Russell Sprole
Supporting Early Stage Climate Tech Companies
United States
Overview
Work Experience
Founder and Managing Partner
2022 - Current
Virta Ventures is an early stage fund and syndicate backing entrepreneurs and companies building sustainable businesses that deliver positive social and environmental benefits. We leverage our deep operating experience to support founding teams in getting from zero to one.
Virta Ventures invests in companies enabling the rapid decarbonization of energy, mobility, agriculture and the built environment.
VC Fellow
2022
YC for emerging VC managers. Run by Winter Mead who wrote the book: “How to Raise a Venture Capital Fund”.
Investor
2021
FOG Ventures was created to invest and support innovative founders that are helping create toolbox 2.0 for the modern day operator. We’re backed by the world's top COOs & CFOs at tech’s most prominent startups. We do not just invest in what we believe in — as active operators, we’re investing in products we actually love and use. Send amazing teams/products our way: www.fog.ventures / deals@fog.ventures
Angel Investor & Advisor
2015
Early stage investments focused on climate tech. Investments include: -Convex -HyPoint (Advisor) -FarmTogether -Omnidian -Peerspace -Cantos Fund II and III (Fund Investment) ...and many more...
Member, SF Circle Lead
2018
Operators Guild is an independent group of operations leaders at (mostly) tech companies. Scaling a company is hard. We are working together to share best practices, help one another solve similar problems, and invest in the operator community. We meet and email regularly to support each other with advice as we create the next generation of technology companies and company leaders.
Operators Guild is a safe space for exclusive talent to conjure, question, and create.
Advisor
2022 - 2023
CFO
2018 - 2022
Full Harvest is a B2B marketplace for ugly and surplus produce that helps reduce food waste.
Raised $39,500,000.00 from Rabobank Food & Agri Innovation Fund, Japan Airlines (JAL), Portfolia, Doon Capital, Citi Impact Fund, Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, TELUS Ventures, Spark Capital, Stardust capital and Radicle Growth.
Co-Founder and Investor
2021 - 2023
Co-Founded angel investing syndicate of experienced executives across multiple climate tech sectors. Leveraging our capabilities and networks, we have formed CTO with the aim of being the only investment group funded exclusively by climate industry operators and formed for the purpose of providing a unique value proposition to investors and founders alike.
Syndicate Lead and Investor
2021 - 2023
Amritam Holdings is a new type of investment firm, formed in 2021 by friends and colleagues to collaborate on investments in top quality, early-stage companies scaling commercial solutions to acute environmental challenges.
amritam holdings provides seed funding in initial stage for Food, Agriculture, Energy, Consumer Products, Commodities, Finance.
VP Business Development and Business Operations
2017 - 2018
Business Development and Operations Executive at REPOWER, a residential solar software and franchise business acquired by Soligent in early 2018. REPOWER was a startup in the Bay Area, with backing from RockPort Capital.
Soligent is a renewables & environment company providing solar energy system modules, inverters, and components.
VP, Strategy and Product
2015 - 2017
Led strategy and product for Admirals Bank, focusing on solar and home improvement lending. Admirals Bank is backed by General Catalyst.