Chris brings 25 years of experience in developing and scaling catalysts, catalytic processes, and process engineering in the refining industry, and is now applying that skill set to renewable chemicals.

Chris is a 25-year ACS Member and now an AIChE Fellow who earned a B.A. at Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. at Northwestern University. He is an inventor or co-inventor on greater than 120 US and/or foreign patents and the coauthor of 35+ peer-reviewed journal articles and a book chapter. Among awards received are the Herman Pines Award for Excellence in Catalysis and the SWCS Excellence in Applied Catalysis award.

​With two decades of experience in the energy and energy transition sectors, Justin brings a proven track record of scaling innovations through product management, strategic marketing, and cross-functional team leadership. A graduate of McMaster University with degrees in Materials Engineering and an MBA, he has guided global teams across North America, Asia, and Europe, delivering customer-centric innovations that bridge technology and market needs.

FOUNDING PARTNER / CTO / DIRECTOR

Chris brings 25 years of experience in developing and scaling catalysts, catalytic processes, and process engineering in the refining industry, and is now applying that skill set to renewable chemicals.

Chris is a 25-year ACS Member and now an AIChE Fellow who earned a B.A. at Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. at Northwestern University. He is an inventor or co-inventor on greater than 120 US and/or foreign patents and the coauthor of 35+ peer-reviewed journal articles and a book chapter. Among awards received are the Herman Pines Award for Excellence in Catalysis and the SWCS Excellence in Applied Catalysis award.

CEO / DIRECTOR

With two decades of experience in the energy and energy transition sectors, Justin brings a proven track record of scaling innovations through product management, strategic marketing, and cross-functional team leadership. A graduate of McMaster University with degrees in Materials Engineering and an MBA, he has guided global teams across North America, Asia, and Europe, delivering customer-centric innovations that bridge technology and market needs.

SECRETARY / TREASURER

Mel integrates technology and business expertise to innovate and capture value in renewable and petrochemical industries. He has managed global businesses, operations, mergers and acquisition projects, marketing, business development, joint ventures, and technology development during his career.

Mel's efforts at Amoco, BP, Ineos, Elevance, XiMo, Verbio, Kiverdi, Sylvatex and Pyran have consistently led to value capture, including profitable growth, monetization of new opportunities, and continuous improvement. Mel has a Ph.D. from University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

PREFERRED DIRECTOR

Lisa is an Investment Manager with GC Ventures, the corporate venture arm of PTT Global Chemical. She invests in deep tech startups in advanced materials, clean technology, and circular economy. Lisa spent over 18 years as a Senior Consultant with Foresight Science & Technology providing technical and commercialization assistance to startups and other small companies, primarily those receiving federal SBIR funds. These companies spanned a broad range of markets including chemicals, materials, medical devices and therapies, and energy.

Lisa holds a MS in Environmental Engineering from Tufts University and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

PREFERRED DIRECTOR

Neal is a thought leader in agricultural innovation. He is a Partner and CTO of Radicle Growth, an early stage sustainable ag and food venture fund. Along with Låkril, he also holds advisory board roles at Trillium Ag, Meiogenix, Pluton Bioscience and Groundwork Bioag maximizing the value of their technology and developing new business models. He was the first CTO for Corteva Agriscience, where he unified three R&D organizations from legacy companies. When he retired, he received the 2020 Lifetime Achievement award by the Crop Science Industry Forum.

Neal’s prior experience includes senior R&D roles at ag biotechnology start-up companies. He served as President, CEO, and Board member of Mendel Biotechnology, then joined DuPont Pioneer in 2014.

ADVISOR

Andy has a unique understanding of the dynamics required for success in a diverse set of public and privately held business environments, including start-ups and Fortune 50 multinational companies.

Prior to becoming the Chief Marketing, Customer and Brand Officer at Gevo, Andy’s career included being a founder and executive at 2 leading bio-material companies, Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. and NatruerWorks, LLC, and holding senior business leadership roles at Cargill, Inc. and The Dow Chemical Company.

FOUNDING PARTNER & CHIEF TECHNICAL ADVISOR

​An upper Midwesterner at heart, Paul is a chemical engineer developing new technologies for converting biomass into the chemical building blocks needed for daily life. He is a serial entrepreneur with two additional successful start-ups.

Paul is Lanny & Charlotte Schmidt Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota and serves as Co-Director of the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.