Extensive experience in biofuels and renewable chemicals. Most recently at Total New Energies (part of Total, the French energy company, fifth largest energy company in the world) co-leading the ~$100MM collaboration with Amyris, a local biofuels company.

Dr. Michael Burkart is a Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, and an Associate Director of the California Center for Algae Biotechnology. An internationally recognized expert in natural product biosynthesis and metabolic pathway engineering, his areas of expertise include natural product synthesis and biosynthesis, enzyme mechanism, and metabolic engineering.

Joe is the inventor of Pareto’s foundational technology, and has a strong record of creating consumer goods, notably as a co-founder of renewable chemicals company Allylix. Joe is a HHMI Investigator, a professor in the Structural Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and Director of the Jack Skirball Center for Chemical Biology and Proteomics at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla.

With over 25 years of experience in biotechnology start-ups, Mike Mendez is a serial entrepreneur who has a demonstrated talent for developing technology platforms. He has been part of nine start-ups, four of which he founded. Most recently, Mike co-founded Sapphire Energy as VP of Technology; he was also the lead inventor of the 'xenomouse', a mouse with a humanized immune system, that was ultimately purchased by Amgen for over $2B.