As the Managing Partner of Energize Ventures, John oversees all investment and Limited Partner responsibilities. He is also a member of the Energize Ventures Investment Committee.

John brings nearly 15 years of experience in finance, investing and operational roles. His career and investment interests follow the ongoing integration of new technologies into the critical infrastructure and resource industries. John is integral to all aspects of the Fund’s operations, including network engagement, developing investment theses, driving diligence of potential investments, and supporting and monitoring portfolio companies.

Most recently, John was one of the first employees and ultimately scaled into the Chief Revenue Officer at Choose Energy, the largest online energy marketplace in North America. At Choose Energy, he led all operations and growth and raised over $30 million in capital. In 2017, John managed the successful sale of the company to Red Ventures. Previously, John was an investor at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, where he focused on platform investments at the intersection of technology and energy.

John holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BS from Duke University.

John currently sits on the Board of Directors for DroneDeploy, Nozomi Networks, Volta Charging, Matroid, Zededa, Jupiter Intelligence, Sitetracker, Aurora Solar and Optimus Ride.

Katie has more than a decade of experience in the energy industry in both the private and public sectors. As an Energize Partner, she has responsibilities across portfolio company support, sourcing, due diligence, investor relations, business development, policy and communications.  

Previously she was Vice President of Public Affairs for Invenergy - North America's largest independent renewable energy generation company. She holds a Master's degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a BA from DePauw University.

Katie currently sits on the Board of Directors for DroneDeploy and is an observer on the Board for Sitetracker.

Juan brings more than a decade of experience in finance and investing. As an Energize Partner, he is integral to all aspects of the Fund’s operations, including leading sourcing efforts, developing investment theses, driving diligence of potential investments, network management, and supporting and monitoring portfolio companies. Previously, Juan worked at J.P. Morgan, where his work ranged from business analysis and research to advising institutional investors on portfolio allocation and private investments.

Juan holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA from the University of Notre Dame, magna cum laude.

Juan currently sits on the Board of Directors for Nozomi Networks, Aquilon and Zededa.

Lori has more than 20 years of experience in accounting for both public and private companies in the venture capital, power, real estate and retail industries.

As a self-employed finance professional, Lori offers services such as part-time CFO, fund administration, auditing and accounting support to her clients. She currently serves as CFO for Energize Ventures.

Before going independent in 2019, Lori served as Controller and VP – Accounting at Invenergy, a renewable energy company located in Chicago, where she was responsible for the accounting, financial reporting and settlements departments.

Prior to joining Invenergy in 2009, Lori was a Senior Manager in the Chicago audit practice at Deloitte. She is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and a Master of Science degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University.

As a principal on the investment team, Kevin is primarily responsible for managing Energize’s growth equity platform.

Kevin brings more than a decade of experience in energy and renewables, with roles spanning business development, product marketing and finance. Prior to joining our team, Kevin was a founding partner at Intelis Capital, an early-stage venture firm focused on energy transition and climate change startups. Before becoming an investor, Kevin spent three years on the operating side at Choose Energy, the largest online energy marketplace in the U.S. He was one of the first employees at Choose, and as head of product helped guide the company through several fundraising rounds and eventually an exit in 2017. Prior to that, Kevin began his career at NRG where he held roles in business development and finance.

Kevin holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University and a B.A. in political science from the University of North Texas.

Tyler drives investment activity and portfolio management for Energize, focusing primarily on the intersection of software with the physical world.

Prior to joining the Fund, Tyler worked at Accenture Strategy, where he shaped new business models and investment plans for Fortune 500 electric utilities and private equity. His work focused on distributed energy resources, regulatory innovation, grid modernization, and transportation electrification. Tyler began his career building commercial solar PV and energy efficiency projects for an energy services company.

Tyler holds a B.S. in Earth and Environmental Engineering from Columbia University, where he was an Egleston Scholar.

Tyler is a Board Director for Aurora Solar, as well as a Board Observer for Volta Charging and Jupiter Intelligence. Additionally, he helps manage and support Energize portfolio companies Matroid and Optimus Ride.

With a background in oil and gas, Mark brings a unique blend of technical skills, operating experience and investment acumen to Energize. He supports the team in evaluating investment opportunities, building the deal pipeline, due diligence and portfolio development.

Mark began his career as a chemical engineer at ExxonMobil, where he held various engineering and business analyst roles across the company’s U.S. Production and Chemical divisions. While in business school, Mark founded an upstream consultancy practice and worked at Bernhard Capital Partners as a summer associate, focusing on infrastructure and industrial services investments.

Mark holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and B.S. with Honors in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

As an associate, Eileen is integral to all stages of Energize’s investment process – from deal sourcing and diligence to helping the portfolio commercialize and scale. With a background in sustainability, she also helps the firm identify new investment trends and opportunities through engaging her network and conducting market research.

In Eileen’s most recent role supporting the sustainability leadership team at Tyson Foods, she developed key insights into how some of the world’s largest companies approach ESG. Prior to Tyson, she served on the investment team at Westly Group, focusing on deals in the energy, mobility and smart cities sectors. Eileen also previously held positions at La Mer International and Deloitte Consulting, during which she specialized in international business development and mergers and acquisitions, respectively.

Eileen holds a joint MBA and Master’s in Environmental Science from Stanford University and a B.S. in public policy from Vanderbilt University.

As a marketing communications professional, Kelly brings five years of combined agency and in-house experience across various sectors.
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Kelly supports the Fund’s internal and external communications efforts, including public relations, content development, marketing, strategic communications, event planning & investor relations. Additionally, Kelly supports PR & marketing efforts for the portfolio.
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Prior to joining the Energize team, Kelly served as an external communications manager for Chick-fil-A in Atlanta, Ga., supporting the chain’s restaurant expansion team.

Kelly holds a B.A. in Public Relations from the University of Georgia.

Steven brings over ten years of experience in the legal and finance industries, with a proven track record of senior-level executive support, management, and training. Prior to joining, Steven worked at Brookfield Asset Management, where he focused on executive support as well as the management and operations of the Private Funds Group Chicago, satellite office.

Prior to Brookfield, Steven was part of the Compliance department at GCM Grosvenor under the Global Chief Compliance Officer. While at GCM he helped streamline process, maximize efficiency, and foster professional relationships with individuals and organizations.

Steven holds a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from DePaul University.

With over 30 years of experience in the energy industry, and as founder of Invenergy (the largest privately-held clean energy company in North America), Michael Polsky is widely recognized as not only a pioneer, but a leader in the cogeneration and independent power industry.

Michael is a serial entrepreneur. Prior to founding Invenergy, Michael found SkyGen Energy in 1991—a developer, owner and operator of natural gas-fueled generating plants—which was later purchased by Calpine Corporation in 2001. And before that, Michael co-founded and was President of Indeck Energy Services Inc., a developer, owner and operator of power generation projects.

Michael holds an MSME Degree from Kiev Polytechnic Institute, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

In 2002, Michael endowed a center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, which is proudly named after him.

Jim Murphy has more than 30 years of financial and management experience, primarily in the energy industry, having managed the negotiation and execution of more than $20 billion in private equity and debt investments, power plant acquisitions and sales and project debt and equity financing.

Jim is a member of Invenergy’s founding group, and is responsible for the general management of the company, as well as corporate and project finance, risk management, and asset optimization.

Jim is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Prior to the formation of Invenergy, he was Chief Financial Officer at SkyGen Energy, LLC, and previously was a Vice President, with financial advisory and investment firm The Deerpath Group, Inc., and a manager with Arthur Andersen.

He earned a BS from the University of Illinois, magna cum laude, as well as CPA certification.

Jim currently sits on the Board of Directors for Volta Charging.