Our Team
Dan Giuffrida
FOUNDER & CEO
Dan leads the solar project development efforts at Plankton. In addition to his role at Plankton, he is also a Professor at the Earth Institute at Columbia University, where he teaches a course on Solar Project Development.
Prior to founding Plankton, Dan was a Vice President at Safari Energy, where led the financing and development of over 100 MW of distributed solar projects. Before joining Safari, Dan worked in Social Venture Investing in both India and Bhutan. Dan began his career in investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he focused on the Power, Utilities & Renewables industry.
Dan received an MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a BA cum laude, with honors in Economics from Wake Forest University.
Nik Mittal
PARTNER
Nik is responsible for capital raising at Plankton. In addition to his role at Plankton, he is a Professor at NYU Stern Business School, teaching a course in Value Investing. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Environmental Defense Fund, is on the Board of Trustees for NYU Law School and the Advisory Board for the Institute for Policy Integrity.
Prior to joining Plankton, Nik was a Partner at JANA Partners, a multi-billion dollar event-driven investment fund where he spent twelve years. Nik spent 16 years on the buyside. Prior to that, he ran a small start-up. Nik began his career in investment banking at Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette.
Nik received a JDA/MBA from NYU Law School & NYU Stern Business School and a BA, honors and distinction, in Economics from UNC Chapel Hill. He also completed a Certificate in Sustainable Finance from Columbia University.
Rachel Margolese
ENGINEERING & OPERATIONS MANAGER
Rachel spearheads engineering and operations at Plankton, including conducting site visits and coordinating design, construction, and operation of the solar plants. Prior to joining Plankton, Rachel worked at Underwriters Laboratory as a Solar Engineer on their Renewables Due Diligence team. At UL, Rachel completed desktop reviews of electrical plant design and grid interconnection, conducted solar and wind site visits, and worked as a project manager.
Before UL, Rachel worked on renewable methanol at Carbon Recycling International and developed low-cost carbonization methods with Dartmouth Humanitarian Engineering.
Rachel earned a BE in Energy Systems Engineering from Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College and a BA in Engineering Sciences modified with Public Policy from Dartmouth College.
Daniel Schwartz
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Daniel leads Business Development at Plankton Energy. This includes sourcing project hosts, energy production and site analysis, and structuring solar agreements.
Daniel began his career in Big Four Public Accounting. He focused on tax compliance for Real Estate Private Equity, REIT, and small business clients.
Daniel received an MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a BA in Economics and Accounting from Syracuse University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant in the state of New York.
Aidan Kates
PROJECT MANAGER
Aidan oversees all construction at Plankton Energy. From permitting to commercial operation, Aidan handles procurement, site visits, construction monitoring and project interconnection.
Before joining the Plankton team, Aidan worked in the commercial construction space performing office fit outs for Chelsea Lighting & Controls around Manhattan. As a member of the Power over Ethernet team, Aidan helped to facilitate the shift to smarter buildings in New York City by maximizing energy savings and optimizing space usage.
Aidan earned a BE in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Sustainable Energy from Stevens Institute of Technology.
Julie Margolin
DEVELOPMENT ANALYST
Julie manages the project financing, development, and operational asset management processes across Plankton’s portfolio.
Prior to joining Plankton, she was actively involved in the climate space through internships at BloombergNEF, the World Resources Institute, Inside Climate News, and Resilient Cities Catalyst. Her work covered everything from compliance carbon markets and ESG investing to tackling physical climate risks and promoting sustainable food systems.
Julie received a BBA in Statistics & Quantitative Modeling from CUNY Baruch College and Macaulay Honors College. She is also a graduate of the Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship.
August Schwanauer
SENIOR DEVELOPMENT ANALYST
August is responsible for leading projects from strategy, contractual negotiation, stakeholder engagement, financial model development and analysis, to operational asset management.
August began her career in Commercial and Industrial Solar, working for Altus Power. She focused on due-diligence and asset management for acquired, constructed and operational projects to support close-out, run cost benefit analyses, and drive business strategy.
August received a MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a BS in Natural Resources Conservation Policy from the University of British Columbia.
Claire Yost
PROJECT ENGINEER
Claire is on Plankton’s Engineering and Operations Team assisting in design, development, and implementation of solar systems.
Previously, Claire held the role of Electrical Engineer Consultant at WSP Global Inc., where she demonstrated proficiency in overseeing expansive engineering initiatives including residential high rises, corporate headquarters, tech offices, and medical facilities. Her responsibilities encompassed power, security, and lighting design, project coordination, proposal development, and strict adherence to energy conservation standards.
Claire holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
