Matt Cox is the co-founder and CEO of Greenlink Analytics, a nonprofit organization delivering "detailed, accurate, and novel insights regarding the economic, social, and environmental impacts of energy use."
1. Why are you passionate about this work?
My work is to create a better world where people have the freedom to thrive as they choose. My organization focuses on improving two foundations of American society: energy, which underpins our economy but threatens it via climate change and extractive processes, and social equity, because systemic factors frequently determine outcomes. I believe in an obligation to increase opportunities for others, and Greenlink works to achieve this through climate and energy policy action.
2. What was the most challenging aspect of starting a business, and how did you overcome it?
One of the greatest challenges was finding a working business model. But our team worked hard and spoke with hundreds of brilliant people to understand the problems people faced and how we could contribute something valuable to the ecosystem.
3. How does your company use technology?
Greenlink has developed several pieces of software to explore current and future conditions. Some examples: We use artificial intelligence to evaluate and predict the future operations of the energy system. We use machine learning to inform the distribution of resources and burdens across communities. We use many economic modeling frameworks to explore the jobs and income tradeoffs of different clean energy investments.
4. How did your IAC degree help you succeed?
While at the IAC, I was deeply engaged in energy systems modeling and ethics. The critical thinking and analytical skills I learned have helped me design our organization's purpose and capabilities. IAC connections enabled further training that taught us to approach building an organization like a scientific research question.
5. What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs at Ivan Allen College?
Starting with scientific curiosity towards your customer base will keep you from wasting time and money, advancing your work far faster and more efficiently than most other approaches.
Matt Cox graduated with a Ph.D. in Public Policy in 2014. See more profiles of our alumni founders!
