Clay Dumas
InvestorFounding Partner at Lowercarbon Capital · General Partner at Lowercase Capital · General Partner at LOWERCARBON · Board director at Antora Energy · Board director at Zap Energy · +1 more
Venice, CA
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545 people in our graph share verified history with Clay — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Crystal HuangunlockedClay: together at Harvard University (2007–2011)
×10Clay: together at Harvard University
Clay: together at Obama for America
About
Clay Dumas is a founding partner at Lowercarbon Capital, where he focuses on backing climate technology companies working to reduce global warming. He is also a partner at Lowercase Capital, managing relationships with technology and consumer startups and advising founders on product, fundraising, messaging, and policy. Before venture investing, he held roles on President Obama's reelection campaign and at the White House, including work with the Office of Digital Strategy, and graduated with honors from Harvard College in philosophy and economics.
Invests in
CleantechClimate TechConsumerDeep TechEnergyHardwareRobotics
Beyond investing
- Education
- Studied at Harvard College (philosophy and economics, 2011)
- Boards
- Dumas serves on the Legal Services Corporation's Emerging Leaders Council.
- Charities
- Dumas advises climate nonprofits such as Silver Lining, which works to avert dangerous climate tipping points. Dumas has advised The Bail Project in its efforts to end cash bail and build a more humane pre-trial system.
- Communities
- Dumas was an officer of the Harvard Crimson's editorial staff during his time at Harvard.
- Hobbies
- Dumas enjoys running outside, chocolate croissants, and the Showtime era of LA Lakers basketball.
- Family
- Dumas lives in Venice, CA with his wife Sarah and their three children.
- More
- In 2008 Dumas drove 2,411 miles from Van Nuys, California to Ashtabula, Ohio to run a field office for the Obama campaign. Dumas wrote a Harvard thesis on the intellectual underpinnings of consumer borrowing.
From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.
Board director at Antora Energy
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Antora Energy's investors · 21
7percent VenturesLondon · $250K – $2M checksBHP Venturessince 2024BlackRockWilmington · since 2024Breakthrough Energy VenturesBoston · $500K – $50M checks · since 2026Congruent VenturesSan Francisco · $100K – $5M checksCreative Destruction Lab (CDL)Toronto · $50K – $250K checksEclipsePalo Alto · since 2026Eclipse VenturesPalo Alto · $200K – $5M checks · since 2026Energy Impact PartnersNew York · $5M – $20M checks · since 2025Fifty YearsSan Francisco · $250K – $2M checksG2 Venture PartnersPortola Valley · $15M – $25M checks · since 2026GS FuturesSeoul · since 2024ISVWest Palm BeachKleiner PerkinsMenlo Park · $500K – $15M checks · since 2026Loup VenturesMinneapolisLOWERCARBONJackson · $1M – $50M checks · since 2022Lowercarbon CapitalLos Angeles · $100K – $5M checks · since 2025Overture ClimateSanta Monica · $1M – $3M checks · since 2024TemasekSingapore · since 2024The Westly GroupMenlo Park · $500K – $15M checksTrust VenturesAustin · since 2024
Co-founders at Antora Energy
AP
Andrew PonecChief Executive Officer, co-founder
DB
David Bierman, Ph.D.Chief Commercial Officer, co-founder
JB
Justin Briggs, Ph.D.Chief Operating Officer, co-founder
Board director at Zap Energy
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In turn, Clay can intro founders to Zap Energy's investors below.
Zap Energy's investors · 8
AdditionNew York · $1M – $500M checksBreakthrough Energy VenturesBoston · $500K – $50M checksDCVC (Data Collective)Palo Alto · $5M – $25M checksEmerson Collective InvestingPalo Alto · $100K – $1M checksEnergy Impact PartnersNew York · $5M – $20M checksLeitmotifPalo AltoLOWERCARBONJackson · $1M – $50M checks · since 2022Lowercarbon CapitalLos Angeles · $100K – $5M checks · since 2024
Co-founders at Zap Energy
BC
Benjamin ConwayExecutive Officer, Director
US
Uri ShumlakDirector
BN
Brian NelsonExecutive Officer, Director
BC
Benj ConwayFounder
Board director at Lilac Solutions
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In turn, Clay can intro founders to Lilac Solutions's investors below.
Lilac Solutions's investors · 16
Azolla VenturesCambridgeBMW i VenturesMountain View · $10M checksBreakthrough Energy VenturesBoston · $500K – $50M checks · since 2026Department of EnergyWashington · since 2017Earthshot VenturesSydney · $100K – $5M checksEmerson Collective InvestingPalo Alto · $100K – $1M checksLowercarbon CapitalLos Angeles · $100K – $5M checks · since 2026Mercuriasince 2024Mount Wilson VenturesPasadenaPrelude VenturesSan Francisco · $100K – $5M checksPresidio VenturesSilicon Valley · $500K – $5M checksPrime Impact FundCambridge · $1M – $4M checksT. Rowe PriceBaltimore · since 2024The Engine VenturesCambridgeTribeca Early Stage PartnersNew York · $1M – $2M checksValor Equity PartnersChicago · since 2021
Co-founders at Lilac Solutions
DS
David SnydackerPresident & Chief Technology Officer
Experience
- Lowercarbon CapitalGeneral Partnercurrent2018 — presentLos Angeles, California, United States
- Lowercase CapitalGeneral Partnercurrent2017 — presentLos Angeles
- Pramana CollectiveEIR2017San Francisco Bay Area
- White House Office of Digital StrategyChief of Staff and Senior Advisor2015 — 2017Washington D.C.
- White House, Office of the Chief of StaffSpecial Assistant2013 — 2015Washington, DC
- Presidential Inaugural CommitteeSpecial Assistant to the Executive Director2012 — 2013Washington, DC
- Obama for AmericaSpecial Assistant to the Deputy Campaign Manager2011 — 2012Chicago
Skills & more
Research3Social Media4Financial Modeling3Strategic Planning1Strategy1Public Speaking1Entrepreneurship2
From Clay's professional profile.
Deals · 1
SolugenQuoted
via Lowercarbon Capital · filed Sep 2021
Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.
Other disclosed investments
Led
MobilizeSwayableSwing Left
Board seats
Investor
Airloom EnergyEpoch BiodesignFloodbaseFuse EnergyGenominesKula BioPledgeSafiSolarSquare EnergySublime SystemsZap Energy
Sources: the firm's website · curated public sources.
Colleagues at Lowercarbon Capital
Alexandra Frumar
General Counsel at Lowercarbon
Amber Love Westphal
Office Manager & Executive Assistant at Lowercarbon
Caie Kelley
General Partner at Lowercarbon
Chris Sacca
Investor, advisor, entrepreneur, and political activist — Chairman of Lowercase Capital and founder of Lowercarbon Capital
Christian Bjelland
Head of Capital Formation at Lowercarbon
Crystal Sacca
Author, venture investor, changemaker, creative director, designer, and artist
Dr. Scott C. Hsu
Fusion Partner at Lowercarbon
Duncan Carlson
Principal at Lowercarbon
Network10
Lee FixelScout
Founder of Addition
Alex HofmannScout
Investor at Decart
Chris SaccaScout
Investor, advisor, entrepreneur, and political activist — Chairman of Lowercase Capital and founder of Lowercarbon Capital
Crystal SaccaScout
Author, venture investor, changemaker, creative director, designer, and artist
Daniel WaterhouseScout
Partner at Balderton Capital
Alex Laplaza
Venture Partner at Steel Atlas
Christina Chang
Partner at LOWERCARBON
Clea Kolster
Partner at LOWERCARBON
Duncan Carlson
Principal at Lowercarbon
Eric Helfgott
Principal at Lowercarbon
Investors connected to Clay in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Clay Dumas?
- Clay Dumas is a founding partner at Lowercarbon Capital, where he focuses on backing climate technology companies working to reduce global warming. He is also a partner at Lowercase Capital, managing relationships with technology and consumer startups and advising founders on product, fundraising, messaging, and policy. Before venture investing, he held roles on President Obama's reelection campaign and at the White House, including work with the Office of Digital Strategy, and graduated with honors from Harvard College in philosophy and economics.
- Where does Clay Dumas work?
- Clay Dumas is Founding Partner at Lowercarbon Capital and Board director at Antora Energy and Board director at Zap Energy and Board director at Lilac Solutions.
- What does Clay Dumas invest in?
- Clay Dumas invests in Cleantech, Climate Tech, Consumer, Deep Tech, Energy, Hardware, Robotics.
- What boards does Clay Dumas sit on?
- Clay Dumas holds tracked board seats at Tala.
- What companies has Clay Dumas invested in?
- Investments tracked here include Mobilize, Swayable, Swing Left, Airloom Energy, Epoch Biodesign, Floodbase, Fuse Energy, Genomines, Kula Bio, Pledge, Safi, SolarSquare Energy, and 2 more.
- Where did Clay Dumas go to school?
- Clay Dumas studied at Harvard University (Bachelor’s Degree, Social Studies).
- Does Clay Dumas lead rounds?
- Yes — Clay Dumas has led 3 tracked investments.
Same school
Also attended Harvard University2,000
Ron ConwayFounder of SV AngelAlfred LinPartner at Sequoia CapitalChris DixonFounder & Managing Partner of a16z crypto at Andreessen HorowitzSarah TavelVenture Partner at BenchmarkDanny RimerPartner at Index VenturesLaela SturdyManaging Partner at CapitalG
+ 1,994 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Pramana Collective1
Also worked at Presidential Inaugural Committee4
Also worked at Obama for America60
Laurence PevsnerPartner, Research at Lux CapitalLuc Ryan-SchreiberPrincipal at AlleyCorpTommy StadlenCo-Founder and General Partner at Giant Ventures Global LlpBetsy HooverFounder and Managing Partner at Higher Ground LabsOla JewusiakVP of Marketing at Jump CapitalBrandon HurlbutCo-Founder at Overture Climate
+ 54 more