Clif Swiggett is a tech entrepreneur, professional musician, and climate and community activist. He grew up on Long Island, close to the pulse of New York City, and while demonstrating early on an aptitude for math and science, equally shone as a young jazz trombonist. In his teen years, Clif toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, backed up Dizzy Gillespie at the Newport and Kool Jazz Festivals, and performed live on the Merv Griffin Show. 

In 1979, Clif was awarded a Grumman Scholarship, which provided financial support to attend Princeton University. He was also accepted into the prestigious Eastman School of Music. Clif chose to attend Princeton, where he majored in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, minored in Music and Religion, and helped direct the Princeton University Jazz Ensemble. Thus began his life’s work as a creative thinker, whether inventing solutions to hard technical problems, improvising a jazz solo on the bandstand, or more recently, thinking deeply about how to address the crises of climate change and political polarization.