Chrysalix

Charles Haythornthwaite (Charlie) joined Chrysalix in 2008 and works as a Senior Partner, focusing on go-to-market challenges and complex sales for portfolio companies. Before Chrysalix, he co-founded Soliant Energy, a California solar startup developing PV modules, where he served as VP of Business Development and Product Marketing. He holds a PhD in optoelectronics and materials science from the University of Southampton and an MBA from Berkeley, where he was a Haas Venture Capital Fellow and a Sainsbury Management Fellow.

Fred van Beuningen began his career at Royal Dutch Shell in marketing and trading, and has held executive roles at companies including Shell, Linde, and Smurfit Kappa, with international experience across oil & gas, chemicals, packaging, and logistics in Europe and Asia. He most recently served as Corporate Director of Innovation at AkzoNobel, focusing on integrating sustainability into corporate strategy. He now focuses on the energy, materials, and climate transitions and serves as an expert reviewer for the EU innovation fund with an emphasis on carbon capture, utilization, and hydrogen.

Wal van Lierop founded Chrysalix in 2001 and helped raise more than $350M for the firm while participating in over $3.5B in venture capital funding, focusing on cleantech and industrial innovation. Before Chrysalix, he served as VP of Strategy at Westcoast Energy and spent more than seven years with McKinsey & Company advising energy, chemicals and financial services companies. He was previously an associate professor of environmental economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and holds a PhD in Economics from that institution.

Mike Sherman is a technology company founder and investor with 20 years of experience as a CEO, COO, and angel investor. He previously served as Managing Partner at a venture capital firm, investing in cleantech, robotics, fusion energy, AI, power semiconductors, and EV technologies, and co-founded GoFetch, a fintech company focused on animal health affordability. He holds a degree from Ivey Business School at Western University and completed the Singularity University Executive Program.

Richard Mackellar is the founder and CEO of Celerity Craft and a venture capitalist focused on early-stage technology companies in the alternative energy and cleantech sectors. He has experience in business strategy, fundraising, and entrepreneurial finance across multiple ventures. Mackellar serves as a mentor and adjunct professor.

Gene Kim has more than 20 years of professional experience as a senior executive and general manager at General Electric, Cisco Systems, and Scapa Group, and as a management consultant with Arthur D. Little. He was a key partner at Delfin LNG, the first US-based FLNG project, and has handled direct investments, acquisitions, spin-offs, and LP participation for multinational companies, conducting due diligence and valuation across media, telecom, healthcare, and heavy industries. He holds an MBA from IMD in Switzerland and a B.A. from Yonsei University.

Greg Allen is a Partner at Chrysalix based in Vancouver, where he handles selected portfolio company investments, strategic and governance advisory, and firm operations. He previously was CEO of New Zealand public company AoFrio, an IoT hardware and data solutions developer, and earlier served as Vice President of the Industrial and Greentech Business Unit at Celestica. He holds an MBA from Napier University, Edinburgh, and the ICD.D designation, with a career spanning general management, operations, and sales across manufacturing services, cleantech, telecoms, IoT, and cloud services.

Hideto Nishimura holds an M.Sc. in Engineering from Kyoto University and spent a long career at Mitsubishi Corporation, where he was Senior Vice President. He now advises Japanese and non-Japanese companies through his consultancy, MIRAI Management Strategy Research Institute, and has served as a board member of Japanese companies.

Shelly Mittal is a Venture Partner at Chrysalix with more than 16 years of global experience in the energy sector at Shell. Over 14 years working in climate tech, Shelly has focused on net-zero strategy development, low carbon technologies, carbon emissions reporting, and building sustainability-focused communities.

Alicia Lenis is a Vice President at Chrysalix focused on investment thesis development, deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio management. She has more than 15 years of experience in industrial technology, including a role as Case Team Leader at Bain & Company in London and earlier operational and technical positions at a major Canadian marine shipping company. She holds an MBA and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, and is a Professional Engineer and Kauffman Fellow.

Chris Hartshorn is an Advisor at Chrysalix who focuses on mission-driven B2B startups across key economic sectors, currently serving as Commercial Advisor to NatureAlpha and Zeus AI. He was previously Founder and Partner at Level 11 Analytics and Chief Commercial Officer at risQ (both acquired by ICE Data Services in December 2021), where he built out fixed income analytics covering climate, carbon transition, and social impact data. Earlier roles include Chief Research Officer at Lux Research and Chief Technology Officer at New Zealand's government innovation agency, Callaghan Innovation.

Gina Andre is the Office Administrator and Executive Assistant at Chrysalix, working from the firm's Vancouver office. She supports the team on special projects and daily operations. Prior to Chrysalix, she spent over 14 years at a Canadian immigration law firm.

Horry Li handles accounting and financial operations at Chrysalix, collaborating with the CFO and external finance professionals. He has more than eight years of accounting experience, including four years in the investment fund and private equity industry at Nicola Wealth and Pinnacle Fund Services.

Jim Nyquist is an advisor at Chrysalix with a background in industrial software and digital transformation. He spent a 44-year career at Emerson's industrial automation business, holding executive roles across North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe, including Chairman of systems and software, President of the Americas, President of Europe, and President of Global Sales, before retiring in June 2021. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University.

Marieke Schoningh has served as a Chief Operating Officer and as an executive on several managing boards, including at SHV Energy and DSM. Her career has focused on companies with sustainable economic development strategies, spanning low-carbon and renewable energy solutions, sustainable production of antibiotics and statins, and life and material science. She has board and management experience in specialty chemicals and energy, with a focus on business scale-up and innovation.

Niccolò Moro is an Investment Analyst at Chrysalix Venture Capital with educational training in industrial chemistry and technology management. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Chemistry from Università degli studi di Milano, where he conducted research on sustainable zinc coating techniques for steel applications, and a Master's degree in Management of Technology from TU Delft. At Chrysalix, he evaluates investment opportunities and develops investment theses focused on sustainable innovation and high-growth companies.

Nicholas Andruschak is a Vice President at Chrysalix with over a decade of experience in early-stage product management, R&D, and commercializing sensing and automation technologies for resource-intensive heavy industries. He contributes to investment thesis development, deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio company management, focusing on investments that support automation, digitization, circularity, and decarbonization in resource-intensive industries. He holds an MBA and a BASc in Mechatronics Engineering from the University of British Columbia and an MASc in Mechatronics Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Stefan Heck is CEO of Nauto, an AI platform focused on safer and more efficient driving. He previously served as a consulting Professor at the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University and as a Director at McKinsey, where he co-founded the firm's Cleantech and Sustainability Transformations practice. He co-authored the book Resource Revolution.

Tracy Gundy serves as Research & Program Administrator at Chrysalix, where she coordinates internal and external research initiatives and manages select partner programs.

Wendy Lam has held operational and commercial leadership roles at industrial firms including Baker Hughes, Rolls-Royce, and GE. Her recent work has centered on helping clients develop emissions management and decarbonization strategies, with expertise spanning climate technology, methane baselining and abatement, technology commercialization, and procurement and supply chain optimization. She holds Mechanical and Industrial Engineering degrees from the Universities of Waterloo and Toronto and an MBA from INSEAD/Wharton.

Wendy Leong is the CFO at Chrysalix, which she joined in 2006, working with the investment team on valuation and finance matters and overseeing finance policy strategy, implementation, and compliance. She has nearly 25 years of experience in private equity investment management and financial reporting, and previously spent 10 years in the real estate investment advisory industry serving institutional clients. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia and is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.