“I wanted to build — not just advise”

When Steven swapped life in China for a new chapter in Denmark, it also marked the beginning of an entrepreneurial journey. A journey that began as a Deep Green Innovator.

For Steven Yuanxin Sun, sustainability has never been an abstract concept. For nearly a decade, he worked as a city planner in China, helping scale green transportation and urban solutions from pilot projects into national standards. He collaborated with international experts, worked with ministries, and translated ideas into policy.

On paper, it was meaningful work.

But something was missing.

“I was working on sustainable transition, but mostly from the outside — advising, planning, consulting. I wanted to build something myself. Something scalable.”

That desire eventually brought him back to Denmark — a country he had first encountered as an exchange student years earlier and had since come to admire for its systems thinking and deep-rooted focus on sustainability. This time, he enrolled in a master’s programme in Software Design at IT University of Copenhagen, determined to strengthen his technical skills and explore how digital tools and AI could support the green transition.

Not long after arriving, he noticed a flyer on campus about Deep Green Innovators.

The programme’s focus on sustainability and entrepreneurship immediately caught his attention — especially because this cohort centred around water, an area where Denmark is internationally recognised for innovation.

“I didn’t apply with a ready-made idea. I applied because I wanted to understand the real problems first. I wanted to explore the industry before deciding what to build.”

Facts about Deep Green Innovators

• What: 6-month innovation program - open for both students, professionals, researchers and current/former entrepreneurs

• Focus: Sustainability, idea development and interdisciplinary teamwork

• Includes: Workshops, access to research, team matchmaking, expert sparring

• Who can apply: Anyone curious about climate solutions – no idea needed

• Organized by: Aalborg University, Aarhus University and CBS

• Cost: Free

From systems thinking to startup building

From the very first sessions, Steven found himself surrounded by people from vastly different backgrounds — engineers, designers, researchers and business-minded participants. The workshops were structured, practical and, above all, collaborative.

“You’re not just sitting and listening. You’re constantly discussing, testing assumptions and challenging each other’s thinking.”

Through those early exercises, Steven connected with Mariano, a water engineer with extensive experience in industrial water systems. Together with two other teammates, they began shaping an idea grounded in a simple but powerful concept: industrial symbiosis.

Their ambition is to develop a digital platform that helps companies optimise water usage by connecting water-rich industries, such as breweries, with water-intensive sectors like steel and cement production. By increasing transparency around water flows and enabling smarter resource sharing, the platform could reduce waste, lower costs and enable circular transition.

“In Denmark, industrial symbiosis has existed for decades, but we believe digitalisation can unlock new potential. What if businesses could see their water footprint more clearly — and easily identify opportunities for collaboration?”

The team is currently refining their hypothesis and exploring how AI-driven insights can support decision-making. For Steven, the project represents the intersection of everything he has worked toward: sustainability, systems thinking and digital innovation.

Deep Green Innovators has also given him a safe space to test entrepreneurship in a new country. Although he previously attempted to build a startup in China, navigating the Danish context feels different — new systems, new stakeholders, new opportunities.

“It’s a risk. Entrepreneurship is never guaranteed. But this is the right moment in my life to try.”

Over the next year, the team hopes to develop a working MVP, secure initial funding and pilot their solution with industry partners. For someone who once focused on scaling other people’s ideas, this marks a clear shift.

This time, he is building his own.