Oliver Haas

ABOUT OLLIE HAAS

Oliver is an Olin alum who graduated in 2011 with a concentration in design for sustainable development. Since leaving Olin, he has started a handful of startups and worked with countless others to help them get off the ground. He is driven by a passion to go out and make a real difference in the world. Right now, Oliver is working with the Innovation Sector, a small idea studio branching off Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airlines. In the future, he hopes to continue following all of the things that interest, inspire, and anger him.

TIME AT OLIN

Ollie’s passion for entrepreneurship began at Olin with his dissatisfaction toward the sorts of companies that were appearing at career fairs. The major trend of employment was centered around large corporations like Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, etc. Corporations that didn’t allow for the chance to help change the world. Ollie was interested in topics such as sustainability and international development, which were just not in line with the values of the visiting companies. In his last semester at Olin, Ollie came across someone who had the same views as him. The two of them began talking at a cafe in Somerville and made a commitment to start a company together. This was slightly complicated by the fact that Ollie had taken a semester off to work in Uganda and was using his super-senior semester in Argentina, but the two persevered, starting the company remotely. Hence, LittleBonsai, a design studio dedicated to environmental responsibility, was born.

“Have no fear in failure. There’s lots of opportunities. Learn by doing.”

AFTER OLIN

Ollie came back from Argentina and he and his friend ran LittleBonsai for two years before they want rogue. They came up with a clip for a key chain that would be more convenient for its users. The clip was syndicated on many blogs and raised $15,000 before a claim was made that it was using a patent. Afterward, Ollie moved into consulting with other startups, but found that it did not really suit him; he wanted to have more control over the process and make sure that things were being done sustainably. Ollie’s passion to have a larger impact pushed him to move on. He became a freelance website and mobile app designer until he managed to land a position with Cathay Pacific, which is where he is now. He is working with Innovation Sector, a smaller idea studio within the airline, to help with customer experience and help make aviation more sustainable.

Visit Ollie’s website!
http://oliverckhaas.com/