Podcast
From Big Problems to Real Businesses
Startup Entrepreneur & Academic - Podcast
Singapore
Jan 13, 2026
🎙️ On sustainability, startups, and uncomfortable truths
I recently sat down for a podcast conversation on education, sustainability, and what it really takes to build organizations that create positive change. A few reflections that stayed with me:
With -
Harish Kalgundi - https://www.linkedin.com/in/harishkalgundi/
Full interview -
🔹 The “sustainable startup” is mostly an aspiration
To be truly sustainable, a company must be economically viable and generate net positive environmental and social impact. Very few organizations—if any—fully meet all three today. Most are still focused on reducing harm, not creating measurable benefits.
🔹 Academic excellence ≠ startup success
Research skills don’t easily translate into entrepreneurial execution (ask my co-founders and colleagues). In fact, I would not recommend (business school) professors founding companies together. The typical ways of thinking and skillsets are fundamentally different.
🔹 Why I ended up here
My interest in sustainability started during my university years and eventually led to research, consulting, and the creation of Global Mangrove Trust and Handprint. Becoming an entrepreneur was never part of my plan but I am grateful to Ryan Merrill PhD and Mathias Boissonot for pushing me in that direction.
🔹 What excites me right now
At Handprint, we’re building innovative ways to solve an age-old problem in the impact space: "how do we guarantee impact is not sold multiple times.
At Global Mangrove Trust, new certification approaches could unlock scale for high-quality mangrove projects.
Both ventures are aligned with an ongoing shift toward ocean health. The ocean is the new frontier in sustainability. Protecting it is existential
🔹 For-profit vs. non-profit scaling is not the same game
For-profits like Handprint must scale and raise capital by design. Non-profits like Global Mangrove Trust optimize for financial sustainability and legitimacy, not hypergrowth. Confusing the two creates unrealistic expectations.
🔹 Advice for students (especially in the age of GenAI)
Entry-level jobs will shrink. The ability to independently identify problems and build solutions will matter more than ever. An entrepreneurial mindset is no longer optional.
🔹 My biggest lesson (learned the hard way)
Don’t build first. Validate first. A massive societal problem does not mean companies are willing to pay to solve it. Real validation means LOIs, contracts, or confirmed willingness to pay, not enthusiasm.