Michelle Chao
InvestorFounderInvestor at Clean Energy Venture · Cofounder at Phoenix Tailings
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
FoundedPhoenix Tailings
Find your path to Michelle
706 people in our graph share verified history with Michelle — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Alex FinkelsteinunlockedMichelle: together at Techstars (2020)
×9Michelle: together at Techstars
Michelle: together at Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship
Michelle: together at Plug and Play Ventures
About
Operator in critical materials and industrial technologies; co-founder and former COO of Phoenix Tailings.
Cofounder at Phoenix Tailings
Intro paths
→
In turn, Michelle can intro founders to Phoenix Tailings's investors below.
Phoenix Tailings's investors · 16
Bantam GroupWestwood · since 2021BMW i VenturesMountain View · $10M checks · since 2021CoalitionCambridge · since 2021Geodesic CapitalFoster City · since 2021Golden Gate VenturesSingapore · $473K – $60M checks · since 2024MPowersince 2021NomuraNew York · since 2026Olive Tree CapitalBoston · since 2021One Way VenturesNew York · $500K – $1.5M checks · since 2021Plug and Play VenturesSunnyvale · $50K – $12M checks · since 2021Plum Alley InvestmentsNew York · $500K – $1.5M checks · since 2021Presidio VenturesSilicon Valley · $500K – $5M checks · since 2021Republic VenturesNew York · since 2021TechstarsBoulder · $220K checks · since 2021Toba CapitalIrvine · $1M – $10M checks · since 2021Yamaha Motor VenturesPalo Alto · $1M – $3M checks · since 2021
Co-founders at Phoenix Tailings
TV
Thomas VillalónChief Technology Officer & Co-Founder
AB
Anthony BalladonChief Commercial Officer & Co-Founder
NM
Nicholas MyersFounder
NM
Nick MyersChief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Experience
- Self-employedIndependent Advisorcurrent2025 — present
- Phoenix TailingsAdvisor2025 — 2026
- Phoenix TailingsCo-Founder & COO2020 — 2025Burlington, Massachusetts, United States
- MarkforgedTechnical Product Manager2019Watertown, Massachusetts, United States
- MarkforgedMaterials Engineer2017 — 2019Watertown, Massachusetts, United States
- Martin Trust Center for MIT EntrepreneurshipProtoworks Guardian2016 — 2017
- Voxel8: 3D Printing Electronics (Now Kornit Digital)Materials Intern2015Somerville Ma
Skills & more
Product ManagementResearch and Development (R&D)2
Languages Chinese · English
From Michelle's professional profile.
Colleagues at Clean Energy Venture
Adam De Sola Pool
Investor at Clean Energy Venture
Amy Davidsen
Investor at Clean Energy Venture
Andrew Linford
Director at Clean Energy Venture
Anne Slaughter Andrew
Investor at Clean Energy Venture
Bengt Karlsson
Investor at Clean Energy Venture
Benjamin Singh
Director at Clean Energy Venture
Bob Place
Investor at Clean Energy Venture
Cara Tobin
Investor at Clean Energy Venture
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Michelle Chao?
- Operator in critical materials and industrial technologies; co-founder and former COO of Phoenix Tailings.
- Where does Michelle Chao work?
- Michelle Chao is Cofounder of Phoenix Tailings and at Clean Energy Venture.
- What companies did Michelle Chao found?
- Michelle Chao founded Phoenix Tailings.
- Where did Michelle Chao go to school?
- Michelle Chao studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Bachelor's Degree, Materials Science and Engineering).
Founder mafias
Techstars mafia2,005
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Brad FeldCo-founderFounded TechstarsGleb ChuvpiloTechstars Boston Accelerator 2014Founded Thor Directed Energy +6David CummingsTechstars Boulder Accelerator 2012Founded Undaunted +6Jagmeet LambaEntrepreneurshipFounded Certa +3Ben LammMentor & InvestorFounded Breaking +3T.J. ParkerTechstars Boston Accelerator 2013Founded Tjparker +2
+ 1,998 more
Massachusetts Institute of Technology mafia1,220
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Elad GilPhDFounded Brain Co. +1Hemant TanejaM.Eng.Founded Hippocratic AINat FriedmanBachelor of ScienceFounded XamarinBrad FeldS.B.Founded TechstarsMatt HuangB.S.Founded Paradigm +1Delian AsparouhovDropoutFounded Nightingale +1
+ 1,213 more
Plug and Play Ventures mafia134
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Arvind JainPlug and PlayFounded Glean +2Tim HwangPlug and PlayFounded Fiscalnote +4Mike SigalPlug and PlayFounded Fanvestor +2Rikard SteiberPlug and PlayFounded GoodTrust +2Sebastian FischmeisterPlug and PlayFounded Labforge Inc +2Jonathan ChenPlug and PlayFounded Fiscalnote +2
+ 127 more
Clean Energy Venture mafia5
Also came through, then founded or led a company.
Same school
Also attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology2,000
Fred WilsonCo-founder & Partner at Union Square VenturesElad GilSolo general partner investing through Gil CapitalAileen LeeFounder & Managing Partner of Cowboy VenturesHemant TanejaCEO & Managing Director of General CatalystPhilippe LaffontFounder & CIO of Coatue ManagementNat FriedmanCo-lead of Meta Superintelligence Labs; co-founder of NFDG
+ 1,994 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Phoenix Tailings11
Avantika DaingFounding Partner at Plum Alley InvestmentsKasper SageManaging Partner at BMW i VenturesScott WalbrunPrincipal at BMW i VenturesNichola EliovitsManaging Partner at Olive Tree CapitalIgor BuchatskiyVenture Partner at TA VenturesGabriel ReynaManaging Partner at Bandera Capital
.png)
+ 5 more
Also worked at Markforged8
Aaron VanDevenderAdvisor at Long Journey VenturesLak AnanthGlobal Managing Partner at Next47Emily YuSenior Associate at Boost VCAntonio RodriguezPartner at Matrix PartnersRob KuoManager at SDCL Green Energy Solutions EuropeGus TaiGeneral Partner at Trinity Ventures
+ 2 more
Also worked at Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship23
Scott MaxwellInvestor at OpenView Venture PartnersRhie LimPartner, Global Strategy at One Way VenturesMichal Gilon-YanaiPartner at Two Lanterns Venture PartnersElaine ChenAdvisor at Cybernetix VenturesGleb ChuvpiloManaging Partner at Thundermark CapitalWill SanchezVenture Partner at Thundermark Capital
.webp)
+ 17 more