University students and alumni to participate in the management of a highly successful accelerator program,…
Marc Gottschalk is Chief Business Development Officer and and General Counsel – Proterra; Co-Founder – Cleantech Open.
Marc is focused on accelerating Proterra’s transit bus business. Having served as co-chair of the Energy and Clean Technology practice at Silicon Valley powerhouse law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati (WSGR) prior to joining Proterra, Mr. Gottschalk has tremendous insight to help Proterra accomplish the company’s overall business mission.
Mr. Gottschalk, named a California Superlawyer by Law and Politics Magazine from 2006-2010, is one of a small inner circle in Silicon Valley who pioneered the U.S. cleantech sector and helped shape it into a new driver for global innovation and economic growth. WSGR’s cleantech practice has helped dozens of innovative cleantech companies, including Proterra, go to market since 2003. Mr. Gottschalk is also a co-founder of the Cleantech Open, the world leading organization that provides all the resources inventors and entrepreneurs need to take their cleantech innovations from concept to operating business. Mr. Gottschalk continues to be a California-based advisor to WSGR and remains on the board of the Cleantech Open.
Mr. Gottschalk holds a Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell College in Iowa and a Juris Doctor degree with honors from University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Jeff Byron has more than 35 years of experience in emerging energy technologies, customer requirements, and energy policy. His focus has been on the technical, regulatory, and financial implications of clean-energy and smart-grid technologies.
He consults with a number of startup companies developing unique generation and control technologies, energy storage, and consumer-oriented smart grid devices. He is a member of The Band of Angels, Silicon Valley’s oldest seed funding organization. He recently served for five years on the California Energy Commission active in numerous power plant siting cases, including permitting 3,500 megawatts of renewable energy projects.
He began his career at GE’s Nuclear Energy Division and has been involved in all aspects of electric power generation and has held executive positions at NRG Energy and Calpine. He managed research at the Electric Power Research Institute in both fossil and nuclear power generation and commercialization roles culminating in the formation of the Hillview Group, a for-profit subsidiary. He co-founded BrightLine Energy, a distributed energy provider, and was Energy Director at Oracle Corporation.
Mr. Byron is an expert on energy policy and clean-energy technologies who has developed strong relationships with energy companies, legislative, regulatory, and academic leaders. He received a BS and MS from Stanford University.
Rob Day is a Partner with Black Coral Capital, based in Boston. He has been a cleantech private equity investor since 2004, and acts or has served as a Director, Observer and advisory board member to multiple companies in the energy tech and related sectors, currently including Digital Lumens (www.digitallumens.com), Next Step Living (www.nextsteplivinginc.com), Powerit Solutions (www.poweritsolutions.com), and Zeta Communities (www.zetacommunities.com).
Rob is the Chairman of the Cleantech Open – Northeast Region. Rob was previously a co-founder of the Renewable Energy Business Network, a non-profit organization which was acquired in 2009 by the Clean Economy Network, now part of the Advanced Energy Economy (www.aee.net). Since 2005 he has also authored the website Cleantech Investing (www.cleantechvc.com), which currently appears on GreentechMedia.com.
Formerly a consultant with Bain & Company, Rob has worked with companies and evaluated private equity transactions in the energy/ utilities, telecom, IT, medical/pharmaceutical, and retail industries. Earlier in his career, Rob was a member of the World Resources Institute’s Sustainable Enterprise Program, where he co-authored the report The Next Bottom Line: Making Sustainable Development Tangible.
Rob received his MBA at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University), and his BA at Swarthmore College.
Rick DeGolia is a cleantech and software entrepreneur who has worked in Silicon Valley for more than 25 years as a business attorney with Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati), an entrepreneur (launching Genesys Telecommunications, Apptera and Green Wireless Systems) and an angel investor (with The Angels’ Forum).
He also was a charter member of Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), where we has lobbied in Sacramento and Washington DC for environmental legislation.
He has also been active in supporting political initiatives and candidates that promote environmental protection and a clean technology agenda. Rick has four US patents. He is a fourth-generation Californian with an AB from the University of California at Berkeley and a JD from Harvard Law School.
Ashley Grosh, AVP, is Project Manager for Environmental Affairs at Wells Fargo. She focuses her efforts on furthering the connection between banking and environmental initiatives by working with customers, communities, environmental and clean technology organizations and non-profits, universities, research labs and multiple Wells Fargo business groups. Ashley manages the $100 million Wells Fargo Environmental Philanthropy goal by 2020; overseeing programs seeking out top environmental non-profits and projects that have national and local impact. She also collaborates with various business groups on the company’s strategic environmental commitment, supporting projects such as installation of solar panels on Wells Fargo stores. Ashley also develops marketing materials, helps develop green financial products and creates various in-depth internal and external environmental reports.
Ashley has spent the entirety of her nine year professional career with Wells Fargo. Most recently Ashley was an Investment Management Associate with Wells Fargo’s Wealth Management Group in Chicago, working with high net worth individuals on financial solutions and alternative energy investments prior to joining the Wells Fargo Environmental Affairs team in 2009.
Ashley earned a BA in Economics with a minor in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She also earned a Certified Financial Planning Certificate from DePaul Universities College of Financial Planning. She also recently earned an energy certificate from the LEEDS School of Business at her Alma matter in Boulder.
Rebeca Hwang is Co-Founder, YouNoodle.com; Co-Founder – Cleantech Open
Formally trained as a chemical, civil and environmental engineer at MIT, Rebeca is passionate about entrepreneurship and cleantech. Rebeca co-founded YouNoodle.com, a company that develops innovative ways to bring together the information, people and technology that help startups succeed. She has been involved in the core teams of several business plan competitions, and serves in the Board of Directors of the Cleantech Open, and is currently an advisor for BASES at Stanford University and Imagine H2O. Rebeca has significant business experience in Europe, and fieldwork experience in Latin America and India. She is currently on a leave of absence from her doctoral program in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Environment and Resources at Stanford University. Her thesis topic is based on the role of social network structures on the performance of water companies in Argentina. She owns three US patents, 6 929 236, 6935190 and 6929235. Rebeca was born in Seoul, Korea, raised in Argentina and educated in the US.
Jim Matheson joined Flagship Ventures in 2000 and focuses on creating and funding new ventures in the sustainability, clean technology and special technologies (e.g. nanotechnology, materials and technology systems) arenas. Jim earned an MBA from The Harvard Business School, a Bachelor of Science (with honors) from the United States Naval Academy and retired in 2008 as a Commander in the US Naval Reserves.
Jim has over 20 years of technology and leadership experience across a variety of organizations and roles designing, engineering and deploying sophisticated technology platforms. He formerly served as a Navy F-14 & FA-18 pilot including duties flying over 200 combat missions from an aircraft carrier, as a TOPGUN Instructor and leading the Navy’s Adversary Program. He also gained broad experience in emerging aircraft & weapons system design, testing and procurement, and was deeply involved in many of the military’s IT modernization initiatives.
Jim serves on the boards of Flagship portfolio companies Advanced Electron Beams, Black Duck Software, Frontier Renewable Resources, Mascoma Energy Corporation, Midori, Novomer and Oasys Water and is Chairman of the Board of Genstruct and Ze-gen. He was previously a director of e-Dialog (acquired by GSI Commerce), Yantra (acquired by Sterling Commerce / SBC), Flamenco Networks (acquired by SOA Software) and Zingku (acquired by Google). Jim has also spearheaded Flagship Venture’s role as the Department of Energy’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Jim is on the Board of New York-based hedge fund Black Horse Capital, the New England Clean Energy Council, the National Board of the Clean Tech Open, CLF (Conservation Law Foundation) Ventures, and the Center for Women & Enterprise, and is actively involved in numerous entrepreneurial and venture capital organizations including the Department of Energy’s Biomass Technical Advisory Committee, the MA Clean Energy Center, the MIT Enterprise Forum, The Deshpande Center, and The Service Academy Business Network.
Ben Matteo is Co-Founder, Eos Neuroscience. He founded Eos in 2007 with MIT classmate Dr. Ed Boyden and Dr. Alan Horsager to bring the benefit of optogenetics to help blind people see. Prior to Eos, Mr. Matteo was an entrepreneur and a consultant. He advised clients in the biopharmaceutical, cleantech, and software industries, and consulted on business and technical issues with companies ranging from startup to Fortune 500. He began his consulting career at McKinsey & Company in San Francisco, Seoul and Tel Aviv. Post McKinsey, Mr. Matteo started his own independent consulting practice, serving as both advisor and interim management. He is a Co-Founder and Member of the Board of Directors of the Cleantech Open, an international nonprofit focused on helping emerging cleantechnology companies succeed. He serves on the Board of Directors of Nila, a manufacturer of high-performance LED lighting systems. Mr. Matteo holds an SB in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, Phi Beta Kappa, and MS in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University.
A former cabinet member of Arizona Governor Napolitano, counsel to the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and graduate of Harvard Law School, Seth Mones has over 20 years of leadership experience in the private and public sectors. This experience spans economic development, public affairs, law, and sustainability. Seth practiced law in Washington, D.C., held counsel positions in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, and was a trade association executive. While a majority counsel on the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, he helped develop and oversee Federal environmental laws and programs; and interacted frequently with U.S. EPA, Federal and State agencies, the scientific community, environmental groups, industry, and concerned citizens. As Deputy Director of the Arizona Commerce Department, he worked to attract and retain technology and other companies to Arizona; administer State energy programs; and facilitate economic development and sustainability planning. The Governor promoted him to her cabinet to head up the agency overseeing various consumer protection programs and fuel-related air quality regulations. Seth works to enhance corporate environmental performance and build environmental philanthropic collaborations.
Dr. Lawrence M. (Marty) Murphy conceived, developed, and now manages the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Enterprise Development Program (EDP). This program is aimed at building linkages and working relationships among the nascent and established renewable and energy efficiency industries, influential experts in the business/financial communities, key university MBA programs, and leading business incubators across the country. NREL’s Industry Growth Forums and the NREL Investor Directory engage hundreds of investors in the commercialization of clean energy (CE) technologies in a highly interactive format. The Growth Forum is now the largest of its genre for clean energy investment. The National Alliance of Clean Energy Business Incubators currently includes a national, nine-state network of some 17 of the nation’s leading business incubators that have adopted a clean energy business focus– and the Alliance is currently being greatly expanded, and has recently been formed as a not-for-profit entity. The Alliance, forums, and investor networks are highly integrated. More recently, Dr. Murphy has been co-developing the Colorado Clean Tech Initiative with colleagues from the Colorado Front Range which is aimed at developing a clean energy technology cluster, including robust job growth, for Colorado. Dr. Murphy brings more than 30 years of experience to enterprise development and the development of innovative technology. At NREL, Dr. Murphy and his teams (with as many as 100 people), have been responsible for the development of numerous technologies. He also spearheaded the development of a world-class, high-flux, solar facility, which is a designated National User Center.
Before joining NREL, Dr. Murphy managed the Solar Office for the California Energy Commission, where he was responsible for developing numerous successful solar-technology development initiatives. He began his career with the Sandia Laboratory, where he was a resident expert/consultant in solid mechanics and structures, and played a major role in the development and implementation of several large projects, including the development and deployment of the $140 million Barstow Central Receiver Solar Pilot Plant.
Dr. Murphy is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), a professional engineer (CA), and received his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Mairtini Ni Dhomhnaill is Leader of National Business Outsourcing Solutions Practice, Accretive Solutions. She leads the National Business Outsourcing Solutions Practice of Accretive Solutions. She has more than twenty years of experience in the fields of accounting and finance.
Working with both public and privately held companies, she has provided senior level consulting services ranging from CFO services, strategic fundraising, financial planning, system implementation and project management services. Mairtini works extensively with venture backed Start Up companies in a CFO capacity.
She is also a board member for Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network. Mairtini graduated from the Galway & Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) in Ireland, is a Fellow of The Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and is a Certified Internal Auditor.
Rex Northen is Executive Director of the Cleantech Open, the world’s largest clean technology accelerator. As founder and CEO of technology companies in both Europe and the United States, Rex is an entrepreneur who has worked with hundreds of diverse companies, ranging from startups to global corporations.
Rex has led the Cleantech Open since January 2009, overseeing the growth of the California-based nonprofit from its Bay Area roots to a national organization with regional volunteer operations in Silicon Valley, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, Boston, Austin and Washington, D.C., and the Global Cleantech Open, with twenty-three participating countries in 2011. Rex holds an M.A. from the University of Oxford
Peter Rothstein is President, New England Clean Energy Council (NECEC). Mr. Rothstein currently leads the New England Clean Energy Foundation (NECEF) and is also NECEC President. He leads NECEC’s and NECEF’s widely-recognized regional innovation cluster strategy and initiatives. He has over 20 years of venture, entrepreneurial, executive and deal experience in the cleantech venture and high tech markets. Previously, Mr. Rothstein was part of the Flagship Ventures team, a leading seed and early stage venture capital firm in Cambridge Massachusetts. He also founded Allegro Strategy, serving as a consultant, advisor and executive with early-stage cleantech start-ups. Mr. Rothstein has been in early-stage deal or executive roles with a number of cleantech companies, including Mascoma, Planar Energy Devices, Ze-gen, Novomer, Boston-Power, and Mechanology. He is also actively involved in a range of leading cleantech and entrepreneurial organizations, including the National Renewable Energy Lab’s VC Advisory Board, catalyst to MIT Deshpande Center solar and energy storage MIT projects, and a Board member of the Cleantech Open. Earlier, Mr. Rothstein was an entrepreneur and executive in the software industry, including as a Lotus/IBM VP of Strategy and leader of an internal Lotus incubator accelerating new knowledge management businesses.
Clark Waterfall is the co-founder and Managing Director of BSG Team Ventures. Clark’s practice area specialties include cleantech, software, medical devices, Internet/media, and Healthcare IT.
Before starting BSG, Mr. Waterfall spent 6 years as Vice President at Management Recruiters International., specializing in the imaging and multimedia industries. During his 6 years there, Clark assumed co–management responsibilities for the New England Division’s flagship Boston office, growing it to more than a dozen consultants in five industry specialties.
Prior to his career in executive search, Clark’s career began in the banking industry in sales and sales management, mostly with Citicorp/Citibank. Before receiving his MBA at Babson’s Olin School of Management, Clark did his undergraduate studies in a double–degree program at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music.
Laurent was instrumental to the Cleantech Open’s early success, taking the lead for marketing and fund raising strategy. Laurent continues to serve on the Cleantech Open’s Board of Directors. Prior to the Cleantech Open, Laurent was a senior marketing executive at Siebel System and Oracle. He is currently Chief Marketing Officer at FICO.
Leslie was the competition’s Financial Oversight Chair for 2006 and 2007. Leslie set up the competition’s financial and accounting systems and also managed the in-kind sponsor program. He continues to be an active volunteer and serves on the board of directors. Leslie was the founder of Murdock & Associates, now part of Accretive Solutions. He is currently co-founder of Murdock Martell.
Michael organized the competition’s steering committee in December of 2005 and served as a co-chair from 2006 to 2008. Michael is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors and remains an active volunteer. Prior to the Cleantech Open, Michael was the co-founder and CEO of Four11/YahooMail. Michael is currently a partner with the Cleantech Circle.
Patrick Stanton was the competition’s 2006 and 2008 Sponsor Chair. His business development expertise was instrumental to the competition’s fund raising success. He continues to be an active volunteer and serves on the Board of Directors. Prior to the Cleantech Open, Patrick was Vice President of Business Development at Dealix and Autoweb. He is currently managing partner at Elcade, LLC and advisor to several clean technology and automotive oriented companies