Alice Havill
Business Fellow
Alice Havill joins Breakthrough Energy’s Business Fellows program from the Denver, Colorado area. Alice has a passion for developing teams, businesses, and technologies that transform emerging social and environmental needs into market-based opportunities.In joining the Fellows program, Alice is excited to work with other Innovator Fellows and accelerate commercialization of novel technologies that are poised to bring economic, social, and environmental value, by integrating business diligence with technical innovation.
Throughout her career, Alice has held a variety of roles focused on novel technology development and climate tech commercialization. She has worked in all stages of the innovation and business lifecycle, from early-stage research and development to design, manufacturing, and technology piloting. Companies she has worked with include LanzaTech Inc. and VartegaInc. She also has experience in fundraising, team growth, capital management, and corporate strategic planning. More recently, Alice spent time in venture capital with the Colorado Impact Fund, where she gained skills in business due diligence, investment deployment and corporate governance. Alice combines her technical aptitude, business acumen, and transformative leadership experience to support the development, scale, and commercialization of climate technologies.
A native of New Zealand, Alice enjoys visiting new countries, experiencing new cultures, and being active outdoors, including running, skiing, climbing, and biking. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical and Materials from the University of Auckland and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Corporate Finance from the University of Denver. In addition, she earned a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility and Global Business from the University of Denver and a certificate in Project Management for Professionals from Northwestern University.
Q&A
What is your favorite word and why?
I have three: curiosity, compassion, courage. Curiosity to explore your limits, compassion for what you find, courage to act on your findings.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
An astronaut… but after throwing up all over my mum on a fair ride, she suggested I keep my options open for other careers that wouldn’t be impacted by my motion sickness.
Share a fun fact about yourself?
I can reverse a trailer using a left-hand or right-hand drive vehicle that is stick shift. No matter where I am in the world or what my professional role is, this surprisingly always comes in handy.