Our People
Who we are
Our people are everything. We come from all walks of life but share the common purpose of creating a sustainable planet. We know what it takes to build businesses because we've done it many times, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing, but always adding to our knowledge base. We believe that everyone has something to contribute. We all can learn from one another. We humbly admit our mistakes, and we strive to grow through relentless curiosity and candid conversation.
Our work is just one way we define ourselves. We are family men and women, who are passionate about the environment. We love spending time in the great outdoors; seeking out new experiences that help us grow and experience the world. We are more than a team, at the Drawdown Fund, we are a family.
Management Team
Erik Snyder
General Partner & CEO
Experienced CEO, Founder and investor with 20+ years of experience across operations, general management, and investing. Prior to the Drawdown Fund, Erik worked on investments held in a multi-family office as Managing Director and was a former investor at Partners Capital. He was CEO of the largest privately-held ski company after earning an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Eric Turner, CFA
General Partner
Experienced investment professional with 14+ years of experience making direct private and public investments. Prior to the Drawdown Fund, Eric was a venture investor at Tekfen Ventures and WI Harper. Before that he was a Portfolio Manager at Turner Investments focused on industrials and transportation and an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. Eric is an experienced Board Member and Advisor and graduated with an MBA from Wharton.
Laura Witt
General Partner
Experienced growth equity investor with 25+ years of experience investing in high growth technology companies. Prior to the Drawdown Fund, Laura served as a General Partner at ABS Capital where she led investments in applications and infrastructure software, systems, Internet, cloud, mobile, and consumer technologies. Prior to ABS Capital, Laura was a senior consultant at Monitor and received her MBA from Wharton.
Todd Forrest
Operating Partner, CFO
Strategic operations & finance executive with over 27 years of experience primarily with venture capital/private equity firms focused on software, technology-enabled businesses, and consumer products with 17+ years as firm operations partner (COO/CFO/CCO) in leveraged buyout, early and growth stage venture capital firms, each with $1B+ AUM. Prior to the Drawdown Fund, Todd served CFO and COO roles at Hummer Winblad, NGP Capital, and JH Partners. He started his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Lauren Ivison
Operating Partner, Leadership and Culture
Experienced entrepreneur, with 20+ years of experience in human resources, professional development, finance, and law. Lauren is the founder of Totem Leadership. Prior to her work at the Drawdown Fund, Lauren was a Managing Partner and venture investor at Ridgeline Ventures. Before Ridgeline, she was an investment banker at JP Morgan and an associate partner at ClearCreek Partners. Lauren earned a BA from Hamilton College and a JD from the University of Colorado.
Brint Markle
Executive-In-Residence
Experienced CEO, Founder and investor with 14+ years of experience across operations, general management and impact investing. Prior to Drawdown, Brint founded Mountain Hub, a global outdoor map-based information network acquired by Mammut Sports Group, and Avatech, a pioneer in proactive avalanche technology. He was also the former Head of Strategy of Small Enterprise Assistance Funds, an emerging market impact investor and Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Company. Brint is a Guest Lecturer & Entrepreneur-In-Residence at MIT.
Founding Partners
Paul Hawken
Founding Partner
Renowned environmentalist, entrepreneur, author and activist who has dedicated his life to sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. One of the environmental movement’s leading voices, a pioneering architect of corporate reform and the environment. Keynote speaker and author of seven books.
Jeff Rosenthal
Founding Partner
Co-Founder of Summit, an organization that is best known for engaging the world’s most dynamic dreamers and doers through curated events and initiatives. Jeff is a co-owner of Powder Mountain in Eden, Utah. Jeff also is the Co-Director the Summit Action Fund, which makes investments in startups that drive positive disruptive innovation.
Board of Advisors
Isaac Pritzker
Isaac is a Principal at Tao Capital Partners and an early stage Venture Capital investor. He is on the Board of Directors at The Libra Foundation, The Space Program San Francisco, and Ouster Lidar. He is also a Strategic Advisor to Valor Siren Ventures.
Kate Geagan
Kate is an award-winning dietitian and internationally recognized leader in sustainable eating and nutrition. She has over 2 decades of experience as one of the countries top nutrition experts, and is an author and contributor to several global media groups. She is also an advisor to The Sun Valley Institute and The American Farmland Trust.
Jessica Jackley
Jessica is a leading entrepreneur, investor, and advisor in the Financial Inclusion and Social Justice sectors. She is the co-founder and former CMO at Kiva, a microlending platform. She was also formerly the CIO at Aspiration, focused on aligning customer spending with social values.
Matthew Weatherly-White
Matthew has over 3 decades of experience as an entrepreneur and investor. He is a co-founder and managing director at Caprock and built its Impact Investing Platform and created the impact reporting platform iPAR. Prior to Caprock he was a partner in The Owyhee Group at Smith Barney.
Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud
Princess Reema is an Ambassador to the United States, and an entrepreneur and philanthropist focused on women's rights and gender equality. She is a member of the World Bank's advisory council for the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative. She was named Most Creative Person of the Year by Fast Company in 2014.
Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen
Mikkel is the CEO and Owner of Vestergaard, a health company serving the world's vulnerable populations. He is an advisor to the Prime Minister of Denmark and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. He is credited with saving countless lives through his company's distribution of PermaNet and LifeStraw technologies.
Peter Rive
Peter is the co-founder and former CTO of Solar City, the leading full-service solar provider in the US. He was also the VP of Solar Products at Tesla. He is currently an operational and technical advisor to ZOLA, and is focused on increasing energy access in Emerging Markets.
Want to join our growing team?
Send your resume and cover letter to careers@drawdownfund.com and we'll be in touch.
