Identifying Opportunities in Climate Tech (15.S13)

About the Class

Faculty

This course offers aspiring student climate tech entrepreneurs a chance to explore ideas and opportunities for startups that address some aspect of climate change. The goal is not to work on a potential venture but rather to explore promising problems and opportunities that can be further developed in a subsequent course or program. Many entrepreneurship programs require students to come up with an idea of what they want to do at the start. This one requires students to finish with an idea of what they want to do at the end. Each week, we will focus on a theme related to a particular category of climate tech. We will also spend time each week highlighting different professional roles in the world of climate entrepreneurship, including but not limited to founding a company. The format of the course will be a mixture of lectures, guest speakers, and discussion.

Ben Soltoff

Ben Soltoff is an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) and the Ecosystem-Builder in Residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. He is a systems thinker passionate about exploring how new ideas, technologies, and business models can address the world’s most pressing problems. particularly climate change and other environmental challenges. He wears many hats at the Martin Trust Center. He’s the point person for all things climate tech, he manages a partnership between Boston and Texas to train entrepreneurs tackling the energy transition, he coordinates MTC’s relationship with the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, and he leads the delta v accelerator, the capstone entrepreneurial experience for students at MIT. Prior to joining MIT, Ben was the Environmental Innovation Manager at the Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY) and the Environmental Innovation Fellow at the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale (CITY). In that dual role, he helped students to design, build, and launch environmental solutions. He has been part of several environmentally relevant start-ups, ranging from a social enterprise in Mexico installing off-grid solar energy to a hardware company in Silicon Valley building energy-efficient ovens that cook with light. He has also worked on international climate policy at World Resources Institute in Washington, DC as well as grassroots climate resilience initiatives in rural India. Ben holds a dual master’s degrees from the Yale School of Management and the Yale School of the Environment, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from Duke University. In his spare time, he likes to make climate fiction, animal sculptures, and bad jokes.

Victoria Pisini

Victoria Pisini specializes in supporting and growing climate and energy startups. With a strong foundation in business strategy, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, she brings expertise in scaling operations, business development, and forging strategic partnerships in climatetech industries. Current Roles Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management (Nov 2024 - Present) Teaching "Identifying Opportunities in Climate Tech" for the Spring 2025 semester. Advisor, MassCEC Climatetech Studio, FedTech (Jul 2024 - Present) Mentors early-stage climatetech startups under the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center-sponsored venture studio. Fractional Leadership & Advisory for Climate & Energy Startups (Jun 2023 - Present) Offers expertise in go-to-market strategies, scaling supply chains, and operations for startups. Past Experience VP Strategy and Business Operations, Enersion Inc. (Jan 2024 - Nov 2024) Focused on sales, partnerships, and investor relations for innovative HVAC solutions. Global Director, Sustainability, Kearney (Dec 2022 - Jun 2023) Led sustainability initiatives and advised on ESG strategies across industries. Manager to Associate Roles, A.T. Kearney (Jun 2014 - Aug 2018) Delivered corporate strategy and macroeconomic analysis for public and private sector clients. Education MBA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2018 - 2020) BA in International Relations, University of Pennsylvania (2010 - 2014) Skills and Languages Key Skills: Fundraising, Public Speaking, Research, Sustainability, and Business Development. Languages: English (Native), Spanish (Full Professional), Portuguese (Professional Working)