Decarbonizing the world

through energy transition

investment partnerships

We invest in scalable businesses with visibility into revenues, earnings and cash flow growth. We leverage our thesis-driven approach and our operational expertise to enhance value for all stakeholders in each of our investments.

About Us

About Us

Cleanhill Partners is a private equity firm pursuing investments in the energy transition sector that contribute to decarbonization.

Our long term investment philosophy is to decarbonize and create value for stakeholders, our communities and the businesses we invest in.

Our Approach

Operational Experience

Operational and investing experience at firms like Apollo, KKR, Goldman Sachs, and Royal Dutch Shell

Growth-minded

Deep experience managing and growing businesses with complex execution

$10B+ Invested

Our founders have invested over $10 billion across the energy value chain and capital structures

Our Approach

Developing high-quality assets across the energy value chain

Our team has a long history executing transactions, partnering with management teams, and developing high quality assets across the energy value chain. We have deep domain expertise, key industry relationships, and a proven track record of success.

Creative

We construct innovative solutions to unlock value in an investment. We draw upon the deep experience of our team to identify and capitalize upon growth opportunities. We embrace complexity through simplicity in thought and execution.

Thesis-driven

We adopt a primary research, thesis-driven approach to investing. We look to thoughtfully source, analyze and execute investment opportunities that signal growth and rely upon sound due diligence.

Active leaders

We partner with management teams to drive operational results, increase growth, and strengthen overall performance. Our professionals have held leadership positions and driven shareholder value in numerous public and private companies.

Climate-centric

We invest in scalable opportunities that directly or indirectly contribute to decarbonization. We believe that growing businesses can benefit the climate and we seek to invest-in, scale and globally amplify these ventures.

Our Portfolio

EPC Power

EPC Power creates innovative power conversion products that are stable, powerful and smaller than you ever thought possible. EPC’s field of excellence is the development of globally competitive high power density electrical conversion systems with a power range of several kilowatts to 200 megawatts. Based in San Diego, EPC Power engineers and manufactures fully functional designs, prototypes, production hardware, and commercialized power electronics technology for use around the world.

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cleanjoule

CleanJoule is the world’s leading innovator of full performance SAF. CleanJoule’s highly innovative technology allows the company to harness existing energy from biomass and convert it to superior performance aviation fuel as well as carbon negative, bio-rubber that can be used in various consumer and commercial products. CleanJoule consists of passionate and creative engineers, scientists, and visionaries focused on clean energy solutions, with the purpose of creating a sustainable planet, reducing global carbon emissions, and ultimately combatting climate change.

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jule

Founded in 2009, Jule meets the challenges of an ever-increasing demand for power by providing innovative energy solutions for long-term sustainability. It specializes in smart Energy Management and Battery Storage Systems, while providing integrated DC fast charging technology, supplying communities and businesses with convenient, multi-faceted electric infrastructure. Their solution does not require additional grid infrastructural upgrades while also mitigating demand charges, making it a versatile solution capable of addressing today’s largest barriers to electrification.

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Our Team

Rakesh Wilson

Managing Partner

Rakesh Wilson is a founder and Managing Partner at Cleanhill Partners. Rakesh has over twenty years of energy finance and private equity experience. Recently, Rakesh was the Head of Infrastructure, Natural Resources & Special Situations at Kennedy Lewis Investment Management.

From 2009 to 2019, Rakesh was a Senior Partner at Apollo Global Management. While at Apollo, Rakesh led several investments in the energy private equity sector and served on the investment committee for a number of Apollo funds.

Prior to joining Apollo, Rakesh was with Morgan Stanley’s Commodities Division in the principal investing group. Rakesh began his career at Goldman Sachs in equity research and then moved to its investment banking division, in New York and Asia.

The funds where Rakesh held leadership positions have invested several billion dollars in the energy value chain. Rakesh has served on the board of more than ten public and private companies. Rakesh graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and received his MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.

Ash Upadhyaya

Managing Partner

Ash Upadhyaya is a founder and Managing Partner at Cleanhill Partners. Ash has over twenty years of experience in private equity and engineering, focusing on the energy value chain. Previously, Ash was a Managing Director at Centerbridge Partners, a leading alternative asset manager.

At Centerbridge, Ash invested across the energy sector. Prior to Centerbridge, Ash was a Director at KKR from 2011 to 2017. While at KKR, Ash led and co-led investments in the energy private equity sector and worked in New York and Asia.

Prior to KKR, Ash was an investment professional at Natural Gas Partners. Ash began his career as an engineer at Royal Dutch Shell working across the globe. During his career, Ash has invested across the energy value chain and led operational and financial turnaround of businesses.

Ash has served on several company boards. Ash brings a hands-on operational approach and insight into the diligence and execution of investments. Ash has engineering degrees from Stanford University and University of Mumbai and an MBA from Stanford University.

Clark Poole

Vice President

Clark Poole is a Vice President at Cleanhill Partners. Clark was most recently an Associate at Outfitter Energy Capital, the successor of the legacy private equity group of investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co.

At Outfitter, Clark was a member of the investment team, tasked with the evaluation and execution of new investment opportunities across the energy value chain, as well as the management of existing investments within Outfitter’s portfolio.

Prior to Outfitter, Clark began his Wall Street career as an analyst in the Global Energy Investment Banking Group at RBC Capital Markets where he focused on capital markets and M&A advisory work.

Clark earned his B.B.A. in Finance from Baylor University, where he graduated Cum Laude.

Jessica Chamoun

Vice President

Jessica Chamoun is a Vice President at Cleanhill Partners. Prior to joining Cleanhill, she was an engineer at Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest utility company.

At PSE&G, she worked in Asset Management, planning and designing natural gas infrastructure to integrate new customers and maintain system reliability.

Prior to that, she worked in Project Management and Construction, modernizing PSE&G’s electric transmission system and managing generation interconnections. Jessica received an engineering degree from Rutgers University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Will Goodman

Associate

Will is an Associate at Cleanhill Partners. Prior to joining Cleanhill, Will worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Bank of America, where he focused on M&A transactions in the Power & Utilities sector.

News

CleanJoule Announces US$50M Investment by International Consortium to Accelerate Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – CleanJoule, a U.S.-based startup focused on the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), today announced a US$50 million investment round led by the principals of Indigo Partners, a U.S.-based private equity firm. The round also included participation by GenZero, a decarbonization-focused investment platform company of Temasek based in Singapore, Cleanhill Partners, a...

Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Cleanhill Partners Acquire Majority Stake in EPC Power Corp.

POWAY, CA – EPC Power Corp., a leading North American supplier of high-performance, utility-scale, smart inverters, today announced the Sustainable Investing business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Goldman Sachs) and Cleanhill Partners have acquired a majority stake in its company. The strategic investment, along with a comprehensive recapitalization, positions EPC Power to...

Decarbonizing the world

through energy transition