Building a Virtual Marketplace for Climate-Positive Offsets

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: My Leadership Project was to develop a virtual marketplace where companies can purchase carbon offsets from environmental projects such as renewable energy, forestry initiatives and direct air capture projects. The project entered the first round of the Lowell Milken Institute – Sandler Prize for New Entrepreneurs.

2. IMPORTANCE: Many companies that are responsible for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, that are either unavoidable or would be very expensive to mitigate, are seeking to reduce their carbon footprint or to become carbon neutral. I worked on this project because I believe in the potential of the voluntary carbon market to meet private sector demand by allowing companies to purchase carbon offsets, to fund environmental projects that remove or avoid GHG emissions, thus allowing companies to achieve their environmental and climate change mitigation goals in a cost-effective way that brings environmental and social benefits.

3. IMPACT AND REACH and 4. COLLABORATIONS: The project was submitted for review to the panel of the Lowell Milken Institute – Sandler’s New Entrepreneur Prize. My collaborator, a UCLA graduate student, and I connected with advisors and mentors, including entrepreneurs and investors with experience in sustainable technologies and clean tech, and we reached out to UCLA faculty members for advice. We received formal feedback from the jury of the Lowell Milken competition and although the project was not selected for the final round of monetary prizes, this was an extremely valuable experience in developing a business proposal, building a team, a network of advisors whilst advancing sustainability and environmental goals.

5. MY ROLE WELL DEFINED: I worked on developing the concept, researching the voluntary carbon market, planning the strategy, developing a business plan, connecting with mentors and advisors, applying to the Lowell Milken Institute – Sandler’s New Entrepreneur Prize, submitting additional documentation for the competition and planning for the implantation of the project in the medium-to-long term. I worked on this project with a UCLA graduate student who is not part of the Leaders in Sustainability Program and I am the only person submitting this project as my LiS Leadership Project.

6. OPTIONAL NEXT STEPS: I plan to continue supporting the project after completing the LiS program.

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: My Leadership Project was to develop a virtual marketplace where companies can purchase carbon offsets from environmental projects such as renewable energy, forestry initiatives and direct air capture projects. The project entered the first round of the Lowell Milken Institute – Sandler Prize for New Entrepreneurs.

2. IMPORTANCE: Many companies that are responsible for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, that are either unavoidable or would be very expensive to mitigate, are seeking to reduce their carbon footprint or to become carbon neutral. I worked on this project because I believe in the potential of the voluntary carbon market to meet private sector demand by allowing companies to purchase carbon offsets, to fund environmental projects that remove or avoid GHG emissions, thus allowing companies to achieve their environmental and climate change mitigation goals in a cost-effective way that brings environmental and social benefits.

3. IMPACT AND REACH and 4. COLLABORATIONS: The project was submitted for review to the panel of the Lowell Milken Institute – Sandler’s New Entrepreneur Prize. My collaborator, a UCLA graduate student, and I connected with advisors and mentors, including entrepreneurs and investors with experience in sustainable technologies and clean tech, and we reached out to UCLA faculty members for advice. We received formal feedback from the jury of the Lowell Milken competition and although the project was not selected for the final round of monetary prizes, this was an extremely valuable experience in developing a business proposal, building a team, a network of advisors whilst advancing sustainability and environmental goals.

5. MY ROLE WELL DEFINED: I worked on developing the concept, researching the voluntary carbon market, planning the strategy, developing a business plan, connecting with mentors and advisors, applying to the Lowell Milken Institute – Sandler’s New Entrepreneur Prize, submitting additional documentation for the competition and planning for the implantation of the project in the medium-to-long term. I worked on this project with a UCLA graduate student who is not part of the Leaders in Sustainability Program and I am the only person submitting this project as my LiS Leadership Project.

6. OPTIONAL NEXT STEPS: I plan to continue supporting the project after completing the LiS program.