Bio

Prior to joining Ara Partners, Mr. Steffek was the Managing Director of North America at Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (“SAEV”), the corporate venturing subsidiary of Saudi Aramco. At SAEV he was responsible for identifying technology investments in: upstream oil & gas; downstream oil & gas and value-added products; renewable energy; energy efficiency; industrials and water. Before joining SAEV, Mr. Steffek was in Corporate Development and Strategy at First Solar, where he was responsible for strategic investments and acquisitions with emphasis on new technologies and products. Prior to First Solar, Mr. Steffek was at the Altira Group, an energy-focused venture capital firm, where he led investments in a broad range of energy technology companies. In addition, he has also held several management roles in product development and engineering at PPG Industries. Mr. Steffek holds a PhD in materials chemistry from the University of Michigan and an MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.