Entelligent’s mission and vision were developed and realized by a founding team that includes a serial energy-tech entrepreneur, a climate scientist who shared a Nobel prize for his work on the second IPCC report, and the econometrician and entrepreneur who leads the company today, Pooja Khosla.
The backstory: In the summer of 2011, Thomas H. Stoner, Jr., and David Schimel, Ph.D., launched Project Butterfly, a research group whose mission was to explore global market-based solutions to climate change. In 2013, Tom published the Project Butterfly research and analysis in his book, Small Change, Big Gains: Reflections of an Energy Entrepreneur. Dave wrote the introduction.
At the heart of Project Butterfly is the claim that in order to stabilize rising global temperatures and remain under the 2-degree target set by the international community, much more needs to be done within capital markets to limit large scale systemic risk typically associated with climate change. Stakeholders need to use scenario analysis to understand their risks and investment managers can only meet their fiduciary responsibilities by evaluating the interest of each stakeholder.
In 2016, after forming a new Board of Directors and renaming the company as Entelligent, Tom and Dave recruited Pooja. Trained in data science and econometrics (with a PhD in Economics), Pooja applied her passion for real-world applications of research to commercializing the Entelligent vision.
Turning its attention to the market, Entelligent built out a world-class team of experts in climate and data science, and in finance and economics, and got to work. The objective: Arm asset managers and investors with superior data for climate change risk assessment.
Using big data, artificial intelligence and systems dynamics modeling – working closely alongside Wall Street quants and institutional portfolio managers – the team created a system and model that allows investors to account for systemic macro-risks (e.g., climate, energy economics, technology innovation and regulation and policy) in order to improve risk-adjusted returns.
As the company moved from its incubation phase (Project Butterfly) to its pilot phase, it applied invested capital to several critical goals. First: Deeply engage financial institutions to validate and market-test what had by then been dubbed the Smart Climate® methodology and offering. Second: Protect the company’s intellectual property. (Entelligent was granted two US patents and has two others pending in EU and Hong Kong.) Third: Establish client and partner relationships with global financial service providers, focused on collaboration and codevelopment.
With this foundation now in place, the company is winning converts among global banks, insurance companies and exchanges – spreading its vision under the leadership of Pooja and an experienced team of financial experts and data scientists. Together they are empowering the financial industry to understand the future impact of climate change and the energy transition on their holdings – and to create a richer future.
The Entelligent Team
Pooja Khosla was appointed Entelligent’s CEO in 2024. She was previously the company’s Chief Innovation Officer and, before that, its EVP of Client and Product Development.
As a founding developer and patent-holder of the company’s core technology, Pooja played an essential role in designing Entelligent's product offering – the groundbreaking Smart Climate system and technology – and developing the company's vision and strategy. As the platform successfully advanced through market testing, Pooja turned her focus to commercialization, work that led to the creation of Smart Climate Indices, and the introduction of energy and climate transition risk-related products in partnership with Societe Generale, the Taipei Exchange, FactSet and others.
Pooja has an M.S. in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics from the University of Rajasthan, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado Boulder. She speaks and writes extensively on climate risk and investing topics for business and professional audiences.
Jake Hawkesworth is an experienced leader in data-driven analysis and a strong a background in data engineering, entrepreneurship, and Information Technology strategy.
Mr. Hawkesworth leads the technical team, using major data science tools and scalable computing techniques to develop the Smart Climate® data platform. His career includes project management for a number of entrepreneurship education organizations.
Education: M.A. of Public Policy with a focus in Quantitative Research Methods from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. B.A. Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies from Hampshire College. Data Science Immersive (DSI) Fellowship program at Galvanize.
Dr. Ao Teng is a Senior Data Scientist. He is passionate about clean energy, data science, investment.
Morgan brings a wealth of experience in the energy commodity and futures markets -- including half a decade developing quant-based trading strategies. Morgan has a PhD in physics from the University of Tennessee, a bachelor’s degree in applied physics from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
He is currently a CFA Level II Candidate and a member of the IEEE Power and Energy Society.
Col. Barry Baer is a seasoned executive and CPA with over 50 years of operational, managerial, and financial experience in the public and private sector.
Col. (retired) Baer’s US Army service includes commanding combat troops in Vietnam, an airborne finance brigade in the First Gulf War, a finance and accounting battalion in Germany and service as the Director of Army Accounting Systems. As a civilian, Baer has extensive experience as a fractional Chief Financial Officer, Secretary, and Treasurer of public, private, and not-for-profit entities.
Education and Military awards: B.S.in Business and M.B.A. from the University of Colorado Boulder. Graduate of the Army Command & General Staff College and the Army War College.
Military awards: Bronze Star (with V device), Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Army Parachute Badge.
Nathan James is a skilled data engineer with design, engineering and project management background.
Mr. James supports the development of technology from research to application. He has experience in both the tech and renewable industry working for Tesla as a residential solar power designer. He also helped design the customer-focused delivery program enabling Tesla to scale to a mass-market, factory-to-consumer car manufacturer.
Education: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Colorado Denver (minored in Computer Science). Data Science Immersive at Galvanize (Denver).
Jace Grissom is a versatile data engineer with a diverse background in education, community organizing, and software engineering.
Throughout their career, Jace has demonstrated a strong commitment to community-focused projects and educational initiatives. They apply this multidisciplinary experience in their current role, where they collaborate with a team of data scientists to support the development of innovative technologies.
Education: B.A. in Peace & Global Studies and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies from Earlham College. Graduate of LaunchCode LC101 Bootcamp
Hadrien joined Entelligent from B of A Merrill Lynch, where he led a multibillion-dollar U.S. equity-derivatives sales and marketing effort to life insurance companies, across marketing, structuring, trading and risk. His banking career also includes strategic roles within the cross-asset derivatives teams of SocGen and UBS Global Asset Management. He has an MBA from Willamette University.
Mr. Filippo Radice Fossati is an experienced environmental professional turned Data Scientist. He is passionate about leveraging the power of data and predictive modeling to develop financial climate change solutions. His professional experience includes project management, relationship building and research in Energy, Sustainability and Climate Change
Education: M.A.S. in Climate Science and Policy from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego. M.S. in Environmental Economics and Policy from Universita degli Studi Di Torino. B.S. in Environmental Science from Universita’ Degli Studi di Genova.
With a passion for building community and influencing positive change, Jena brings a diverse background with 15 years' experience in Administrative Leadership & Development, along with 8 years of Accounting to the Financial and Administrative Team at Entelligent.
Jena oversees all accounting-related transactions, including payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable, quarterly and year-end reporting. She works closely with the CEO and Controller to ensure Entelligent remains compliant with all governing entities.
Dr. Elliot Cohen is an experienced data scientist specializing in machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, and experimental design.
Dr. Cohen brings 12 years of experience in energy modeling and 6 years as a practicing data scientist at tech startups that have gone on to successful exits. He is also a former Fulbright Scholar and Fellow of the National Science Foundation.
Education: Ph.D. (Environmental Engineering), University of Colorado Denver. Two-years of postdoctoral experience at the Earth Institute of Columbia University. B.S. (Mechanical Engineering), University of Maryland College Park. M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of Colorado at Denver.
Maximilian Nelte is a senior structurer with 20+ years of industry experience leading global Quantitative Investment Strategies and Equity Structuring teams at major investment banks across three continents.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Nelte has structured financial products and executed transactions with retail as well as institutional clients, with correspondingly meaningful annual revenues. He has designed new financial products, set-up new product lines, as well as built entirely new business lines from scratch for his former employers.
Education: MSc in Financial Mathematics from Bayes Business School. BSc in Mathematics with Economics from the University College London. LLB Law from Nottingham Trent University.
Board of Directors
Dr. Schimel is a Senior Research Scientist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has spent the last 30+ years working in top research positions and leadership roles with extensive experience in carbon cycle, climate interactions and global climate modeling. Dr. Schimel received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his work as the IPCC Convening Lead Author.
Dr. Schimel is a graduate of Hampshire College (B.A.) and Colorado State University (PhD).
• Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Antoine Connault heads Societe Generale’s Global Markets Incubator, a program designed to advise and support startups operating in the capital markets, enterprise tech and climate tech across the globe.
Antoine began his career in 2007 at Deloitte and joined SG in 2009 as a financial analyst for SG’s corporate M&A operations. In 2014, he joined SG Corporate and Investment Banking’s Strategy and Development where he ran projects across the CIB division ranging from M&A to business development, strategic investment. He then moved to Societe Generale’s Global Markets unit in 2018 to launch and run the Global Markets Incubator.
Antoine graduated from Paris Dauphine University in 2007 and holds a Certification from the AMF (Autorite des Marches Financiers – Authority regulating the French financial markets place, its participants and the investment products).
Mr. Barnett is a Co-Founding Partner at Wexford Capital Partners, LLC. He has spent the last 30+ years working in corporate finance, investment banking and private equity, with extensive valuation and transaction structure experience. Mr. Barnett is a graduate ofthe University of Michigan (B.S. and M.B.A.).
• Chairman of the Finance Committee
• Chairman of the Finance Committee
Dr. Shu Ming has over 25 years of global investment experience and senior management of high-tech firms, including 20 years of experience in direct investment in China and Asia Pacific. Before co-founding Lingfeng Partners, he was the Group Vice President in charge of M&A in SF Express. He was the former Head of the Greater China team and member of the Asia-Pacific Investment Committee in Henderson Equity Partners, and a former team member in Goldman Sachs Principal Investment.
Dr. Shu has extensive operational experience as a senior executive in multinational financial institutions and China-originated global tech leaders. He has served as CEO of the Financial Service Business Group at SF Express. He is an Alibaba Global Leadership Team member, Chief Strategy Officer of Ant Financial, and Chief Operations Officer at Henderson Global Investors Asia.
Ming has a deep regulatory and industry network. He has represented Ant Financial in the China Finance 40 Forum, which strongly influenced the regulatory framework of the fintech industry.
He is the founding Board member of the CFA Institute’s Beijing Chapter, the first Chapter in China, and served as Vice Chairman of the Board. Twice elected as the President Council Representative for the CFA APEC North and Oceania Region, Dr. Shu has joined the global CFA Board of Governors meetings since September 2019.
Dr. Shu received the National Science Foundation Engineering Fellowship, the Cray Research Scholarship, and the James B. Duke Fellowship for his distinguished academic and research work in computer science and biomedical engineering.
Dr. Shu received his MBA from Harvard Business School, MS and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, and BA in Mathematics and Computer Science from Macalester College.
Dr. Shu has extensive operational experience as a senior executive in multinational financial institutions and China-originated global tech leaders. He has served as CEO of the Financial Service Business Group at SF Express. He is an Alibaba Global Leadership Team member, Chief Strategy Officer of Ant Financial, and Chief Operations Officer at Henderson Global Investors Asia.
Ming has a deep regulatory and industry network. He has represented Ant Financial in the China Finance 40 Forum, which strongly influenced the regulatory framework of the fintech industry.
He is the founding Board member of the CFA Institute’s Beijing Chapter, the first Chapter in China, and served as Vice Chairman of the Board. Twice elected as the President Council Representative for the CFA APEC North and Oceania Region, Dr. Shu has joined the global CFA Board of Governors meetings since September 2019.
Dr. Shu received the National Science Foundation Engineering Fellowship, the Cray Research Scholarship, and the James B. Duke Fellowship for his distinguished academic and research work in computer science and biomedical engineering.
Dr. Shu received his MBA from Harvard Business School, MS and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, and BA in Mathematics and Computer Science from Macalester College.
Pooja Khosla was appointed Entelligent’s CEO in 2024. She was previously the company’s Chief Innovation Officer and, before that, its EVP of Client and Product Development.
As a founding developer and patent-holder of the company’s core technology, Pooja played an essential role in designing Entelligent's product offering – the groundbreaking Smart Climate system and technology – and developing the company's vision and strategy. As the platform successfully advanced through market testing, Pooja turned her focus to commercialization, work that led to the creation of Smart Climate Indices, and the introduction of energy and climate transition risk-related products in partnership with Societe Generale, the Taipei Exchange, FactSet and others.
Pooja has an M.S. in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics from the University of Rajasthan, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado Boulder. She speaks and writes extensively on climate risk and investing topics for business and professional audiences.
Amy Minnick is an accomplished professional with a diverse background spanning finance, risk management, climate, data, software, and B2B sectors. Her career includes prominent roles at leading institutions such as Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, and IHS Markit. Amy possesses significant expertise in M&A and fundraising, including a successful Series B round for a risk analytics firm. She holds an MBA from Harvard University.
Mr. Shariff is the founder and managing partner of Majlis Investment Management, a Gulf-based principal investment firm, whose partners include ultra-high-net-worth families. The firm invests in innovative, disruptive and strategic opportunities within global markets. From 2012 to 2021, he was a senior advisor to Teneo, a global CEO advisory firm that integrates the disciplines of communications, strategy, talent development and intelligence, offering independent counsel to significant institutional clients. He was formerly a senior partner within the principal investment division at SHUAA Capital, the UAE’s leading financial services firm that is now part of the Abu Dhabi Financial Group.
