UWC-USA alumni don’t just imagine a more just and sustainable world—they build it. On Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30 pm Mountain Time, the Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series on Social Entrepreneurship will feature Charlotte Benishek ’11 and Amélie Vavrovsky ’14 in conversation about turning problems into ventures. Moderating the discussion is Marcus Gerhardt, an alumnus of UWC Atlantic and CEO of Blackrock Microsystems, who brings deep experience as an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor in innovative technologies and alternative markets.
Charlotte, a sustainability leader helping accelerate climate tech startups and innovative energy technologies, brings extensive experience aligning strategy, policy, and climate action across sectors. Amélie, CEO and founder of Formally, a next-generation legal collaboration platform, is reimagining how legal work can be more efficient, humane, and accessible. Together, they will explore how their UWC-USA experience trained them to notice problems, work across difference, and craft elegant solutions to complex challenges.
Marcus adds a global perspective shaped by a career spanning entrepreneurship, frontier market investing, and technology commercialization. From co-founding early ecommerce platform Mondus to advising high-growth companies through BBI and helping build a leading frontier market asset manager in the Middle East, his work now focuses on advancing neurotechnology at Blackrock Microsystems to improve patient outcomes.
This session invites the UWC community to learn how mission-driven founders define impact, navigate trade-offs, and create ventures that reflect UWC’s values in action.
Speakers:
- Charlotte Benishek ’11
- Amélie Vavrovsky ’14
Moderator:
- Marcus Gerhardt
Date and Time:
May 19, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time
Register here.