Student Spotlight: Friendships and Energy
IE student Ben Weber gives an account of his main achievements since arriving to Spain: a blog on the lives of his two refugee friends and his recent involvement in the renewable revolution.
Ben is a third year student from California, USA, currently pursuing a Bachelors in Business Administration. After high school he began his career in the US Navy operating Nuclear Reactors, followed by a year of working in Colorado. Then he joined IE University, and attended Segovia campus for his first two years, where Ben founded the Alpine club, in which he coordinated hiking trips in nearby locations accessible to students.
During Ben’s first year at IE in 2015, the refugee crisis reached its peak. Wanting to better understand the situation first hand, Ben traveled to Athens during winter break in order to provide assistance to a Hungarian doctor. A few stories stuck out more than others for Ben of his time in Athens, but none more than the day he says he “accidentally led a protest.”
"I didn’t know what to expect, and as I sat on the frigid ground I started to think of the possible outcomes, but suddenly something that I did not expect happened. To my right an Iranian took off his shirt and sat down next to me, then an Afghani next to him and a Pakistani next to him.””
During his time there, he befriended two Afghan refugees who were headed to Germany. Ben kept in touch with his Afghan friends after his return back to Spain at the end of the winter break. Then, spring break served as the opportunity to reconnect with his Afghan friends and see how they were faring in Germany.
After seeing the camp where each of the brother’s resided, he sat down with them to document their story. With over 40 hours dedicated to writing, Ben was able to take meticulous notes of the Brother’s story, totaling 26,000 words. Over the following year Ben rewrote these notes into a coherent text: The Inflatable Game – The true story of the journey of two Afghan brothers, from the East to the West. Ben has continued working on the project, and presented it at last year’s LEAP Conference. Ultimately, he envisions the story being adapted for the big screen.
From then on Ben chose to return to the industry with which he was familiar.
“I am looking to get back into the energy industry, specifically in the innovation side, with a clear focus on the renewable revolution.”
He has worked with several young ventures, including: All-gas (Wastewater to Biofuel with Algae), Limitless Solar (Solar Power Purchase Agreements), Near-Me (Sharing Economy Web Developers), and Ingage Worldwide (Business Networking App).
Currently, Ben is invested in seeing the renewable revolution all the way through. As described by Ben “The current problem is that our system isn’t designed for renewable energy! Renewable energy does not produce electricity 24/7, the sun isn’t always shining nor the wind always blowing. So what is needed? Energy Storage!”
Being aware of this problem, Ben sought a Startup that worked in the energy storage sector and came across Hygge Power. Believing in the product they were launching, as well as the technology and team behind it, Ben reached out to them to offer his time and knowledge.
Having joined the Hygge Power team, Ben is currently working on their business development, leading research on the European market, the use of blockchain, and pursuing opportunities in the utilities sector. Seeing the opportunities present in the European market, Ben intends to stay in Europe after graduation. Ben has high aspirations, intending to get into politics at some point, and perceiving his current focus on energy as an asset for the future.
You can tell he is serious when he says, “I would like to one day run for President of The United States of America.”
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