Team
Meet the Spiritus Team: Pioneering Sustainable Carbon Dioxide Removal
At Spiritus, our mission to revolutionize carbon removal is driven by a diverse and accomplished team of experts who are committed to creating a sustainable and low-carbon dioxide future. Led by innovation veterans Charles Cadieu and Matt Lee, our team combines a passion for creative problem solving, a transparent culture, a wealth of experience across the necessary domains to bring our carbon dioxide removal solution to market and to a globally relevant scale.
Meet the Co-Founders:
Charles Cadieu Co-Founder and CEO
Charles Cadieu, PhD, CEO, founded IQ Engines (acquired by Yahoo!/Flickr) and Caption Health (acquired by GE HealthCare). As Co-Founder and CEO of Caption Health, Charles led the company to develop an FDA breakthrough medical technology that was named a 100 Best Invention by TIME Magazine.
Charles has raised >$75 million for his startups from leading venture (Khosla Ventures, DCVC) and non-dilutive (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, NSF) funders.
Charles has raised >$75 million for his startups from leading venture (Khosla Ventures, DCVC) and non-dilutive (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, NSF) funders.
Matt Lee
Co-Founder and CTO
Matt Lee, PhD, CTO, invented Spiritus’ breakthrough sorbent technology. He is a materials engineering expert with specialization in hierarchical and bioinspired porous solids, complex fluids, multiphase systems, and colloid science.
For 10+ years as staff scientist and technical manager, he has focused on advanced materials at scale to support national security at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). He holds a BS from UCSB and MS/PhD in Chemical Engineering from UCI.
For 10+ years as staff scientist and technical manager, he has focused on advanced materials at scale to support national security at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). He holds a BS from UCSB and MS/PhD in Chemical Engineering from UCI.
Our Accomplished Team
Beyond our co-founders, Spiritus boasts a dynamic team of professionals spanning diverse fields such as chemistry, mechanical engineering, process engineering, environmental science, and commercialization.
Jon Rau
VP of Engineering
Jon Rau, VP Engineering, has, for the past 17 years, assembled and led numerous teams of scientists and engineers to meet challenging objectives under time pressure. Jon was most recently Director of the Engineering and Technology Maturation (ETM) Program for LANL, a $200M/year program for materials, chemistry, and physics R&D in support of LANL’s national security mission.
Brian Higgins, VP of Technology Innovation
Brian Higgins, Ph.D., VP of Technology Innovation, is a leader in energy and environmental products and services for power and industrial markets worldwide. Brian has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience in technology development, strategic planning, intellectual property, operations, global business development, research and development, process design, and performance management in the renewable energy, pollution control technology, and utility power industries.
Brian comes to Spiritus from Babcock & Wilcox where he served as Chief Strategy and Climate Officer working on carbon capture and carbon negative hydrogen technologies. Previously, he served as the head of new technology for GreenFire Energy, EnviroCare International, SBB Energy, and Nalco Mobotec. Brian has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Brian comes to Spiritus from Babcock & Wilcox where he served as Chief Strategy and Climate Officer working on carbon capture and carbon negative hydrogen technologies. Previously, he served as the head of new technology for GreenFire Energy, EnviroCare International, SBB Energy, and Nalco Mobotec. Brian has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
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Dan Opila, PhD
Chief Architect
Dan Opila, Ph.D., P.E. Chief Architect, has a proven history of new product development and team leadership taking ideas from concept to mass production in renewable energy (over 2 GW installed solar inverters), consumer electronics, automotive (BoseRide), and aerospace (rocket test systems). He is a Professor at the US Naval Academy focusing on power systems and has over 50 patents and publications. He graduated from MIT undergrad in 3 years with a perfect GPA and received an MIT M.S. in his 4th year.
James Burbridge
Director of Business Development
James Burbridge is the Director of Business Development at Spiritus, where he leverages over a decade of expertise in carbon removal, market analysis, and strategic partnerships. In his role, he leads business development efforts, forging strategic alliances, and driving growth opportunities in the evolving carbon removal landscape.
Prior to joining Spiritus, James led the North America Advisory team at Carbon Direct, working closely with major carbon removal buyers. He also contributed to the XPRIZE Foundation's $100 million Carbon Removal prize and the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, focusing on CO2 utilization technologies. His career began as a reporter in China, Singapore, and California, covering global energy markets and environmental policies.
Prior to joining Spiritus, James led the North America Advisory team at Carbon Direct, working closely with major carbon removal buyers. He also contributed to the XPRIZE Foundation's $100 million Carbon Removal prize and the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, focusing on CO2 utilization technologies. His career began as a reporter in China, Singapore, and California, covering global energy markets and environmental policies.
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Scott Kong, Ph.D., P.Eng. - Senior Director of Engineering
Scott has over 25-year experience of transforming innovations into commercial operation units and aligning with corporate strategies and market needs. He successfully commercialized multiple technologies and processes with the estimate total market values over $800MM in CAPEX.
He is also a veteran in engineering development, technology scaling, value engineering, PDP, and FEED development while retaining capital and investment strategy. Scott is a certified Lean / Six Sigma, who thrives to drive organizational efficiency and improve quality. He is a technical expert in reactor design, separation and refining processes, adsorption, green energy, and CO2 capture utilization & storage (CCUS).
He is also a veteran in engineering development, technology scaling, value engineering, PDP, and FEED development while retaining capital and investment strategy. Scott is a certified Lean / Six Sigma, who thrives to drive organizational efficiency and improve quality. He is a technical expert in reactor design, separation and refining processes, adsorption, green energy, and CO2 capture utilization & storage (CCUS).
