Seagriculture Speaker

He leads an investment vehicle focused on the energy transition & climate justice, in addition to co-leading a key effort to promote innovative funding in the oceans space. Both platforms attempt to provide innovative solutions and invest in emerging venture capital and private equity fund managers, accelerators, and emerging start-ups. Additionally, he supports the investing activity of the Builders Initiative endowment. James has over 13 years of cross-industry experience with investing, operations, and in-house mergers and acquisitions.

Previously, James worked extensively as a geophysicist in the oil and gas industry. He engineered multiple capital campaigns and orchestrated over $18 billion in acquisitions and high-profile projects for public and private entities. He was also a founding member of two startups in the sector and lived the journey of scaling and exiting a venture, including a $900 million exit.

James is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at Africa Bridge, a nonprofit focused on building sustainable agricultural co-ops in rural Tanzania. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, a master’s in geophysical engineering from the University of Louisiana, and a bachelor’s degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

A true outdoorsman, James’s favorite activities include cooking, mountain biking or skiing and sea kayaking in Alaska’s Prince William Sound.