Madhav Acharya
Business Fellow
Madhav Acharya joins Breakthrough Energy’s Business Fellows program from Vienna, Virginia. Madhav is committed to delivering practical solutions to the energy transition and climate crisis in a timely manner. He is eager to support Innovator Fellows with a range of activities including business and technology strategy, techno-economic analysis, organizational development, demonstration projects, marketing, and fundraising.
Madhav has leadership experience across the private sector, government, and early-stage startups. He spent 18 years at ExxonMobil in a range of technical and business roles before becoming a T2M advisor at ARPA-E, where he co-led the first SCALEUP funding opportunity. Most recently, he was the vice president of commercialization at Syzygy Plasmonics.
He has a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and a Doctor of Philosophy in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware. His hobbies include gardening, swimming, and traveling.
Q&A
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
“Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.” After 25 years in the energy business, I realize that I’m still learning – which is great!
What is your favorite word and why?
“Paradigm shift” – because that’s what we need to solve climate change.
What is the most impactful book that you have read?
It’s hard to pick just one. I would recommend “The Reckoning” by David Halberstam, “Prosperity without Growth” by Tim Jackson, and “The Affluent Society” by JK Galbraith. I just finished “Power Failure” about the history of GE which is another great read.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to drive trains when I grew up, but ended up becoming a different kind of “engineer.”
Share a fun fact about yourself:
I’ve lived on four continents (specifically in India, Nigeria, the United States, and the United Kingdom).