Our Team

We have diverse backgrounds and skills, and we’re all passionate about building a more sustainable future.

Arun Gupta
Arun GuptaFounder, CEO
Arun is a leading expert on industrial decarbonization, with 8+ years experience architecting solutions that have saved customers over 100,000 MT CO2e. Arun has lead his team to win over $20M in funding on behalf of industrial clients and is today recognized by the NSF and other distinguished institutions for excellence in clean energy.
Ben Carmichael
Ben CarmichaelVP, Engineering
Ben led the technical development and commercialization of 30+ unit and production tools, managing over $30M in manufactured packaging. He received a B.S in Packaging Engineering at Michigan State University in 2007.
Giang La
Giang LaDirector of Software Product
Giang is a PMP certified software product manager, coming to Skyven after building aerial mapping software at Boeing. She brings a unique, hybrid skillset to Skyven sharpened over her 10+ years working in Product Development and Marketing. She holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Rick Wenger
Rick WengerDirector of Sales
Rick has over 15 years of experience reducing energy use in the industrial sector. He has led the R&D department at Honeywell, one of the largest burner and heat exchanger companies in the nation, and has put large incentive dollars to work at Cascade Energy. Rick brings a wealth of process specific knowledge to help industrials decarbonize profitably.
Clay Monahan
Clay MonahanDirector of Solutions Architecture
Former Cascade Energy & Franklin Energy Engineer, Clay has over 8 years experience in architecting energy efficiency projects for the industrial sector. Clay uses his chemical engineering education and energy systems expertise to recommend energy saving measures that are operationally, economically, and environmentally beneficial.
Chris Barnhill
Chris Barnhilldirector of marketing
Chris brings over 12 years of marketing, communications, and business development experience from the severe service, engineered valve manufacturing industry. Chris holds a Bachelors and Masters of Marketing from Clemson University.
Andri Kofmehl
Andri Kofmehldirector of finance
With 18 years of experience in management consulting at Accenture and finance at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Andri brings a skill set to the table that spans diverse industries and geographies. He holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from ETH Zurich.
Joel Velasco
Joel VelascoDirector of Operations
Joel has over 14 years of experience working in the construction industry with projects worldwide. Joel holds a bachelor’s degree in Construction Engineering Management, is a certified cost professional (CCP) from the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineers and Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute.
Robert Parra
Robert ParraProject Manager
Rob is a highly skilled project manager with 10+ years of capital project management and execution experience in the plastics, pulp & paper, and hydraulics industries. He has led multi-disciplinary projects through their full life cycles including front-end planning, engineering design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance.
Christopher Lord
Christopher LordGeneral Counsel
Chris has contributed to more than $4B clean energy financing transactions over his 40+ year career. He is a highly accomplished General Council, having project financed the first US utility scale solar PV project in the U.S. for SunEdison, financed by Union Bank. Chris brings decades of passion to monetize sustainable projects and fulfill ESG goals.
Thomas Schoenfeld
Thomas SchoenfeldSolutions Architecture
Tom brings 10 years of experience working as an energy efficiency engineer with a focus on industrial energy efficiency. He is well versed in helping to align corporate-level and plant-level priorities to deliver solutions that work for all stakeholders.
Courtney McKeon
Courtney McKeonSolutions Architecture
Courtney comes to Skyven with 4 years experience as a project engineer in industrial combustion. She has worked with clients both domestically and internationally managing projects with a combined value of ~$30MM. Courtney attended the University of Tulsa where she graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and was a goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team.
Juliette Strasser
Juliette StrasserTechnical Writer
Juliette has a background in analytical chemistry, with applications in renewable energy and fuel cells. She is passionate about communicating science in a clear, concise, and informative manner. Juliette received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in 2022.
Lam Nguyen Trong
Lam Nguyen TrongSoftware Team Lead
Lam is a software engineer with 7+ years of experience in software, system design, and artificial intelligence. He holds certifications in AWS, Azure, CCNA.
Tu Nguyen
Tu NguyenSenior Test Engineer
Tu is a QA engineer with 7+ years of experience working in the Information Technology industry in both manual and automation testing. She is responsible for ensuring quality of software application including reducing bugs, improving user experiences and optimizing the product quality.
Thanh Doan
Thanh DoanSenior Software Developer
Thanh is an experienced software developer with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and banking services industry for over a decade. He is a highly skilled front-end engineer, spearheading IT projects that generated significant data-driven outcomes benefiting companies in the industries of Automotive, Banking and Finance, Logistics & Transportation, Utilities, and more.
Phuoc Truong
Phuoc TruongSenior Software Developer
Phuoc is a software engineer with 7+ years in architecting digital transformations, who constantly seeks out innovative solutions to technical problems. He is proficient in Java, .NET, JavaScript and Python.
Brad Luttrell
Brad LuttrellEmbedded Systems Engineer
Brad is the workhorse behind Skyven’s IMA controls. His interest in music and audio encouraged him to pursue electrical design. Brad graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Texas with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Rafael Martinez
Rafael MartinezEngineering Technician
While pursuing his degree in Computer Aided Design & Drafting, Rafael fronts the hands-on duties of product development. He utilizes his education and experience to execute everything from prototype modeling & fabrication to testing & validation.
Lauren Sharp
Lauren SharpSales Associate
Lauren comes to Skyven with a background in sustainable and renewable energy systems, and 5 years of experience in the energy efficiency sector. Her previous work included assisting a diverse array of customers in identifying energy savings projects and utility incentives.
Chad Wheeley
Chad WheeleySolution Architect
Chad has a background in mechanical engineering and over 8 years experience in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He uses his experience to recommend energy efficiency improvements and energy savings measures that are economical as well as environmentally beneficial. Chad received his PhD from Mississippi State University in 2012.
Adam Whitson
Adam WhitsonMechanical Engineer
Adam is responsible for bringing Skyven’s IMA from an early-stage prototype to pilot manufacturing. He received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2017.
Kyla Roach
Kyla RoachOffice Manager
Kyla has a background in human resources in the education and nonprofit sectors. She brings a wealth of administrative experience to the Skyven team.

Our Advisors

Doug Glade
Doug GladeFormer President, Dairy Farmers of America
30+ years experience in Fortune 50 companies, including executive leadership roles in Executive Management/C-Suite, Strategic Planning, Operations, Supply Chain, Business Integration, and Sales Operations.
Steven Berkenfeld
Steven BerkenfeldFormer Managing Director at Barclays Capital
Berkenfeld was a Managing Director in investment banking at Barclays Capital, where he served as senior sponsor of the Social Impact Banking Initiative and co-headed the firm’s Cleantech Initiative.
Dr. Neil Fromer
Dr. Neil FromerE. Dir. of Resnick Institute for Sustainability at CalTech
Dr. Fromer is the Director of the Resnick Institute for Energy and Sustainability at CalTech, formerly director of R&D for Soliant, a concentrating solar company.
Stephen Maysonave
Stephen MaysonaveMember Board of Directors at SWAN Impact Network
Maysonave has 35 years of experience managing five worldwide sales operations, including six years as CEO of Relativity Technologies, a Series D startup acquired by MicroTrend. Dir. Global Sales at Intel in the 1980s.

let’s get started

Let’s Decarbonize, Together

TEXAS

1201 International Pkwy
Suite #300
Richardson, TX 75081

CALIFORNIA

5370 North Chestnut Avenue
M/S OF 18
Fresno, CA 93740