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Clea Kolster

Partner and Head of Science at Lowercarbon Capital

San Francisco, California

Overview 

Clea Kolster is currently a Partner and Head of Science at Lowercarbon Capital in San Francisco, California. With a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London, Clea has made significant contributions in the fields of ClimateTech/CleanTech and EnergyTech, investing in companies like Dioxycle and Uncommon at various stages of their growth.

Work Experience 

  • Partner and Head of Science

    2021 - Current

  • Director of Science

    2020

Lowercarbon Capital funds research and invests in technologies that reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.

  • Climate Tech Founding Fellow

    2021 - 2021

On Deck is a community platform designed to develop different ideas and build companies.

Raised $20,000,000.00 from Pioneer Fund.

  • Fellow

    2020 - 2020

Clean Energy Leadership Institute is a non-profit dedicated to preparing young professionals for careers in clean energy.

  • Consultant

    2018 - 2020

    Managed and led technical analysis for multiple cross-functional projects at a time in resource planning, climate policy design, asset valuation and economy-wide decarbonization pathways for state agencies, utilities, asset owners and NGOs.

  • Data Analyst

    2018 - 2018

    Developed economic, environmental and health impact assessments for PayGo Energy's clean cooking solution; conducted customer behaviour analysis using data analytics.

  • Ph.D. Researcher

    2014 - 2018

    Developed novel techno-economic and process models, frameworks, tools and solutions for evaluating and reducing the cost and uncertainty of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a key technology for climate change mitigation, directed at private sector investors and policymakers.

  • Summer Associate

    2017 - 2017

    Led capacity expansion modeling for a Fortune 200 company to evaluate the potential of a $240M Utah-based compressed air energy storage project; updated Hawaii's resource planning modelling which ultimately led to more stringent clean energy targets.

  • Private Equity Summer Analyst

    2017 - 2017

    Conducted an in-depth market analysis of existing venture capital investments in Africa, identified a gap in the market which led to the opening of a $168M Pan African venture fund: the “Cathay Africinvest Innovation” Fund.

  • Researcher

    2016 - 2017

    Developed an open-source iterative investment model (MIICE) that assesses the economic role of using carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery in enabling large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) deployment. Was part of the Brandt group on Environmental Assessment and Optimization in Stanford's Energy Resources Engineering Department.

  • Research Analyst

    2013 - 2013

    Developed a system used to quantify Ozone Depleting Substances in a hazardous waste stream going into a large national High-Incineration plant in order to meet international compliance on CFCs. Set out the plant’s necessary qualitative and quantitative investments, amounting to over £50,000.

Articles About Clea

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