Early stage, big impact

Joe Wahba, a senior at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs, is helping manufacturing companies reduce their environmental footprint. His startup, Curbon, provides detailed analysis of carbon emissions, water waste, and microplastic pollution—giving companies actionable insights to improve their sustainability practices.

Curbon was conceived and launched in the Keller Center’s Incubator Program, where Wahba and his teammates—Yiying Zhang, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Jinjin Chen, Ph.D., Civil and Environmental Engineering—began developing their platform. The team’s journey has been shaped by multiple Keller offerings, including EGR 395: Venture Capital & Finance of Innovation, taught by Shahram Hejazi, a seasoned venture capitalist and entrepreneurship expert.

“Taking Professor Hejazi’s class not only prompted me to get my ideas out into the world but really prepared me to be able to pitch my ideas,” Wahba said. “I learned that you can’t wait; you have to put yourself in the right place at the right time.”

That mindset led the Curbon team to Venture Summit West, held last April at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley. With support from Keller, the team pitched their venture to top-tier venture capitalists (VCs), angel investors, and seasoned entrepreneurs. The experience was transformative—they received valuable feedback, learned from both the VC panelists’ critiques and their fellow student innovator’s successes and struggles, which helped to refine their pitch for future investor engagements.

One of the biggest hurdles Curbon faces is industry reluctance to adopt clean technologies. “Many companies are profit-driven and don’t yet see how our technology can help their bottom line,” Wahba explained. “But clean and profitable are not mutually exclusive. Next-gen consumers are extremely environmentally conscious, and companies need to get ahead of the game now.”

Curbon’s momentum continued with another Keller-funded trip—this time to Cleveland, Ohio, where the team participated in the VentureWell Accelerator’s Pioneer stage training. This highly competitive, immersive program brought together student-led science and tech startups from across the country, creating a dynamic environment for collaboration and peer learning. The Curbon team built strong relationships with fellow founders, exchanged ideas, and gained valuable insights into the challenges and strategies of early-stage ventures. They also received an equity-free grant, which they used to travel to China to collect data on textile manufacturing—a major contributor to global pollution.

Now, the team is applying for the next stage of the VentureWell Accelerator and continues to develop Curbon in Keller’s Incubator program, which recently opened its Fall application period.

“It has been wonderful working with Curbon over the last several years through our eLab Incubator program and our student project funding efforts,” said Manda Ryan, eLab Program Manager. “I am excited to see Curbon’s impact in the world continue to grow with Joe at the helm. A passionate learner, leader, and champion for positive change, Joe demonstrates that students from all majors can find success in entrepreneurship and design and that all voices are critical to championing meaningful progress both on and off campus.”

Wahba expressed deep appreciation for the support he’s received from the Keller Center community.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the mentorship, funding, and encouragement we’ve received through the Keller Center,” he said. “It’s been instrumental in helping us grow Curbon and connect with people who believe in our mission.”