Shantonio Birch is a first-generation college student, an immigrant, and a recent Mechanical Engineering PhD graduate from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Shantonio’s journey as a climate tech entrepreneur began at the Perimeter College at Georgia State University, where he made the decision to pursue an engineering degree to mitigate the threats of rising sea temperatures on coral reefs in the Caribbean. He later got involved in climate tech research through numerous summer research experiences for undergraduates (REUs), then transferred to the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he completed a Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Shantonio is passionate about clean energy and has been a lifelong champion for energy equity and environmental justice. As part of his PhD dissertation, he has laid the foundation for tackling a decades-old stalemate on the room temperature performance of thermoelectric materials, and has recently transitioned into the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Ann Arbor, where he is the CEO and Founder of the climate-tech startup known as ThermoVerse. Shantonio seeks to use tech as an engine for social good and sees entrepreneurship as a route for achieving this. His upbringing as an immigrant, a community college student, a first-generation college student, and now the first person in his family to bear the title “Dr.” has not only shaped his idea of impact but has also humbled him in his pursuit of a cleaner and more sustainable future for all.
Represented Organization
ThermoVerse
Key Innovation
Our technology is being developed to address the energy efficiency and equity considerations within the constraints of old building codes, which require non-invasive retrofits.
ThermoVerse, LLC is developing a minimally invasive envelope thermal management system to address the decarbonization of buildings and their communities. This solution addresses the need for cost-effective and sensible heating and cooling in >40 million low-to-middle-income U.S. households and is timely as existing retrofits tend to either breach old building codes or exacerbate inequities within underserved communities concerning the pricing and allocation of energy resources.