Serena Dao

Serena Dao is a climate tech operator and writer specializing in early-stage company building, with a focus on operations and team development. She spent several years at The Engine, the Boston-based accelerator and incubator known for supporting tough tech startups, where she led community support and worked closely with founders at the earliest and most demanding stages of company formation. Her background spans early-stage biotech and a nonlinear path through academia, giving her a grounded, practical perspective on what it actually takes to build a team and keep a young company moving. At the time of recording, Dao was transitioning from The Engine into an early-stage startup role, putting her operational philosophy directly to work. On The Grove, she joined host and Earth Onward founder to discuss what it takes to build climate startups from the ground up, drawing on her hands-on experience supporting founders through The Engine's ecosystem. The conversation covered the realities of operations, community, and team building in climate tech, offering founders and operators alike a candid look at the work behind the work.