Room 1
Scaling Cleantech Through Innovative Financing
The cleantech sector’s dominant venture-capital financing model hasn’t historically demonstrated strong performance, but new sources of public and private capital may be on the way.
Scott Jacobs is the CEO and Co-Founder of Generate Capital, a specialty finance company focused on sustainable infrastructure. Scott has also served as a Managing Director and Co-Founder of EFW Partners, an investment firm focused on the world’s critical resources: energy, food and water. Generate Capital and EFW illustrate Scott’s long-standing emphasis on innovative approaches to thematic investing, focusing broadly on the “resource revolution.”
In 2007, Scott co-founded McKinsey & Company’s global CleanTech practice, advising companies, institutional investors, NGOs and several national and regional governments around the world. Before joining McKinsey, Scott spent over a decade in technology and venture capital, helping start and grow a number of companies, including PolyServe (acquired by HP) and Alliance Data Systems (acquired by FiServ).
Scott received his MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School, where he was named a George F. Baker Scholar, and his BA cum laude from Dartmouth College. Scott also serves on the Board of Rare, a leading global conservation non-profit.
Scott lives in San Francisco, enjoys a range of outdoor activities and frequents the local farmers’ markets on weekends in order to create feasts for his family and friends.