Activate Welcomes Three New Leaders to Deliver on Expanded Hard Tech For Good Mission
Activate introduces a slate of innovative new leaders to lead an expanded mission, dedicated to scaling the impact of science for good.
Founded as a small pilot in a national lab in 2015, we spent our first decade scaling Activate's one-of-a-kind fellowship—from Berkeley to five communities across the United States, transforming 295 scientists and engineers into high-impact entrepreneurs along the way.
Now, we’re launching a new chapter of Activate, marked by ambitious goals and a footprint that goes beyond our flagship fellowship program. We are proud to unveil our updated mission: Building the community* that drives science into impact. (And by community*—we mean people committed to hard tech for good, acting together.)
“At its heart, our mission is about people: a best-in-class fellowship, and a network united in its belief in ‘hard tech for good’ working hard for a better future. This community is the force multiplier behind Activate’s work and supports an even bigger ambition for our next decade of impact,” said Activate CEO Cyrus Wadia
More than ever, we need scientists across the globe to be able to bring their world-changing ideas to life. We recognize that this requires us to both scale what’s already working and expand our reach. How will we achieve this?
Grow the next generation of “hard tech for good” leaders.
Create broader demand for leaders who bridge business and science.
Advocate for innovative private investment and partnership models for early-stage hard tech.
Build stronger public sector support for science entrepreneurship.
Strengthen academic cultures that prioritize value-driven innovation.
As part of this work, we are proud to introduce three new leaders who will help us drive this next stage of growth: Amy Gilbert Fehir, Leila Madrone, and Dr. Etosha Cave. Each brings a body of work and innovative leadership that will guide Activate into the future.
“As we think about the impact of science entrepreneurship in a much more expansive way, Fehir, Madrone, and Cave are the exact right leaders we need at this time, each in their respective ways, to build toward this ambitious vision,” said Wadia.
Amy Gilbert Fehir joins Activate as Chief Development Officer, bringing two decades of public sector experience and a track record of securing hundreds of millions of dollars for nonprofits across the environment, health, and finance sectors. She is recognized as an innovative development leader with hands-on expertise in scaling scientific impact through fundraising. Most recently, she served as the Head of Development for the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, where she designed and launched the organization’s first fundraising strategy, securing $30M of new commitments in just two years. Her career began as a National Park Service Ranger and she served as executive director of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks for nearly ten years, overseeing significant organizational growth. Fehir’s experience designing scalable, innovative development strategies and guiding organizations through periods of rapid growth makes her exceptionally well suited to help Activate enter its next phase of expansion.
Leila Madrone, previously an executive-in-residence at Activate, will lead Activate’s new initiative to develop pathways to more resilient and expansive futures for hard-tech founders. She will also lead Activate’s fellowship program on an interim basis. Madrone is a science entrepreneur herself—as the founder of Sunfolding, she built the company from the ground up and led it through a transformative 12-year journey. Madrone brings a seasoned vision from two decades of experience driving breakthrough hard-tech innovation, and we are excited to see how her leadership advances Activate’s mission of enabling founders to translate bold science into lasting impact.
Lastly, we’re honored to welcome Dr. Etosha Cave back to Activate after she was a fellow in Activate’s very first cohort in 2015. She will serve as an executive-in-residence, in addition to maintaining her current roles as technical advisor and co-founder of Twelve, the carbon transformation company creating a future through the science of carbon transformation. Cave joins the Activate New York Community as Interim Managing Director, bringing firsthand experience as an Activate Fellow and as a visionary leader who revolutionized her field.
These additions bolster our strong existing leadership team, including the Managing Directors of our five communities, who each bring firsthand experience as hard-tech founders to their stalwart support for our fellows. From our continued support to fellows through our flagship fellowship program, to our broader commitment to shape ecosystems that support these science entrepreneurs, we are accelerating the leadership of scientists and engineers to shape the future of hard-tech for good.
Follow along in the coming months as we share exciting announcements about Activate’s next chapter.
