Volunteers
A huge shoutout to all of our fantastic volunteers!
Over 1,000 volunteers assist Cleantech Open and the entrepreneurs every year, one of the most rewarding and gratifying aspects of Cleantech Open's non-profit mission.
CTO Mentors are experienced businesspeople or technical/functional specialists that work with the entrepreneurs, either on an ongoing basis or ad-hoc or as a "mock judge" or as a business clinic coach.
Volunteers help execute the program by leading various functions, like marketing or mentor leadership or event management, or partner outreach.
If you'd like to get involved, Get Started to learn more.
The following Volunteers and Mentors were recognized for doing a great job and/or going above and beyond expectations, as presented by Yuet Lee, National Mentor Chair:
"First I'd like to recognize Zbigniew Skiba, Cliff Tsay, and Olivier Marie who have been steadfast contributors. In this past year, they stepped up to mentor teams that needed additional help. Zbig is based in Chicago, Cliff and Olivier are in the Bay Area. Thank you.
Next I'd to recognize a first year mentor. She is a seasoned professional in Florida. As a first year mentor, Susan Zellers jumped in with exceptional zeal and determination to work with her assigned team. She also took initiative to be part of the community, and get familiarized with the CTO program.
Lifetime Achievement: See VIDEO The last person I'd like to recognize has been very special to the Cleantech Open. Vivek Phanse has been active for close to a decade. He mentors startups. He coaches clinics. He facilitates judging. He interviews startup applicants. But most significantly, in the past several years, he has been a great leader of the Western and Pacific Northwest Regions mentor program. He spends time getting to know the mentors in these regions. He leads a committee to match mentors to startups based mentors' strength and interest. He monitors the progress of mentor/startup relationship and never hesitates to jump in to improve situations as necessary. In short, he makes the Western/PNW regional mentor program run smoothly and effectively. Thank you!"