We hope you had a great New Year’s holiday.
As we enter 2023, at Incite we're optimistic about what this year can bring. At Incite, we believe that moments like these—when drastic, uncertain changes and economic outlooks are on the horizon—are when new leaders are most likely to break through.
For us, that means helping our companies navigate the uncertain road ahead with purpose by defining clear short-term goals, constructing backup plans, and focusing on building real value. It also means investing in a political vision that sees ‘off-years’ as an opportunity—not a break— and continuing to support leaders who see a path to centering what’s good for the world in their work.
What does the scale of change in our world mean for you? To start, this moment needs mission-driven people signing up to do values-aligned work. It’s worth asking yourself: How does the work I do create tangible, real-world impact? What skills can I offer towards tackling the world’s toughest problems?
In December, Forbes released its 2023 30 Under 30 lists, including seven incredible Incite founders. With the start of the new year, we thought we’d ask them some questions about 2023, what they’re excited about, and advice for people interested in impact-driven work.
Noah McQueen
Cofounder, Heirloom Carbon
What gives you hope about 2023? What are you looking forward to?
There's a lot that gives me hope in 2023! Everyday we are making small strides in advocating for equity and creating a better world for those that will come after us. It also gives me hope to see young people taking a stance and advocating for our climate and our planet's future.
In 2023, I'm looking forward to Heirloom's first deployment! We are hard at work on making our direct air capture vision a reality, and I look forward to seeing it installed, commissioned, and removing carbon dioxide from our air.
Olivia Dippo & Andy Zhao
Cofounders, Limelight Steel
Decades from now, how do you think we’ll be talking about the moment we’re in? What will be the big takeaways?
Olivia: We'll look back and see this time as the beginning of a critical turning point, where the great migration into climate work is just beginning, polluting and superfluous pursuits are starting to fall away, we begin holding ourselves to higher standards, and where resources and people are redirected toward a new level of collaboration in order to solve climate change together.
Andy: I look back to 2002, and I see me - a bubbling and cherubic 9 year old obsessed with Legos and Pokemon, and a perilous path forward for solar and wind to compete with coal and natural gas. But in 2022, solar and wind are inevitable, with long duration energy storage, advanced nuclear, and geothermal hot on their tails to provide clean and abundant energy for humanity.
I look ahead to 2042, and the perilous and uncertain paths that are being paved now will become inevitable. The foundations for new cities and civilizations will be poured with clean and abundant steel and concrete, and our future architects, who are playing with Legos and DALL-E today, will look back on today's pioneers with gratitude.
Neeka & Leila Mashouf
Cofounders, Rubi Laboratories
How do you think the world is going to change this year? What excites you about that?
Neeka: This year we think the world’s largest industries – including fashion – will significantly adapt their supply chains towards resilience under pressure from inflation and supply disruptions. We are incredibly excited for the opportunity to disrupt traditional wasteful supply chains with planet-positive approaches that align climate action with resilience and business growth!
Michael Broughton & Ayush Jain
Cofounders, Altro
What advice do you have for people hoping to start making a difference with their work?
Michael: I think that a person must truly understand their "why" and "why now"?
The "why", is the reason you are committed to what you are doing. It is the passion, value, purpose and understanding of what it is that you believe deserves your time and energy. For us at Altro, we track the number of people who are denied access to credit and the demographic background of these folx. Knowing that women and people of color are still treated unfair in the current credit system each day gives us our why. The "why now", is what gives you momentum and persistence. Knowing a problem exists is great, but understanding why you are the person to solve that problem and why it must be solved today is the "why now". We are consistently inspired by our conversation with members who have confirmed that now is the best time for this problem to be solved.
