Asher Barondes, SNØCAP Fellow

Asher is a sophomore at Yale studying Economics and Philosophy. In high school, Asher served as the captain for his Varsity Congressional debate team, however, after tournaments, he felt that whatever he disseminated would only be used as a metric for ranking, never as a catalyst for change. Seeking avenues where his voice could enact tangible change, Asher served as 1 of 14 members for the Mayor's Youth Council for Climate Action and was elected as the Youth Representative for his Neighborhood Council. Within the Council, Asher served as the Head of the Diversification Committee where he encouraged nations such as Egypt and Kenya at C40 events to adopt their own councils within their communities in order to stimulate civic engagement and join others in the fight to reduce carbon emissions. As a candidate for the Energy Studies certificate, Asher is motivated to deepen his understanding of the environment and take what he learned from his previous advocacy and apply it in his future endeavors and studies.

At Yale, Asher has engaged in many of the financial clubs on campus. Within the Yale Entrepreneurial Society, he is 1 of 15 members of the "Incubator" where he is currently working on the development of his startup, FILOS. Asher loves to create and collaborate with others which is why joined the Incubator, hoping to be part of the new innovations that arise from the community. Fueling his interest in ameliorating climate devastation, Asher is increasing visibility of Macro Oceans' seaweed polysaccharide blend by pitching to cosmetic firms as part of the Yale Sustainability Consulting Collective. Curious to get a glimpse of what consulting and financial institutions do on a day-to-day basis, Asher also is involved in TAMID Consulting and the Yale Real Estate Group, where he gains a better grasp of financial literacy. Noticing that some financial fields were underrepresented, Asher founded the Yale Undergraduate Hedge Fund Association that has 50 active members, connects undergraduates with alumni who work in the industry, and engage in case competitions and quantitative modeling. Outside of class, he enjoys playing basketball, tennis, guitar, and spending time writing his third novel.

As a fellow, Asher looks forward to furthering his interest in both venture capital and climate tech and assisting Snocap's efforts in tracking the funds in their network. Asher is excited about venture capital because it beneficially forces him to be aware of geopolitics and market trends, solidifying a macro perspective on global economics. The constant creativity and enormous potential for learning with venture capital appeals to him as he would be constantly surrounded by new ideas/perspectives.