Kit McDonnell
she/her/hers
Superorganism
Kit McDonnell is head of ecosystem at Superorganism, the first venture firm purpose built for biodiversity. Superorganism believes ecological health is an economic imperative and provides the strategic support and capital necessary to scale solutions that tackle extinction drivers, integrate climate and biodiversity and supercharge conservation technologies. McDonnell leads platform strategy and stakeholder engagement across the growing nature tech landscape.
McDonnell’s primary interests lie at the intersection of the bioeconomy, sustainability and culture. She has held key roles at high-growth companies, including LanzaTech and Ginkgo Bioworks, where she helped integrate emerging biotechnologies into legacy industries. McDonnell has also advised and built high-impact partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, luxury brands and NGOs. In 2020, she was named to the World Economic Forum’s COVID-19 Health and Healthcare Industry Action Group for the mid- and long-term pandemic response.
A sought-after advisor and speaker, McDonnell is a nominator for The Earthshot Prize, sits on the Advisory Committee for the 10th Global Botanic Gardens Congress and is a member of the Chicago Climate Corps. She collaborates with artists and designers to explore potential sustainable futures, including creating the first museum label printed in DNA and contributing to the award-winning art piece Resurrecting the Sublime, which revived the fragrance of extinct flowers.
Trained as a systems and molecular biologist at the Field Museum of Natural History, McDonnell holds a B.S. in biology from Tufts University. Off duty, she stewards Spring House Farm, a living laboratory in the Driftless Area, with her standard poodle, Hubert.
McDonnell’s primary interests lie at the intersection of the bioeconomy, sustainability and culture. She has held key roles at high-growth companies, including LanzaTech and Ginkgo Bioworks, where she helped integrate emerging biotechnologies into legacy industries. McDonnell has also advised and built high-impact partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, luxury brands and NGOs. In 2020, she was named to the World Economic Forum’s COVID-19 Health and Healthcare Industry Action Group for the mid- and long-term pandemic response.
A sought-after advisor and speaker, McDonnell is a nominator for The Earthshot Prize, sits on the Advisory Committee for the 10th Global Botanic Gardens Congress and is a member of the Chicago Climate Corps. She collaborates with artists and designers to explore potential sustainable futures, including creating the first museum label printed in DNA and contributing to the award-winning art piece Resurrecting the Sublime, which revived the fragrance of extinct flowers.
Trained as a systems and molecular biologist at the Field Museum of Natural History, McDonnell holds a B.S. in biology from Tufts University. Off duty, she stewards Spring House Farm, a living laboratory in the Driftless Area, with her standard poodle, Hubert.