My name is Noah, and I'm from Vancouver. Growing up on the West Coast, I am fortunate to have experienced the beauty of nature, from skiing and hiking the local mountains to canoeing the Indian Arm. I am passionate about ensuring our environment's and communities' long-term sustainability so that future generations can experience these incredible opportunities to be outside. I spent the past two summers working at environment/ESG-focused start-ups and explored innovative strategies to address climate change through my VC work. I am excited to learn more about sustainability through the certificate and how it can contribute to my future career.

What is your personal definition of sustainability? 

Sustainability involves considering the needs of all stakeholders in our world, which includes the environment, to ensure the long-term viability of all these groups, as they are all needed to maintain a functional ecosystem that benefits everyone. Sustainability should influence both our daily decisions and how we, as future leaders, advocate within organizations for environmental concerns. We need to engage and advocate for marginalized groups, who bear a disproportionate burden of the impacts of climate change on their communities, and ensure their perspectives are considered in decision-making. Sustainability is also a critical component in ensuring the long-term success of businesses.

What role do you see sustainability playing in your professional career?

I want to utilize what I have learned through the sustainability certificate program to ensure that I consider sustainability in my work. I am interested in working in strategy for a large firm, and I want to use this experience to ensure that all recommendations I develop consider the impact on the environment and key stakeholder groups. As the threat of climate change grows, it is more important than ever that companies recruit talent who understand the importance of sustainability and how to implement it within their organization. With this year’s theme being “Can capitalism be regenerative?” I hope to apply my learnings on the topic to my future jobs.  

In the long-term, my dream is to found a venture capital firm, and I want my firm’s investment thesis to consider the social impact that all portfolio companies make to ensure that the firm’s capital is being invested into companies helping to create a better society. I hope to contribute to the shift in business to being more stakeholder-focused rather than shareholder-focused and consider how businesses can benefit more than just the bottom line because I believe everyone can benefit from the innovation of business.

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in?

In my second year, I worked as an Investment Associate at Front Row Ventures, a student-run VC firm. In my role, I spoke with multiple sustainability tech start-ups, including one that used predictive analytics to optimize the charging of EVs for commercial fleets. Analyzing this deal helped me understand the EV industry in Canada. I worked closely with an Associate at Active Impact Investments, a VC fund focused on investing in companies addressing environmental sustainability, to craft this investment memo and better understand the EV industry. I also worked as a Venture Scout for Anthos Capital, where I sourced over ten start-ups working in the sustainability space including a company working on an AI-powered climate change risk software.  

I previously interned at Hipcamp, an online marketplace that connects people to landowners for camping and outdoor stays. Our mission was to get more people outside by increasing access to parks, campsites, and campgrounds while supporting local economies. In my role, I used our various marketing channels, including socials and email, to promote the importance of “leave it better,” reminding guests to contribute to maintaining the land they’re visiting and supporting the long-term sustainability of the outdoors as an economic driver for rural communities.

Please list any sustainability-related interests you want to explore during the certificate. 

Building on my previous experiences related to sustainability, I am interested in exploring how financial firms particularly in venture capital and growth equity should evaluate and consider sustainability in their investment decisions. I would also hope to gain a better understanding of stakeholder theory and how that can be incorporated into investment decisions.  

Additionally, I am interested in gaining a better understanding of sustainability related strategy for businesses particularly how firms can effectively consider the needs of different stakeholders when making decisions.