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About Svante

We’re a purpose-driven, leading carbon capture and removal solutions provider. We make filters and modular rotary contactor machines that capture and remove CO2 from industrial emissions and the air.

Our Purpose

We will create world-changing solutions that address climate change and accelerate the global transition to carbon neutrality, reversing human impact on the climate.

Enabling a Net Zero Future

We empower heavy-emitting industries with scalable, environmentally responsible carbon capture & removal solutions
tailored to their unique needs.

Our Values

Welcome &
Include Everyone.

We embrace diversity in our teams. People with different skillsets, cultures, and experiences are included and welcome at Svante.

Work Together
Toward the Same Goal

We are a smart and collaborative team that is committed to make a difference in the world. We believe that the technologies we are developing will have a radical impact on climate change and benefit future generations.

Respect the Planet.​

We strive to live an environmentally sustainable lifestyle.

Take on Challenges & be Customer Centric.

We confront difficult facts head on, and have the passion, courage, and technical excellence to prevail and deliver innovative customer-centric solutions.

Be Safe.
Be Excellent.​

With safety foremost in mind, we strive for excellence in our people, products, and processes.

Be the Kind of Person
You Want to Work With.

We act with respect, honesty, and integrity at all times. These values extend to our community and value chain partnerships—all of which are integral to our success. We believe that enjoying the journey is an essential part of successfully achieving our goals.

Our Blueprint

We’re named after Svante Arrhenius, one of the first scientists to identify the correlation between increased CO2 in the atmosphere and the warming of the Earth’s surface.

  • Founded by four professionals from the gas purification and separation industry
  • Turned their expertise specifically towards the resolution of CO2 capture challenges
  • R&D facility opened in Vancouver, BC, Canada
  • First proprietary CO2 capture machine designed and built to capture half a ton of carbon per day
  • Signed R&D agreement with Suncor
  • Series A&B: Roda Group, Mitsui, Chevron and Chrysalix
  • Secured bench-scale demo project funding with Canada, Province of Alberta and UK
  • Nobel Laureate and former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu joins board
2007-2015
  • Signed agreement with Cenovus, formerly Husky Energy, for a 30 tonne per day pilot plant in Saskatchewan (SK), Canada
  • Appointed Claude Letourneau as President & CEO
  • Round B-II closed, led by Cenovus
  • Signed collaboration agreement with Total Energies and Holcim
2016-2018
  • World’s first 30 TPD CO2 capture plant comes online in SK, Canada
  • CO2MENT Pilot Plant Project at Lafarge Canada in Richmond, BC, Canada, capturing one tonne per day for its use in building materials
  • Listed on the 2019 Global Cleantech 100
  • Process demonstration unit commissioned at Total Energies’ R&D center in Pau, France
  • Completed Series C Funding led by OGCI Climate Investment
  • Rebranded from Inventys Inc. to Svante Inc.
  • Formed Cross Capture Venture (CCV) Partnership with Enbridge, Cross River Infrastructure Partners and OTS to develop industrial-scale CCS projects (CCV) in North America
2019
  • Launched study for carbon capture demonstration plant with Chevron Technology Ventures in Bakersfield, California
  • Signed Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Climeworks for Direct Air Capture application
  • Listed in the 2021 Cleantech Top 100
  • Launched commercial-scale pre-FEED study with LafargeHolcim, OLCV, and Total Energies for LafargeHolcim cement plant in Florence, CO, USA
  • Partnered with Kiewit Engineering to form the Kiewit Svante Industrial Alliance (KSI), to design and build industrial-scale carbon capture projects across North America
  • Partnered with Technip Energies to develop industrial scale carbon capture projects in Europe
  • Received $21.4 million in US federal funding for cost-shared R&D from the DOE-NETL
  • Publication in Science about Svante’s novel Metal Organic Framework (MOF) sorbent for carbon capture
  • Signed Joint Development Agreement with BASF for industrialization of MOF sorbent synthesis
  • Closed USD $100M in Series D equity financing led by Temasek, the largest private investment in point source carbon capture at the time
  • Received CDN$25 million investment from Government of Canada to support industrialization and commercialization
2020-2021
  • Launched construction of new world headquarters, The Centre of Excellence for Carbon Capture & Removal, in Burnaby, BC, Canada
  • Ranked 2nd among private companies in Corporate Knights’ Future 50 Fastest Growing Sustainable Companies in Canada
  • Chevron demo carbon capture plant launched in Bakersfield, CA, USA
  • Signed Commercial Agreement with BASF for large scale production of MOF sorbent materials
  • Closed US$318 million in Series E financing round, led by Chevron New Energies
2022 & Beyond
  • Listed in the 2021 Cleantech Top 100
  • Launched commercial-scale pre-FEED study with LafargeHolcim, OLCV, and Total Energies for LafargeHolcim cement plant in Florence, CO, USA
  • Partnered with Kiewit Engineering to form the Kiewit Svante Industrial Alliance (KSI), to design and build industrial-scale carbon capture projects across North America
  • Partnered with Technip Energies to develop industrial scale carbon capture projects in Europe
  • Received $21.4 million in US federal funding for cost-shared R&D from the DOE-NETL
  • Publication in Science about Svante’s novel Metal Organic Framework (MOF) sorbent for carbon capture
  • Signed Joint Development Agreement with BASF for industrialization of MOF sorbent synthesis
  • Closed USD $100M in Series D equity financing led by Temasek, the largest private investment in point source carbon capture at the time
  • Received CDN$25 million investment from Government of Canada to support industrialization and commercialization
2007-2015
  • Signed agreement with Cenovus, formerly Husky Energy, for a 30 tonne per day pilot plant in Saskatchewan (SK), Canada
  • Appointed Claude Letourneau as President & CEO
  • Round B-II closed, led by Cenovus
  • Signed collaboration agreement with Total Energies and Holcim
2016-2018
  • World’s first 30 TPD CO2 capture plant comes online in SK, Canada
  • CO2MENT Pilot Plant Project at Lafarge Canada in Richmond, BC, Canada, capturing one tonne per day for its use in building materials
  • Listed on the 2019 Global Cleantech 100
  • Process demonstration unit commissioned at Total Energies’ R&D center in Pau, France
  • Completed Series C Funding led by OGCI Climate Investment
  • Rebranded from Inventys Inc. to Svante Inc.
  • Formed Cross Capture Venture (CCV) Partnership with Enbridge, Cross River Infrastructure Partners and OTS to develop industrial-scale CCS projects (CCV) in North America
2019
  • Launched study for carbon capture demonstration plant with Chevron Technology Ventures in Bakersfield, California
  • Signed Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Climeworks for Direct Air Capture application
  • Listed in the 2021 Cleantech Top 100
  • Launched commercial-scale pre-FEED study with LafargeHolcim, OLCV, and Total Energies for LafargeHolcim cement plant in Florence, CO, USA
  • Partnered with Kiewit Engineering to form the Kiewit Svante Industrial Alliance (KSI), to design and build industrial-scale carbon capture projects across North America
  • Partnered with Technip Energies to develop industrial scale carbon capture projects in Europe
  • Received $21.4 million in US federal funding for cost-shared R&D from the DOE-NETL
  • Publication in Science about Svante’s novel Metal Organic Framework (MOF) sorbent for carbon capture
  • Signed Joint Development Agreement with BASF for industrialization of MOF sorbent synthesis
  • Closed USD $100M in Series D equity financing led by Temasek, the largest private investment in point source carbon capture at the time
  • Received CDN$25 million investment from Government of Canada to support industrialization and commercialization
2020-2021
  • Launched construction of new world headquarters, The Centre of Excellence for Carbon Capture & Removal, in Burnaby, BC, Canada
  • Ranked 2nd among private companies in Corporate Knights’ Future 50 Fastest Growing Sustainable Companies in Canada
  • Commissioning and start-up of Chevron Demo carbon capture plant in Bakersfield, CA, USA
  • Signed Commercial Agreement with BASF for large scale production of MOF sorbent materials
  • Closed USD $270M in Series E financing round, led by Chevron New Energies
2022 & Beyond

Our Leadership Team

Executive Team

Claude Letourneau

President & CEO

Matthew Stevenson

Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

Richard Laliberté

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Andrew McLeod

Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and General Counsel

Pierre Hovington

Senior Vice President, Research & Development

Brett Henkel

Senior Vice President, Business Development

Mark Claessen

Senior Vice President, Growth and Project Delivery

Karen Miller

Vice President, Finance & Internal Controls

Guy Pearson

Senior Vice President, Products

Tom Dielschneider

Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain

Kent Alekson

Vice President, Corporate Development

Mania Neisiani

Vice President, Project Engineering

Tyler Cheyne

Vice President, People & Culture

Sarah Pybus

Vice President, Legal in Corporate Services

Rajan Johal

Vice President, Product Delivery

Board Members

Dr. Steven Chu

Nobel Laureate and Former US Secretary of Energy

Steven Chu is currently the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University. He served as Secretary of Energy in the first Obama administration.

Steven Berkenfeld

Chairman

Steven Berkenfeld is the founder and principal of Ecotopia Consulting, recently retired as a Managing Director in Investment Banking at Barclays where he served as senior sponsor of the Environmental and Social Impact Banking Initiative.

Lisa Graves

General Manager, Competitive Performance, Manufacturing, Chevron

Lisa Graves has 30 years of experience with Chevron, with assignments of increasing responsibility and leadership in Strategy & Business Planning, Capital Projects, Process Engineering, and Operations.

Marc van den Berg ​

Global Managing Director, Climate Investment

Marc van den Berg is Global Managing Director in the Investment Team where he leads the firm’s venture capital investment program. Marc joined Climate Investment in 2022 and is a Board member for CI portfolio companies, 75F, Achates, Andium, Qnovo, Svante and a Board observer at Aeroseal.

Damien Vacherot

Director at Temasek International

Damien is a Director at Temasek responsible for investment activity in the Industrial and Energy sector, with a focus on the Clean Energy, Water and Waste sectors.

Roger Strauch

Chairman, The Roda Group

Roger Strauch is chairman of The Roda Group, an early stage venture capital group, based in Berkeley, California. Roger co-founded the firm with Dan Miller in 1997.

Scientific Advisors

P. Raman Narayanan

40 years global oil and downstream experience

Chemical Engineer by profession, with more than 40 years of global oil and downstream experience.​ He has proven track record in a variety of functions including technology development, GHG reduction, business/ project development, and process engineering. He is experienced in building relationships with government and NGOs on GHG policy, and also developing novel footprint reduction opportunities for the oil sands industry. During the past decade, Raman’s work has focused upon developing Quest CO₂ Capture and Sequestration Project for Shell Canada from concept to detailed engineering and funding by both Federal and Provincial governments, which is successfully in operation since 2015. Raman holds three patents, jointly with others and is a registered Professional Engineer in Alberta. He also co-authored an article about de-carbonizing the aviation system using bio-jet fuel in Canadian Biomass magazine, March/April 2018.

Dr. Bowie Keefer

Expert on advanced adsorption technology

Dr. Bowie Keefer is a multidisciplinary scientist and prolific inventor whose wide-ranging research projects have been concerned with clean energy, fluid separation and climate change mitigation themes. His pioneering work on process intensification led to breakthrough developments of structured adsorbents and novel applications for adsorption in fuel cell systems. He was the original founder and Chief Scientist of QuestAir Technologies. Dr Keefer graduated in Engineering Physics from the Royal Military College of Canada, and did his doctoral thesis in theoretical physics at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. George Shimizu

Professor, Department Of Chemistry, University of Calgary

Dr. Shimizu has been a professor with the University of Calgary’s department of chemistry since 1998. Prior to his time at the University of Calgary, he was an NSERC postdoctoral fellow at the University of Birmingham and a Research Associate at the Steacie Institute of the National Research Council.

He is a recipient of numerous awards such as the Strem/Canadian Society for Chemistry Award for Pure or Applied Inorganic Chemistry and Petro-Canada Young Innovator Award. Dr. Shimizu has given more than 90 invited, keynote and plenary talks nationally and internationally and has authored over 100 publications.

Dr. Abdelhamid Sayari

Professor,
University of Ottawa

Dr. Abdelhamid (Abdel) Sayari made outstanding contributions in porous materials, heterogeneous catalysis, and adsorption, with a particular focus on CO₂ capture​.

After receiving his PhD in Catalysis, Dr. Sayari conducted postdoctoral work at the University of Pittsburgh, before moving to the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa. In 1990, he became Professor of Chemical Engineering at Laval University in Quebec City, and in 2001, he joined the University of Ottawa as a Canada Research Chair with the mandate to establish the Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation. Dr. Sayari published more than 260 refereed papers, including 50 papers on CO₂ adsorption. He also published eight patents and seven book chapters, and co-edited four books on nanoporous materials. He has an H-index of 75 and well over 20,000 citations.

Svante
We’re a purpose-driven, leading carbon capture and removal solutions provider. We make filters & modular rotary contactor machines that capture and remove CO2 from industrial emissions and the air.
Svante
2024 Global Cleantech 100 Company
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“We have a strong technical team, experienced Board, collaborative partnerships, clear vision and the drive to help solve one of the greatest challenges the world faces today―climate change.”

Claude Letourneau

President & CEO

Claude Letourneau is an industrial projects veteran who brings to Svante a broad range of experience leading large world-class projects. His leadership style is underscored by effort, energy, and excitement – the 3Es of visionary thinkers. At ease bringing about change, Mr. Letourneau will leverage his 30 years’ experience in advanced technology development and commercialization to help steer the company to be a global leader in building a CO2 Marketplace.

Previously, Claude held senior management roles with Canam Group Inc., SNC-Lavalin Inc., and Kontron Embedded Computers AG. He also founded two technology companies, Vaperma, Inc. (membrane-based gas separation) and Avestor Inc. (thin-film lithium polymer battery).

These past experiences provide the necessary insight for the bilingual executive to forge new strategic alliances and partnerships with like-minded industry leaders and to guide the company’s scaling-up of the business with an aggressive time-to-market game plan.

Claude received a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Chemical Engineering from University Laval, Quebec.

“Addressing climate change while unlocking tremendous economic opportunity is a humbling challenge. I’m grateful to be part of such a talented team that has a chance to play a real role in a prosperous low carbon economy.”

Matthew Stevenson

Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

Matt brings a unique background in finance, energy, and technology to Svante, combining the skills of a strategic finance professional with the problem-solving approach of a chemical engineer and broad experience in the capital markets and the energy sector.

Matt is responsible for managing Svante’ strategic initiatives and fundraising efforts, striving to find the right partners and investors to continue to fuel the company’s path towards commercializing a breakthrough energy technology. Matt also oversees the finance operations, commercial and legal aspects of Svante’ business, ensuring the company is positioned to scale rapidly with best practices in place.

In his role, Matt leans heavily on past technical and corporate finance roles touching upstream and downstream oil and gas, oilfield services, energy infrastructure and utilities, as well as corporate development and capital project experience in the commodity chemicals and alternative fuels space.

His career began with early career technical roles in upstream oil and gas and process engineering, followed by equity research, corporate finance and M&A advisory roles with a multinational investment bank. Most recently, Mr. Stevenson was in corporate development with Methanex, one of the world’s largest producers of methanol— a commodity chemical and increasingly important alternative fuel.

Matt holds a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering as well as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) professional designation.

"The carbon capture, utilization and storage industry is exponentially growing, and I couldn’t be more confident in my decision to join Svante in leading this space."

Richard Laliberté

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Richard oversees Svante’s global product and process development as well as manufacturing operations for our carbon capture filters and rotary contactor adsorption machines. He is accountable for the business’s operational readiness and for structuring our global supply chain and manufacturing teams, putting the right people and tools in place to produce enough filters and contactors to capture millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year across hundreds of large-scale carbon capture and storage projects. Richard is also responsible for all new Svante manufacturing facilities.

An industrial veteran, Laliberté brings Svante a unique blend of experience in leading novel product and process development in solid state lithium polymer batteries, complex powertrain electrification, and large structural steel fabrication for bridges from the prototype stage through to industrial scale, based on Industry 4.0 principles.

“The time is now to be boldly implementing leading edge technology to transform the impact of climate change on our planet. It is an honour to be a part of the Svante carbon capture solution.”

Andrew McLeod

Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and General Counsel

Andrew practices in the area of corporate law with a focus on Canadian, cross-border and international mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. He represents a number of publicly traded and private companies in financing, M&A, negotiation of commercial agreements, and ongoing governance and disclosure matters. He has advised boards of directors, special committees, investment bankers; private equity, venture capital and alternative investment funds.

“I am proud to be a part of Svante. We work with world-class experts to bring nanomaterials to the forefront of the carbon capture industry. Being a part of commercialization in this space and helping fight climate change is a dream come true.”

Pierre Hovington

Senior Vice President Research & Development

Pierre is responsible for the strategy, planning, direction, and execution of all R&D activities for structured adsorbents at Svante. Dr. Hovington joined Svante in 2017 to set-up a microstructure characterization laboratory for sorbent nano-materials. He was also instrumental in scaling up the manufacturing process to make structured adsorbent beds (filters) to supply our 30 tonnes per day demonstration plant at Husky. Pierre is a world-expert in characterization and post-mortem analysis of metallic lithium polymer and lithium-ion batteries for electric and hybrid vehicle applications.

Pierre has earned a BASc degree in engineering physics from Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal and a PhD from University of Sherbrooke and University of Tennessee where he works at Oak Ridge National Lab to develop a Monte Carlo expert program for the simulation of electrons in mater. He is the co-author of more than 10 patents, has published over 130 papers in peer review journal, and was invited speakers in several conferences.

“It is empowering to know, given my Alberta heritage, our technology can change the climate impacts of the Alberta oil sands regions and generate significant additional economic benefits.”

Brett Henkel

Senior Vice President, Business Development

Brett Henkel’s unabashed optimism tempered by his mechanical engineering background and gas separation experience combine to bring a rare perspective to his position on Svante’s executive team.

Transferring the company’s breakthrough CO2 capture technology to customers’ sites will rely heavily on Brett’s strengths for identifying and understanding the technical and business details and relating those details to partners’ teams, approving agencies, and stakeholders.

As co-founder, he was instrumental in creating the process and the hardware used to prove the technology’s effectiveness as well as mobilizing external support throughout the path to becoming a successful innovation. These experiences strengthened his knowledge of business development and program management priorities.

Prior to launching Svante, Mr. Henkel was the program manager for QuestAir Technologies’ compact hydrogen production system with its partner, ExxonMobil. He is credited with designing the world’s first solenoid-driven rapid pressure swing adsorption test station.

Brett received his Bachelor of Science in Physics, with distinction, and a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Victoria.

Mark Claessen

Senior Vice President Growth and Project Delivery

Mark is responsible for project delivery and sales execution within Svante, which includes the cooperation with strategic licensing partners. With over two decades of experience in project development and strategic B2B engagements, Mark is a versatile leader with a deep specialization in the clean energy sector, particularly in carbon capture and storage. Mark’s track record spans the globe, working in diverse business landscapes across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East. Whether steering initiatives for scale-ups (for instance, Cansolv and Svante) or orchestrating success within multinational corporations (such as Shell, BASF, Voith), Mark brings a proven ability to drive innovation and deliver impactful results. Mark has extensive experience in carbon capture and storage projects including the Boundary Dam Carbon Capture Project, Peterhead CCS, and the Test Centre Mongstad.

“When you have a technology so unique that it could contribute to a healthier planet, closely managing the use of corporate financial resources to ensure this can happen is crucial.”

Karen Miller, CPA, CGA

Vice President, Finance and Internal Controls

Karen Miller leads Svante’s financial reporting, accounting, tax reporting, and treasury functions, among others. As part of the senior management team, Karen supports the Board of Directors in the development and execution of the overall corporate financial strategy.

She held senior management roles with The Rick Hansen Foundation, Spectrum Signal Processing, and QuestAir Technologies. As Interim CFO of QuestAir, Karen contributed to the completion of the merger between QuestAir and Xebec Adsorption. As Controller, she contributed to QuestAir’s initial public offering, the first company to list on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Alternative Investment Market, a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange.

Karen holds the following professional designations: Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) & Certified General Accountant (CGA).

“I am excited to be part of a team developing technology that captures carbon from industrial sources and leaves it safely under ground where it belongs. Being able to help make an immediate positive contribution to solving the growing climate emergency is very rewarding.”

Guy Pearson

Senior Vice President Products

Guy is a highly experienced manufacturing and engineering leader. Starting his career in automotive design and engineering with companies such as Jaguar and Land Rover, Guy has enjoyed a career of helping teams in the UK and Canada grow in capability to successfully develop new products and new manufacturing processes in multiple industries.

As a Lean Manufacturing champion, Guy has a track record of nurturing team engagement and instilling the Lean principles of respect, waste reduction and continuous improvement resulting in a track record of performance and profitability optimization.

Guy holds a diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Royal Leamington Spa College.

"The time is now to be boldly implementing leading edge technology to transform the impact of climate change on our planet. It is an honour to be a part of the Svante carbon capture solution."

Tom Dielschneider

Senior Vice President Global Supply Chain

Tom leads the Global Supply Chain function at Svante. He is charged with building a network of strategic partners to deliver our carbon capture vision.

After a career in management consulting with a specialization in Distribution and Logistics, Tom held senior Supply Chain leadership roles in the fuel cell industry, advanced hybrid vehicles, and industrial distribution. His work experience spans Canada, the US, Europe and Asia.

Tom received a Bachelor of Science degree with High Honours in Physics, and a Master of Science degree in Nuclear Physics, both from the University of Saskatchewan. He received an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Tom holds a Certified Management Consultant designation, a Certificate in Production and Inventory Management, and is a designated Supply Chain Management Professional.

"Working to develop and scale an agile enterprise capable of advancing leading-edge carbon capture technologies and making a meaningful difference toward reversing global climate change is highly motivating."

Kent Alekson

Vice President, Corporate Development

 Kent is responsible for corporate development and strategic planning at Svante, working closely with other members of the senior management team to set the strategic direction of the company and execute transformational corporate projects, transactions, and other priority initiatives critical to the successful scale-up of the business.

After beginning his career in international management consulting focused on business process transformation, Mr. Alekson shifted to corporate finance, initially working with a leading Canadian investment bank on capital raising and M&A advisory mandates across several industries. Prior to joining Svante, Kent spent 14 years with a major international maritime shipping company in core roles focused on corporate development, capital raising, treasury and investor relations and leading cross-functional teams to deliver strategic corporate initiatives.

Kent holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from York University in Toronto and undergraduate degree in Bio-Resource Engineering from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

"It is very exciting to be part of a talented and highly motivated team for rapid deployment and commercialization of Svante’s carbon capture technologies and play a pivotal role in combating climate change effectively and economically"

Mania Neisiani

Vice President, Project Engineer​ing

Mania has almost 19 years in plant design and operation, 10 of these dedicated specifically to Carbon Capture. Her career started in biomass gasification industry before taking a strong focus on Carbon Capture and hydrogen production. Mania designed, commissioned and operated commercial scale post combustion liquid amine plant while applying and translating operational data and learning from 10-100 TPD.

She led all commercial plant process-related deliverables of the licensing technology package for the capture plant including process development, design, commissioning, testing & optimization of carbon capture gas processing plants for various industrial applications.

Mania joined Svante in 2021 and transitioned to solid sorbent-based CO2 Capture projects, where she has been responsible for leading and strengthening the Plant Process group to provide in-house designs for scoping studies, FEED for large applications, and product development projects.

Mania’s background in Chemical/Process Engineering, as well as commercialization of other CO2 capture technologies, commissioning & operation aids with the direction of the skilled Process Team.
Mania holds a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering as well as an MBA.

“Every day I get to work with talented people who care about sustainability, and tackle one of the largest challenges of our generation – to reverse human impact on the climate.”

Tyler Cheyne

Director, People & Culture

Tyler is responsible for People and Culture (HR) at Svante. He guides Svante’s People Roadmap to deliver business success and leads a team who creates an enriching employee experience for all Svante employees.  

He is an experienced People and Culture Leader, who has worked in high-tech, software, biotechnology, construction, and engineering sectors, as well as executive search. Tyler partners with organizations to scale-up in high growth, while supporting people to reach their potential. 

Tyler earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the Sauder School of Business. He is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources, Senior Certified Professional in the Society for Human Resources Management, certified in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators, and is a ProSci Certified Change Practitioner. 

"It's exciting to be part of the talented and committed Svante team in our journey to develop a technology and products that will help the world reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere."

Sarah Pybus

VP Legal in Corporate Services

Sarah Pybus is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer, advising public and private companies on transactional matters as well as corporate governance, compliance and risk. Prior to joining Svante, Sarah held in-house positions in the maritime, energy and financial services sectors. Most recently, Sarah was Associate General Counsel, Compliance Officer and Secretary of Atlas Corp., a global asset management company with portfolio companies in international maritime shipping and mobile power generation. Prior to going in-house, Sarah practiced law at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP in the Securities practice group where she gained extensive experience representing companies with mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and governance. Sarah was called to the Alberta bar in 2006 and the BC bar in 2007, and is designated as a Certified In-House Counsel – Canada by the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association and the Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto). Sarah earned her law degree at the University of Alberta.

"It's exciting to be part of the talented and committed Svante team in our journey to develop a technology and products that will help the world reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere."

Rajan Johal

Vice President, Product Delivery

Rajan has 35 years of experience in roles related to research, engineering, project management and operations.  He brings to Svante a deep knowledge of a number of industries – pulp and paper, oil and gas, hydrogen fuel cells and hybrid/electric vehicles.  He has managed a broad range of development programs, from small to large, and simple to complex. His operations experience has included responsibility for facilities management, supply chain, and manufacturing. 

At Svante he manages the projects within our Operations groups of Research & Development, Product Engineering, Supply Chain and Manufacturing to develop and deliver Svante’s core products: our carbon capture filters and rotary contactor machines for point-source emissions and direct air capture markets. 

Rajan is a registered Professional Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the University of British Columbia. 

Dr. Steven Chu

Nobel Laureate and Former US Secretary of Energy

Steven Chu is currently the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University. He served as Secretary of Energy in the first Obama administration.

Before serving as Energy Secretary, Dr. Chu was Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Chu won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 for “development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light.”

Steven Berkenfeld

Chairman

Steven Berkenfeld is the founder and principal of Ecotopia Consulting, recently retired as a Managing Director in Investment Banking at Barclays where he served as senior sponsor of the Environmental and Social Impact Banking Initiative, was co-head of the firm’s Cleantech Initiative, and led the banking effort for Emerging Industrial Technology companies Former chair of the board of the Sierra Club Foundation, and sponsor and board member of several projects and organizations focused on social impact and sustainability.

Lisa Graves

General Manager, Competitive Performance, Manufacturing, Chevron

Lisa Graves has 30 years of experience with Chevron, with assignments of increasing responsibility and leadership in Strategy & Business Planning, Capital Projects, Process Engineering, and Operations.  Lisa has worked at Chevron’s refineries in El Segundo, CA and Pascagoula, MS and is currently in a Manufacturing Headquarters position located in San Ramon.  She started her career as a Process Engineer in Pascagoula upon completion of her B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Alabama.  Lisa is currently the General Manager, Competitive Performance for Manufacturing.  Responsibilities of the organization include business and capital planning; competitive performance; benchmarking; profit and continuous improvement; project opportunity development and early process design; project management of $75 MM+ capital projects; and cost engineering and project services, across all of Manufacturing. 

Lisa was recognized as the Chevron Diversity & Inclusion Advocate of the Year with the inaugural award in 2020.  She initiated and led development of a Manufacturing Functional Leadership Team to focus on People & Culture initiatives and is the sponsor of the team.

Marc Van Den Berg

Global Managing Director, Climate Investment

Marc van den Berg is Global Managing Director in the Investment Team where he leads the firm’s venture capital investment program. Marc joined Climate Investment in 2022 and is a Board member for CI portfolio companies, 75F, Achates, Andium, Qnovo, Svante and a Board observer at Aeroseal. Over his extensive venture capital investing career, Marc has held investment roles at 40 North Ventures, DBL Partners and VantagePoint Venture Partners through the past two decades. In those roles, Marc focused on energy, energy efficiency and industrial investing in support of sustainability initiatives. Prior to his venture capital career Marc spent 25 years in both venture-backed startups and multi-national public companies in Silicon Valley and abroad. Marc is based in San Francisco.

Damien Vacherot

Vice President at Temasek International

Damien is a Director at Temasek responsible for investment activity in the Industrial and Energy sector, with a focus on the Clean Energy, Water and Waste sectors.

Prior to joining Temasek, Damien worked as an investment banker with Bank of America Merrill Lynch in London.

Damien holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Colgate University.

Roger Strauch

Chairman, The Roda Group

Roger Strauch is chairman of The Roda Group, an early stage venture capital group, based in Berkeley, California. Roger co-founded the firm with Dan Miller in 1997.

The firm is focused on investment opportunities that address the consequences of climate change, stress on the Earth’s natural resources and the increased demand for low carbon energy. The Roda Group is lead or co-lead investors in: mOasis, Svante, Gridtential Energy, Inc., which has developed an advanced lead acid battery that incorporates semiconductor wafers inside the battery to greatly increase performance in energy storage applications; and Axine Water Technologies, which has developed a low cost and chemical-free solution for treating industrial wastewater.