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“MIT Sloan was my first and only choice,” says David Brown, MBA ’25. After receiving his BS in Chemical Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Brown spent eight years as a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army, serving as a platoon leader and troop commander.
Now in the final year of his MBA, Brown has co-founded a climate tech company—Helix Carbon—with Dr. Ariel Furst, an MIT associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Evan Haas, MBA '24, SM '24. Their goal: erase the footprint of tough-to-carbonize industries like ironmaking, polyurethanes, and olefins by generating competitively-priced, carbon-neutral fuels directly from waste CO2. It’s an ambitious project–they’re looking to scale the company large enough to have a gigaton per year impact on CO2 emissions. They have lab space off campus, and after graduation, Brown will serve as Helix Carbon's COO.
“What I loved about being in the Army was that every day, I felt that the work I was doing was important and impactful in some way. I wanted that to continue and knew the best way to have the greatest possible positive impact was to use my operational skills learned while in the military to help close the gap between the lab and impact in the market.”
A Day with David Brown, MBA '25
8:30 a.m.
The first thing on my schedule today is meeting with the Helix Carbon team. Today, we’re talking about the results from the latest lab runs, and what they mean for planned experiments the rest of the week. We are also discussing our fundraising plans ahead of the investor meetings we have scheduled for later this week.
10:00 a.m.
I spend a lot of time at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. It's the hub of entrepreneurship at MIT. My pre-MBA internship, and my first work experience after leaving the Army, was as the program manager for delta v, the premier startup accelerator at MIT. That was also my introduction to the entrepreneurship ecosystem at MIT, and how I met Ariel. With zero hyperbole I can say that was a life changing experience, and really defined the direction of my life out of the military.
10:30 a.m.
In addition to working to fund and scale Helix Carbon, I have a lot of work to do to finish up the semester. Something I think is unique about MIT is that classes give a real world perspective from people who are actively a participant on the cutting edge of what's happening in that realm. For example, I’m taking Climate and Energy in the Global Economy, and the professor, Catherine Wolfram, has incredible experience both on the ground and in policy with both climate and energy.
11:00 a.m.
When I arrived at MIT Sloan, I was grouped into my cohort team. We navigated the first semester core classes together and built a strong bond. We still meet up for coffee and have team dinners even a year and a half later. I always find myself inspired by how much they've accomplished and I consider myself incredibly lucky for their support and to call them my friends.
Noon
Next, I have a meeting with Bill Aulet—the Managing Director of the Trust Center—to prepare for an entrepreneurship accelerator called Third Derivative that Helix Carbon got picked up for. Sustainability startups from all over the U.S. and around the world come together to meet with each other and other mentors in order to share progress, best practices, and develop plans for moving forward.
12:30 p.m.
Throughout the day, I run into friends, colleagues, and mentors. Even though MIT Sloan is pitched as a community experience, I didn’t expect how much of a community experience it really is. My classmates have been the absolute highlight of my time here and I have learned so much from their experiences and from the way they carry themselves.
1:00 p.m.
My only class today is Applied Behavioral Economics. I’m taking it almost entirely for pleasure–it’s such a fascinating topic. And the professor—Drazen Prelec—is one of the world's foremost experts. It’s a class that challenges assumptions and gets me thinking. I really enjoy it.
2:30 p.m.
I have a little bit of time before my next event. When I need a place that isn’t too crowded to think, I like to hang out on the couch on the sky bridge that connects E62 and E52, overlooking the Charles River. When the weather is nice, I’ll head out to one of the open green spaces in Kendall Square or to Urban Park across the street.
3:30 p.m.
When I was the program manager for delta v, this was where I sat, and it’s still where I like to spend time when I’m at the Trust Center. Because it looks like a welcome desk, a lot of people come up to ask questions or talk about their start ups. Since I used to work there I'm able to help them out pretty well!
5:00 p.m.
For my last event of the day, I’m attending a seminar at the Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center (PKG Center) as part of their IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge, MIT’s 20+ year-old social impact incubator. The program works with MIT student-led teams addressing social and environmental challenges in our communities. The program has helped teach us critical frameworks and tools around setting goals for and measuring our social impact. We actually placed 1st in the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference Pitch competition thanks to the lessons we learned here!
7:00 p.m.
Time to head home. A few days a week after work and class, my wife and I play in a combat archery league. It’s like dodgeball but instead of dodgeballs everyone has a bow and you shoot arrows that have pillow tips. It’s incredible. Tons of fun. I have tried to recruit many of my classmates—marginal success rate!
(Photo courtesy of Nick Tosta)
