Clean Energy Venture Builder - MIT Proto Ventures
David Cohen-Tanugi is the Venture Builder for Clean Energy & Fusion at Proto Ventures, MIT's new venture studio. In this role, he is responsible for developing new businesses that leverage people and technology on campus and that could transform the energy industry. David's background is in materials science as well as technology commercialization. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT's Department of Materials Science & Engineering (Course 3), where he developed a novel category of membrane to efficiently produce fresh water using seawater desalination. In 2012, Smithsonian highlighted his work as one of the "Top Most Surprising Scientific Discoveries" of the year.=
Prior to re-joining MIT as a venture builder, David most recently built the smart devices & automation team at a late-stage climate tech company focused on electric grid flexibility. Before that, he was a cofounder of Embr Labs a connected hardware startup founded at MIT, where he led the product vision for the company's flagship cooling wristband, which now has over 150,000 customers. Davidhas also been recognized by Forbes' 30 Under 30 award (2014) and by MIT Technology Review's French Innovators Under 35 award (2015).
In his current role at MIT, David is especially interested in the future of the power grid, critical materials, and fusion energy.