PIVA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Partner ( Strategy & Operations )
Claire is an Investor at Piva Capital, where she is passionate about supporting and scaling innovative solutions with an outsized impact on the climate crisis. Prior to joining Piva, she helped launch business development and strategy at Noon Energy, a long-duration energy storage startup. Previously, she was the Director of Business and Corporate Development at Vox Media, where she worked with the executive team to lead M&A and growth strategy efforts. Claire began her career in M&A investment banking at J.P. Morgan.
Claire holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an MS from the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, as well as a BBA and BA from the University of Texas. In her free time, she enjoys reading, backpacking, and exploring the Bay Area.
Job Titles:
- Sustainability and Investor Relations Manager
Divina joins Piva Capital with a diverse background in multiple industries ranging from retail to fitness to technology. She has worked in many different operational areas for multimillion-dollar brands and startups. She knows what it takes to truly drive teams to work well together and succeed.
Divina is a highly motivated, detail-oriented, and efficient multitasker. She is known for an ability to juggle a wide range of responsibilities including complex project management, event planning, streamlining internal processes, and overall organization while managing the day-to-day business operations.
Divina's professional passions are nurturing collaborative work environments, strengthening positive working relationships, and building out internal processes. She is excited to be on a team that fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment and is not afraid to tackle today's challenging problems.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Senior Advisor to
Don Wood serves as a Senior Advisor to Piva Capital. Don has been in the venture industry for the last 25 years as a managing director at DFJ and Vanguard Ventures. These firms have funded over 500 companies, including 40 that have achieved billion dollar or greater valuations (SpaceX, Planet, Coinbase, Tesla, Ring, Anaplan, Redfin, Twilio, SolarCity, Twitter, Box, AthenaHealth, Vocera, Baidu, NetApp, Skype, etc.). Don's primary investment focus now is Climate Tech, though he has also invested in space, consumer Web, and enterprise IT.
He has been on the faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Business since 2014; he teaches classes in both Climate Tech and Entrepreneurship. He is also a venture partner at Energy Impact Partners. Don has served as Board member for 15 public and private companies.
Don's first post-college job was at the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. He later became a ski instructor in Vail, Colorado. After graduate school, Don became a consultant with McKinsey & Company in its San Francisco office. Later, he was Senior VP of sales and marketing at International Power Technology, which financed, installed and operated co-gen power plants. Don ran marketing and service at Octel Communications (OCTL), the inventor of and worldwide leader in voicemail systems. He co-founded Wood-Howard Products with his patent for a laminated publishing format, selling over 100 million products under licenses. Don served on the board and was President of Metricom (MCOM), which provided wireless smart grid systems to utilities and pioneered the first wireless Internet service known as Ricochet.
Don won the "Nonprofit Board Leader Award" from The Volunteer Center of San Francisco. Don has a passion for the ocean and mountains where he spends as much time as possible surfing, sailing, skiing, and hiking. When not doing that, his favorite hobby is painting and photographing the ocean and mountains.
Elizabeth Lowery is a Senior Advisor, Sustainable Finance and ESG with ERM, a sustainability consulting firm. She is also a Senior Executive Advisor with GI Partners and Piva. She was formerly the Managing Director of Sustainability and ESG at TPG.
Beth joined TPG after a 20-year career with General Motors Company where she was a member of GM's Senior Leadership Group as Corporate Vice President, Environment, Energy & Safety Policy and Secretary to the Public Policy Committee of the GM Board of Directors. She also served as General Counsel for GM-North America.
Beth has held various executive positions, including Senior Knowledge Leader and a Principal of GreenOrder at LRN, where she was focused on working with global enterprises to develop sustainability strategies and initiatives. Beth was also a partner at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn and a law clerk to Michigan Supreme Court Justice G. Mennen Williams. She has served on several non-profit boards including the World Environment Center, InForum Center for Leadership, Keystone Center and the Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers.
Her primary responsibilities included leading the Sustainability and ESG program development, strategy and deployment across the Firm, engaging with portfolio companies to build sustainable businesses, and assisting deal teams on due diligence matters.
Ms. Lowery was a member of the PRI Private Equity Advisory Committee and is currently a Board Member of Denali Water Solutions, Keter Environmental Services, Sagard Holdings, Anuvia, and American Battery Technology Company. She is also a member of the Caesars Entertainment CSR External Advisory Board and on the Corporate Eco Forum Advisory Board.
Issam's three decades of experience bring a unique blend of technical knowledge and business expertise to Piva Capital. Issam concurrently serves as an operating partner for a private equity firm, advising on sustainability-focused investments.
Issam has a strong track record of creating financial and strategic value via technology investment, development, and deployment. Issam's unique perspective and experience were gained from an early career in academia conducting fundamental research, working for BP Chemicals on applied chemicals and polymers research (product development, application development, technical service and project management), and working for BP Corporate investing in renewable and conventional energy emerging technologies.
Prior to that, Issam served as a Chief Executive Officer of CO2 Sciences, a global organization focused on carbon reduction. Issam spent 18 years at BP, holding multiple positions in the chemicals and energy divisions, ultimately leading the BP corporate venture capital team and managing over $250m in related assets.
As a venture partner at Piva Capital, Issam offers guidance on a wide range of investment strategies, from deal origination (sourcing, assessment) to execution (structuring, negotiation and closing), and portfolio management. His major areas of expertise include Wasteto Value as well as the Circular Economy. Issam is passionate about mentoring and creating lasting impact. Issam is married, has three kids and loves to travel. He co-founded two non-profit organizations focused on educating and empowering women.
Jillian joins Piva from General Fusion, where she was working to build the commercialization roadmap for fusion energy. She led strategic projects across fundraising, market development, and business operations with the goal of providing zero carbon energy to the masses. Prior to General Fusion, Jillian helped grow McKinsey & Company's Sustainability Practice, serving clients on sustainability strategy, decarbonization pathways, and new energy markets. Jillian holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and Sustainability from McGill University.
Jillian grew up on Vancouver Island in Canada and loves all things outdoor. She is a climate tech enthusiast passionate about identifying, deploying, and scaling the technologies that will build a net zero future. She is excited to be supporting and enabling the innovators that are working to create a more sustainable, safe and equitable world.
Lisa brings over 20 years of experience executing venture capital transactions. Prior to joining Piva Capital, Lisa was the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Energy Technology Ventures, a joint venture among General Electric, NRG Energy and ConocoPhillips, to invest in the development of next-generation energy technologies. Prior to that, she was a corporate partner at King & Spalding, an 800+ lawyer international law firm and General Counsel of Gray Ghost Ventures, an impact investment firm dedicated to providing market-based capital solutions to entrepreneurs who are addressing the needs of low-income communities in emerging markets.
Lisa takes a practical, efficient, and effective approach to structuring, negotiating and executing transactions and views the deal process as an opportunity to build a foundation for a strong partnership between the investor and the portfolio company.
Lisa is passionate about using her gifts to improve the lives of others and serving with her family. During the pandemic, she founded The Compassion Kitchen Project to support local restaurants and individuals suffering from food insecurity. She also founded CKS Serves, an organization that facilitates family service in the community that won a national award for innovation in its first year. Lisa is a member of the Emeritus Board of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, having served on its board for 9 years, including as Chair. Lisa enjoys yoga, paddle boarding, fly fishing, hiking, tennis and travel.
Maria came to Piva Capital from Schlumberger Business Consulting (later acquired by Accenture Strategy Energy). There she helped clients address complex problems in the energy industry while working on projects in the Upstream, Midstream, and Downstream sectors. At the energy storage provider, Stem Inc. Maria was part of the Business Development team, she focused on expanding into international markets and new product offerings.
Maria is passionate about technology and diversity in the energy space. She firmly believes in the value of investing as a driver to help address some of the world's most pressing challenges.
Mark is a Managing Partner at Piva Capital. He has over 20 years of experience at the intersection of technology, company building, and investing. He was previously at TPG Capital and McKinsey & Company.
Mark received his Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Harvard University and his B.S. in Chemistry from Stanford. Mark's doctoral work in nanotechnology was recognized with several highly cited publications in leading scientific journals, such as Science and Nature.
Mark is passionate about deploying technology and capital to drive real and sustainable impact in the world. He enjoys developing people, nurturing companies, and investing alongside great entrepreneurs. In his spare time, he loves being outdoors with his family, food and wine, and wrapping his head around a good puzzle.
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Senior Advisor
Michael Idelchik is an innovative thought leader, board director, and executive advisor who develops new technologies across multiple industries and evolves them to compete and win in the global market. A leader of five divisions during his career at GE, he was on the front line of creating "world's-first" products that revolutionized healthcare and aviation. A system-level thinker, he has intricate knowledge of the global technology supply chain from conception to market and has developed talent and led teams throughout the world. His nearly 40 years of success culminated in receiving GE's highest honor recognizing lifetime achievement.
Michael currently leverages his ability to connect industry and technology as a board member and trusted advisor to business leaders. He serves as a strategic and technology consultant for a variety of companies and fills a much-needed role in the start-up sphere where he guides product maturity, scale up, and supply chain development that is tailored to making each specific technology a success. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Board of Singapore National Research Foundation, where he is valued for helping simplify the complexities of positioning the country as a global technology competitor.
A respected leader who naturally builds trust, Michael identifies and develops talent by understanding and being curious about each person's intellectual desires. He has a keen ability to listen to and align people toward a common goal and communicates highly technical and complex ideas in an easily understood way. He has handled many crises in his career with a practical approach that builds consensus, including challenges surrounding the launch of new technology as well as delicate global relationships. Michael currently holds 18 patents across aviation, healthcare, oil and gas, and power, and he is proficient in Russian. He has been married to his wife, Hana, for 45 years and has 2 children and 4 grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Founder
- Managing Partner
Ricardo is the Founder and Managing Partner of Piva Capital. He leverages over 25 years of experience investing in the industrial and energy sectors to find and back visionary entrepreneurs, solving the world's greatest challenges through breakthrough technologies and innovative business models.
Before starting Piva in 2019, Ricardo was a founding Managing Director of GE Ventures. He led origination and investments and served on dozens of company Boards, providing leadership and guidance to management teams to drive operational and financial value. He also led Energy Technology Ventures (ETV), a $300 million joint venture formed by GE, NRG Energy, and ConocoPhillips. Previously, Ricardo worked at Chevron's Venture Capital group, in investment banking at Goldman Sachs, and as a consultant at the CNA Corporation.
Ricardo builds strong, agile, and well-aligned teams to deliver strategic and financial benefits. He is a determined leader with a reputation for nurturing and leveraging open innovation within organizations, with an emphasis on formal education, discipline, and teamwork.
Ricardo loves to travel, good food, and tennis.
Robert is a Lecturer in Management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and has led primary research and written cases on Google, Charles Schwab, Daimler, AB InBev, Crowdstrike, Stripe, AngelList, 23andMe, CODE2040, Tableau, PayPal, ServiceNow, Medium, Autodesk, WeWork, Zuora, and Axel Springer, amongst others. He teaches six academic courses including The Industrialist's Dilemma, Systems Leadership, Business and Government, Financial Management for Entrepreneurs, and Strategies in Effective Product Management.
For two decades he has been an active venture capitalist and investor, and sits on multiple Board of Directors across the United States and Europe. In addition, he is Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Board for TTTech Computertechnik AG in Vienna, Austria, is a Member of the Industry Advisory Boards for HERE Technologies and Tulco and is the Co-President Emeritus of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs. He has co-authored several articles for the Harvard Business Review and the California Management Review, and is frequently quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Quartz, Insider, and Protocol.He recently authored the best-selling book, The Brains and Brawn Company: How Leading Organizations Blend the Best of Digital and Physical.
Robert held numerous operating roles during his career, including General Manager of the Video and Software Solutions division for GE Security, Executive Vice President of Pixim, Inc., and he was the Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Weave Innovations Inc. He served in various management roles at Intel Corporation, including an executive position on their Corporate Business Development team.
Robert is the co-inventor of four patents and served as lead researcher for Andy Grove's best-selling book, Only the Paranoid Survive.
Robert is married with three children.
Roxanne came to Piva Capital from BioLite, where she developed innovative consumer energy products for off-grid communities around the world. Roxanne led the manufacturing, sourcing, and quality of various consumer electronics, including renewable energy generation and storage systems. Prior to BioLite, Roxanne worked as an R&D engineer for The Clorox Company where she developed sustainable packaging solutions for several brands.
Roxanne's focus is identifying and supporting visionary entrepreneurs who are leading the world's major industries to a more sustainable, intelligent, and resilient future.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Center for Innovation
- Venture Partner
Steve brings over 35 years of technology and energy experience including 20 years in private equity and venture capital.
He was most recently a Managing Partner at ClearSky Power and Technology Fund, a $275m fund focused on energy technology. Prior to ClearSky, Steve was a partner with AltiraGroup, an energy focused venture capital fund based in Denver, CO. Steve also spent ten years with TPG (formerly Texas Pacific Group) helping to start their venture capital and growth equity funds. Prior to TPG, Steve was a partner with Crosspoint Venture Partners. Prior to joining Crosspoint, Steve led business development at 3Com and held several roles at Hewlett Packard.
Steve is Chairman of the Advisory board of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University and serves on the Technical Advisory Board of CalSeed. In addition, Steve mentors social entrepreneurs through the Miller Center at SCU and teaches courses on venture capital and entrepreneurship at SCU and Northwestern University.
Tony brings to Piva Capital more than 30 years of experience in venture capital finance, including fund formation, investment structures, fund raising, partner communications, and financial due diligence. He co-founded a venture capital firm, helping to raise more than $1 billion of capital to investment in early stage companies that focused on information technologies, biotechnology, and disruptive technologies in the energy and materials markets.
Prior to working in venture capital, Tony worked for a national retail company in Australia. He helped the company expand throughout New Zealand and subsequently joined the team that developed the business plan to establish a US presence. His focus was on the financial, computer information, and operational needs of the company.
Tony is driven to help entrepreneurs succeed. He works closely with the investment team to align the interests of Piva Capital with the management of portfolio companies. His goal is to help bring the elements of success to each investment for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Tony is a CPA (Australia) and serves on the Board of the Northern California Private Equity & VC Chapter of the Financial Executive Alliance, a national affinity group administered by First Republic Bank.