Twelve brings together team members from many backgrounds in our shared mission of tackling the climate crisis through carbon transformation. As a part of our Employee Highlights series we asked Ky Sutton (he/him), an inventory control specialist at Twelve, about his experiences in the cleantech industry and what led him to build a climate-positive career at Twelve.
Ky wants future generations to inherit a healthier planet, so he uses his experience in supply chain management to support the scientists at Twelve as they develop sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-based
What is your title? What do you do at Twelve?
As an Inventory Control Specialist, I manage Twelve’s technology component inventory for our headquarters in Berkeley and the new facility we’re building in Alameda. I work with Twelve’s Engineering team to organize parts, assemblies, and materials for the technology we develop. My responsibilities include prioritizing inventory organization, ensuring that the inventory is accurate and up-to-date, ordering new items as needed, and making it easier to locate the items we have on hand. I’m in charge of making sure everyone has what they need, when they need it.
What about Twelve’s work is important or meaningful to you?
I want my kids to inherit a healthier earth, not a deteriorating one. Twelve’s technology helps achieve that by powering the transformation of carbon dioxide, one of the main contributors to global warming, into sustainable critical materials and fuel. For example, Twelve’s E-Jet makes air travel more environmentally friendly because it’s carbon-neutral and helps replace a common need for fossil fuels. I like knowing that my work here helps create a better planet for our descendants.
I want my kids to inherit a healthier earth
What’s the 1-minute version of your professional story?
I’ve worked in supply chain management across several industries, including managing hundreds of clothing vendors across the San Francisco Bay area and as a logistics specialist in the Navy. While working for the government, I oversaw the management of hazardous materials.
Although many of these materials were originally considered waste, I didn’t want to contribute more to hazardous waste than absolutely necessary. So I led the design and implementation of a plan to safely reuse these materials instead.
How did you find your way to working at Twelve, and in climate tech more generally?
I saw this video of Twelve’s co-founders and CTO Etosha Cave, Nicholas Flanders, and Kendra Kuhl discussing Twelve’s carbon transformation technology.
Watching the video both shocked and inspired me. At first, I was surprised and even skeptical that carbon transformation was a working, market-ready technology. Using a greenhouse gas to make environmentally-friendly materials and limit the need for fossil fuels is revolutionary.
But my skepticism faded as I discovered Etosha, Nicholas, and Kendra’s deep industry knowledge and their passion for running the world on air instead of oil. After further research showed me that Twelve’s technology really does work, I was so impressed that I reached out to Twelve proactively about open positions.
Honestly, if I didn’t get this job, I would have reached out to one of the co-founders and asked how to join Twelve in any role — including as a valet — just to be part of that mission!
Using a greenhouse gas to make environmentally-friendly materials and limit the need for fossil fuels is revolutionary
What is your favorite thing about working at Twelve?
The people I work with. The culture here is such a refreshing change of pace from some of my previous workplaces, because it’s based on collaboration. I’m a team player so I’m always looking for ways to help, and everybody else here has that same mentality. Everybody’s working towards the same goal. Our ethos isn’t “what can I do to achieve MY goal” — it’s “what can WE do to achieve OUR goal.”
The people I work with. The culture here is such a refreshing change of pace from some of my previous workplaces
What have you learned from your experiences?
Have an open mind and try to surround yourself with the brightest minds possible. Don’t feel that “it’s my way or the highway” — that’s how you close yourself off from really good ideas. If you have a collaborative mindset, you can learn from others and tweak their approaches to achieve your goals, and your teams’ goals, with maximum efficiency.
What would you tell a person considering beginning or transitioning to a career in climate tech — particularly someone who doesn’t necessarily have a tech background?
Be a sponge. Soak up as much knowledge as you can, because you can absolutely contribute to climate tech by collaborating with others who do have that background. For example, I don’t have a scientific background myself and I’ve found a great job at Twelve using my logistics skills to facilitate the work of climate scientists. If you’re ready to learn a lot from very knowledgeable people, you’ll eventually get with the curve and get in cadence with everyone else. Go for it!
And regarding careers in climate tech — keep an eye out for Twelve’s open positions. This team has the best work culture I’ve ever been a part of, and I highly encourage you to apply. It’s one of the greatest places you’ll ever work.
Our team is growing. If you want to join us in our mission of creating a world run on air, not oil, browse our job openings.