Bela Bogdanovic is an adventurer, student, and operator who has traveled the world to gain a better perspective to build something that matters in climate and energy. Today she is the Chief of Staff and first employee at climate tech startup Dig Energy, helping decarbonize heating and cooling using geothermal technology.
Here’s what you need to know about Bela..
Her dad is a serial entrepreneur & technologist, having spent his career building the infrastructure of the internet and is currently leading us into a quantum future at QuEra Computing. Bela’s mom planted the family’s roots in Boston, leading with a logical perspective and teaching Bela & her sister not to take things too seriously. More often than not, when it comes to work stress, she is quick to remind them that no one is at risk of dying. Pretty sage advice!
In high school, Bela traveled to Xi’an, China to study abroad for 4 months. She was skeptical about going at first but it ended up being the best decision she’s ever made. Her worldview opened out East and her time in China as a teenager gave her a greater appreciation for the world.
Bela enrolled at the University of Vermont to study Global Studies & Chinese. She traveled back to China twice, spending time in Shanghai, and even considered dropping out to continue her internship out there full time. But she honored her parents wishes, completed her degree at Vermont, and then continued studying for her Masters in Development Studies in the UK. Her program in Brighton had students from more than 100 countries.
While she had her sights set on living aboard, she returned to the U.S., slightly devastated, to finish her U.S. citizenship process. Bela reconnected with Boston through her work at the Trustees of Reservations, where she was tasked with identifying donated funds for unrestricted use.
While reintegrating to life back in the U.S., she heard from longtime family friend Katie Rae who Bela had interned for in high school at Techstars and Project 11. Katie was looking for someone who could manage the tactical aspects of supporting an executive.
Venture capital? Capitalism? Bela wasn’t so sure… But when she met the team, she was impressed by the investors, founders, and scientists who worked there and decided to take the job.
On the eve of COVID, Bela joined The Engine as an Executive Coordinator, quickly ramping up her duties as Katie’s Chief of Staff went on maternity leave. Bela juggled a variety of responsibilities “plugging holes” across operations, executive coordination, project management, and learned to execute at a high level..quickly.
Fran Barros taught Bela what it was like to be detail oriented and deliver a high quality work product. Fran had the highest standards and it was always nerve wracking to show her your work, but she taught Bela what it means to be proud of the work you deliver.
Over time, Bela transitioned to platform duties supporting portfolio company programming, helped plan their flagship Tough Tech Summit, and other events like founder offsites. Eventually she became a Program Manager and collaborated with The Engine’s investment partners to execute on content and special projects alongside them. One highlight was establishing a founder advisor initiative with General Partner Ann DeWitt.
Bela likes the operational side of managing projects, workflows, and driving things forward. When she found out former colleague Dulcie Madden, who she had worked closely at The Engine, was founding a company she was all in. Her dad’s advice? You learn the most working at a startup!
Bela joined Dig Energy as their first employee and Chief of Staff, knowing very little about geothermal energy before she started there. She did know how to manage up, track progress, and take things & run with them.
Dig has a proprietary drilling technology that reduces the cost of geothermal heating and cooling applications. Their climate tech startup is helping to decarbonize heating and cooling, allowing customers to significantly save on their energy costs.
As Dig begins to scale, Bela is helping craft their GTM strategy, market analysis & segmentation, stakeholder management, and government affairs. She has also developed and implemented most of the team’s core operational processes.
Learning Through Ambiguity
Across every chapter of Bela’s career, she has been thrown into environments without clear playbooks, and learned to succeed. Her strength lies in understanding just enough context to move forward decisively. She refined this approach through structured check-ins and feedback loops over the years.
From her experience at The Engine, she learned that if you can define the destination, you can frame a structured approach to get yourself (and others) there. Through check ins, project plans, and asking the right questions – effectively managing up – you can get what you need.
Learning through ambiguity is about moving quickly, tracking your progress, and learning that you need to ask for what you want to get what you need!
3 Career Learnings / Insights
Don’t Start from Scratch – “Before building anything, like a brand new model, spend some time researching if it or something like it already exists. Whether it’s a financial model or a market map, shortcuts exist, and time is precious”
Demanding Bosses Are Great Teachers – “My highest rate of learning came from a designer with impossibly high standards. That early exposure taught me what excellence actually looks like and how to deliver it consistently”
(Public) Mistakes Happen, Learn From Them – “Failing hurts, but you rarely make the same mistake twice when you fail in public. I’ve sent a broken link in an e-mail to 1,000+ people. I’ll never send something like that again without triple checking it!”
Bela has found her calling working in the climate & energy field. The caliber of the people, the urgency of their mission, and the innovation required to succeed keeps her motivated. She’s proud of what they’re building and the relationships she’s building along the way.
If you want to learn more about Bela you can find her creating the future of geothermal at Dig Energy, traveling the world with her partner on the hunt for new experiences, or on LinkedIn. Thanks for sharing your journey. We’re excited to see the teams, technologies, and connections you build in the years ahead!