Michael Thornton is an engineer with a background in sustainable infrastructure design. He is Chief Executive Officer of Carbon Analytics – a company that wants to make it easier for companies of all sizes to reap the rewards of managing their environmental impact. He is also involved with Odyssey Sensors, which is developing low-cost environmental technology aimed at bottom-of-the-pyramid producers in developing world agriculture and aquaculture markets, and Terra Recovery a startup working on developing a technology that identifies land-fills which can be economically mined for resources.

Michael was a Skoll Scholar for Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford where he recently graduated

In this interview, Michael discusses:

• The competitive advantage social businesses have compared to traditional businesses
• The value of doing an MBA for a social entrepreneur
• Why companies offering environmental services also need to be able to improve their clients’ bottom line
• How to raise money through grants and competitions