Seattle-based corporate strategy and climate investing company, Earth Finance, announced on Wednesday its acquisition of Molecule, a climate advocacy firm also based in Seattle. Timothy Zenk, the founder and principal of Molecule, will be joining Earth Finance as the managing director and leader of its renewable fuels and public policy teams.
Prior to founding Molecule, Zenk worked as a business development strategist at Phytelligence, a now-closed Seattle startup that developed a novel method for growing fruit trees rapidly. He also served as the executive vice president at Algenol Biofuels, leading business development partnerships in countries such as the U.S., China, and India. Furthermore, Zenk held senior positions at Sapphire Energy, a Bill Gates-backed company focused on renewable crude oil production from algae.
Zenk brings significant expertise to Earth Finance, having served on California’s advisory committee on the implementation of low carbon fuels standards in the state. He has also held leadership roles in federal and state governments, including deputy press secretary and campaign chairman.
Founded in 2019, Molecule assists sustainability-focused companies with communication strategies to advance their objectives in policy and national interests. The addition of Zenk to Earth Finance’s team expands the company’s climate policy domain expertise, allowing them to better support their clients and partners in accelerating the global journey towards a sustainable economy.
Earth Finance raised $14 million in funding earlier this year and has already made strategic hires to strengthen its team. Jennifer Sullo, with her extensive experience in sustainable investing solutions at Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, joined the company as the managing director of asset management and investing solutions.
Reuven Carlyle, co-founder of Earth Finance, commented on Zenk’s addition, stating, “Tim adds depth and breadth to our climate policy domain expertise to help clients and partners accelerate the global journey to a sustainable economy.”
Source: Earth Finance, Molecule
Trilogy Equity Partners Hires Ernie Archambault as Analyst
Seattle early-stage venture capital firm, Trilogy Equity Partners, has hired Ernie Archambault as an analyst. Archambault recently graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in finance. Prior to joining Trilogy Equity Partners, he worked as an associate at Salt Lake City-based venture firm University Growth Fund and interned at Seattle-based search fund Blue Wood Capital.
Trilogy Equity Partners focuses on investing in promising startups and supporting their growth. Archambault’s role as an analyst will involve researching and evaluating potential investment opportunities, as well as providing support to the firm’s portfolio companies.
Source: Trilogy Equity Partners
J.P. Morgan Gains Lindsay Randall as Vice President for Startup Banking
J.P. Morgan has appointed Lindsay Randall as vice president for startup banking in Seattle. Randall previously held the position of senior program manager at Moonbeam, a Seattle company that connects enterprises with startups. With her new role at J.P. Morgan, Randall expressed her enthusiasm for supporting founders in the Pacific Northwest startup ecosystem.
As a leading global financial services firm, J.P. Morgan aims to provide financing, advisory services, and other banking solutions to startups and emerging companies. Randall will contribute to this goal by leveraging her experience and expertise to assist and support founders in the region.
Source: Lindsay Randall’s LinkedIn
Washington Research Foundation Names Venture Analysts for Sixth Cohort
The Washington Research Foundation (WRF) has announced its sixth cohort of venture analysts who will assist with grant-making and investment activities. The five venture analysts selected are:
– Cade Ito, a fourth-year doctoral candidate at the University of Washington (UW) focusing on engineered B cells and other cell therapies.
– Kevin Jiang, a fourth-year doctoral candidate at UW’s Department of Bioengineering specializing in developing point-of-care diagnostic technologies and medical devices for detecting viruses and bacteria.
– Ashish Phal, a fourth-year doctoral candidate at UW’s Department of Bioengineering using computer-designed growth factor mimics to study cellular fate decisions in early development.
– Chase Suiter, a fifth-year doctoral candidate at UW in molecular and cellular biology, working on techniques for studying protein degradation at scale.
– Lillian Tatka, a fifth-year UW doctoral candidate in bioengineering and data science, creating software tools for computational systems biology.
These venture analysts will contribute their expertise in various areas of research and work alongside WRF in allocating grants and investments to support breakthrough innovations and technologies.
Source: Washington Research Foundation
Perkins Coie Appoints Roger Wilkes as COO
Leading Seattle law firm Perkins Coie has named Roger Wilkes as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Wilkes previously served as the COO of New York-based law firm Kobre & Kim and held the role of COO for U.S. marketing and sales at PwC before that.
In his new position at Perkins Coie, Wilkes will contribute his extensive experience in law firm operations to support the firm’s strategic growth and overall management.
Source: Perkins Coie