Scott E. Jacobs

Scott Jacobs is a Managing Director and Co-Founder of EFW Partners, an investment management firm focused on the world’s critical resources: energy, food and water. Scott has more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, investor, executive, and advisor. EFW’s establishment is the result of Scott’s advisory work with investors on new models of risk management, in particular dealing with longer time horizon, cross-cutting themes like resource scarcity and climate change.

Prior to EFW, Scott co-founded and helped lead McKinsey & Company’s global CleanTech practice. At McKinsey, Scott advised companies big and small, leading institutional investors, and several national and regional governments around the world. Scott is a frequent guest speaker on topics like energy innovation, economic clusters, and sustainability at premier industry fora, such as Fortune Brainstorm Green, the Cleantech Venture Forum, the Harvard Business and Environment Conference, and the Family Office Circle.

Before McKinsey, Scott spent 14 years in the technology, clean energy and private equity industries. In 2001, he joined the founding team of PolyServe, a virtualization software company acquired by Hewlett Packard in 2007. Scott led business development and served as General Manager for Europe, Middle East & Africa, establishing the company’s international operations and helping grow the company to several hundred enterprise customers worldwide. During that time, Scott also served on Sun Microsystems’ Software Advisory Board. Before PolyServe, he led sales, marketing and business development functions at several other technology companies. Scott was also a technology and cleantech venture capital investor, working with Battery Ventures, Sequoia Capital and WR Hambrecht + Co.

Scott received his MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School, where he was named a George F. Baker Scholar, and his BA cum laude from Dartmouth College. Scott lives in San Francisco, enjoys a range of outdoor activities and frequents the local farmers’ markets on weekends in order to create feasts for his family and friends.