Dave Chen

CEO
Dave Chen

Dave is the CEO and Chairman of Equilibrium, leading the firm’s growth, overseeing its strategy, and heading its investment product development. In addition, he serves on Equilibrium’s Board of Directors.

Dave is also the firm’s founder, a move emanating from his longstanding interest in and commitment to sustainability and capital markets. His focus on sustainability intensified while he worked in the venture capital sector, leading initiatives in regional economic development and participating in climate change policy development. In 2007, he saw the growing interest in sustainability re-shaping the basic economic sectors of the “Maslow hierarchy of needs” and creating economic advantage. Climate change was driving a rethinking of asset risk and value.

In 2008, Equilibrium was formed with the goal of being a global leader in sustainability-driven asset management for institutional investors, delivering sustainable alpha returns and creating intentional positive impact on society and the environment.

Before establishing Equilibrium, Dave was a general partner with OVP Venture Partners from 2000-2007. There, his investments included Intelligent Results (acquired by First Data), Net6 (acquired by Citrix), @mobile (acquired by Software.com), and @once (acquired by InfoUSA). Prior to joining OVP, Dave was founder and CEO of GeoTrust (acquired by VeriSign 2006); founder of The Ascent Group, a global strategy consultancy firm; Vice President Marketing at Mentor Graphics; associate at McKinsey & Company; and an early team member Solectron (1978-1985).

Dave represents Equilibrium as:

  • Board member (2020-present) Revol Greens
  • Board of Directors AppHarvest (APPH) 2019-21
  • Board of Directors of Little Leaf Farms
  • Board member (2008-2020) Gerding Edlen Development, Inc and the GED Green Cities Funds, moving to the management committee of Edlen & Company in 2020
  • Board member (2010-present) Biological Capital, LLC

Dave serves as:

  • Chairman (2006-2012) of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s Portland Branch
  • Board member (2010-2019) of B Corp/B LAB
  • Board member (2010-present) of The Freshwater Trust
  • Advisory Board member (2015-present) of Volans
  • Oregon Governor-Appointed Chairman (2005-2011) of the Oregon Innovation Council
  • Oregon Governor-Appointed Chairman (2003-2009) of the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI)
  • Board member (2008-2012) of the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA)
  • Chairman (2006) of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum
  • Board member (2020-2021) Futureproof
  • Advisory Board (2020-present) Pure Harvest
  • Chairman (2017-present) Greenprint Partners
  • Board member (2009-2019) NVoicepay
  • Board member (1999-2002) HNC Software (NASDAQ:HNCS), merged with FICO (NYSE:FIC) 2002
  • Chairman Investment Committee (2017-2021) Caldera’s endowment
  • Advisory Board (2020-present) Journal of Impact and ESG Investment
  • Judge (2020-present) Moskowitz Prize
  • Co-founder (2010-present) Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investment Challenge
  • Adjunct Professor of Finance (2010-present) at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and previously faculty (2014-2016) at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University on the topic of sustainability finance and impact investing

Dave has a B.A. in biology, from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

His commitment to sustainability extends to his private life. He is co-owner of Patton Valley Vineyards, making Oregon Pinot Noir based on sustainable vineyard farming practices.  He finds great peace on long distance cross-country motorcycle trips.