Introducing Proto Ventures Fall '24 Cohort
Our Largest and Most Diverse Class Yet.
We are thrilled to introduce our newest class of Proto Ventures Fellows, Cohort Fall 2024. With seven incredible fellows, this cohort is our largest to date. Selected from over 40 applicants across the MIT campus, these fellows are tackling some of the most pressing challenges in clean energy. From maritime shipping and fusion energy to hydrogen, grid stability, and industrial heat exchange, the innovations they’re pursuing have the potential to reshape the future.
The Proto Ventures Fellowship is designed to help fellows transition from MIT with the confidence and clarity to build their startups full-time. Throughout the fall semester, our new cohort will focus on key milestones:
Refining their core mission and vision
Establishing strong hypotheses for the critical pillars of their ventures
Gaining a sense of their personal role within the company
Identifying potential co-founders and advisors
Developing a risk management plan for IAP and the spring semester
Building a timetable of funding opportunities and ecosystem resources
Key Activities for Fall 2024 Cohort
Our fellows will engage in a series of intensive activities aimed at sharpening their ideas and building momentum:
Primary Customer Discovery: Engaging directly with potential customers to validate needs.
Secondary Market Research: Analyzing trends and market dynamics to assess opportunities.
Technology Assessments: Collaborating with MIT researchers to evaluate the technical feasibility of their ideas.
IP Explorations: Investigating potential intellectual property strategies.
Networking: Building relationships with key stakeholders, mentors, and investors.
Biweekly Deep Dives: In-depth strategy meetings with the Proto Ventures team.
Monthly Milestones: Progress check-ins and presentations with the Fellows group.
Reflections on This Year’s Recruitment
This year, we expanded our recruitment efforts beyond MIT Sloan, bringing in nearly half of our fellows from other parts of MIT. We also invited applicants to apply as a team for the first time, fostering collaboration from the start. Each fellow or team brings a clear vision of the market opportunity or technology breakthrough they want to tackle, making this cohort more focused and diverse than ever.
Meet the Fellows
We’re excited to introduce you to each member of the Fall 2024 cohort:
Jacob van de Lindt: With a background in nuclear fission engineering and experience at ITER and SpaceX, Jacob is currently pursuing a PhD on fusion radiofrequency heating systems at the MIT Plasma Science & Fusion Center. He is developing solutions to decarbonize the maritime shipping industry through innovative fusion and fission technologies.
DeAndrea Newman Salvador: A North Carolina State Senator and Director of Partnerships at Eli, DeAndrea has been a leader in energy policy and community solar programs. Together with her teammate Nidhi Verma in the MIT Sloan Executive MBA program, DeAndrea is exploring solutions to stabilize the power grid.
Nidhi Verma: With 20 years of experience in system design and technology leadership at JPMorgan Chase, where she is currently Executive Director for the Data & Analytics Platform, Nidhi is passionate about solving grid management and storage challenges as we transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Currently in the MIT Sloan Executive MBA program, Nidhi is pursuing innovations in grid stability and renewable energy storage.
Shon Mackie: As a PhD candidate in Physics at MIT, Shon studies the physics of burning plasmas in fusion reactors via neutron measurements. His ambition is to build the leading instrumentation and diagnostics company for the burgeoning fusion industry.
Alaeddine Mokri: With a background in building clean energy products in Silicon Valley, he is tackling the challenge of power consumption in AI data centers. A student in MIT’s SDM program, Alaeddine was formerly the founding engineer at Google's smart-grid team, and he is excited to work with Proto Ventures to pursue solutions to make data centers more sustainable.
Mike Nour: As a process engineer at California Resources Corporation and MIT Sloan Executive MBA candidate, Mike is passionate about leading sustainable change in the energy sector. He is leveraging his decade of experience in the power generation and refining sectors to commercialize coatings that prevent fouling in industrial heat exchangers.
Jennifer Turliuk: A former entrepreneur, climate tech investor, and AI specialist, Jennifer is currently a Sloan Fellow at the MIT Sloan School of Business. With a background in climate tech investment, she’s working to develop scalable solutions for power system management.
Stay tuned for more updates as we follow the journey of our Fall 2024 fellows, and subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the loop!