A Startup Support Program Focused on Founders and Their Connection to Nature

By: Jared Yarnall-Schane

Before I became an engineer, startup founder, and eventually the Director of Innovation at the Biomimicry Institute, I was a summer camp counselor. Every summer for three years I would live and work at a 300-person summer camp in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. This was a formative period of my life where I learned to value servant leadership, natural stewardship, and the power of being fully immersed in nature.

In particular, I fell in love with helping campers challenge themselves physically, emotionally, and mentally. It was always incredibly inspiring to see children conquer their fear of heights on the climbing tower, build life-long friendships with fellow campers, and their awe of sleeping under the stars in the Milky Way for the very first time. By placing these campers in positions that were a little bit scary and uncomfortable, we helped them realize that they are capable of continual self-growth by overcoming fears in a safe and supportive environment.

Now as someone who supports and funds nature-inspired startups solving systemic social and environmental issues, we at the Biomimicry Institute are bringing startup founders, scientists, and CEO’s back to camp for these very same reasons!

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