Rafael Simon

Rafael Simon is a co-founder of several cleantech and biotech companies.  He is currently a partner at Thales Water Advisors, a leading strategic consulting firm he co-founded to provide technical and strategic advice to water companies and investors.

Previously, he was a partner at VantagePoint Capital Partners, a leading Silicon Valley cleantech VC firm where he led the water and agtech investment practice. He also served as Chief Operating Officer at ZENON Environmental where he led the growth strategy and exit to GE Water in 2006 for $760 million – one of the most successful ever for a water technology company.

Prior to joining ZENON, he worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. where he specialized in corporate growth strategies and helped found the environmental practice. Over the past decade, he has served on over a dozen boards including as chairman of Alpha Membrane Technologies Ltd., the world’s largest supplier of membrane manufacturing technology, chairman of Silvec Biologics, a leading RNA therapy company for trees, and as a director of Ovivo, a top 10 North American water treatment equipment company. Rafael received a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Mineral Engineering from UC Berkeley in 1996.

Rafael Simon is a member of Emerald’s Global Water Impact Fund Advisory Council.