Companies> People>Michael Brown

Michael Brown is an experienced and well-known Canadian venture capitalist, with over 35 years of management, development and governance expertise in new technology company start-ups. He is the Chair of Chrysalix Energy Management, which is the General Partner of two pools of venture capital investing in world-class early-stage sustainable energy companies.

He was co-founder (in 1968) and, until March 1999, was the President of Ventures West Capital — Western Canada’s largest venture capital company.

Mr. Brown is best known for his role in the start-up, strategic development, growth and success of Ballard Power, the world’s first and most successful fuel cell development company. Other notable examples of companies in which Mr. Brown played, or is playing, a key formative role with direct impact include: Mobile Data International, MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates, QuestAir Technologies, NxtPhase, Cellex Power Systems and Greenlight Power. Mr. Brown has been a director of eight public companies, including Wardair Canada.

Mr. Brown has served on many government and industry advisory committees, and is currently the Managing Director of the Canada-China Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Coalition.

Mr. Brown was educated at UBC (Honors Economics) and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. For further information, see www.chrysalix.com.