Imagine H2O - About

Team | Advisors | Volunteers

Management

	Tamin Pechet, Chairman Tamin serves as Chairman of Imagine H2O. He is the CEO of Banyan Water (www.banyanwater.com), helping wastewater utilities improve collection and distribution to save money and the environment. Tamin also serves on the Board of Directors of Lux Research (www.luxresearchinc.com), a leading provider of research and analytics on water and other clean technology markets. He is a frequent speaker on water business opportunities. Previously, Tamin was a Principal at Catamount Ventures (www.catamountventures.com), a $215 million venture capital firm, where he invested in and supported the growth of portfolio companies in water, energy, and the environment. Before joining Catamount, Tamin was a principal investor at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he co-founded and managed Goldman Sachs E&P Capital to invest in private energy companies, overseeing growth to over $200 million in capital invested. Tamin also served on the founding team of Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group, a $1 billion middle-market lending business. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Tamin held a business development position with Launch Media through its acquisition by Yahoo! Tamin holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB with honors from Harvard University.
	Scott Bryan, Director of Operations. Scott joined Imagine H2O from Royal Bank of Canada where he served as a Financial Consultant specializing in sustainable investment strategies for foundations and private investors. Prior to RBC, Scott was a Social Investment Analyst at Piper Jaffray where he assessed environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in the investment process. Scott originally became involved in Imagine H2O as a volunteer via his membership in Full Circle Fund's Energy and Environment Circle. Scott currently serves on the board of Vida Verde Nature Education in Half Moon Bay. He has a BA in Economics from the Colorado College.
	Matt Evans, Co-Founder Matt is a Principal at Salmon River Capital, a NY growth equity firm. Prior to joining Salmon River Capital, he was with Merrill Lynch in its investment banking division's financial institutions group and subsequently in its corporate strategy group. He has also held various operating roles, including at General Mills in its marketing division, and at New Leaders for New Schools, leading its national expansion initiatives. He received an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a BA from Amherst College.
	Brian Matthay, Program Manager Brian is a Vice President in Wells Fargo's Environmental Finance Group where he specializes in renewable energy investments and the development of environmental finance products. Previously, as Project Director for the Global Environment Technology Foundation (GETF), he developed public-private water partnerships including a $20mm water partnership with Coca-Cola and USAID operating in 21 countries. Brian holds an AB with honors from Harvard and a MS in Resource Economics from the University of California Davis.

Advisors

	Paul Jansen, Advisory Board Paul Jansen is the Director of Knowledge for the Social Sector Practice at McKinsey & Co. He is recognized as a world leader in prize design and non-profit strategy. Paul holds an BS in chemical engineering from University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard.
	John Schroeder, Advisory Board John is President of Graver Technologies. John was President and founder of HydroGlobe, a startup technology water treatment company specializing in adsorbents for heavy metal removal including arsenic. Previously, he was Executive Vice President of Environmental Products and Services for Sybron Chemicals, a specialty chemical manufacturer of products including ion exchange resins and specialty biochemicals. John received a B.E. in Engineering, M.E. in Chemical Engineering, and M.M.S. in Management Science from Stevens Institute of Technology.
	Fred Wang, Advisory Board Fred is a General Partner at Trinity Ventures, and has over 13 years of experience in venture capital. Prior to joining Trinity Ventures in 1999, he was a partner at Spectrum Equity Investors, making investments in infrastructure companies. Previously, Fred worked at The Boston Consulting Group working with clients such as Pacific Gas & Electric, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), AT&T, and Apple Computer. Before BCG, Fred held operating positions in the New Technologies Group at Pacific Bell and at Intuit. Fred is a board member of Western Association of Venture Capital (WAVC), an advisor to the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), and is actively involved with the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Northern California and the Stanford University Campaign for Undergraduate Education.
	Rengarajan Ramesh, Advisory Board Ramesh is Chief Architect - Strategy and Innovation at Angstroms. He is the fomer Advanced Programs Leader for GE Water & Process Technologies. He was responsible for driving the efforts related to external partnerships, funding, and licensing technologies. Ramesh joined GE Water & Process Technologies in 2003 as General Manager for Global Technology. He is an executive board member of the NCFSD at the University of Minnesota, a DHS Center for Food Safety & Defense, IAP member for the ministry of Environment and Water, a member of the Water Policy Institute, and a member of the OECD committee on nanotechnology. He obtained an MS and PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Akron, Ohio, which awarded him the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award.
	Rebeca Hwang, Advisory Board Rebeca is a leader in prize strategy and operations as well as clean technology entrepreneurship. She manages network strategy and development for Younoodle, Inc., providing an online platform for prize competitions. She is a former lead organizer and current advisor to the Business Association for Stanford Entrepreneurial Students (BASES). Rebeca co-founded the Clean Tech Open Competition and has served as their Judging Chair and member of the Board of Directors since its creation. She is also a Senior Advisor for the MIT 100K Clean Energy Prize. Rebeca's PhD research at Stanford University focuses on integrating institutional approaches and entrepreneurial principles to increase the efficiency and improve distributional effect of water management in Latin America. Rebeca holds a BSc and MEng from MIT and is on a leave of absence from her last year of PhD from Stanford University.
	André Perold, Advisory Board André is the George Gund Professor of Finance and Banking at the Harvard Business School. A member of the faculty since 1979, he has served as the Senior Associate Dean: Director of Faculty Recruiting, Chair of the Finance Faculty, Director of Research, and Coursehead of Finance 1. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; and his Masters and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University. André’s research is focused on asset allocation policies of endowments, pension funds, and individuals; the structure and evolution of the investment management industry; and management of risk and implementation costs within investment organizations. He has authored numerous articles and case studies, and he is co-author of two books, The Global Financial System: A Functional Perspective and Cases in Financial Engineering: Studies of Applied Financial Innovation. André teaches courses in investment management and capital markets in the MBA program, and he also teaches in executive education programs, including the HBS/CFA Institute Investment Management Workshop which he has chaired since 1989. He has received numerous awards for teaching excellence, and he was voted the School's most outstanding professor in a 1994 Business Week student survey. André is a founder and Chair of the Investment Committee of HighVista Strategies. HighVista specializes in endowment management for institutions and individuals, and offers a fund that is broadly diversified across marketable asset classes and difficult-to-access hedge funds and private investments. André has been a consultant to a number of financial institutions and investment firms, and he has served as a director, trustee and advisory board member of a variety of investment and other organizations. He is presently a director of The Vanguard Group, Rand Merchant Bank, and Unx. He serves on the advisory boards of FIA Timber Partners, The Rock Creek Group, and RRE Ventures. André is also on the editorial board of the Financial Analysts Journal.
	Mike Reardon, Advisory Board Mike has over 26 years of experience as an operating executive, leading growth plans and turnarounds. He is an independent consultant and private investor in a number of start-ups and private equity ventures. He is an active member of the Irish Angels network, which is affiliated with the University of Notre Dame, and he serves on the Board of Directors of Miox Corp., a venture-backed water purification company. Previously, he served as President and COO of Culligan International, the leading company in the global consumer and commercial water business. Mike was a co-founding senior executive and a member of the board of directors of USFilter, a NYSE company that grew during his tenure from a small $17 million company to the Fortune 300 with over $5.5 billion in revenues. USFilter led the consolidation of the global water and wastewater industry by acquiring and integrating over 200 companies in nine years, before it was acquired by Vivendi in 1999. Mike received his Business degree from California State Polytechnic University and is a graduate of the Kellogg Management Institute at Northwestern University. He began his business career with Arthur Andersen in Los Angeles.
	Mark Silverman, Advisory Board Mark is a Managing Director at Catamount Ventures. He plays an integral role in the building and managing of current portfolio companies, seeking new investments, and continuing to provide significant returns to limited partners. Mark serves on a number of boards including Bocada, DriverSide, Ecohaus, Grid Net, Keibi, Nest Naturals and Verdiem. For nearly 18 years prior to joining the Catamount team, Mark was immersed in advising, founding, building and financing early stage companies. Most recently, Mark co-founded and served as President and CEO of Bocada, Inc., an enterprise storage software company. Prior to Bocada, Mark was Vice President, Business Development and Heath Services and General Counsel for drugstore.com where he was responsible for building key relationships with ecommerce and healthcare industry leaders, as well as for managing the company’s pharmacy, health services and legal operations. Prior to drugstore.com, Mark was a Partner at Venture Law Group in Menlo Park, CA. In addition to providing legal and business services for dozens of start-ups, Mark was one of three partners who lead Venture Law Group’s successful venture capital investing practice. Prior to Venture Law Group, Mark practiced law for several years at Davis, Polk & Wardwell in New York, New York. Silverman holds a J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles and a B.A. in History from the University of California at Berkeley.
	David Henderson, Advisory Board David draws on his extensive investment and business development experience to help portfolio companies achieve their strategic and financial goals. His extensive international business dealings in Europe and Asia have helped XPV portfolio companies successfully completing valuable M&A transactions and strategic partnerships. With his broad industry knowledge and networks he supports his companies through the complexities of building a successful global enterprise. Before founding XPV Capital Corporation, David was one of the first employees of the private merchant bank Kinghaven Capital Corporation (now VRG Capital). At Kinghaven, he led or was involved in over 20 fundraising, M&A, and direct investment transactions. As the Vice President of Finance at GENSEL Biotechnologies, a Kinghaven Capital portfolio company, he helped the company raise multiple rounds of financings and enter into strategic partnerships with three leading multi-nationals. David is an Advisor for the US Strategic Water Initiative and Imagine H2O, has been published in several leading water magazines, and is a frequent speaker on the topic of water investing. He is a Director of Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship and is a founding member of the National Angel Capital Organization. David was educated at Ryerson University’s School of Business where he specialized in the Enterprise Development program, and was awarded the Ryerson Centre for Entrepreneurship Education & Research Award.
	Tom Pokorsky, Advisory Board Tom is President & CEO of Aquarius Technologies Inc. He has over 30 years experience in the water and wastewater treatment industry. In his current role, he has been given the responsibility of taking a breakthrough technology in the wastewater treatment field to establish and develop a business to become a significant global player in the industry. In Tom’s previous position as president of ITT Industries Advanced Water Treatment division, he was responsible for leading the transition of a small North American wastewater treatment equipment company to a global leader in water and wastewater treatment solutions. After selling his $40million business to ITT, he led that group’s growth organically and by a series of acquisitions to become a $340 million division in 2005. Over the last 20 years, Tom has personally led at least ten M & A transactions in the water industry. These ranged from just a few million dollars in size to hundreds of millions each. They also ranged from privately held companies to divisions of major corporations and even full publicly traded companies. Tom attended Marquette University and received a degree in Civil Engineering. He is active in the industry and a member of many organizations including Water Environment Federation, Water & Wastewater Equipment Manufactures Assn.(past chairman), American Waterworks Assn. and Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Assn. He has also given many presentations to industry groups as well as financial groups.
	Volunteer Leadership
	Imagine H2O's volunteer community is one of our greatest resources. Organized into "circles," our volunteers contribute expertise and time to making our core programming a success. Our volunteer team is is led by the following Circle Leaders:
	Prize Platform Kate Gasner, Imagine H2O Fellow Incubator Program Harsha Prahlad, Circle Leader Lang McHardy, Circle Leader Business Development James Dyett, Circle Leader Braden Penhoet, Circle Leader Operations John Collins, Circle Leader Full Circle Fund Meera Balakumar, Full Circle Fund Partnership Leader