Green Empowerment

Grant Thorne, MBA 26, was a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot when he learned about the Cleantech to Market (C2M) Program at Haas. C2M pairs graduate student teams with entrepreneurs nationwide to accelerate commercialization of promising cleantech innovations across myriad sectors. In the military, Thorne had witnessed environmental devastation in over 14 countries and sought an MBA to help him pivot into cleantech, specifically electrification, and drive global impact.

“I realized that the clean energy transition was the biggest opportunity of our generation to rebuild our economy and correct past industrial mistakes,” he says.

Thorne knew Haas and C2M would provide the hands-on team experience he valued and help expand his network in the cleantech sector. After participating in C2M, he’s now one of 660 UC Berkeley students who have collaborated on over 120 cleantech projects since 2008. 

In 2025, the flagship Haas program received a transformative $1.5 million pledge from Roger and Hans Strauch, co-presidents of The Mosse Foundation, that led to a renaming: the Strauch Cleantech to Market Program. The Strauch brothers share Thorne’s urgency to mitigate climate change, which they note is being overshadowed by investments in AI and global complacency. Their support for C2M will help ready the next generation of cleantech entrepreneurial and investment talent. “Strauch C2M is a proven program that attracts Berkeley talent to academically address and maybe even contribute to commercially viable ways to counter the threats posed by climate change and perhaps mitigate the catalysts of those threats,” says Roger Strauch.

Thorne’s five-member interdisciplinary team was matched with Carbon Plus, an early-stage company with a novel way to manufacture carbon fiber. By producing a material with 50% fewer emissions at 33% of the traditional cost, Carbon Plus aims to disrupt the structural materials market, starting with aluminum. The student team contributed market insights and business strategy.

“We calculated that just a 10% global adoption of this technology in the transportation sector would result in over $320 billion in annual fuel savings and eliminate 664 million tons of CO2 per year,” says Thorne.

The team took first place in December’s annual Strauch Cleantech to Market Summit. In all, eight teams vied for prize money for the startups they assisted. Carbon Plus received $40,000. 

Thorne’s teammate Lu Wang, MBA 26, who aims to be an entrepreneur across climate tech and AI-enabled services, says Strauch C2M offered a rare chance to work with real technologies, founders, and industry experts. “It’s been an invaluable opportunity to build practical skills while contributing to meaningful climate solutions,” she says.