Energy Capital Ventures

An experienced operator with over three decades of investment banking experience in energy utility and adjacent industries; currently serves on the board of NorthWestern Corporation.

Jeff Yingling is a General Partner at Energy Capital Ventures with more than 35 years in investment banking focused on the energy and utility sectors. He previously served as a Senior Advisor to Guggenheim Securities, as Managing Director and Head of Midwest Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan, and as a Managing Director in Morgan Stanley's Power & Utilities Group. He holds a degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Brings over 30 years of international investment banking experience, providing strategic capital raising and derivative products to energy and regulated/unregulated industries.

Raymond O'Connor is a General Partner of Energy Capital Ventures with over 35 years of investment banking experience. He is also a Managing Director and equity shareholder at Samuel A. Ramirez & Co., where he provides investment banking, capital markets, and strategic advisory services to energy and utility companies as well as select large-cap technology and industrial firms. He previously held investment banking and derivative trading roles at JP Morgan and Bank of America, and holds a BA in economics from Boston College and an MBA from Northwestern University.

A thought leader in strategic venture investments with over 25 years in private equity and investment banking; serves as Chairperson of the ECV Investment Committee with expertise spanning insurtech and M&A.

Richard "Rick" Viton is an investor at IA Capital Group, which he joined in 2008 after roughly a decade advising the firm and its portfolio companies, and where he now focuses on the insurance industry and sits on the investment committee. His earlier career was in financial services as a senior investment banker, including roles as Managing Director in the FIG group at Credit Suisse (2005-2007) and UBS (1997-2005), where he completed over 150 financing and M&A transactions totaling more than $60 billion. He has advised many of the largest US and global insurers, including MetLife, Prudential, Nationwide, The Hartford and SwissRe. Alongside IA Capital, he is a Partner at Energy Capital Ventures and an investment banker at Ramirez & Co. He holds a Master of Management from the Kellogg School of Management and a BA in Economics from Northwestern University.

A tenured venture capitalist with decades of experience building and running strategic venture programs and a top-decile track record, having facilitated over $750M in venture and M&A transactions across energy, fintech, insurtech, and enterprise tech.

A tenured venture capitalist with 15+ years of experience building and running strategic venture capital programs, Vic has facilitated over $750M in venture capital and M&A transactions across energy, fintech, insurtech, and enterprise technology.

Daniel Pfeil has supported and advised over 50 founders working in AI, climate, and deeptech, drawing on a background in Mechanical Engineering to help PhD-led teams commercialize research. He has run accelerator programs and worked with national labs, corporates, and universities to advance the commercialization of frontier technologies.

Has backed and advised more than 50 founders across AI, climate, and deeptech, using a mechanical engineering background to help PhD-led teams commercialize frontier research; has led accelerator programs with national labs, corporates, and universities.

Jack Smith is an MBA Associate at Energy Capital Ventures, which he joined in July 2024, supporting fund operations, sourcing emerging technologies, and evaluating investments across the energy value chain. He previously worked at NRG Energy as a Rotational Associate focused on corporate partnerships, product innovation, and go-to-market strategy, later becoming an Energy Trader handling wholesale market risk, due diligence, and forecasting. He holds an Economics degree from Kalamazoo College and is pursuing an MBA at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

Katie Dabbar is a Cornell University graduate with a degree in Food Science, a concentration in Business, and a minor in Business. She works in food science research and innovation.

Provides technical support with over a decade of energy engineering and consulting experience with utilities, having advised commercial and university venture funds; holds degrees in engineering and management.

Stefano Galiasso is a Vice President at Energy Capital Ventures, where he develops investment theses and executes deal-flow. He has more than a decade of experience in energy engineering and utilities, including data analytics consulting and energy efficiency program implementation, and previously served as deal flow lead at New Stack Ventures, an Associate at the University of Chicago's G.Schultz Innovation Fund, and a Principal at the Energy Resources Center. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and MS and BS engineering degrees from the Politecnico di Torino in Italy.