Daniela Blanco

Daniela Blanco obtained her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering ('20) and is the co-founder and CEO of Sunthetics. Her vision is to build a more sustainable chemical industry. At Sunthetics, she develops ground-breaking machine-learning platforms that enable the development of new chemicals, materials, and processes up to 5 times faster, significantly reducing waste and emissions. Daniela has multiple patents on sustainable chemical technologies and has been named Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy North America (2021), Top Innovator Under 35 in Latin America by MIT Technology Review (2020), Top Female Founder by Inc Magazine (2020), Top Graduate Inventor by Lemelson-MIT (2020), Global Student Entrepreneur Champion (2019), and Brightest AI-CI Mind by the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence (2019). Her vision for the future of chemical manufacturing has earned her invitations to speak at multiple panels and conferences, including the 2019 International Entrepreneurial Summit for the Sustainable Development Goals at the United Nations and the TEDx stage. Her story and vision led her to co-star in National Geographic’s recent documentary, Own the Room, available to stream on Disney+.

Daniela took advantage of the resources available through NYU to advance her ventures. “I have participated in the J-term Startup Sprint, 300K Competition, and InnoVention Competition,” she says, “which have helped me grow as an entrepreneur, guiding me on how to succeed in the market and make a real difference.”

Daniela also credits her advisor at NYU, Professor Miguel Modestino, with helping her discover a successful pathway. His mentorship and insights have enabled her to reach her potential. “NYU is everything I wanted it to be,” she says. “The professors, facilities, and resources are here to support your goals and open your mind to even broader possibilities. NYU is where your ideas awaken and become the reality you had dreamed of.”