Steve Westly
Founder & Managing Partner
Menlo Park, CA
Mr. Westly is the Founder & Managing Partner of The Westly Group. He and his partners have built one of the larger sustainable energy, mobility, and prop-tech venture firms in the US. The firm has raised five funds with over $800 million under management, and has 33 of the world’s largest, global energy, transportation, building, insurance, water, and mobility companies as investors. The firm has invested in 45+ portfolio companies. 9 of these firms have gone public, including four with multi-billion valuations: Sentinel One, Procore, Luminar, and Tesla Motors, where Mr. Westly served on the board for three years. Mr. Westly also serves as a frequent commentator having done over 100 interviews on CNBC, Bloomberg and The Schwab Network.
Prior to founding The Westly Group, Steve Westly served as the Controller and Chief Fiscal Officer of the state of California – the world’s fourth-largest economy. As Controller, he chaired the State Lands Commission. He served on 63 other boards and commissions, including CalPERS and CalSTRS, the nation’s two largest public pension funds, which have over $700 billion under management.
In the 2008 election cycle, Steve served as a California Co-Chair for the Obama for America campaign. He also served on the US Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board as a representative for the venture capital industry.
Before running for office, Steve helped guide the online auction company eBay through its period of most rapid growth, serving as the Senior Vice President of Marketing, Business Development, M&A, and International. Steve helped bring eBay to Europe and Asia and developed the marketing and acquisition strategies that paved the path for the firm’s exponential growth. Steve helped take eBay public in 1998. Steve also served as an executive at several other technology firms, including Netcom and SPRINT.
Steve began his career in Washington, DC, where he worked on Capitol Hill and later in the Office of Conservation and Solar at the US Department of Energy. Steve returned to California to become special assistant to the President of the California Public Utilities Commission. While there, he published two books on energy and utilities.
Steve holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, where he served as a lecturer for eleven years. He currently teaches a course called “The Technology, Politics, and Finance for Solving Global Warming.”
Steve and his wife, Anita, run the Westly Foundation, which provides education and healthcare services for children and underserved communities throughout California. They have two children.
Danny Cotter
Managing Partner
Menlo Park, CA
Prior to joining the Westly Group, Danny worked at Pacific Gas & Electric Company where he focused on discovering advanced technology pilots and analyzing regulatory, competitive and technology landscapes to shape smart grid strategies across the organization. While at PG&E, Danny also helped lead the development of an advanced analytics platform which enabled engineers to use enterprise data to prioritize their multi-billion dollar investment plans. After PG&E, Danny worked at Prelude Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on investing in companies that shape the global energy ecosystem. At Prelude Ventures, Danny focused on finding and funding startups applying emerging technologies to advanced energy companies.
Danny is passionate about companies who are driving the digital transformation of large scale enterprises. Danny holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. As a Bay Area native, Danny feels lucky to still live 5 minutes from his childhood home and is an avid golfer and aspiring chef.
Emily Fritze
Partner
Menlo Park, CA
Prior to joining the Westly Group, Emily Fritze was Director of Strategy at Powerhouse Ventures, a clean energy and mobility venture fund in Oakland, where she helped conceive and raise Powerhouse's seed fund and managed Powerhouse's innovation firm. Prior to Powerhouse, Emily served as the Senior Director in the Obama White House where she managed energy and climate initiatives.
Emily has also served as Special Advisor at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) and in policy roles to U.S. Secretary of Energy, Ernest Moniz, at the U.S. Department of Energy and in the U.S. House of Representatives for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Emily received her undergraduate degree in Political Science at the University of Arizona.
Jason Kalira
Partner
San Francisco, CA
Jason joined The Westly Group as a Partner in 2023 and leads the firm's seed-stage investment strategy.
Jason has spent his entire career investing, advising, and operating in high-growth technology startups. Prior to joining The Westly Group, Jason helped build Parsable, an Industry 4.0 enterprise software business that provides Connected Worker solutions to the likes of Honeywell, Pirelli, Holcim, Cemex, and Heineken. Jason held a variety of executive leadership roles at Parsable, including as the company's Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, and helped scale the business to one thousand manufacturing facilities in over 120 different countries during his tenure.
Prior to Parsable, Jason began his investing career at Battery Ventures, a global venture capital firm with over $13 billion under management, where he focused on early and growth stage opportunities for the firm.
Jason is a graduate of *The* Ohio State University.
Shaun Chaudhuri
Partner
Menlo Park, CA
Shaun focuses on early-stage AI and Infrastructure investments in the industrial/manufacturing and cybersecurity sectors. Shaun also leads an “Industry 5.0” CISO roundtable group made of senior cyber executives across Fortune 500 energy, automotive and industrial companies.
Prior to joining the Westly Group, Shaun had four years of financial modeling and analysis experience at Apple and PG&E. At Apple, Shaun worked on the iPhone team, leading the worldwide iPhone forecast for their earnings call. At PG&E Shaun worked on their corporate strategy team where he focused on business finance initiatives.
Shaun received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and currently serves as President for the Harvard Club of Silicon Valley. He is a Bay Area native and enjoys playing tennis, chess and hanging out with his Labrador retriever in his free time.
Bob Rowe
Venture Partner
Menlo Park, CA
Prior to joining the Westly Group as a Venture Partner, Bob served as CEO of NorthWestern Energy (NWE) from August 2008 until retiring in January 2023 and was the only non-independent director on NorthWestern’s board. While at NWE, Bob helped triple the company’s market capitalization, earnings per share, and rate base. Under Bob’s leadership, NWE earned a national reputation for excellent corporate governance and adopted a comprehensive and evolving ESG program.
Bob also served on the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and co-chaired EEI's Institue for Electric Innovation, its CEO Committee on State Policy and Engagement, and its Customer-Centricity Task Force. In addition, Bob served as a member of the American Gas Association (AGA) Board of Directors and Executive Committee, where he helped develop AGA's plans concerning the natural gas industry's long-term future, including its pathways to decarbonization. Bob's areas of focus include long-term infrastructure planning, building a diversified electric supply portfolio, employee safety and culture, and community engagement.
Timothy Wang
Venture Partner
Menlo Park, CA
Tim joined the Westly Group in 2016 and has been investing at the forefront of mobility, IoT, and industrials markets. He brings a passion for accelerating change toward a more sustainable world and helping entrepreneurs achieve their ambitions for scale and impact.
He led the firm's investment in Luminar (LAZR), a global leader in the automotive lidar technology sector that went public in 2020 through a multi-billion dollar IPO. He also currently sits on the boards of RapidSOS, Optimal Dynamics, TREX, and Aquicore and previously sat on the board of Simple Energy (Uplight).
Tim has accumulated deep expertise as an operator/entrepreneur turned investor. Tim began his career as an analyst at S&P Capital IQ, a leading financial data provider for financial institutions and advisory firms. Tim worked with the Client Development team out of their New York office before moving to Hong Kong to lead their Asia go-to-market efforts and build a team that would manage relationships with all of Capital IQ's clients in the region.
Tim holds a BA in International Relations from Brown University and an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business.
Megan Cain
Principal
Menlo Park, CA
Prior to joining the Westly Group, Megan worked at Morgan Stanley within the Global Power, Utilities & Clean Technology Investment Banking group. At Morgan Stanley, Megan advised clients through strategic M&A, IPO and financing transactions. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Megan worked at Vermont Works, a social impact venture capital fund focused on delivering both competitive financial returns and social impact in support of Vermont's startup ecosystem. Megan also worked at Goldman Sachs within the Prime Brokerage division where she managed strategic hedge fund relationships throughout the United States. Megan began her career at the New York Stock Exchange within the Technology group where she served as Product Manager for a liquidity discovery software platform.
Megan holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University and an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management. Megan is a Vermont native and enjoys playing soccer, skiing and exploring the Bay Area.
Jamie Daudon
Principal
Menlo Park, CA
Prior to joining the Westly Group, Jamie worked at the Cadmus Group within the firm's "Strategy & Policy" consulting practice. At Cadmus, Jamie worked with a range of private, public, and non-profit clients on decarbonization strategies primarily within mobility, buildings, and electricity sectors. Sample projects included working with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to develop a policy roadmap to achieve net-zero statewide emissions by 2050, working with Bloomberg Philanthropies on a city-level climate grantmaking strategy, and supporting National Grid on planning for building electrification.
Jamie holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) from Colorado College and an MBA from the U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business. Jamie grew up in Seattle and enjoys festive adventures in new places, listening and dancing to music, and learning about the world via podcasts or books.
Noemi Walzebuck
Senior Associate
San Francisco, CA
Noemi joined The Westly Group in 2024 and helps manage the firm’s seed-stage investment strategy.
Prior to joining the Westly Group, Noemi worked at Bessemer Venture Partners where she focused on robotics, industry 4.0, and climate investments and later at Powerhouse Ventures where she invested in pre-seed and seed energy & mobility startups. Before becoming an investor, Noemi spent almost a decade leading product marketing and operations at climate & industrial tech startups in the Bay Area.
Noemi holds a B.S. and M.S. in Earth Systems from Stanford University and an MBA from London Business School. Originally from Germany & Brazil, she enjoys visiting friends & family around the world, trying any type of endurance sport, and finding new spots to hike in.
Kelly McCarthy
Associate
Menlo Park, CA
Prior to joining the Westly Group, Kelly worked at Barclays in the Climate Technology & Energy Transition Investment Banking Group. At Barclays, Kelly advised a diverse group of clients through private capital raises, M&A, IPOs, and other transactions across the energy transition space. Kelly began her career at Barclays in the Consumer Retail Investment Banking Group.
Kelly holds a B.A. in Urban Studies, Sociology and Business Management from Columbia University. Kelly grew up in New England and enjoys spending time outdoors, particularly running, hiking, skiing and swimming.
Nick Albanese
VP of Research & Strategy and Investment Associate
Washington, D.C.
Prior to joining the Westly Group, Nick was the Head of Intelligent Mobility Research at BNEF, Bloomberg LP’s cleantech research arm. In the role, Nick led a global team of analysts that produced research on shared, electric and autonomous mobility, and served as a lead author of BNEF’s “Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook”. Based in New York and Washington D.C., Nick advised energy companies, industrials, governments and financial institutions on the future of e-mobility and clean energy. His work has been cited by Axios, Bloomberg News, CNN, The Economist, Greentech Media and various U.S./U.K. government agencies.
Nick holds a B.S. in International Politics from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and an M.A. in Energy Policy and Finance from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. An Austin native, he enjoys hiking, volunteering and competing in triathlons
Kerry Wu
Associate VP, Research & Partnerships
San Francisco, CA
Prior to joining the Westly Group, Kerry worked at Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous technology company, as it launched the world's first fully autonomous ride hail service to public users. At Waymo, Kerry was a member of the Strategy & Business Operations team, leading competitive strategy and market insights for the company's executive leadership as well as teams across product & engineering, finance, and marketing. Kerry also launched the Auto Tech research vertical at CB Insights, where he covered autonomous, electric vehicle, and mobility investment and startups and led a team of emerging technology analysts. Kerry began his career as a strategy and marketing consultant at Simon-Kucher & Partners, advising clients in the automotive, industrials, and consumer internet sectors.
Kerry holds a B.S. in Operations Research and Economics from Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science. When not on a good drive, Kerry can be found skiing, sampling new foods, and divining the mysteries of the dachshund.
Jennifer Gunn
CFO
San Francisco, CA
Jennifer Gunn is the Chief Financial Officer of The Westly Group. Jen was the Chief Financial Officer of Sunstone Partners, a growth private equity firm, for 5 years and was Controller of Matthews International Capital Management, a U.S. investment firm focused on multiple investing strategies in Asia, for 7 years. Jen began her career in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP for 12 years, where she was most recently a Senior Manager and leader in the alternative asset management practice.
Raised in northern Indiana, Jen earned a BBA at the University of Notre Dame.
Courtney Hamilton
Talent
Menlo Park, CA
Twenty years placing talent at high-growth companies. LinkedIn top 1% for search activity on the platform. Courtney ensures our portfolio companies hire ahead of their growth, a critical capability when scaling into enterprise markets.
Cathy Siciliano
GTM Expert, Portfolio Services
Menlo Park, CA
Twenty years of integrated marketing leadership at eBay, Silicon Valley Bank, and Minted. Embedded hands-on with portfolio companies, Cathy builds the go-to-market infrastructure — lead scoring, sales funnels, and marketing systems — that turns The Westly Network introductions into sustainable revenue.
Maricar Mahoney
HR Manager and Fund Assistant
Austin, TX
Maricar rejoined The Westly Group in December 2021 as the Human Resources Manager and Fund Assistant. She originally joined the team in 2014 as the Office Administrator & Executive Assistant to the Managing Partners. Maricar has over 20 years of administrative and finance support experience in software and venture capital companies. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.S. in Business Administration in 2003.
