Impact Drivers Host: Jen Helms

In our eleventh episode we hear from Jeffrey Char, serial entrepreneur and investor. He currently manages two renewable energy ventures he co-founded. SOGO Energy is building a distributed utility to serve rural communities in Asia with affordable, reliable, and clean energy. TRENDE is an online renewable energy retailer accelerating the widespread adoption of solar power in Japan.

In this episode we learn about the energy landscape in Japan and other parts of Asia, Jeff's journey starting TRENDE and SOGO Energy, his biggest lesson learned from founding numerous companies, and what's next for his ventures.

In our tenth episode we hear from Sofie Blakstad, CEO and Founder of hiveonline. hiveonline is a blockchain based community finance platform rolling out to unbanked communities across sub-Saharan Africa and Central America. Prior to starting hiveonline, Sofie spent nearly 30 years building and transforming technology and businesses for international banks.

In this episode we learn about Sofie's journey starting hiveonline, lessons learned in building a global product and team, how she is thinking about hiveonline's business model going forward, and the biggest challenges and opportunities on the horizon in the fintech space.

In our ninth episode we hear from Jamie Jones, an entrepreneur, scientist, and educator currently serving as the Executive Director of Fuqua's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She is also an Associate Professor of the Practice of Management.  
In this episode, Jamie and Jen discuss a range of topics from important principles for social impact driven businesses, to commercializing technology-driven new products, to how the startup ecosystem could better support entrepreneurs building high impact companies.

In our eighth episode we hear from Michael Lombardo, CEO and Founder of BookNook. Before starting BookNook, Michael was the CEO of Reading Partners, a nonprofit he grew to be one of the largest children's literacy nonprofits in America.  
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 35% of 4th graders in the United States performed at a proficient or better level on the 2019 reading assessment. BookNook is a company on a mission to get all students reading proficiently by ensuring every child has access to a world-class reading teacher.  
In this episode we learn about Michael's journey from CEO of Reading Partners to starting BookNook, how BookNook has adapted to fully online learning and what the results have been, and business decisions the company has made in order to uphold their values. We also talk about differences Michael has reflected on between leading a nonprofit and leading a social enterprise and what the future looks like for BookNook.

In our seventh episode we hear from Orianna Bretschger, CEO and Founder of Aquacycl. Aquacycl is commercializing microbial fuel cell technology that treats wastewater and creates electricity at the same time. Wastewater treatment is normally a significant energy consumer but Aquacycl's solution remedies this by harnessing biological processes. Their technology has been proven in the field through pilot projects and is entering the market by targeting highly-concentrated organic wastewater producers.
In this episode we learn about Orianna's journey from Ph.D. student to starting Aquacycl, the science behind Aquacycl's technology and why it matters, as well as the possibilities for the company as they continue to develop.

In this episode we hear from Bryan Lee, CEO and Founder of Krishi Star. Krishi Star is working to end poverty for those smallholder farmers in India. They are working to do this by transforming agricultural value chains.

In this episode we learn about Bryan's background that led him to starting Krishi Star, his entrepreneurial journey including how Krishi Star's business has changed over time, as well as challenges and advice for starting a business abroad.