Binghamton University develops student leaders who carry their momentum forward to quickly make impacts on the world. Two Bearcats of the Last Decade (BOLD) alumni were recently recognized for leadership in the healthcare and energy sectors.
Ariel Katz '15 made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in healthcare. He is CEO and co-founder of H1, which
provides the largest global network connecting healthcare professionals. The startup
based in New York has online profiles of more than 10 million doctors, updated daily
with information about the physicians' publications, patient demographics and social
media mentions.
H1 helps more than 100 pharma, biotech and medical device companies find the perfect doctor. The company, founded in 2017, has raised more than $180 million and employs more than 400 people across four continents.
"In starting a company and being the CEO, the most important job is whom you hire to come and join the mission," said Katz, who started his first company, ResearchConnection, at the age of 19 while a student at Binghamton. "It's not about my individual accomplishments, but what we've done together as a team. In being selected for 30 Under 30, I view it more of a reflection of the countless hours that the ResearchConnection and H1 teams put into making both a success.
"I feel like it's still so early at H1 and we've barely started to chip away at our mission of creating a system of record of healthcare professionals for the global healthcare ecosystem. So, although it is a good feeling to receive praise for the work we've done thus far, I know it's just the start for H1 and there's a lot more to go!"
Marisa Sweeney '14 made Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in energy. She is a director at Generate Capital, a
finance company that partners with project developers and technology manufacturers
in the renewable energy, technology and sustainability sectors. Sweeney has directed
more than $1 billion into projects ranging from anaerobic digesters to community solar
farms and sustainable fertilizer factories.
Prior to Generate, Sweeney worked in New York as a strategy analyst at Onyx Renewable Partners and at Goldman Sachs as a credit analyst. She is co-president for the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of Young Professionals in Energy.
"If you told me when I was 18 that this is something I was going to achieve, I'd have assumed you were trolling me," Sweeney said. "Friends and family generally know that I am very career focused, but it’s much more than that. Climate change is the most pressing issue of my generation. We must prioritize sustainability and decarbonization over the next 20 years or we'll see catastrophic impact on our earth and it will be too late.
"I'm eternally thankful to the early team at Onyx Renewable Partners that took a chance on me when I was extremely green. I remember telling my interviewer that, while I didn't yet know the solar industry in and out, I was willing to put in the hours to figure it out and do anything to add value to the team. I look at that moment as a turning point in my life. A job became a career that I was passionate about and every day since has been a blessing and a hustle."
