Getting to the green economy with ArcTern

We are at the beginning of one of the most disruptive decades in our lifetime. Climate chaos is altering our landscapes and driving ecosystem shocks which, in some cases, will be impossible to recover from. This summer, I spent thirty-two consecutive days with hazardous air, as deadly wildfires raged near my home in Northern California. For me climate change is ever present, ever urgent, ever personal.

At the same time, technological advances in energy, food, transportation, and materials are beginning to stitch together our society’s transition to a low carbon economy. Investors today have the opportunity to support the next waves of technology which will form the bedrock of our economy ten years from now. These investors have front row seats to the businesses of tomorrow and the ability to help them in their infancy when they are most vulnerable to both positive (and negative) influences. Accelerating the transition to a greener economy will disrupt all industries and present outsized financial returns.

I began my career as an environmentalist in the mines of Africa. From there I decided to pivot to big corporate, to the industries which had formed the bedrock of the carbon economy, and spent over a decade in the chemical, utility, and oil & gas sectors. My goal was to build and transition businesses that were both profitable and sustainable. At Dow Chemical I built a battery manufacturing business that sold batteries to electric fleets. At Shell, I led investments in residential power. I had several big wins and lots of “failures”. Through it all I understood that the momentum to a low carbon future is inevitable, but more capital is needed to deploy both the technologies that exist today and those that are in their infancy. Much of the innovation that will fuel our transition will come from today’s climate entrepreneurs.

I am therefore thrilled to announce that I am joining ArcTern Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in and supports climate entrepreneurs. ArcTern is based in Toronto and is a globally recognized leader in cleantech investing. This year the firm is expanding internationally, first to Europe and now, with me opening an office in San Francisco. As a partner in the firm, I am looking to invest in companies that focus on energy, mobility, the circular economy, agriculture, and/or materials.

At ArcTern, I will leverage my nearly two decades of launching low carbon businesses and my expertise in the energy transition. In addition, I aim to work hand-in-hand with portfolio companies to develop strong industry partnerships where appropriate.

The next few years, as the world is torn by fire and flood, will prove to be a pivotal time to invest the capital of today to build a future that is no longer hamstrung by carbon. I look forward to partnering with all of you as we work towards this future together.