2026–2027 Leadership Team
Managing Directors
Akshat Goel
CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR | LinkedIn
Akshat is a 2027 MBA candidate at MIT Sloan, with a background in entrepreneurship and product management. He is originally from India and spent the last 8 years in Singapore, working as a product manager at fast-growing technology companies in eCommerce, FinTech and Consumer Electronics. He is passionate about building innovative technology-driven ventures, and is currently exploring new startup ideas in software/SaaS and AI.
Zara Inam
CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR | LinkedIn
Zara is a 2027 MBA candidate at MIT Sloan. Prior to Sloan, she worked in sustainability consulting at Schneider Electric, where she helped companies measure their carbon footprints and navigate sustainability reporting frameworks. Passionate about advancing environmental justice in developing countries, Zara looks forward to pursuing certificates in Sustainability and Entrepreneurship & Innovation to develop innovative solutions that empower marginalized communities and address climate change inequities.
Kayla Spigelman
CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR | LinkedIn
Kayla is a 2027 MBA candidate at MIT Sloan, pursuing certificates in Finance and Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Before Sloan, she worked in consulting at Deloitte, where she developed data visualization tools to help public sector clients track climate progress and supported a government organization in expanding its energy performance contracting program. As part of the CEP Leadership Team, Kayla is excited to help direct resources toward innovative startups developing scalable solutions to climate challenges. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring new cities (most recently Lisbon and Jaipur) and baking macarons.
Julia Zou
CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR | LinkedIn
Julia is a 2027 MBA candidate at MIT Sloan pursuing the Sustainability Certificate. Prior to Sloan, Julia worked as manager at OC&C Strategy Consultants in the Boston office, doing corporate strategy and private equity diligence for Business Services firms (which includes engineering services, sentimental services, and testing and inspection businesses). Julia looks forward to engaging with CEP startups all over the world at all stages of the competition this year. In her free time, Julia enjoys skiing, doing pottery, making cocktails, and hanging out with her dog Tank.