At Coolset, we’re not only focused on building solutions that help businesses achieve sustainability goals – we’re driven by a passion for making the world better. We sat down with our CTO, David, to discuss his journey, the challenges of leading a sustainability-driven tech company, and how Coolset is shaping the future of sustainability compliance.

What inspired you to join Coolset?

Coolset is my second startup. My first venture was in marketing, but after exiting that, I realized I wanted to work on projects that have a positive impact on the world. My wife, a climate change scientist, really made me reflect on the work I was doing, and I wanted to align my career with meaningful change. Coolset was the perfect fit, as it allows me to contribute to solving sustainability challenges on a global scale.

What’s a typical day like for you?

My role at Coolset is incredibly dynamic. I work on everything from strategic partnership deals to managing product engineering and research teams. On top of that, I still find time to be hands-on with engineering, which is what I truly love. It’s a balance between the high-level strategy and diving deep into problem-solving with the team.

What part of your role do you find the most rewarding?

Coaching people to be better at what they do is extremely rewarding. I enjoy helping teams break through challenges and seeing them grow. As someone who’s worked with many people in the past, I know how powerful knowledge transfer can be in overcoming obstacles. It’s incredibly fulfilling to enable others to succeed.

If you had a magic wand, what would you remove from your daily work?

I’m genuinely passionate about what we do, but there are certain administrative tasks, like maintaining security protocols or dealing with compliance paperwork, that take up valuable time. If I could, I would eliminate those non-technical chores to focus even more on innovation and growth.

‍What’s the most impactful lesson you’ve learned as a CTO?

One of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned is how much engineering can empower people in their careers. As a software engineer, you have the ability to solve problems across any industry. I’ve worked in fields from clinical trials to sustainability, and it’s incredible how software can drive change. At Coolset, we’re not just solving problems—we’re helping companies take meaningful steps toward achieving their sustainability goals.

How does Coolset’s technology help businesses just starting their sustainability journey?

Technology plays a massive role in enabling companies that are at the beginning of their sustainability journey. Think of it like stepping on a scale to track your progress toward a goal. Without benchmarks, it’s hard to know if your efforts are making an impact. Coolset’s platform provides these essential insights, helping businesses know they’re moving in the right direction—and motivating them to continue.

What sets Coolset apart as a workplace for engineers and innovators in sustainability?

At Coolset, engineers have a unique opportunity to make a real impact. In a small company like ours, each person has the chance to steer the ship and shape the future of the company. More importantly, our engineers work on real, production-quality software with rigorous development cycles. Here, innovation meets purpose, as we’re not just building tools, we’re helping companies meet net-zero targets and contribute to the Paris Agreement.

How does Coolset stay adaptable to the evolving sustainability landscape?

We approach this challenge with a philosophy of “modelling uncertainty” first introduced by Vaughn Vernon -  We build systems that can handle uncertainty because we know that the sustainability landscape will continue to evolve. We designed our compliance platform so that new regulations can be added seamlessly, without requiring significant engineering effort. This flexibility ensures that Coolset will always stay ahead of the curve.

What’s next for Coolset?

We’re excited to expand our research team and develop solutions for even more sustainability frameworks beyond CSRD. We’re also working on refining our carbon management tools to provide more granular insights for our customers. It’s an exciting time as we continue to scale and improve our technology.

What advice would you give to businesses just starting their sustainability journey?

Start early and find a partner you can trust. Sustainability isn’t just a one-off report; it’s an ongoing journey. By investing in the right solutions now, you’ll not only meet your sustainability goals but also build a scalable system that will make it easier each year. The sooner you start, the easier it will be in the future.

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