News

Greentown Labs Expands Leadership Team, Appoints Ryan Dings as Executive Vice President and General Counsel

New Executive Leadership Role will Support the Incubator’s Continued Growth in 2020 and Beyond 

Somerville, Mass., October 17, 2019 — Greentown Labs, the largest cleantech startup incubator in North America, today names Ryan Dings as Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Dings’ experience will help Greentown Labs strengthen the core operations of its business, ensuring a strong focus on its mission to support entrepreneurs addressing the climate crisis while the organization continues its dramatic growth. In this role, Dings will serve as second-in-command to Greentown Labs’ Chief Executive Officer, Emily Reichert.

“Ryan brings valuable experience scaling clean technology companies to the team, combined with a unique understanding of our startup member community based on his role at Sunwealth and work with other Greentown Labs startups,” said Reichert. “His passion for, as well as his experience in deploying cleantech solutions will be inspiring and highly valuable to our growing member community. We’re thrilled to have him joining the team!”

Dings is a 2018 Boston Business Journal 40 under 40 honoree and an experienced clean technology executive with a deep commitment to impact investment. He most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Sunwealth, a Greentown Labs graduate company. At Sunwealth he powered the growth of the company’s Solar Impact Fund to more than $25 million, the proceeds of which financed the design, engineering, and construction of solar installations in 10 states—including the 110 kW solar array on Greentown Labs’ roof. Dings will remain on Sunwealth’s Advisory Board.

“Ryan has been a key force in growing Sunwealth – both in building our investor community and putting together our diverse and talented team,” said Jon Abe, CEO of Sunwealth. “We are delighted to see him join the leadership at Greentown, where he can continue to strengthen Boston’s cleantech ecosystem and support an expanding community of innovators who represent the future of energy and our region’s cleantech economy.”

Prior to joining Sunwealth, Dings served as Vice President and General Counsel of Blu Homes, Inc., a leading, sustainably-focused prefab home builder. In this role, he was actively engaged in scaling up many aspects of the business, including fundraising, the HR and legal functions, and physical expansion to new sites across the country. Dings started his career practicing commercial real estate and construction law at a boutique law firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he turned a passion for the built environment into a life-long love of sustainable design and clean technology.

“Combating climate change is an immense challenge—one that requires an inspiring community of dedicated entrepreneurs committed to creating advanced clean technologies and rapidly bringing those technologies to market,” said Dings. “Greentown Labs is that inspiring community, and there is no place I’d rather be as we accelerate our efforts to address climate change and create a net zero economy that works for all of us.”

Outside of the office, Dings serves as the Chair of the board of directors for the Social Innovation Forum, Boston’s leading community for social impact engagement and connection, and as an advisory board member for New England Impact Investing Initiative. Dings holds a juris doctor (J.D.) from Wake Forest University School of Law, a master of design (MDesS) from Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and a bachelor of arts (B.A.) from UNC-Chapel Hill.

__

About Greentown Labs

Greentown Labs is a community of bold, passionate entrepreneurs creating solutions for today’s biggest climate and environmental challenges. Located in Somerville, Massachusetts, and founded in 2011, the Greentown Labs Global Center for Cleantech Innovation is the largest cleantech incubator in North America, operating a 100,000 sq. ft. campus comprised of prototyping and wet lab space, shared office space, a machine shop, electronics lab, and a curated suite of programs and resources. Greentown Labs is home to more than 90 startups and has supported more than 230 startups since its inception. These startups have collectively created more than 2,800 direct jobs and have raised more than $750 million in funding. The incubator’s mission is to provide entrepreneurs with the community, resources, and space they need to thrive. For more information, please visit www.greentownlabs.com or on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Greentown Labs Media Contact:
Julia Travaglini
[email protected]
603-867-3657