My overarching project was to help CrossBoundary Energy identify areas of the business that could be scaled in anticipation of rapid expansion. More specifically, I had these subprojects:

• Mapped the engineering team’s internal process via LucidChart, a web-based process diagram app that I rolled out to my entire team for future mapping exercises
• Recommended and then rolling out Smartsheet as a web-based project management tool across the organization, helping teams manage construction schedules, team resource management, and dataroom creation for investors
• Developed contracting document templates to reduce negotiating timelines and improve CrossBoundary’s negotiating position with construction contractors
• Developed a design standards document that established engineering requirements for subcontractors to conform with CrossBoundary’s requirements for safety, reliability, and cost
• Implemented a sales outreach script for multinational companies, which was used successfully to make contact and begin business development conversations with one of the largest multinational CPG companies operating in Africa
• Re-worked key project contracts to improve customer perception of fairness and reduce negotiation lead times
• Researched the process for obtaining approval to import solar equipment into Ghana, which could save $50,000 per project
• Developed a battery storage product for the Nigerian manufacturing industry, which experiences extreme grid unreliability. The product would enable manufacturing companies to use cleaner grid electricity and would help CrossBoundary expand the number of products it can offer, improving its market position.

Negotiations: I applied negotiation skills developed in the LEAD class to my work on contracting. Cognitive biases like framing and reciprocity are important to consider when drafting the first turn of an important business contract because it can have lasting impacts on the sprit of negotiations. With this in mind, I re-worked numerous legal documents to improve customer perception and enable faster negotiating turnaround time.

Corporate Finance: My experience in Corporate Finance clarified the terms of the fundraising that CrossBoundary has completed.

Marketing: Using the concept of revealed customer preference, I was able to determine how much customers in Nigeria would be willing to pay for the battery storage product I developed. These numbers helped framed our pricing of the product.

Research and reliable industry data are difficult to obtain in Africa and may not even be collected. Generally, I relied on interviews with local experts to understand the new markets I was working in and how to approach them with our solar energy products.

Traveling around Africa to learn about specific countries was difficult with the restrictions on travel imposed by Columbia to higher risk locations. I know that there is an approval process with the Dean, but when work travel opportunities come up last-minute, it’s not feasible to go through the process and therefore opportunities to explore other markets are missed. I’m not sure what the solution is here, but it would be helpful to have a more flexible high-risk travel approval.

Another challenge I faced was navigating the leave and business travel of my coworkers. Because summer internships are only 10-12 weeks, losing a coworker to maternity/paternity leave for any length of time can drastically change your experience. The same is true if coworkers leave for hectic business travel that makes them unavailable. Ultimately it wasn’t a big problem and I was able to get a enough time I needed with my coworkers.

My goal going into the internship was to learn how I could apply my previous work in renewable energy development to emerging markets. In other words, what were the new tools I needed in order to be effective in markets outside of the US, where lack of process transparency, corruption, and slow business timelines are widespread.

My takeaways are that if I want to work in international renewable energy development in emerging markets, I should prioritize work with private companies and citizens instead of public institutions (governments, public utility companies, etc.), where corruption is much more common. Private companies, particularly multinational companies with strong ethical standards doing business in emerging markets, are more reliable and professional business partners/customers. This is obviously a generalization and does not apply to every government across the developing world, but it is a powerful rule of thumb for an America subject to US anti-corruption laws looking to do work around the world.

I also learned just how much untapped opportunity there is for renewable energy across Africa. This is partially because of the difficulty of doing business in Africa, where burdensome regulation and a lack of business infrastructure (form contracts, legal precendent, etc.) are common. However, these hurdles will likely change in time as renewable energy becomes more cost-competitive, so getting a foothold in Africa now is a savvy plan.