Diana Yousef is the CEO and founder of change:WATER Labs, a startup that designed and developed a low-cost, portable toilet using a simple membrane to rapidly evaporate 95% of sewage without using any type of energy. Diana is a PhD, MBA, MA and a serial entrepreneur with 10+yrs experience commercializing technology for social and environmental impact in the developing world.

In this interview we talk about what to do after your PhD, how to get entrepreneurial as a scientist, the value of small grants, how motherhood in part helped lead her to entrepreneurship, the inspiration and early days of change:WATER and much more. Tune in for more bits of wisdom like “if you have a hunch that you’re onto something, keep going.” Also, change:WATER is hiring and raising a round - so make sure to reach out if you believe in their mission and would like to help. 

More about Diana

Diana consulted for McKinsey, co-founded IFC/World Bank’s Life Sciences Investment Group and the United Nations’ Inclusive Markets incubator, and was a seed-stage VC with Battelle Ventures. She co-founded: WeCyclers (social venture to clean up urban slums and create recyclables supply chain linkages in Nigeria), Immerse Global (Stanford-spin out to develop atmospheric water capture technologies), and SachSiSolar (MIT-spin out to develop revolutionary new materials to lower the cost of solar energy). She is a former protein biochemist (A.B., Harvard; Ph.D., Cornell), and holds an MBA and MA in International Development (Columbia). She serves as an advisor to the TED Fellows Program and a Founding Council Member for NASA/USAID’s LAUNCH Accelerator. She is founder & CEO of change:WATER Labs. The work of Diana and her team has been covered such publications as Forbes, Fast Company, BOSS Magazine (on the cover of April 2018 issue), Bloomberg, the Discovery Channel, The Daily Beast and the Boston Globe.

Join the Bountiful community today and realize your power to save the world.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn if you haven't already.