In this episode of Generation One, we’re exploring the importance of start-ups and the role of entrepreneurs in stepping up with ground breaking solutions to solve the climate crisis and what policy makers and organisations like UCL are doing to enable this.

Our hosts Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee are joined by three inspiring guests who share their experiences and insights on how entrepreneurship is driving a greener future, building climate-focused businesses, overcoming start-up challenges, and the crucial role investors and incubators play in scaling climate impact:

Alexandra Ranft, Senior Project Manager from UN Global Compact Network UK.  The UN Global Compact’s aim is to mobilise a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create the world we want.

William Moore co-founder and CEO of Consus Energy and UCL alum (Geography 2025).  Consus Energy was selected to join UCL’s Hatchery incubator programme, which provides co-working space and business support to UCL startups.

Simon Chaudhuri was a Strategic Advisor for the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Obama Administration and founded CIV:LAB, a nonprofit developing and funding place-based innovation programs across the US.   Simon is also a Founding Fellow at the UCL Centre for Sustainable Business.  

Credits: 

Date of episode recording: 29th Oct 2025 and 5th of November 2025

Duration: 37:10

Language of episode: English 
 Presenter: Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee 

Organisations:

UN Global Compact Network UK, https://www.unglobalcompact.org.uk

Consus Energy https://www.consusenergy.com
UCL Hatchery https://www.ucl.ac.uk/enterprise/students Alongside your studies at UCL, did you know you can access UCL’s specialist free extra-curricular entrepreneurship programme? 
CIV:LAB https://civ-lab.org

UCL School of Management https://www.mgmt.ucl.ac.uk/