Alumni Entrepreneurs 1

Alumni Entrepreneurs 1

KAUST makes cool people

Being a catalyst for innovation, economic development and social prosperity is part of the KAUST mission. Science and technology are supposed to be the primary means to these ends, and we do have alumni entrepreneurs that still wear lab coats, but some wear gardening gloves and some wear suits.

It seems being an entrepreneur is cool, possibly because we see so many successful ones in these information-rich days. According to Google and entrepreneur is ‘A person who organizes and operates a business or businesses, taking on greater than normal financial risks in order to do so.’ Therefore, if you do this and succeed you must be cool.

The Entrepreneur in Incubation

We would like to introduce Kuanysh Khabibullin. Having studied mechanical engineering in his

home country, Kazakhstan, and at KAUST, he is now taking a PhD.

Kuanysh is a student in the Clean Combustion Research Center and very interested in

entrepreneurialism. One of his heroes is Elon Musk (cool because he is creating things that

can save all Earth’s organisms) and with Kuanysh’s technical knowhow, we think he might do so too.

Very likely a successful entrepreneur has to be decisive and determined, I got a clear sense of this when I suggested to Kuanysh he should study marketing, ‘’I will employ a marketer,’’ he replied. I realized I should have only asked questions.

Not to be Green About Being Green

Meanwhile over in Chile, Pia Wiche, MS ‘12 supported by Danilo Granato, MS ’12 have started a company that provides education and consulting for mid- and large-size organizations that want to be better at sustainability. www.ecoed.cl

Pia had noticed that huge sums are being spent by some companies on sustainability but with minimal impact on their triple bottom line (an extended financial bottom line that includes impact on society and the environment). ‘’We knew we had to do something to help them make more informed decisions,’’ said Pia.

Early days.

''We are building our first product "More Sustainable Decisions" (Decisiones más Sustentables), an online course that will head our series of courses. We expect to start selling before the end of the year.''

With more and more organizations developing and adopting social responsibility practices and policies, this seems like a winning idea.

Pia’s advice to would-be entrepreneurs: ‘’Be willing to find yourself in places you have never been before. Entrepreneurship is an exercise of constantly being a newbie: enjoy it! The newbier you are, the faster you are growing, the more impact you have on the world!

Microalgae to the Rescue

Luis de la Mora’s (MS ’11) microalgae can help stressed marine ecosystems and

combat greenhouse gasses.

In Mexico, Luis’ company, called Microalgas Funcionales (maf.com.mx) sell products

derived from microalgae for use in food production - for human and animal

consumption (please tell Pia!)

Microalgae are the main producers of Omega-3 oils. Currently, deep-sea fish various

marine ecosystems. Microalgae offer a sustainable option. An additional benefit is that

microalgae sequester carbon, so when Luis scales-up his production his business will

be helping combat greenhouse gasses. A cool entrepreneur for a cool planet.

Luis’ advice to would-be entrepreneurs: ‘’Get yourself good partners, if you are not good

at selling make sure your partners are. Selling a product or service is the most difficult

part of being an entrepreneur.’’

Beds on Roofs

Felipe Villa (MS ’12), can be found on rooftops (with his gardening gloves) where he and his team design and build green roofs (green = covered in plants/flowerbeds), they also create green facades, and many other architectural features or cityscapes. If you want a green wall or a green roof, in Columbia, then Felipe can help.

Stopped writing, started planting.

After attending a coral reef symposium where he presented his masters’ thesis, with more bad news for corals, Felipe realized he wanted to act instead of telling the same sad story many other researchers had about the effects of human activity on coral reefs and other ecosystems.

After four years, Sustentar is the market leader supplying yet another product that helps fight global warming. www.sustentar.co

Felipe’s advice to would-be entrepreneurs: ‘’If you think your Masters’ or PhD was the hardest part of your professional/academic life, you need to re-evaluate your thinking. It takes a lot of effort, patience and courage to fall and stand again in a game that seems endless. Also, be professional and honest, surround yourself with good people, appreciate talent, but most importantly never give up even when things seem quite hopeless.