During my time with MOBY I focused on a few different projects spanning business development, market sizing, competitive analysis, as well as marketing and social media strategy. Within business development I worked on an exciting new pilot program that MOBY is entering into with LA Sanitation and Environment. This pilot will be incredibly important to MOBY's mission in reducing microplastic pollution coming from the laundering of synthetic clothes. Through the pilot, MOBY will partner with five to seven businesses in LA, install custom industrial MOBY filters, and collect critical data that will help unlock significant state funding and allow MOBY to expand its plans to scale its industrial business model. To kick off the pilot, I completed extensive market sizing to quantify MOBY's potential market and focus into a few key industries. Once these industries were identified, I used this data to narrow down the list of LA businesses to target those that fit within industries in our best market fit. Through my competitive analysis, I identified key differentiators for MOBY to focus on to stand out from its competitors. These findings led the team to pivot our business plan from focusing on household washing machines to industrial scale washers. Lastly, I worked to create a calendar and strategy for MOBY's social media presence, and formulated a listserv and service provider for a company newsletter.

My work with MOBY began during my last semester as part of the SUMANI program, where I utilized the skill sets I learned in my Life Cycle Assessment class to conduct a crate to grave LCA to measure the impact of 100L of microfiber infected water coming from a washing machine. This exercise helped MOBY quantify its impact on water pollution coming from the laundering of synthetic clothes and pitch their business model to investors. During my fellowship, I utilized skills I had learned in the Sustainable Fashion Startup Strategy course, especially market sizing, pitch deck formation, and competitive analysis. Through my circular economy class I learned how to formulate and implement circular business models using systems thinking. This skill-set was incredibly useful during my time at MOBY, since MOBY is working to create a fully closed-loop system. Lastly, my Sustainability Management course taught me how to conduct thorough business analyses and make strategic decisions to promote sustainability. These lessons were important in my work on business development with the LA Sanitation Pilot program.

During my tenure at MOBY, I encountered several significant challenges that required strategic thinking and adaptability. These challenges primarily revolved around our competitive advantage, business model, and revenue strategy. When I initially joined MOBY, the company's focus was primarily on household washing machines, which posed a formidable competitive landscape. However, through a thorough competitive analysis we discovered there were fewer competitors operating under an industrial business model. We determined that not only would focusing on industrial scale filters help MOBY stand out from its competitors, but it would also help scale its impact, as industrial loads discard more microplastics than individual household loads. Once we made that pivot, our next challenge was determining our new revenue model. At the conclusion of my fellowship, the revenue model remained a work in progress. Intensive discussions and analysis were underway, covering various aspects such as the frequency of payments, pricing structures per load and the exploration of subscription-based models. Determining the optimal revenue strategy was crucial to ensure sustainable growth and profitability as we ventured into the industrial sector.

A key takeaway of my time with MOBY was the transformative shift in our business approach, driven by a keen understanding of our competitive advantage and a commitment to addressing the pressing issue of microplastics pollution. The challenges we faced in refining our business and revenue models were pivotal moments that underscored the dynamic nature of our mission to make a positive impact on the environment. Additionally, it was incredibly interesting to learn about a different side of waste coming from the fashion industry that my previous studies and work experience had not touched on. My background is in sustainable fashion, but is more focussed on the cycle of overproduction and consumption plaguing the industry, as well as the rampant discarding of clothing into landfills. I did not previously know much about the sources of microplastics, namely that 35 percent of them come from the laundering of synthetic clothing. I also did not know about the significant impacts microplastics have on human health and our environment. Through my work with SUMANI I learned that the global oceanic carbon sink is being disrupted by the presence of microplastics, which is contributing to climate change. Through my fellowship with MOBY I learned that humans eat a credit card's worth of plastic each week, and that microplastics are being found in human placenta. Through this experience, I am now aware that capturing microplastics is an incredibly important, and urgent, issue. I feel my work with MOBY has brought my knowledge about sustainable fashion full circle, touching on every source of waste within the industry. I am excited to keep an eye on MOBY's pilot program with LA Sanitation this fall.