CHICAGO – August 3, 2022 – Evergreen Climate Innovations (formerly Clean Energy Trust), a climate technology investor and catalyst, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kishore Rao to its board of directors.
Rao’s broad investment, portfolio management, and ESG experience will support Evergreen’s mission of providing catalytic capital and support to impactful, innovative climate technology startups.
“We are eager to welcome Kishore to our board of directors and grateful that he has chosen to share his investment and industry experience to further our investment acumen and to support our mission to expand the climate tech innovation ecosystem in the Greater Midwest,” said Erik Birkerts, Chief Executive Officer of Evergreen Climate Innovations.
Rao is a principal, analyst, and portfolio manager at Sustainable Growth Advisers (SGA), a client-centric, entrepreneurial investment management firm. He has over 20 years of investment management experience including as a member of SGA’s investment committee and as co-manager of its emerging markets growth, global mid-cap growth, and U.S. large-cap growth portfolios. He was previously a member of the investment team at Trident Capital, founder and general manager of the Street Events division of CCBN (acquired by Thomson Reuters), and an Investment Analyst at Tiger Management and Wellington Management. Rao earned his B.S. in industrial management from Carnegie Mellon University and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
With the addition of Rao, the Evergreen Climate Innovations board expands to eleven members. Current governing board members include: Buoyant Ventures Managing Director Amy Francetic (Chair), Exposition Ventures Managing Director Karen Kerr (Treasurer), Builders Private Capital and S2G Ventures Chief Investment Officer Sanjeev Krishnan, Harwich Partners Founder and Principal Dr. Cheryl Martin, XL Fleet Vice President and General Manager Colleen Calhoun, Invenergy Vice President of Strategy Maggie Pakula, Investor and filmmaker Andrew Schwertfeger, Agentis Energy CEO and Chairman Tim Stojka, Jenner & Block Partner Thomas S. O’Neill, Energy Capital Ventures Founding Partner Jeffrey Yingling, and Sustainable Growth Advisers Principal Kishore Rao. Evergreen co-founders Michael Polsky, President and CEO of Invenergy, and Nick Pritzker, Co-Founder of Tao Capital Partners, have served as chairs emeriti since October 2020.
About Evergreen Climate Innovations
Evergreen Climate Innovations, formerly Clean Energy Trust, provides catalytic capital and support to entrepreneurs and startups that bring impactful climate technologies to market. The nonprofit pioneered its 501vc® Investment Fund to align philanthropic and corporate contributions to deliver environmental, economic, and social impact. Evergreen advances and expands access to innovation across the Greater Midwest and cultivates an ecosystem of investors, donors, and collaborators. For over a decade, Evergreen Climate Innovations has invested in startups that have raised $41 for every $1 invested. Learn more at evergreeninno.org
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Media Contact
Amy Yanow Fairbanks, Senior Communications & Marketing Manager
Evergreen Climate Innovations
amy@evergreeninno.com