About CTLR’s #HumansOfCleantech
Modeled after the New York Times' Humans of New York series, this is an idea by Peter Kelley and the RenewComm team for us to showcase our members!
Follow #humansofcleantech on LinkedIn for more in this series. #climatetech #energytransition #cleantechleadersroundtable
"I visited the University of Cambridge, and went to the room that Isaac Newton lived in. Growing up in rural India, in a lower middle-class farming family—that was just never a possibility, right?”
"To think I would be in the same room as Newton, it blew my mind. It instills in you this sense of, 'Hey, you need to do your part to contribute.' You have this wonderful opportunity that was given to you.
"I grew up in Hyderabad, India. Although my parents came from a farming family, they wanted their kids to have a good education.
"I was a very good student, one of the higher ranking kids in my class, and naturally gravitated towards math and science.
"My favorite subject was chemistry. There was structure to it, carbon molecules stacked next to each other. I didn't really get bothered by how voluminous the molecules were. Those hexagon shapes were fascinating!
"In the last two years of high school, I didn't have a life besides studying. I ended up getting a good score that translated into admission to a top-tier undergrad school.
"I met people from different parts of India. One of them got us into hard metal music. Before you knew it, I was wearing earrings, had a cross with a skull, and became a big Guns N' Roses and Metallica fan, grew a goatee, all that stuff. Rock and roll was a big deal.
"I ended up doing well, I could have done much better. My undergrad was focused on shedding the hard work that I did, and enjoying myself a little bit more.
"I started looking at what it would take to come to the U.S. for grad school and applied to the University of Akron.
"In the second or third year of your PhD, you start reporting your experimental data to publications and conferences.
"I was awarded the best presentation award at a regional conference. In a technical field, there is a certain skill in communicating in simple terms. It was a good validation of the path I was on.
"As a person involved in technology, it's good to be mindful of the unintended consequences of scientific advancement. It teaches you to be mindful.
"I ended up attending MIT for my MBA after some work experience. This was a game changer for me in many ways. I met my wife there and it catapulted me to be an investor and C-level executive.
"I worked as a venture capital investor and traveled all around the world helping CEOs and CFOs. I love that aspect of understanding leadership and what it takes to make impactful decisions for companies that uplift the standard of living for everybody around the world.
"That became my mantra—I want to be involved in ventures that improve the standard of living for everybody on Earth.
"I'm part of both traditional and new energy. I think the world needs both. We just need to be responsible in how we use them."
Mahesh Konduru is CEO of Momentum Technologies, which provides processing technology to satisfy the demand for critical minerals and metals around the globe.