EMSOL is proud to participate in the NEF+ program which develops the entrepreneurial leaders of the future. The program helps build leadership and business success through exposing Fellows to working in businesses with experienced entrepreneurs whilst incubating their own ideas through a rigorous 12-month curriculum. 

EMSOL partnered with NEF+ to bring onboard Ethan Stratford, a fellow in the program and a recent graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE).

Ethan was keen to join EMSOL due to his background in studying environmental issues as well as his first-hand experience of EMSOL. As President of the LSE Sustainable Futures Society and Board Member of the LSE Sustainability Advisory Group, Ethan played an important role in representing the student body’s voice during the development of the Paul Marshall Building.

The Paul Marshall Building is a critical development project for the university taking place right in the heart of the LSE campus, however, this posed a big risk for the local community. Pressure from the student body was a key driver in Mace reaching out to EMSOL to kick-start a project monitoring the environmental impact of the site. The project included participation from multiple stakeholders, including Ethan.

Ethan said of his motivations for joining EMSOL on the NEF+ program: “As someone who wants to forge a career in the green economy, working with EMSOL provided the perfect opportunity to understand how entrepreneurs build a fast-growth business out of tackling complex environmental challenges. The NEF+ curriculum gave me a more theoretical perspective of themes such as product market fit and product development, whilst my day-to-day role within EMSOL allowed me to deal with these problems in a real life context.”

Touching on his experience over the last 12 months, Ethan said “I cannot thank the EMSOL team enough for helping kickstart my career within sustainability and giving a young, enthusiastic graduate the opportunity to experience the ups and downs of startup life, especially in the middle of a pandemic! The experiences, skills and connections I’ve made have been the best start to my career that I could wish for.” 

Freddie Talberg, CEO of EMSOL and a mentor on the NEF+ program said “It is so important for the industry to support the younger generation coming out of academia into the work environment. Ethan’s generation are such important advocates for our future and gaining work experience especially in a cleantech business such as EMSOL.  We see it as a vital stepping stone to build confidence and gain just that essential work experience that matures understanding and provides more clarity on their future role in the workplace.  Startups like EMSOL offer a great learning ground for the younger generations coming out of academia that need to go on to do amazing things.  

You can hear more from Ethan from his time as the President of the LSE Sustainable Futures Society in our interview with him.