Element 8 benefits from the insights and industry knowledge of a very distinguished Advisory Council.
We deeply appreciate the guidance provided by:
NANCY FLOYD, NTH Power
Nancy Floyd is the founder and managing director of venture capital firm Nth Power. Nth Power is the first and one of the most experienced venture capital firms funding startup companies in the growing sector of energy technology, materials and other related businesses.
She has led a number of the firm’s investments including Silicon Energy, Northern Power, Smartsynch, Serveron, SpectraSensors and Propel Biofuels. In addition to these Boards, Nancy currently sits on the Boards of ACORE (American Council on Renewable Energy) and the Center for Resource Solutions.
Nancy has been an advisor to the National Renewable Energy Lab, was a board member of Sustainable Asset Management in Zurich, Switzerland, and is an active member of E2. Nancy also helped organize the Northwest Business Leaders for Clean Energy.
NED HARVEY, Rocky Mountain Institute
Ned Harvey is a Managing Director at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) responsible for leading its Carbon War Room Business unit.
RMI, an independent, non-partisan nonprofit, encourages market-based solutions using rigorous research and analysis. Carbon War Room (CWR), with offices in, Colorado, New York City, Washington D.C., and Beijing, accelerates the adoption of business solutions that reduce carbon emissions at gigaton scale. They engage businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs to cost-effectively reduce carbon emissions and shift to efficiency and renewables.
Ned’s 11+ year tenure at RMI leverages his twenty years of diverse business leadership experience; Ned founded and led several Renewable Energy Development companies and served as an executive for a global consultancy. He currently serves on the board of the Colorado Clean Tech Industry Association.
ROSS MACFARLANE, Climate Solutions Board
Ross brings more than 30 years of experience and insights working on public policy, environmental, and transportation issues.
Ross continues to serve on the Board on Climate Solutions after many years in his role for them as a Senior Advisor. Climate Solutions, a Northwest based non-profit whose mission is to accelerate practical and profitable solutions to global warming, where he is active in promoting strong climate and energy policy on both a state and federal level.
Ross managed Climate Solutions’ Business Partnership Program, which helps build support in the region’s corporate community for strong climate and energy policy and encourages private investment in solutions. He also led Climate Solutions’ Sustainable Advanced Fuels Program, which is accelerating the adoption of low-carbon alternatives to petroleum fuels in transportation.
Ross was selected by business and community leaders as a ‘Pivotal Leader’ in driving the region’s clean energy economy. A former partner at Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates), Ross was recognized as a ‘Superlawyer’ in the areas of Environmental, Transportation and Public law.
RON PERNICK, Cleanedge
Ron Pernick, co-founder and managing director of Clean Edge, is an accomplished market research, publishing, and business development entrepreneur with more than two decades of high-tech experience.
He is also the co-author of the highly acclaimed book Clean Tech Nation: How the U.S. Can Lead in the New Global Economy (Harper Collins, 2012). At Clean Edge he has co-authored more than two dozen reports on emerging clean technologies and has worked with a range of clients including multinationals, start-ups, government agencies, and investors.
Ron oversees many of Clean Edge’s strategic initiatives including the co-production of the annual Clean-Tech Investor Summit, the creation and management of the NASDAQ® Clean Edge® stock indices, and the development of the U.S. Clean Energy Leadership Index.
KIKI TIDWELL, Impact Investor & Kauffman Fellow
Kiki is a known and respected cleantech impact investor, at both the angel and venture fund levels, who serves on many portfolio company boards and advisory boards. An early enthusiast in angel crowdfunding platforms, Kiki encouraged E8's foray into offering syndication of some of our deals.
Kiki was an active member of E8, then known as Northwest Energy Angels, from 2007-2013 and served on our Board for two years. In 2012, she completed a two year Kauffman Fellows venture capital training program, during which she undertook a field research project on the intersection of foundation impact investing and venture capital.
Kiki is President and founder of the Tidwell Idaho Foundation, a small family foundation which has made numerous carbon-reduction mission investments. Kiki felt Idaho could experience tremendous rural economic revitalization through the development of its renewable energy resources; her advocacy in this area resulted in winning the first-ever successful carbon reduction shareholder initiative with the IdaCorp utility.
Kiki has a long history of philanthropic endeavors which benefit children and families in both Seattle and Idaho.
KIRK WASHINGTON, Corporate Investor & Commercialization Strategy
Kirk Washington is Group Vice President of Sacre-Davey, Vice President Corporate Development a SDE3 Engineering (a Sacre-Davey Company), and Principal at Washington Associates.
Kirk is a board member of several energy technology companies, an advisor to W-Fund and CoMotion Innovation Fund at the University of Washington, and to OregonBEST that facilitates sustainable technology commercialization at Oregon’s research universities.
He was a co-founder and spent 15 years as General Partner of Yaletown Venture Partners where he led the firm’s investments in 6N Silicon (acquired by Silicor), Microstaq (acquired by Zhejiang DunAn), EnerG2 (acquired by BASF), and Cooledge Lighting among others.
Prior to Yaletown, he spent 13 years at energy technology pioneer Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ:BLDP) where he led the development of stationary powerplants and advanced vehicle propulsion systems, before going on to lead corporate development. Kirk is a mechanical engineer and holds 13 patents for his work in energy technology.
ROB WILTBANK, Expert on Angel Investing and Entrepreneurial Strategy
Rob is widely recognized as a world expert in angel investing performance and entrepreneurial strategy. He received the prestigious 2013 Hans Severiens Award, honoring individuals whose actions demonstrate leadership in advancing the role of angel investing in expanding entrepreneurship and the angel investment industry as a whole.
Rob was a noted professor and researcher at Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management, where he ran the Willamette Angel Fund and entrepreneurship courses.
He is the past Vice Chair of Research at The Angel Resource Institute at Willamette University (ARI), which publishes the Halo Report research series highlighting angel investment activity and trends in North America.
Rob is co-author of Effectual Entrepreneurship and of The Catalyst: How You Can Become an Extraordinary Growth Leader selected by Business Week as one of 2009’s best books on innovation.
Rob is currently the CEO of Galois, which develops software for intelligence, biotechnology and aerospace uses.