Libby is a business and technology leader with experience in research, product development, entrepreneurship, corporate strategy, and venture capital. She has served as the Global Director of Innovation for GE’s Ecomagination strategy and led commercial development for the GE Ventures energy portfolio. Prior to GE, Libby served as the Director for the U.S. Department of Energy, Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative.

Katie serves as the CEO and Managing General Partner of The Engine. She is also co-founder and Managing Director of Project 11 Ventures. She serves as a Board Member at Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Form Energy, Via Separations, and Boston Metal. Katie brings over 20 years of experience as an investor and tech executive helping build Boston into a thriving tech hub.

Shayle Kann is a managing director and leads research & strategy at Energy Impact Partners. Previously, Shayle spent over eight years building and running GTM Research, the market intelligence arm of Greentech Media, where he led a 30-person team tracking and forecasting the evolution of the electricity sector. Shayle oversaw this business through and beyond GTM’s successful 2016 acquisition by Verisk Analytics. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy.

Taha is a Venture Executive at Chevron Technology Ventures where he is a leader on business strategy for innovative technology and implementation. He has over 18 years of experience in the oil and gas industry related to different aspects of engineering, management and strategy. Additionally, he serves as a board member at Clarke Valve and Airborne Oil & Gas.

Jim Matheson joined the HBS Faculty in 2019 as a Senior Lecturer and currently teaches the EC Entrepreneurial Finance Course and is a Faculty Affiliate of the Business & Environment Initiative. He is also an active investor, and Board Director & Advisor for several companies and VC/PE investment groups. From 2001-2018, Jim was one of the four General Partners who launched Flagship Pioneering (fka Ventures) and helped grow the firm to its current ~$2 billion+ AUM.

Professional Mentoring

The teams selected to compete will receive feedback on their business plans before the competition from a panel of leading professionals in the venture capital and entrepreneurial sectors. Each team will have the opportunity to present their value proposition to a broad audience on the day of the competition.