Stanford Impact Founder (SIF-Eco) Prizewinners: 2023 Cohort

See the Stanford Impact Founder (SIF-Eco) Prizewinners for 2023.

Sarah Sausan

Sarah Sausan is a PhD student conducting research on geothermal technology in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy. With a MS in Energy Engineering and experience as a product manager in the energy-tech space, her passion for renewables and energy transition led her to explore Project Rhino.  Sarah was also selected to join the Summer Ecopreneurial Immersion (Eco-SEI) cohort in 2023.

SIF-Eco Focus – Project Rhino

Project Rhino explores the intersection between clean energy, software, and AI. The project aims to cut the time and effort needed for energy prospect evaluation by 80%.  Thus, new players can participate in the clean energy boom with much less upfront cost.

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Sarah Sausan

Priyanka Ladha

Priyanka Ladha, a Stanford GSB graduate student, is a hands-on entrepreneur and leader with vast experience in e-commerce, manufacturing, retail, and operations. An entrepreneur since her teens, Priyanka is CEO of one of India’s renowned sustainable fashion brands. Working with E-commerce giants and textile artisans across India, she transformed her family’s traditional manufacturing business into a nationally loved and globally recognized brand. Through her second startup, this self-taught coder connected 100,000 Indian artisans to the global supply chain. As a result, India’s largest online Artisanal Yelp was born.
 

SIF-Eco Focus – Vrinda

The fashion industry, known as the second-largest global carbon polluter, produced around 2.1 billion tons of greenhouse gases in 2020 alone and is characterized by massive overproduction and waste, with 3 out of 5 items ending up in landfills shortly after production. Priyanka’s 3rd startup – Vrinda is revolutionizing the fashion industry by shifting from mass production to a demand-driven model. Leveraging data analytics and cutting-edge AI models, it aims to precisely meet consumer needs, reducing overproduction and waste. This approach not only tackles the industry’s significant carbon footprint but also aligns with the United Nations’ goal for sustainable consumption and production, making a strong impact in the fight against climate change.

 

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Priyanka Ladha

Blake Dressel

Blake is a distinguished scholar focused on enabling market transformation to combat the climate crisis and create well-paying green jobs. In 2023, he graduated from Stanford’s School of Engineering with an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Oregon. His leadership experience spans roles in entrepreneurship, federal and state policy, and workforce programming. Within the Biden Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, he supported the R&D commercialization strategy focused on accelerating the adoption of cost-effective technologies that enable high-performing, energy-efficient and demand-flexible buildings. His prior experience includes energy technology research at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, staffing at the Oregon State Legislature, and leading the student government at Portland Community College.

SIF-Eco Focus – SOURCE Climate Solutions

Rapid scaling of deep retrofits is needed to meet U.S. and global climate goals. Existing buildings need to be retrofitted at 3x the annual rate of today to reach the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Yet today, adopting cost-effective building energy retrofits, from identification to implementation is burdensome and too often unattainable. With a lack of standardization, a fragmented customer experience, and sparse access to financing, millions of building owners and operators are sitting on untapped and profitable energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Our multi-modal technology platform empowers building owners and energy retrofit firms to streamline project design, implement integrative design, and expand access to financing. SOURCE Climate Solutions is focused on creating simplicity and trust in project development to expand access to cost-effective climate solutions projects.

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Blake Dressel