Entrepreneurs for Impact #216: Dr. Sarah Russell, CEO of Bellwether, MD at Alphabet's Moonshot Factory – TIME Magazine's "2024 Best Invention in Artificial Intelligence." The First Prediction Engine for the Earth.
Bellwether is a climate prediction tool that uses AI to analyze Earth observation data and anticipate changes to the planet. It's used by the public and private sectors to help with disaster preparation and recovery.
How Bellwether works:
- Uses simulation techniques to analyze Earth observation data
- Predicts the likelihood of severe weather, like wildfires and floods
- Identifies damage to critical infrastructure after a disaster
- Helps deliver aid more quickly after a disaster
Dr. Sarah Russell is a startup founder, tech executive, and physician working at the intersection of business, planetary health, and machine learning.
In addition to her role as CEO of Bellwether, she is a Managing Director at X, the Moonshot Factory at Alphabet.
Previously, she held leadership roles at Venrock, the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, and Google, applying her expertise in healthcare, technology, and regulatory strategy.
In addition to her entrepreneurial and executive pursuits, she serves as an Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she remains dedicated to mentoring and advancing innovation in medicine and sustainability.
Here are some topics we covered:
- How to navigate personal growth and identity shifts after selling a business
- What is the significance of absolute risk scores in disaster preparedness and how they differ from relative risk scores
- Why AI models are advantageous over traditional physics-based models in climate and weather event predictions
- When to consider expanding a business model to offer comprehensive solutions, including vertical integration and AI-enabled services
- How to maintain focus and remember that just because you can doesn’t mean you should
- Why you should surround yourself with people way smarter than you and do the ego work to deal with that reality
🔗 PODCAST SHOW LINKS:
Sarah - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahrussellmd
Bellwether - https://x.company/projects/bellwether
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🤔 PODCAST HOST:
Dr. Chris Wedding is the CEO of EFI (climate CEO peer groups and executive coaching), cofounder of Terraset (carbon removal), Senior Advisor at Javelin Capital (clean energy investment banking), Board member at World Tree (regenerative forestry), Board Advisor at DG Matrix (next-gen power electronics), Duke & UNC professor, ex-private equity investor, ex-investment banker, occasional monk, and super humble human being (as evidenced by this long bio).