Nat Simons

Nat Simons
Born Nathaniel Simons
1966 (age 51–52)
Alma mater University of California, Berkeley
Occupation Investment manager, philanthropist.
Spouse(s) Laura Baxter-Simons
Children 2
Parent(s) James Harris Simons, Barbara Simons
Relatives Marvin R. Baxter (father-in-law)

Nathaniel Simons (born 1966) is a US businessman and philanthropist. He started Meritage Group, an investment management firm, and co-founded Prelude Ventures, a cleantech investment fund. Simons is the co-founder and a director of the Sea Change Foundation, a foundation focused on climate change and clean energy policy.[1][2]

Early life

Nat Simons is the son of James Simons, the founder of Renaissance Technologies,[3] and Barbara Simons, a computer scientist and past president of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).[4] Simons attended the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1989, followed by a master's degree in mathematics in 1994.[3][1]

Career

Simons began his career at Cylink Corp in 1989.[5][6] From 1994 to 2011, Simons was a principal at Renaissance Technologies,[7] an investment management firm started by his father, James Simons.[8][3] At Renaissance, Simons worked as a data analyst from 1994 to 1995, then as a futures trader from 1995 to 1997. In 1997, Simons began the Meritage family of funds, which was spun off from Renaissance. Simons has served as a board member and vice-chair at Renaissance, [1] and as senior managing director and chairman of Meritage Group.[9][1]

In 2009, Simons co-founded Prelude Ventures, a cleantech venture fund.[10] In that same year, he was listed #20 on Fortune’s World’s Top 25 Eco-Innovators.[10] In 2015, Simons and his wife, Laura Baxter-Simons, joined the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.[11][12] The coalition is a partnership of individuals who have pledged to invest in new energy technologies.[13][14]

Philanthropy

In 2006, Simons co-founded Sea Change Foundation, focused on climate change and clean energy policy.[8][15][16] In 2009, Simons spoke along with Bill Clinton and Al Gore at the National Clean Energy Project roundtable. In discussing philanthropy’s role in combatting climate change, Simons stated, “I think the role of philanthropy is more than anything to just facilitate the process. There are many different stakeholders, and they all have to be brought together. The grid is perhaps the best example we can think of where there are many disparate interests. And to get it done quickly is going to take a herculean effort from all sides.”[7] Nat Simons has been on the board of the Exploratorium and a member of the UC Berkeley board of visitors.[1][17] Simons and his family have supported UC Berkeley,[3] including SERC[18] and the Berkeley Tsinghua Joint Research Center on Energy and Climate Change.[19] In May 2017, Simons and Laura Baxter-Simons signed The Giving Pledge, a foundation created by Bill Gates where individuals pledge to donate the majority of their wealth.[20]

Personal life and family

Simons is married to Laura Baxter-Simons, and they have two children. [1] Baxter-Simons is the daughter of former California Supreme Court Justice, Marvin Baxter,[21][22] and is an attorney, having received her JD from Stanford University. Baxter-Simons serves as the general counsel and chief compliance officer at Meritage Group.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Nat Simons | Exploratorium". Exploratorium. 2015-12-21. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  2. ↑ "The World's Top 25 Eco-Innovators". Fortune. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 ""World's Smartest Billionaire:" James Simons is Cal Alumnus of the Year for 2016". Cal Alumni Association. 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  4. ↑ Simons, Barbara (19 October 2016). "Hacking the Election?" (PDF). Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "Alumni US | University of California, Berkeley, San Francisco Bay Area". alumnius.net. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  6. ↑ "Prelude Ventures | A VC firm focused on climate innovation". Prelude Ventures | A VC firm focused on climate innovation. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  7. 1 2 "Nathaniel Simons | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  8. 1 2 3 "The Quiet Hedge Fund Heir Who's Engaged in Massive Climate Giving". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  9. ↑ "Nathaniel Simons: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  10. 1 2 "Billionaires versus big oil". Fortune. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  11. ↑ "Gates, Dalio, Zuckerberg, U. California Team Up on Clean Energy | Chief Investment Officer". Chief Investment Officer. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  12. ↑ Tucker, Bill. "Just In Time For COP21; The Breakthrough Energy Coalition". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  13. ↑ "Breakthrough Energy - Investing in a Carbonless Future". Breakthrough Energy. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  14. ↑ Goldman, David (2015-11-30). "COP21: The 30 rich and powerful people Bill Gates signed on to save the Earth". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  15. ↑ "Sea Change Foundation". www.seachange.org. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  16. ↑ "How the Heirs to a Vast Hedge Fund Fortune Are Giving Big on Climate Change". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  17. ↑ "Campus Fundraising Task Force - Spring 2015 | Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost". evcp.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  18. ↑ Weiner, Jon (2012-10-19). "Berkeley Lab Breaks Ground on New Solar Energy Research Facility | Berkeley Lab". News Center. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  19. ↑ Staff, Justin Sidhu | (2017-01-19). "Berkeley-Tsinghua Joint Research Center receives $5 million donation". The Daily Californian. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  20. ↑ Wile, Rob. "Meet the 14 Billionaires Who Just Promised to Give Their Fortunes Away". Money. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  21. ↑ "Sea Change Foundation: Grants for Climate Change". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  22. ↑ "California Supreme Court Justice Marvin Baxter to retire". Los Angeles Times. 2014-06-18. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
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