The Sun Beam

Featured AlgenAir Founders

Kelsey Abernathy + Dan Fucich

Upwards

North Star

by Kim Bryden

Founder + CEO of Cureate

Kelsey Abernathy and Dan Fucich, Founders of AlgenAir LLC, are changing the air we breathe indoors. They are a testament to the power of innovation to shift the way we see a problem, and to make way for a re-imagined approach to working and living.

When we first got introduced to Kelsey and Dan, we were impressed by their vision to make such a significant shift in our day-to-day quality of life. We just had to hear their story.

Getting their start as PhD candidates at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET), Kelsey and Dan focus their research on algae. In addition to studying at IMET, Kelsey and Dan are also a part of the Ratcliffe Environmental Entrepreneurs Fellowship (REEF), a program that gives young scientists the tools and resources needed to bring their research from lab to commercial market.

It was through their research that they discovered the seriousness of indoor pollution- an area that no one seemed to be addressing to date. Remarkably, algae pose a solution to that very problem.

It turns out that this is a major issue. In fact, in doing some research, we found that ‘Most Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors and many spend most of their working hours in an office environment. Studies conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others show that indoor environments sometimes can have levels of pollutants that are actually higher than levels found outside.’ (EPA, 2018)

Kelsey and Dan are really on to something, and we were fascinated to learn a bit more about the science behind their solution. In terrestrial plants, 95% of the energy generated through photosynthesis is put back into the structure of the terrestrial itself.

Who knew?

Algae are incredibly energy efficient, and oxygen is actually a waste product, making it a viable solution to indoor air pollution issues. Additionally, algae itself can be used in health supplements and fertilizer, meaning there are multiple layers of benefits, from biomass to byproduct.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to work in the arts. Whether it was documentary film-making or museum curation, the idea of being able to shine light on stories untold through creative expression was always a key part of my identity.

Throughout university, I continued on this path by working at Paramount Pictures in New York City, running marketing and events at the American Film Institute outside of Washington, DC, and gleaning the ins-and-outs of running an art gallery while studying in Madrid, Spain. Even though I checked all of the boxes - get good grades, get the internships, show passion and competence in the field - nothing prepared me for what happened next…the financial collapse of 2008-2009.

Unfortunately, no one cares about art or investing in the arts during a financial collapse. My entire well-planned trajectory was tossed out the window and I had to adapt. Why hadn’t anyone taught me that life does not care about your perfect plan?

It was then I realized that I had to define my happiness and what “success” looks like to me by getting clear on my north star. What was it that really made my heart sing? What did I want to achieve - regardless of the status of job I was currently in?

I kept going back to my previously- mentioned statement: the idea of being able to shine light on stories untold through creative expression was always a key part of my identity.

What other areas of creative expression shine light on stories untold, and have the potential to lift up economically-rising men and women? The food industry.

With this realization, I proceeded to have a career from government to Fortune 500 retail management, to food-tech startup before starting my firm, Cureate. The food industry may seem like an obvious choice now, but back in 2010 in Washington DC - it most certainly was not. The only two notable food businesses in the area were Whole Foods Market and Honest Tea, before the advent of the fast casual and kitchen incubator booms.

Why do I love the food industry? And let me get more specific: why do I love food entrepreneurship? In the next 5 years, 40% of our workforce will be solo-entrepreneurs, and in the next 7 years, the number of small and personal businesses in the U.S. alone will increase by more than 7 million. These facts, coupled with growing consumer interest in purchasing from small business, is the perfect storm for economic development.

Over the past 10 years of working in the food industry, I’ve worked with the hyperlocal startup to the product sweeping the nation. Time and time again, one of the biggest hurdles facing food and beverage entrepreneurs is the time spent working in their business versus working on their business.

OutGrowth Blog

October Writer Showcase

Yash Santani

Carey Finance Grad Sows Solutions for Success on the Eastern Shore

'The need to pivot was becoming ever more imperative. And right when I least expected it, a life-reviving avenue presented itself.'

Yash recently graduated from the JHU Carey Business School with his Masters in Finance, and is a recent alum of the OutGrowth 2018 Legacy Cohort. This post was originally featured in Carey the Torch, the JHU Carey Business School blog. Enjoy!

'Joachim Horn wants engineering to feel more like cooking - so he developed simple "ingredients" that can be easily mixed to make smart technology. With units that connect objects to each other and the internet, he wants to re-infuse technological engineering with joy and ease, so anyone can be an inventor.'