Kirk Coburn
Head of Shell Ventures
Kirk is a member of the team at Shell Technology Ventures (STV), Shell's corporate Venture Capital fund. STV invests and partners with entrepreneurs to bring new technologies and business models to market in order to lower costs, make our existing operations more sustainable, and accelerate the energy transition. STV acts as a strategic partner and makes minority investments in select technology companies, including Shell technology spin-outs, and also acts as an LP in some externally managed venture capital funds. Kirk has over 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur and over 7 years as a venture capitalist and early-stage angel investor. Prior to Shell, Kirk was the founder and managing director of SURGE Ventures, a mentor-driven accelerator and seed stage venture fund. During this period, he led the investments into over 45 technology companies solving problems across the energy value chain including oil & gas, cleantech, power, energy efficiency, and horizontal applications that reach across. Under his leadership and direction, SURGE recruited more than 200 industry-leading scientists, investors, policymakers, customers, and entrepreneurs to serve as mentors. SURGE was repeatedly recognized globally as one of the top startup programs and early-stage investment funds. Prior to leading SURGE, Coburn created and was CEO of Chief Outsiders (acq. 2010), a strategy and marketing consulting firm with offices across the Unites States. Chief Outsiders was named the #6 Fastest Growing Company in Houston, and was noted as one of Inc’s 5000 fastest growing companies in the US in 2014. Prior to Chief Outsiders, Coburn launched The PGA TOUR Network on Sirius XM (acq. by SIRI). He remained CEO for four years from launch to successful acquisition. Coburn additionally spent 8 years at Dell during the 1990s and early 2000s in myriad senior roles including new business development, strategy, procurement, marketing, and finance. Kirk has an MBA and BBA from the University of Texas at Austin. Kirk serves as an ambassador to the Texas Children's Hospital and is an active supporter of the Rice Alliance and Station Houston. Kirk is an avid lover of the outside world spending time ultra-endurance running (completed the Leadville Trail 100) and standup paddle surfing.
Charles Leykum
Founder of CSL Capital Management
Houston, United States
Charlie Leykum founded CSL Capital Management, LLC (“CSL Capitalâ€) in 2008. CSL Capital is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm based in Houston, TX, with a strategy focused on private investments in services and manufacturing companies in the energy sector. Since its inception, CSL Capital has raised in excess of $1.4 billion in equity capital and commitments and through its funds, has made de novo, growth capital, recapitalization, and distressed investments. Notable investments include BJ Services, the second largest North American pressure pumper, in December 2016, and Ranger Energy Services, the leading private well services company in the U.S. Before founding CSL Capital, Mr. Leykum worked at Soros Fund Management LLC, which he joined in 2004 as an Investment Professional covering energy and a number of other industries for the Quantum Endowment Fund. Mr. Leykum was promoted to Portfolio Manager, where he managed a portfolio of energy and basic materials investments. Mr. Leykum graduated with an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and with a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University. Prior to entering Harvard Business School, Mr. Leykum worked at Goldman, Sachs & Co. in the Principal Investments Area and also in the Leveraged Finance Group within the Investment Banking Division. Mr. Leykum serves on the board of several private companies including BJ Services, where he serves as its Chairman. In addition, Mr. Leykum is on the board of the Greater Houston Partnership and the Columbia College Alumni Association. Mr. Leykum resides in Houston, TX, with his wife Elizabeth and their three children.
Bruno Courme
VP Exploration Americas for Total E & P Americas, LLC
Houston
Bruno Courme, a French national, is a graduate from French engineering sc hools, and holds a Master’s degree in Geological Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin. He joined the Exploration and Division branch of Total in 2000, working first as a carbonate sedimentologist. He successively held positions in geological operations then exploration teams in the Netherlands, Norway, Nigeria, and the UK between 2002 and 2008. He then spent two years in Total Technical Center in Pau, France, heading the team in charge of the interpretation of static and dynamic data acquired in Total wells. He was appointed in 2010 as Managing Director of Total Gas Shale Europe, to look after studies and operations on Total gas shale acreage in Europe and held the position until the end of 2013. From January 2014 to March 2015 he was Vice-President Strategy for the Exploration & Production Branch of Total. He is since April 2015 Vice-President Exploration in charge of the Americas, based in Houston. Total is the world’s fourth-largest oil and gas company, as well as a major integrated player in low-carbon energies. Backed by nearly a century of history we discover, produce, transform, market and distribute energy in a variety of forms, to serve the end customer.