I'm currently an independent climate, science and tech advisor, working across philanthropy, policy, and startups.Most recently, I spent 6.5 years at X (formerly GoogleX) leading the public policy + public affairs for several early stage climate and connectivity projects, working across the U.S., India, and Africa. X is a ragtag team of scientists & entrepreneurs working to build breakthrough technologies to help solve some of the world's toughest challenges. My job was to help X and our project teams land in the real world. This involved working with governments, think tanks, and other stakeholders to practically deploy projects, and make the case for an innovative approach to regulation across a range of deep tech projects - from sustainable agriculture, to ocean health, to wildfire mitigation technologies.Before X, I spent 10 years working across business development, stakeholder management, and external affairs: most recently as a Deputy Director for the White House’s Presidential Innovation Fellows program, a program launched by President Obama to bring better technology into government. I’ve also supported minority entrepreneurs at the Clinton Foundation via a partnership with Mayor’s offices in 5 U.S. cities, and at Ashoka, where I built and scaled an accelerator program for early-stage social entrepreneurs across U.S., Mexico, Senegal, Kenya and Canada. In 2019, I launched my own small business: Alaya Tea, a loose leaf tea company that sources directly from Indian farmers who are pioneering biodynamic and regenerative organic farming at the base of the Himalayas. Our packaging is 100% compostable. Find us at alayatea.co.