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Kristin Brief
CEO of Terragia
Kristin Brief is the Chief Executive Officer of Terragia Biofuel, a startup focused on developing innovative biofuel technologies. She was appointed to this role in April 2024, following the company's successful $6 million funding round aimed at commercializing its unique approach to converting cellulosic biomass into ethanol and other products.12
Professional Background: Kristin Brief has over 20 years of experience in the clean energy sector, particularly in early-stage startups. Her career includes significant roles such as:
- Business Fellow at Breakthrough Energy: From September 2022 to February 2024, she worked on commercializing solutions for emissions reduction.
- Co-Founder and COO of Virex Health: This medical diagnostics company was acquired by Sorrento Therapeutics shortly after its founding.
- Various leadership positions at Ambri: Including Executive Vice President of Business Operations and Corporate Development, where she contributed to the company's strategic growth.34
Brief holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Dartmouth College and has extensive knowledge of clean energy technologies, market development, and partnership strategies. She is known for her ability to build high-performing teams and has been actively involved in fundraising efforts, helping secure over $50 million for clean tech initiatives throughout her career.34
Vision for Terragia Biofuel: As CEO, Brief aims to leverage Terragia's technology to not only produce low-cost, low-carbon fuels but also to make a significant impact on climate change by transforming how biofuels are produced. She emphasizes the importance of innovation in achieving sustainable energy solutions.12
Highlights
I am excited and honored to share that I'm joining Terragia Biofuel as CEO as the company is closing its $6 million Seed financing with backing from two premier climate investors: Engine Ventures & Energy Impact Partners. I've spent nearly two decades of my career in early-stage climate and clean energy startups and the problem today is increasingly clear. We need better solutions, and we need them quickly. Terragia is aspiring to be a critical lynchpin for decarbonizing liquid fuels and has the potential to offset over 3 GT of CO2 emissions at scale. Building clean energy companies from the ground up is an amazing journey and one that I'm thrilled to share with Lee Lynd, Chris Herring, Bill Brady and the entire Terragia team (18 and counting). Many thanks to all who have made this day possible: ▪ Our world-class investors: Katie Rae, Michael Kearney, Vinny Beranek, Ann DeWitt, Ashwin Shashindranath, Michael Campos ▪ Terragia's academic partners Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth and Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo, Brazil, for their continued support and partnership ▪ Sponsorship from the US DOE via the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), the USDA and National Science Foundation (NSF) ▪ The entire Breakthrough Energy Fellows team and all my amazing colleagues from the last year and a half. You are doing important work, and it was such a privilege to work with you. There are too many to link to, but here's a shot: Ashley Grosh, Jolene Gurevich, Benjamin Gaddy, Rosemary Cox-Galhotra, Brenda Haendler, Matt Purdy, Sam Kanner, Bingbin Yu, James Reeves, Jane Zhang, Edouard Bulteau, Jennifer Wagner, Alice Havill, Francisco Pérez-Ojeda Rodríguez, Ben Margolis, Jesse Lou, Guy Michlin, Hiran V., Madhav Acharya, and more. We have a lot of work ahead of us - onwards and upwards!
This is a great article offering perspectives on the potential to redeploy oil and gas capabilities towards offshore wind and other climate technologies. Jane Zhang - it's been a true pleasure working with you as a fellow at Breakthrough Energy . And, love the shout out to Aikido Technologies! (Sam Kanner, Bingbin Yu, James Reeves)
