Board of Advisors

Cody Nystrom, Senior Associate at SJF Ventures

Cody Nystrom is a Senior Associate at SJF Ventures, a venture capital fund with $45 MM under management that provides expansion capital to companies pursuing sustainable strategies within the fields of cleantech and technology-enhanced business services. She also works with SJF’s allied non-profit, SJF Advisory Services, to provide resources to entrepreneurs working to grow positive impact enterprises. As a member of the SJF investment team, Cody actively sources new deal opportunities, performs due diligence and helps manage new investments. Cody serves as board observer for SJF portfolio company, CleanScapes, a Seattle-based recycling, organics and waste services provider. She joined SJF in their Durham, North Carolina office in 2007.

Cody helped found and co-leads the Raleigh-Durham CleanLinks Network, a cleantech business networking group with over 600 members. Additionally, Cody serves on selection, judging and advisory committees for Investors Circle, SVCIC (Sustainable Venture Capital Investment Competition) and the T-100 mentoring group at University of Virginia. In addition to her interest and involvement in clean energy, she has a strong passion for nutrition and sustainable food systems.

Cody was previously with Ewing Bemiss & Co., a middle-market investment bank based in Richmond, Virginia where she focused on renewable energy M&A transactions with specific experience involving landfill gas and waste-to-energy companies. Cody holds an BS (summa cum laude) in Systems and Information Engineering from the University of Virginia with a minor in Business.

Alan Scott, President and Founder of Ripe Solar

Alan Scott is president and founder of Ripe Solar, a company with a mission to make clean, reliable, solar energy simple and affordable for homeowners. Alan launched his career at Lucent Technologies where he supported innovations developed at Bell Labs (the developer of the first solar cell). While there, Alan managed investments in technology start-ups and led business development initiatives in countries such as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and beyond. Throughout his management tenure, he was able to lead profitable growth initiatives both domestically and abroad while serving major clients such as AT&T, Tata Telecom, and Sprint. Most recently, as a member of industry leading consulting firms, Alan led national sales initiatives to many of the world’s top companies including Barnes & Noble, Vail Resorts, PetSmart, Westar Energy, and Covanta Energy. Through business development and consulting engagements, Alan has worked with CEOs and CFOs on strategic and tactical issues ranging from innovation and strategic cost management to strategic planning and commercial real estate development initiatives.

Alan holds an BS Finance & International Business from The Pennsylvania State University, an MS with a focus in Entrepreneurial Finance and Strategic Cost Management from Babson College, and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.