2024
Partner, Climate Capital Syndicate - one of the original and most active climate tech funders in the world, with over 350+ investments including breakouts like Mosaic, Span and Remora; exits including Amply and Blueprint Power; co-investments with YCombinator, Lowercarbon Capital, Khosla Ventures and others; and a network of 3K+ climate funders, founders, etc. If CC invests, founders can become part of the Slack network of 350+ founders, some of which could be potential customers, suppliers, collaborators, etc. CC is very connected with investors and can provide a lot of value through intros to potential investors and potentially customers, as well as through portfolio support. I sourced, performed due diligence on, and led investments. If you are a founder of a climate tech startup and are raising, I would love to hear from you. No warm intros required - feel free to reach out directly.
2023 - 2024
2023 - 2024
Led and co-instructed an educational program on climate tech angel investing, with team members, instructors, speakers and mentors from Climate Capital, Lowercarbon Capital, MCJ Collective, Planeteer Capital, CTVC, Earthshot, Climactic, Voyager, 500 Startups, Terra.do, Gaingels, Elemental Excelerator, and more: https://climateangels.vc. Climate Angels is a pioneering platform crafted to empower and guide individuals on the transformative journey of climate tech investing. With a focus on actionable learning, exceptional deal flow, and building a robust community, Climate Angels, in collaboration with Climate Capital, presents a structured program, imparting strategies, insights, and experiential knowledge to aspiring angel investors. Participants are armed with the critical skills and strategies essential for thriving in the dynamic landscape of climate tech investment, enabling them to drive impactful, positive change in combating climate change while fostering financially rewarding investments. With a foundation built on the synergy of experience, successful climate tech investments, and a passion for addressing the climate crisis, Climate Angels aims to empower the climate tech investing leaders of tomorrow.
2013 - 2023
2015 - 2023
• Pioneered the first makerspace for kids in the world, grew the startup into a VC-backed edtech company offering virtual classes on coding and robotics/hardware that built social-emotional skills and encouraged using technology to impact areas such as climate. • Earned recognition from major media outlets, secured clients such as Twitter and Microsoft, established partnerships with brands such as Intel and Mozilla, bootstrapped to revenue self-sufficiency, raised venture capital from investors, and exited through acquisition. • Oversaw strategy, marketing, sales, HR, finance, and operations, leading teams of professionals and improving team efficiency • Managed product development of a new software, worked with a team of engineers & designers to achieve 500% increase in leads. • Designed & implemented website, improved customer satisfaction by 30%, reduced manual work by 50% & boosted sales by 20%.
2014 - 2015
Co-Founder & Co-President, MakerKids Inc
2013 - 2014
Co-Executive Director, Maker Kids (NPO)
2013 - 2013
• Pioneered first makerspace for kids in the world - Maker Kids (NPO)
2015 - 2015
2015 - 2015
• Next Founders accelerates the growth of Canada’s most promising entrepreneurs by providing mentorship, access to capital, and unparalleled entrepreneurial education taught by world-class faculty. • Throughout the program, participants are mentored by successful Canadian entrepreneurs and business leaders and taught by some of the world's top faculty. Next Founders has developed a rigorous selection process, unique founder education curriculum and venture building opportunities, which has created national demand from entrepreneurs and unparalleled support from the business, academic and investment community.