Team

Global Cycle Solutions (GCS) is truly a global company. We began in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but we have launched operations in Tanzania and plan to expand throughout Africa, Latin America, and Asia. GCS was founded at MIT by a team of undergrad, graduate, and MBA students passionate about international development. Started as an idea in D-Lab in 2008, GCS launched in 2009 after being selected as a Finalist in the MIT $100K Competition, Winners of the Development Track and the Audience Choice Award.

Board of Directors

Management and Operations Team – Tanzania

Management and Operations Team – U.S. and Abroad

Jodie graduated from MIT in 2009 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. She has now spent over a year in Tanzania and is completely integrated into the culture. She worked with Parsons and GE and spent eight years working with a family business.  Her undying passion and dedication to the GCS vision has compelled her to commit full time to growing GCS in East Africa.


Semyon brings extensive experience in entrepreneurship and business, as he was the founder of Amphibian Investments, Fast Engines, Vert, and PDFFiller. He currently runs SMTP.com, sits on the board of Terrafugia. In his spare time he enjoys windsurfing flying helicopters, biking, Argentine tango, snowboarding, and helping out with high tech start-ups. Once upon a time, he also made a little money running a blackjack team at MIT which is the subject of this book. He holds a M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT and a B.S. in Computer Science from Columbia University.


Javier is an MBA student at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. In 1997, he founded nonprofit Sierra Tarahumara, an NGO committed to agricultural development, small business creation, and education in Mexico. He is familiar with the Latin American market and has seven years of experience in strategy and supply chain management.


Gwyn is the instructor of MIT’s D-Lab Cycle Ventures, an international development course focusing on the development of green, pedal-powered technologies. In 1986, he founded Merlin Bicycles, a leading bicycle brand in titanium-framed bicycles, and he brings years of experience working all over the globe, building a pedal-powered washing machine, grinder, and blender in Peru; a cycle rickshaw in India; and a collapsible bicycle trailer in Ghana. He supports GCS with his expertise and bicycle mechanics and serves as a resource for understanding the bicycle market.

A native Tanzanian, Flavian is a founder of FRM Global Services Inc., which provides telecommunication infrastructure services to NGOs doing public health research in East Africa. Prior to entering MIT Sloan, he was a Senior Management Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton. He is on the verge of collecting his fourth degree adding to his collection which includes an MPA in International Development and Public Policy from Harvard, M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dar es Salaam.


Philemon, Global Cycle Solutions’ first hire, is a native of Arusha. He is fluent in English, Swahili, and Kimaasai, and this past Nane Nane, he carried Global Cycle Solutions to win second place. In the past, he has worked as Transport Officer of Gomba Estates and more recently, Purchasing Officer of Home Veg, before taking the position of VP Sales with Global Cycle Solutions. He is conducting all our marketing and establishing our sales and distribution channels.

Daniel joined Global Cycle Solutions’ in Tanzania in January 2010. Fluent in Swahili following a year serving with the Peace Corps in Kenya, he brings invaluable experience and understanding of working in the village environment. He previously worked at MIT’s Public Service Center on logistics and research and is an active member of the organizing staff of the International Development Design Summit.  Daniel will develop our skills training program and focus on our implementation strategy to ensure we are reaching the 30 million smallholder farmers throughout Tanzania. He received B.S. degrees in Physics and Mathematics from MIT in 2008.


Bernard is Global Cycle Solutions’ Tanzanian engineer. Having attended the first annual International Development Design Summit at MIT in 2007, since then he has become a prolific inventor, with a pedal-powered hacksaw, a pedal-powered drill press, and his bicycle-powered cell phone charger, which Global Cycle Solutions is now helping him bring to market. Bernard leads all of Global Cycle Solutions’ R&D and will be supervising the manufacture of our product both locally and abroad.


Glady is the youngest member of the Global Cycle Solutions Tanzania Team. She finished her O levels at Kiriki Secondary School in Moshi in 2004, where she then went on to Plates Monitor Secretary School in Arusha. Glady currently maintains our office, and she is working to establish partnerships with local NGOs while also authoring all PR material for Global Cycle Solutions’ Tanzanian customers.


Reuben is joining GCS as a Sales Intern. He has been involved in the sales strategy and will be a key player during the harvest season this year. He is a Partner at Pensero Group, Inc., Co-Founder of Entreprelliance , and Co-Founder of CarboTran Technologies. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT.


Alex is a graduate student in the Sloan School of Management and Engineering Systems Division at MIT.  Before coming to MIT, he worked in software and systems engineering for a government contractor and was involved in strategy and implementation of ventures addressing impoverished communities in urban settings. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University.


Caroline is an undergraduate student in her third year at MIT, majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in International Development and minor in Management. She has worked as an intern with Bain & Co. in India and spent most of her childhood growing up in developing countries.


Esmeralda, currently living in Belgium, has created many strategic partnerships for GCS, including CNFA and NMB. She is a founder of Aerovax, a startup that is developing a low-cost drug and vaccine delivery device for low-income settings. It was featured in Forbes.com and received the Award for International Technology at the MIT IDEAS competition in 2006 and was finalist at the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship competition in 2006. In a volunteer role, Esmeralda is also the VP for Technology & Innovation at the India School Fund, a non-profit volunteer organization started at Harvard Business School to develop entrepreneurship in the poorest regions of India. She is also an associate at Commons Capital. Esmeralda obtained her MBA from MIT Sloan, with a focus on Finance and Entrepreneurship. She also holds an M.S. in Economics.