Houston Energy + Climate Startup Week

Brad Burke is the Associate Vice President for Industry and New Ventures at the Office of Innovation. He supports new technologies created by Rice faculty, students and alumni. In addition to supporting Rice-affiliated technology company growth, Burke leads the strategy and development of new and existing corporate collaborations, community partnerships and marketing strategy for the Office of Innovation. His responsibilities extend to the Ion, driving programming to enhance its position as a premier hub for startup activity in Houston.

Brad, as the Executive Director, has led the Rice Alliance since 2001. During that time, Rice’s graduate entrepreneurship program has achieved the #1 ranking in the U.S. (having been previously unranked). The Rice Alliance’s Rice Business Plan Competition has become the world’s largest and richest student startup competition in the world. Previously, Brad founded and managed the Houston office of Viant Corporation, a premier internet consulting firm, that went public via IPO in 1999, before being acquired in 2002. Prior to Viant, Brad was a Principal with CSC Index, the former management consulting division of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). Before CSC, Brad held executive management positions with Exxon. He received his M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management as an Austin Scholar and his B.S. from Vanderbilt University.

As Executive Director at Halliburton Labs, Scott drives engagement across startup ecosystem stakeholders with a particular focus on investors. Part of the founding team of Halliburton Labs, he collaborates to sustain an action-focused community for climate founders around the world. Scott was recognized in 2022 with Hart Energy’s Forty Under 40. Scott serves on the Advisory Board for both the Energy Workforce and Technology Council and the Rice Business Alumni Association Board. He also serves on the Energy Advisory Board for the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator. He joined Halliburton in 2014 where he managed multiple strategic efforts taking new technologies from ideation to commercial success at scale.

Scott holds a chemical engineering degree from Brigham Young University and is a graduate of Rice Business where he founded the Jones Student Association for Executives and was recognized with the Jones Citizen Award. He is a professional voice actor and film investor. He co-hosts the Owl Have You Know and Curiosity podcasts. He actively supports dozens of startup organizations as an angel investor and advisor.

Dale helps accelerate the growth of innovative, early-stage energy and climate tech companies using Halliburton’s facilities, experienced practitioners, and business network. As Managing Director, Dale has leadership responsibility for Halliburton Labs. Dale is a member of the Halliburton Labs Advisory Board, and is passionate about our mission to advance the future of energy faster. Dale most recently served as vice president for Halliburton’s specialty chemicals business. Dale joined Halliburton in 2014, after several years at a leading global chemicals and materials science company.

Dale holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Timmeko Moore Love leads Greentown Houston as Greentown Labs’ first-ever Houston General Manager and Senior Vice President. She previously served as the first Black woman in the Fortune 500 to lead a venture capital program and was named to the 2020 Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist while at Entergy Corporation, an energy utility. Ms. Love holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, a master’s in Engineering Physics from Cornell University, and joint bachelor’s degrees in physics from Dartmouth College and Florida A&M University.

As Senior VP, Energy Transition and Executive Director of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, Jane leads the Partnership’s efforts to leverage Houston’s energy leadership to accelerate global solutions for an energy-abundant, low-carbon future. She leads a coalition of industry, academic, and community partners to ensure the long-term economic competitiveness and advancement of the Houston region towards a more sustainable energy future.

Prior to joining the Partnership, Jane spent over two decades at bp, where she held roles in marketing, corporate finance, governance, and compliance. Among her many accomplishments, she developed and delivered the 2019 National Petroleum Council study on carbon capture, use and storage in coordination with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Jane serves on the Board of Directors of BCarbon and is a contributing faculty member at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Energy Center and Business School. She is a member of the Regional Advisory Board for the Energy Industries Council and the Advisory Board of the Houston Chapter of WRISE – Women of Renewable Industries & Sustainable Energy. Jane holds a BA in Political Science from University of Maryland, Baltimore and an MBA from Loyola University.

Bobby Tudor is the founder and CEO of Artemis Energy Partners, an Investing and Advisory platform focused on companies involved in the Global Energy Markets. Tudor is currently the Chairman of the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, which is a consortium of Houston’s leading energy companies working to shape the region’s Energy Transition Strategy.

Tudor is also a Retired Founder and CEO of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. TPH is a leading Energy Investment Bank formed in 2007 with over 100 employees in five offices in the US, Canada and UK. It is widely recognized for its industry leading position in Energy securities research and Energy investment banking advisory transactions. TPH merged with Perella Weinberg Partners in 2016.

Prior to forming TPH, Tudor was a Partner at Goldman Sachs and a leader of its worldwide Energy practice. Over his 30-plus year career in Investment Banking, he has worked on many of the defining transactions of the period, across most energy subsectors and geographies.

Tudor is on the Board of Directors of Puloli, Inc., an early-stage methane detection and measurement company, as well as New ASEAN Energy, a US based company involved in Petrochemicals business in Asia.

Tudor is the Past Chair of the Greater Houston Partnership and of the Rice University Board of Trustees. He serves on the Board of Advisors for Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, the National Petroleum Council, the Jones School of Business at Rice, the Carbon Neutral Coalition, and the National Advisory Board for the Tulane Center for Energy Law. Mr. Tudor also serves on the Board of Directors of the Houston Symphony, Good Reason Houston, and the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors.

Tudor holds a BA in English and Legal Studies from Rice University, and a JD from Tulane Law School. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award for the World Oil Council and the Gold Medal for Lifetime Service to Rice University.

Tudor lives in Houston with his wife, Phoebe. They have three children, Caroline, Margaret, and Harry. The Tudors are passionate supporters of the Arts, Public Education, Social Services, and Public Parks.

Trevor Best is the CEO and Co-Founder of Syzygy Plasmonics. Syzygy is pioneering industrial reactor cells designed to produce chemicals at lower cost and with fewer carbon emissions. Their reactions are driven by light rather than combustion, enabling a substantially more efficient process. Reactor cells have passed qualification testing and Syzygy is actively engaging customers for commercial installations of ammonia e-cracking systems for hydrogen production, and of CO2-to-Fuels systems for reforming carbon dioxide into fuel.

Before starting Syzygy, Trevor worked for the oilfield services company Baker Hughes. There he held a variety of management positions and gained expertise in technology development, project and personnel management, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance. He is originally from Midland Texas and is a graduate of Texas Tech University.

Moji is a natural resource entrepreneur and a technology futurist. As the CEO of Cemvita, he leads a team of scientists and engineers that are creating radical solutions to reduce the carbon and environmental footprint of industries such as energy, chemicals, and mining. From converting waste to valuable fuels, to subsurface biomanufacturing of natural hydrogen, and using microorganisms to effectively extract lithium and copper from low-grade ore. Fueled by curiosity and optimism, Moji’s mission is to create the natural resource industry of the future. His vision is to help create a future where waste products and ready-to-retire infrastructure can be reimagined as the foundational drivers of economic growth and energy independence.

Collin started his career in energy right out of high school, roughnecking on oil rigs in West Texas, then moved on to managing operations on offshore drillships in the Gulf of Mexico and rigs in the Arctic Circle. Today, he’s the co-founder and CEO of Digital Wildcatters, a community for the next generation of energy professionals. DW produces events, podcasts, and technology that enable professionals to keep up with the latest trends, build their networks, and advance their careers in energy.

Janice is the CEO and Co-Founder of Kanin Energy, a company developing projects that convert industrial waste heat into clean baseload power.

Prior to Kanin, Janice was an early employee and Director at Generate Capital, a project finance investment firm that focuses on investing in renewable energy projects. There she built North America’s largest portfolio on anaerobic digestions assets. Her role spanned across deal execution, origination, market development and asset management. Prior to Generate Capital, Janice worked at NRG, one of America’s largest power producers. Janice was integral in the implementation of their renewable microgrids business line. Janice is also the co-founder of Student Energy, a non-profit which is today’s largest global charity dedicated to educating and uniting post-secondary students on energy issues.

Janice is a licensed Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) in Canada. She holds a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from Columbia University in New York, where she received an Earth Institute Fellowship. Janice also has a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Saskatchewan, and double majored with a BA in Philosophy and BComm in Accounting from the University of Calgary.

Gaurab is the co-founder and CEO of Solugen. As a physician-scientist, Gaurab took an oath to first do no harm—and for him, that goes beyond patients or medicine. So in 2016, he started Solugen to decarbonize the chemicals industry, one of the most damaging for people and the Earth. Gaurab believes in using biology in unconventional ways to solve incredibly complex problems and has built a world-class team to join him on the journey. Gaurab studied computational neuroscience at Brown University and received his MD & PhD in cancer biology and enzymology at the University of Texas. He is the author or co-author of more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and patents and a Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee in Industry and Manufacturing and a EY Entrepreneur of the Year national awardee. 

Brad Rossacci is creative director at Accenture, where he’s worked since 2018. He also co-founded and co-hosts the Curiosity Podcast. A Texas A&M University alumnus and self-proclaimed “rebellious optimist,” Rossacci is passionate about Houston and innovation.

Maynard Holt is the founder & CEO of Veriten. Built off the momentum created by the “Close of Business Tuesday” podcast, Veriten is an energy-focused knowledge platform that brings diverse perspectives to the energy transition discussion, improving the ability of industry leaders, policy makers, and investors to make investment and strategic choices. Maynard previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. from 2016 to 2021 and has over 27 years of experience in energy investment banking and strategic advice. A co-founder of TPH, Maynard functioned as Co-President from 2007 to 2016 and prior to joining TPH, Maynard worked at Goldman Sachs & Co. At Goldman from 1994 to 2007, Maynard worked in Leveraged / Structured Finance and was last a Managing Director in and Energy & Power / Natural Resources.

Maynard launched Veriten to convene the brightest minds in and around energy in a civil, inclusive, and intellectually honest discussion to address the most pressing topics across the space. Like too many of us, he passionately believes there are better ways forward in energy and he wants to find them. Maynard is an avid classic Jeep collector and dedicated patron and supporter of youth sports and holds a BA in Economics and Russian from Rice University and a Master’s in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.