Our Planeteers

We’re boldly going where we hope others will join.

Aaron is a natural born problem solver. At Mars, he sees his role as creating the space for Planeteers to thrive. Outside of startupland, you can find Aaron practicing martial arts in the Bay Area and helping underrepresented founders find success.

Kristian oversees the development and procurement of CO2-derived inputs to Mars' process. He has been passionate about mitigating climate change since high school and focused his studies in chemical engineering and entrepreneurship on developing and deploying technologies aimed at removing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. Outside of Mars, you can find Kristian enjoying nature in all its forms and mentoring undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in climate.

Advisory Board

Mitch is an experienced high tech executive and entrepreneur. He serves on a number of corporate, non-profit, and governmental advisory boards, including Greentown Labs, and is a managing partner with Clean Energy Venture Group. Mitch was previously CEO of PRI Automation, a publicly traded semiconductor automation company and CEO of Advanced Electron Beams, a VC-backed clean energy company.

Dr. Durbin has over 40 years of experience in the petrochemical industry including Shell Companies and Hexion, Inc. In 2022, he co-founded Evergreen Management Advisors LLC where he advises clients on developing profitable procurement and marketing strategies for petrochemical and bio feedstock startups and companies.

Todd is a co-inventor of the nitrilation process. With his considerable experience in heterogeneous catalysis and oxide chemistry, Todd has led R&D projects at NREL and The Chemours Company. At The Chemours Company, he currently serves as the Manufacturing Technology Manager within the Advanced Performance Materials business at their Chambers Works site.

Connie is an expert in the latest research developments on topics related to clean energy as the Executive Editor-in-Chief of the Clean Energy Journal. Over the last 30+ years, Connie has developed new products and processes for the control of emissions of mercury and other pollutants from coal-fired power plants and other industrial combustion systems.

Steve has developed profound expertise in catalysis, environmental health and safety and pilot plant fabrication over 40+ years at UOP Honeywell and Thomson Linear Motion.