Lou Schick

Louis (Lou) Schick is the Director of Investments for Clean Energy Ventures. Over his career, he has built deep skills in energy technology as well as extensive investing experience. He brings more than twenty years of experience as a technologist in large and small companies and investing in early and growth stage companies. In his investing role Mr. Schick worked with deal teams to source, screen and diligence new investments, as well as supporting portfolio companies on technology, markets, strategy and commercialization.

Prior to joining CEV, from 2008-18, Mr. Schick was co-founder, partner and CTO at NewWorld Capital, which focused on investments in later stage clean energy companies. Notable investments at NewWorld included a pre-IPO round with Solar Edge and growth round with Astrum Solar. At NewWorld he also developed and oversaw a seminar series covering the interplay among technology, markets and policy as part of the investment firm’s thought leadership initiative to illustrate pathways to profit in a clean energy economy.

Prior to NewWorld, Mr. Schick served as a Managing Director at Ritchie Capital, a hedge fund, where he oversaw a legacy portfolio of energy and environmental businesses. Prior to Ritchie he also ran the high-power product line of direct methanol fuel cells for MTI micro overseeing a team of engineers developing battery replacement technologies for military and civilian application.

During 1997-2005 Mr. Schick held a variety of positions at General Electric’s Corporate Research group. He began as a product service engineer supporting installation and repair of gas turbine power plants worldwide which informed his transition to remote monitoring and diagnostics highlighted by key innovations he led in condition-based maintenance and value-based services where GE’s expert knowledge of the customer business process and the GE technology allowed for significant improvements in customer profitability. Subsequently, his senior roles at GE Energy included leading evaluation of disruptive technologies where Mr. Schick played a role in facilitating GE’s entrance into both solar and wind energy. He also led GE’s solid oxide fuel cell program which developed novel cathode materials, hybrid cycles and unique deposition-based manufacturing processes. In his role as head of the solid oxide fuel cell program, Mr. Schick led a team with more than 100 scientists and researchers in five facilities and participated in strategic partnership negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, and government relations.

Mr. Schick is an advisor to Posigen Solar, a company that provides unique energy efficiency and PV installations serving low- and moderate-income clients, supporting the company in the areas of strategy and executive development. He also is currently serving on the advisory committee for National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine Climate Communications Initiative and has participated in expert panels and the assessment of ARPAe awards. Mr. Schick is an active speaker at energy and technology conferences and has established a strong network of relationships with national labs and university technology and TLOs to help commercialize innovative technologies.

Mr. Schick was trained as a physicist and co-authored papers in accelerator physics, space physics, and biophysics as well as earning ten granted US patents. He holds a BS in Physics and Phi Beta Kappa from Union College and an MS in Physics from Cornell University.