Nat Simons

Nat Simons is the co-founder of clean-tech investment fund, Prelude Ventures, which chiefly focuses on emerging, new companies that will speed the transition to a low-carbon economy. He is also the co-founder of Sea Change Foundation, a family foundation dedicated to addressing the most pressing issues facing the world today through philanthropy.

In spring of 2017, Simons participated in the 2017 Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) where he discussed the value of investing in clean-tech. The discussion focused on setting the right framework to trigger necessary investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Later in 2017, Simons and his wife, Laura Baxter-Simons, signed the Giving Pledge, a commitment by the world's wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes.

From 1994 to 2011, Simons was principal and employed at Renaissance Technologies, and now oversees Meritage Group LP, which was spun out of Renaissance. Meritage's portfolio includes both fund-of-funds and direct investing strategies. Before starting Meritage, Simons worked as a futures trader from 1995 to 1997, as a data analyst from 1994-1995, and held a position at Cylink Corp from 1989 to 1992.

Simons holds a bachelor's degree in economics (1989) and a master's degree in mathematics (1994) from the University of California, Berkeley. Presently, he is a member of Berkeley's Board of Visitors and previously served on the Board of Directors at Exploratorium, a San Francisco-based public learning laboratory.