Paul is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Remora. In 2021, he was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Statistics and Data Science from Yale University, where his research received the Porter Prize, the highest class-wide thesis prize.

Phil is the Vice President of Research and Engineering at Remora. Phil has 25 years of R&D and product development experience leading engineering teams taking complex hardware products from idea to production and more than 10 years of gas separation experience in biopharma, aerospace & defense, and commercial industries. He developed a new class of piezo-electric, drop-on-demand print engines developed for the USPS that are currently used to mark every letter processed by the US postal processing centers. In another role, he developed (in just 18 months) an oxygen recovery system that could be dropped out of a plane, pull oxygen out of ambient air, then purify and liquify it to 99.9% to treat wounded soldiers. Prior to Phil’s role at Remora, he worked at Progressive Recovery Incorporated, Alberta Adsorbents. Inc, Essex Industries, and Videojet Technologies. He is a graduate from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Studies.

Darius is the Vice President of People at Remora. Before Remora he worked for Meta on their People Strategy team where he primarily focused on M&A transactions where he led the integration of several acquired companies into Meta. The rest of his career has been spent in a variety of consulting, client facing HR, and non-client facing HR roles at PwC, Tesla, and GE. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Western Michigan University and has a Master of Human Resources and Labor Relations from Michigan State University.

Susan is the Vice President of Finance at Remora. Susan has several years in the startup space working at Bloomscape and Shinola where she primarily focused on building out the finance infrastructure and fundraising activities. Prior to the start up space, Susan has experience in large manufacturing entities (private and public entity), with roles focusing on Big 4 accounting, FP&A and investor relations. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Michigan State University and has a Master in Latin American Studies (focus on international business and economics) and M.B.A from University of New Mexico.

Jeff is CEO of LWD Advisors, Inc., a Legal, HR, and Business consulting firm.  The LWD team functions as the virtual in-house legal team (and Jeff as General Counsel) to a group of venture-backed startups mainly focused on developing and manufacturing cutting-edge products and services in fields ranging from clean energy technologies to additive manufacturing, wireless power charging, and electrochromic glass products.

Before founding LWD Advisors, Jeff held executive roles at leading Silicon Valley companies, including Google, Apple, and Intel, and Pebble Technology Corp, the Palo Alto-based startup pioneer of the smartwatch industry. Jeff began his legal career as a commercial litigation associate at Cooley LLP in Palo Alto.  

Throughout his career, Jeff has volunteered thousands of hours in pro bono legal service through organizations like AIDS Legal Services of San Francisco, the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, and the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County. In recognition of his pro bono work and leadership, Jeff was awarded the Equal Justice Award by the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, and the Dorothy M. Wolfe Award by the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County. Jeff is a Board member of Jewish Family and Children’s Services in San Francisco, one of the nation’s leading human services agencies.

Jeff was born and raised in San Francisco. He earned his undergraduate degrees in Economics and Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his law degree from Santa Clara University’s School of Law. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of California Law School in San Francisco, and is the head coach of the Menlo School’s two-time champion JV mock trial team in Atherton, CA.

Jon is a Partner and Co-President of Valor and the Fund Manager for Valor Siren Ventures (VSV). He serves as a member of all Valor Investment Committees. Jon has over 20 years of experience in private equity investing. Jon’s responsibilities include fund management for VSV I and II, as well as investment prospect generation, due diligence of potential investments, investment structuring and execution, and capital raising for Valor’s growth funds and VSV. Jon oversees Valor’s Operations, Finance, and People Teams.

Over the years, Jon has focused on investment opportunities in the food and retail technology sectors. Jon began this focus with Valor’s 2006 acquisition of Sizzling Platter. Currently, Jon is a Director of several Valor growth fund and VSV portfolio companies, including Gopuff, Misfits Market, Fooda, Wow Bao, and Atmosphere.

Prior to Valor, Jon was part of MG Capital’s Investment and Portfolio Team. During his tenure at MG Capital, Jon worked on acquisition teams focused on executing transactions in the electronic connector industry. Jon served in operational roles at MG Capital’s portfolio companies, including Chief Operating Officer of Connector Service Corporation’s Plating Division, where he managed the business through 100% growth over a 12-month period. Jon also served as President of Electronic Plating Service and Chief Operating Officer for Amax Plating, Electronic Plating Service, and Associated Plating Company. Prior to joining MG Capital, Jon worked with Bain & Company as an Associate Consultant. At Bain, he worked on assignments for various Fortune 500 clients in Texas and Australia.

Jon has served on the Boards of Directors of several charitable organizations, including the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the Chicago Children’s Museum, and he most recently co-founded Prosper Chicago. He is the former Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Lycée Français de Chicago.

Jon holds a B.B.A. in Accounting (with honors) from the University of Texas at Austin.

Clay is a founding partner at Lowercarbon Capital and, as the team’s most active investor, he identifies and supports the preposterously ambitious companies working to undo global warming. He also advises climate nonprofits who are working to avert dangerous climate tipping points. Clay previously spent a decade working in the federal government and presidential campaigns. He was the Chief of Staff for the White House Office of Digital Strategy, a team tasked by President Obama with connecting people with purpose. At the start of President Obama’s second term, he served as an aide in the Chief of Staff’s office. Before joining the White House, Clay worked on President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns. He graduated from Harvard in 2011.

Sarah Sclarsic is an investor and former founder and executive with high-growth technology companies. She is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Voyager, a venture firm investing in early stage companies focused on decarbonization. Ms. Sclarsic serves on the Board of Directors of XL Fleet (NYSE:XL), North America’s leading provider of fleet electrification solutions. Previously, she co-founded Getaround, a pioneering peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace, and was an early employee at Modern Meadow, the world’s first company making biofabricated leather. She holds a B.A. from Harvard and a M.S. from MIT, where she researched atmospheric carbon removal. Ms. Sclarsic lives in New York City.

Clea is a Partner and the Head of Science at Lowercarbon Capital, where, in addition to investing in and working with unreasonably ambitious founders that are providing critical solutions to the climate crisis, she leads the firm’s technical research, diligence, and scientific strategy efforts. Clea has focused her career on solving the climate emergency through innovation in technology, business models, and policy. Prior to joining Lowercarbon, Clea worked in energy consulting at E3, designing decarbonization plans for state agencies and energy companies across North America. Clea also founded a company working on financing and distribution solutions for clean cooking fuel access in West Africa. Clea holds an MEng and PhD in chemical engineering and environmental policy from Imperial College London where she focused her thesis on the techno economics and process optimization of carbon capture and storage systems.

Steve is former Vice President of Special Projects at Apple where he led an effort to explore a new product space for the company. Before that, he spent over 15 years defining and leading engineering efforts for the iPhone, iPod and hundreds of other Apple products. While at Apple Steve was responsible for wide range of large engineering organizations including Product Design, Material Science, EE, Project Management, Acoustics, Firmware, etc. Prior to joining Apple, he worked at Ford Motor Company in their Executive Training Program where he worked in a number of areas inside the company ranging from Product Marketing to Vehicle Dynamics. Steve received his Masters in Engineering from Stanford University and his undergraduate degree in Engineering from University of California Berkeley. Steve holds over 150 patents and is on the Advisory Board of the Mechanical Engineering Department of UC Berkeley.

Albert Wenger is a managing partner at Union Square Ventures. Before joining USV, Albert was the president of del.icio.us through the company’s sale to Yahoo and an angel investor (Etsy, Tumblr). He previously founded or co-founded several companies, including a management consulting firm and an early hosted data analytics company. Albert graduated from Harvard College in economics and computer science and holds a Ph.D. in Information Technology from MIT. Photo Credit: Sebastian Weinmann

Ali Partovi heads Neo, a diverse mentorship community and VC fund that identifies America’s most promising CS students and helps them become tomorrow’s tech leaders. Ali invests in people smarter than himself and has backed Airbnb, Dropbox, Facebook, & Uber. He grew up in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war, attended Harvard, and sold his first startup, LinkExchange, in 1998. He co-founded Code.org (Hour of Code) to bring Computer Science to classrooms. He’s passionate about education, diversity in tech, and sustainable food; and loves climbing, guitar, puzzles, and family.

Bill Trenchard is a partner at First Round Capital, a leading early-stage venture capital firm that has invested in startups like Uber, Square, Notion and Roblox. He’s passionate about working with founders who take unconventional approaches to solving the world’s most important problems. This mindset has cultivated an interest in the climate tech space, where Bill has made investments in startups like Flexport, Last Energy and Remora. Before joining First Round, Bill was an angel investor, operator, advisor and founder.

Gustaf Alstromer is a Group Partner at Y Combinator which he joined in 2017. Y Combinator is a startup program in Mountain View, California. Every year they fund and work closely with several hundred new startups. In the past, Y Combinator funded Airbnb, Doordash, Stripe, Cruise and many others. Prior to joining Y Combinator, Gustaf was a Product Lead at Airbnb from 2012 to 2017. As one of its first product managers, he was a founding member of Airbnb’s growth team. Gustaf lives in San Francisco and is an active angel investor with Decarbonization and ClimateTech as his primary focus.

Sierra Peterson is an investor and former policymaker and climate technology company executive. She is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Voyager, a venture firm investing in early-stage companies focused on decarbonization. Prior to venture investing, Sierra created and led corporate development teams for financial technology companies responsible for more than $3 billion in sustainability investment. Sierra has worked in market-driven climate protection since 2005, serving with the International Energy and the Obama White House Office of Energy and Climate Change. She is a graduate of Stanford and Harvard.

Dr. Agustin Venero is an Advisor at Remora. He’s also the Founder and Director of Research at L&C Science and Technology, which provides lab services and consulting for gas separations. During Dr. Venero’s tenure at L&C the first commercial benchtop PSA/VSA/TSA instrument to study gas separations was developed. Prior to L&C, Dr. Venero was at Exxon Research and Engineering and worked on Zinc-Bromine batteries for electric cars and power storage, desiccant cooling for solar driven air conditioners, and Fisher-Tropsh catalysts to convert CO/H2 to chemicals. Dr. Venero was a Founding member of Omicron Technology, developing the first high resolution adsorption analyzer for the characterization of microporous materials like activated carbons and zeolites. He also consulted the Gas Research Institute on thermal driven air conditioning. Later he founded VTI Corporation (sold to TA Instruments, a subsidiary of Waters Corporation) and developed the first commercial high pressure adsorption analyzer, and first commercial water vapor adsorption analyzer. Dr. Venero is a graduate from University of Michigan with a PhD in Chemistry.

Dr. Brad Edgar is an inventor and entrepreneur, having founded, managed, or invested in a number of startup companies focused in the areas of clean energy and sustainability.

Brad is a recognized expert in internal combustion engines, fuels, emissions, and emission control technologies, precious metals recycling, and sustainability. He is the author of numerous papers and presentations, a frequent speaker and panelist, and the inventor or co-inventor of 11 United States Patents.

He has won many awards for his work including the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB’s) prestigious Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award.

Brad has served on the Boards of several private companies as well as educational and non-profit organizations.

Brad received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1997. He lives and works in Oakland, California.

Ed is an experienced Senior Executive leader with broad industrial technology and engineering experience. Ed’s college degrees are in Mechanical Engineering and led to doctoral research in computational aerodynamics. This specialty led him to spend 18 years in technical development of military and commercial aircraft engines with Allison/Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis, IN. Ed then joined the General Electric Global Research Center in Niskayuna New York, where he served as Global Technology Leader for Physical Sciences – the intersection of Mechanics, Physics and Engineering Design. This was a unique opportunity to lead teams developing technical advances in X-ray tubes, gas turbine engines, wind turbines, and high energy devices for healthcare imaging. Within GE, Ed transferred to the Transportation Division where he led the Engine Engineering organization. From 2010-2015 the business launched 5 new engine platforms including the first locomotive to meet EPA Tier 4 emissions requirements without aftertreatment – a significant technical accomplishment. In 2016 Ed assumed the role of Senior General Manager Engineering for GE Onshore Wind, part of GE Renewable Energy. Over 5 years the business launched new platforms for power-limited, land limited, low wind speed and repower markets. Product developments and technology innovations such as jointed blades, carbon fiber composites, load management and electrical architecture helped offset market price declines and improved levelized cost of electricity for wind turbines by 25% over 5 years. Since retiring in 2021, Ed has stayed active in the power and transportation communities by consulting on ground-breaking technology projects.

Dean Wise formed Dean Wise LLC in February 2017 to provide strategic advisory
services to the transportation, logistics, infrastructure, and geospatial sectors, with an
emphasis on transformational technologies. His clients include transport/infrastructure technology start-ups, transportation carriers, suppliers, and infrastructure/private equity investment funds.

Previously he was vice president, Network Strategy at BNSF Railway, North America’s largest freight railroad. Joining BNSF in February 2010, coincident with Berkshire Hathaway’s acquisition of the company. In this role, he oversaw BNSF’s strategy process, transformational technology initiative, regional franchise development including western Canada, shortline network (200 rail feeder lines), public-private partnerships (PPP), rail line sales and
dispositions, and development of right-of-way for non-freight rail uses including fiber optics, cell towers, and electric transmission lines. He reported to the CEO and served on BNSF’s ten-member Executive Team.

Prior to his 7 years at BNSF, Dean had 32 years of consulting and industry experience.
From 1995 to 2010, he served as president and managing partner at Norbridge, Inc., a
management consulting firm focusing on the freight transport and logistics industry,
based in Concord, MA. Before joining Norbridge, he was a vice president at Mercer
Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman) in Lexington, MA (1983-1995).
Dean’s prior experience also includes management positions at Conrail Corporation and
Southern Pacific Transportation Company.

In his 27th year in the North American railroad industry, James is a leader in his understanding of railroad regulation and operations. At CPKC (2003-2024, formerly Canadian Pacific), James began his career in Operations as a Train Dispatcher, moving to Rules and Regulatory Affairs in 2012. He most recently served as Assistant Director, Operating Rules & Practices where he was responsible for oversight of their Canadian operations. His daily interactions with critical internal stakeholders (Regulatory Affairs, Safety, Environmental, Legal, and Corporate Risk among them) gives him rare insight into Class I railroad operations, working directly with the executive team to affect and implement progressive change that improve both the safety and efficiency of CPKC’s operations. Well versed in US railroad regulations, James worked to ensure that operating rules were as consistent as possible across international boundaries within the realm of two different regulatory environments. He played a pivotal role during the Kansas City Southern merger that saw CPKC become the first Class I railroad balancing operations in all three North American countries. At Selkirk Consulting, he provides a bedrock of operational knowledge, offering unique insight into the North American regulatory and operating environment.

After a ten-year career in oil and gas, where Josh oversaw projects of increasing scope and responsibility (including projects as diverse as multi-well completions and frac spreads in Northern British Columbia and synthetic upgraders), he pivoted to the alternative fuel industry in the field of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Josh was involved in the LNG programs across a spectrum of Class I railroads from the lens of a fuel supplier/LNG infrastructure expert before joining BNSF Railway in 2016 as the LNG Infrastructure Program Manager, focused on developing innovative and economic implementation approaches to LNG as a fuel for North America’s largest railroad. In 2017, Josh pivoted into a three-year role in BNSF’s Commercial team, where he held the position of Business Development Manager for BNSF’s Canadian operations, before rejoining the latest incarnation of BNSF’s Advanced Energy Team in 2021, where he was responsible for locomotive energy innovations including BNSF’s battery electric locomotive and hydrogen development programs. His background as a technical expert, combined with a keen interest in economic modeling and practical application of emerging innovations, provides expertise in implementation of advanced energy technologies and uniquely positions him to evaluate both economic and practical viability of proposed solutions.

Kevin M. Sheys guides surface transportation industry clients on transactions and regulatory challenges to help them deliver their projects, introduce new technology, improve products and services and expand their businesses. His clientele includes freight and passenger railroads, industry contractors and suppliers, rail-served industrial facilities, state and local governments, developers, investors, and professional service companies.

Kevin advises on high-priority freight and passenger railroad and public transit projects and handles grant funding, licensing, safety and other regulatory matters (as applicable) before the Surface Transportation Board (STB), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). He has structured and negotiated more than 90 freight and passenger (intercity, commuter and light rail) transactions.

Kevin advises clients to develop and deploy technology to improve the safety, environmental footprint and efficiency of rail transportation.

Kevin assists railroads, energy, steel, chemical, paper, food, and other companies on construction, operation and regulatory clearance of rail and intermodal facilities. He assists these companies to secure reliable, safe and efficient rail service at these facilities and to product destinations.

Kipp Bradford is a founder of multiple hard-tech startups in the fields of HVAC+R, transportation, consumer products, and medical devices, and holds numerous patents for his inventions. He is an engineering scientist who works across engineering disciplines to develop new ways to manage climates at every scale—from personal thermal comfort up to global weather systems. This practice, at the boundaries of emerging technology and industries, has been called “so interdisciplinary that it’s anti-disciplinary” by Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab where Kipp was hired as a Research Scientist through the search for a “Professor of Other”. As a technology executive with three decades of experience, Kipp has led teams through the design, development, certification, manufacturing, and introduction of new products. He has created successful technology strategies to align future products with industry and market trends and built out intellectual property portfolios in collaboration with leading IP lawyers to protect the value of those products. Kipp brings an integrated approach to managing engineering design and prototyping activities, as well as building supply chains that meet the needs of timelines and budgets. Kipp is a licensed universal HVAC technician and is dedicated to providing unique clean energy and thermal solutions including heat pumps, controls, and electronics that drive efficiency and automation across systems. In addition to his consulting and manufacturing work, Kipp is currently appointed to the Harvard University School of Engineering as an instructor in the Masters in Design Engineering program.

Michael Cleveland is the Director of Market Strategy at Peaker Services (PSI), where he leads the introduction of new products, corporate strategy, and continuous improvement initiatives. Passionate about tackling complex challenges alongside talented teams, he thrives on driving innovation in the rail and energy sectors.

Before joining PSI, Michael led the alternative energy programs at BNSF and Progress Rail, overseeing the development, demonstration, and deployment of battery-electric locomotives, hydrogen fuel cell locomotives, and electrified cargo-handling equipment. Earlier in his career, he served as BNSF’s natural gas locomotive technology expert, contributing to the company’s LNG program.

Michael actively participates in industry committees and government advisory boards, including the U.S. EPA’s Mobile Source Technical Review Subcommittee, the Association of American Railroads, the Locomotive Maintenance Officers Association, and the Society of Automotive Engineers.

He holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

Mike has spent his entire career working in the Industrial Gas and CO₂ business. He has held leadership positions in Logistics/Supply Chain, Sales & Marketing for major companies including Messer, Air Liquide, and Matheson Gas. He is currently employed with Eleet Cryogenics, a cryogenic equipment manufacturer as Director of Sales.

Michael earned a BS Degree from the University of Tennessee in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Additionally, he holds an MBA from the University of Virgina- Darden School of Business.

Peter A. Gilbertson is an entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder and CEO of Anacostia & Pacific Company and Anacostia Rail Holdings. Anacostia is a transportation investment, development and management services firm. It has formed, and its shareholders control, six operating freight railroads operating in seven states.

He is a member of the board of trustees of the University of Denver, the executive advisory board of Brown Brothers Harriman Capital Partners, the board of the Seven Pines Symposium on the Foundations of Physics, the advisory board of the Northwestern University/Vanderbilt University Intermodal Analytics for Network Energy Decarbonization project, the board of Precision Terminal Logistics, FBI InfraGard, and an alternating member the board of the Association of American Railroads.

He formerly held posts as chairman of the Regional Railroads of America; member of the Executive Committee of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association; chairman of the Railroad Shipper Transportation Advisory Council of the U. S. Surface Transportation Board; chairman of the Hill Reference Library, and member of the board of the Center for Neighborhood Technology.

He has degrees from the University of Denver and University of Minnesota.

W. Roger Fuehring is in his 38th year of railroading, which has included most crafts and management within the industry, including all aspects of railroading, certifications, managing small railroad operations, and being Chairman of a State Railroad Association. Roger has owned two businesses specializing in equipment maintenance, training, and operational training, including 240 and other required training.

In addition, Roger is the Emeritus President of the Railroad Passenger Car Alliance. He currently serves on the Mechanical and Environmental Committee of the ASLRRA and has worked directly with EPA on current and potential emission regulations. His mechanical work and consulting have included work for short lines, regionals, class 1’s, industries, and state operations. Roger is currently serving as the Chief Mechanical Officer of Lake State Railway in Saginaw, Michigan.