Building a More Sustainable Future Starts with Investing in People

In the kickoff episode for season four of Imagine A World, alum Eli Cahan (2019 cohort) speaks with alum Daniel Gajardo (2020 cohort), who earned an MA in international policy and an MS in environment and resources. Daniel imagines a world where humans live in harmony with the rest of nature.

For Daniel, building a more sustainable future starts with investing in people. Born and raised in Chile, he came to Stanford passionate about climate change but uncertain about his exact career path. Today, he leads Reciprocal, an organization investing in early-stage climate and sustainability startups across Latin America.

In this episode, Daniel reflects on his journey from burnout to purpose-driven entrepreneurship and the importance of mental health, as well as how the KHS community helped him challenge his assumptions and redefine leadership.

Highlights from the episode:

(3:00) Growing up in Santiago and finding a path between engineering and purpose

(7:11) What “purpose-driven” means to him

(9:01) Burnout and learning to fill your own cup

(12:54) Navigating Stanford

(19:30) How Knight-Hennessy Scholars taught him to question his assumptions

(22:00) Curiosity, growth mindset, and vulnerability within the KHS community

(25:38) Reciprocal and the case for climate investment in Latin America

(27:14) Why he wouldn’t be doing this work without Knight-Hennessy Scholars

(29:20) Interviewing Al Gore at a King Global Leadership Program event

(33:57) Advice for prospective scholars: Give it a shot