We have windshield wipers that turn on when it’s raining, lights for when it’s dark, and heaters to heat and cool our spaces depending on the temperature outside. But the current approach to how we clean the shared air we breathe is a one size fits all solution that is insufficient when it’s needed, and often extraneously implemented when it is prioritized. Most ventilation systems provide the same amount of fresh air regardless of how many people are present or what kind of sicknesses are going around. Energy and cost efficient systems that can respond to risk factors such as occupancy and community health patterns could provide a nearly incalculable improvement in public health for a relatively small cost and without any change in societal behaviors.

I founded Haven Labs in 2020 to develop air cleaning hardware and control systems that will enable those seeking to make shared spaces safer. Like many others my attention turned to infection risk when Covid-19 emerged, and I began to dig into research on respiratory diseases to understand the science behind their spread as well as the engineering behind their prevention. I found a complex, disjointed, and often misunderstood and misinterpreted knowledge base plagued by obfuscation and conflicting agendas. The engineer in me sought to embrace enough complexity to completely define the problem and reduce that complexity to its most simple and versatile form in pursuit of viable solutions. The entrepreneur in me sought to take that insight and produce products that address needs more effectively than competitive solutions.

 After four years of mostly self-funded work (outlined below), I finally internalized that the future of indoor air quality and safety is on a slow timeline like many other societal shifts and wound down my efforts. In those four years I pushed myself in a way I never had before, was repeatedly humbled, and expanded my perspectives fundamentally. I also brought products to market, secured foundational IP, developed next generation technology, published enabling engineering models, and became a respected voice in an insular field resistant to outsiders. I like to think that in addition to the tangible assets and contributions, my experience with Haven has prepared me to be more effective, empathetic, and intentional in the next chapter of my career.