IS:CleanTech 2026

Anthony Schiavo

Anthony Schiavo is a Senior Director and Principal Analyst at Lux Research based at Lux’s Boston headquarters. He is a thought leader in sustainable innovation and leads foresight efforts for the Lux Research team, combining primary research and AI to identify emerging innovation areas and the future development of industry and society. He serves as a trusted adviser to top executives across the chemicals, oil and gas, and CPG sectors, helping them navigate the rapidly evolving innovation landscape. His insights have been featured by leading outlets including National Public Radio, Bloomberg TV Canada, and The Wall Street Journal. He holds a B.Sc. in materials science and engineering from Virginia Tech.

Matt Cohen

Matt joined CEV as an Investment Principal in May 2023. He brings over a decade of climatetech investing experience to CEV.

Prior to joining CEV, Matt was Director of Technology at Pangaea Ventures, an impact-focused venture capital firm. There, he played a key role in directing the firm’s technology scouting and evaluation activities. He also helped develop quantifiable impact assessment methodologies for portfolio companies and potential investments. He served as a board director and observer for multiple hardtech startups and closely supported many of the firm’s strategic limited partners.

Before his transition into venture capital, Matt was an early employee at a nanotechnology startup called PChem Associates. There, he supported fundraising efforts with angel investors, VCs, and regional economic development programs. In addition, he developed QA/QC processes and supported customers/partners on-site across the United States.

Matt holds an MPhil in Micro- and Nanotechnology Enterprise from the University of Cambridge and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a BSE in Materials Science & Engineering. He is a member of the Investor Advisory Board of the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR).

Troy Wilford

As Director of Commercialization Programs with Horn Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware, Troy is responsible for nurturing the university innovation ecosystem and fostering the entrepreneurial mindset for its students and researchers. Troy develops, administers, and leads training and support programs aimed at preparing university innovators to move nascent scientific discoveries and new technologies from the lab to the marketplace. Troy’s innovator-focused approach is built on his experience developing and scaling interdisciplinary educational programs, mentoring a broad range of trainees, and advancing innovation and entrepreneurship within academic and translational research environments. Previously, Troy held similar positions with Drexel University and the University City Science Center.

 Troy also works with Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania as a contributor on the Health Investment Group External Review Committee. Prior to work as an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, Troy worked for a variety of MedTech companies, including Johnson & Johnson and Stryker. Troy is a graduate of Drexel University where he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering as well as an MBA. When not working to democratize entrepreneurship, Troy looks for opportunities to enjoy some combination of family, friends, food, and The Beautiful Game.

Emily Dinu

Emily Dinu is the Founder and Managing Partner of Numinous Capital, an Atlanta-based venture capital firm investing in early-stage deep tech, hard tech, and life sciences. Emily is dedicated to backing companies that have the power to transform critical industries and fortify national resilience.

With two decades of experience in direct investment, venture fund building, and startup operations, Emily has personally facilitated over $500 million in capital flows. To date, she has led investments totaling over $80 million, assisted funds in raising $310 million, and helped startups secure over $200 million in funding.

Emily specializes in working with scientific founders to bridge the ‘translational gap’ by aligning deep technical breakthroughs with the operational expertise and market strategy required for commercial success. She is recognized for discovering high-potential, non-obvious talent early on and supporting companies positioned to create enduring economic value.

Dan Coppens

Dan has been an investor and leader in the medical device industry for over 20 years. He co-founded Qfix, focusing on devices for radiation therapy patient positioning. As Qfix’s CEO and Chief Technology Officer, he led two decades of uninterrupted organic growth and profitability. During this period the company developed a suite of innovative, market-leading products. Dan successfully grew Qfix into a global industry leader operating in nearly 100 countries. In 2022 Qfix merged with its largest competitor to form CQ Medical.

Prior to Qfix, he founded Anholt Technologies, specializing in composite material structures and solutions. He incubated Anholt at the University of Delaware’s Center for Composite Materials.

Dan received his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He holds approximately 90 patents and patents pending and is a licensed professional engineer. He currently acts as an advisor, mentor, and senior leader for several businesses and startups.

Katie Elbert

Katie is currently a Research Scientist and Corporate Technology Scout for Dow, where she has responsibility for vetting and developing new technology and market opportunities across a variety of businesses, applications, and geographies. Prior to becoming a technology scout, Katie worked for Dow Construction Chemical’s business on acrylic polymer R&D, focusing on front-end sustainable innovation. Katie holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and a BA from Haverford College.

Paul A. Bielewicz

Paul A. Bielewicz is Director of Innovation, Gore Corporate Technology Incubator at W. L. Gore & Associates, where he helps evaluate, de-risk, and advance early-stage technologies toward scalable product and business opportunities. Operating at the intersection of materials science, product strategy, and commercialization, Paul works with technical, manufacturing, and commercial teams to translate promising concepts into customer-relevant outcomes.

His work has spanned medical products, energy storage and batteries, consumer apparel, and other advanced materials applications. He brings a practical view of how corporate incubators evaluate emerging technologies and translate technical promise into investable opportunities

Jeff Wilbur

Jeff Wilbur is the Senior Global Technology Manager for Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration at DuPont Water Solutions, where he has been an R&D leader for 8 years and responsible for evaluating roughly a hundred start-up companies.  Before that, he was a Program Leader and scientist in Core R&D in the Dow Chemical Company for 10 years.  Jeff has been the recipient of an American Chemical Society Cooperative Research Award, two R&D 100 awards, a Bronze Edison Award, an ICIS Innovation Award, and a Business Intelligence Group Sustainability Award.  His polymer physics expertise has been applied to the development of membranes, architectural and industrial coatings, and a wide range of applied polymer processing problems.  Jeff has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Yale University.

Michael Hershkowitz

As Director of Sustainable Innovation at IFF, a leader in food, beverage, health, biosciences and scent, Michael is responsible for ensuring IFF’s pipeline of new innovations deliver differentiating sustainability value propositions that support healthy people and healthy planet, along with enabling the partnerships that will drive the sustainable innovations of the future.  A lifelong advocate for applying advanced technologies for the power of good, he facilitates internal and external partnerships that translate sustainability challenges to business opportunities, focusing on both the incremental and the disruptive.

Prior to IFF Michael held R&D roles in the CPG and biotech worlds.  He has a degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering form the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from NC State University.

Troy Francisco

Troy Francisco is an accomplished Technology Director with nearly three decades of experience in chemical, polymer, and advanced analytical measurement technologies. He leads the Chemours Discovery Hub, Experimental Station Laboratories, and Elkton facilities, overseeing safe operations, regulatory compliance, quality management, and collaboration with the University of Delaware. The Newark Area organization also includes the Leveraged Analytical Chemistry team that enables technology innovation, manufacturing improvements, and customer application development through the use of world class physicochemical measurement technologies.

Troy’s career path includes technical roles at AlliedSignal, Honeywell, DuPont, and Chemours. This work was primarily focused on establishing automated analytical systems to provide critical data necessary for process safety, process optimization, and process control. At Chemours, Troy has broadened his experiences to include technology management and direction for a large, diverse organization representing all three Chemours business units and the associated functions of Technology, Technical Service, Manufacturing Support, and Pilot Operations.

William D. Provine, Ph.D.

President & CEO

Bill is the founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Innovation Space in addition to a member of its Board of Directors. In this role, Bill oversees all operations and is responsible for its overall performance. Prior to joining the Innovation Space, Bill worked for DuPont where he led global operations for science and engineering encompassing DuPont’s open innovation practice that included oversight for DuPont’s innovation centers and regional laboratories around the world. He also has served in a variety of research, marketing, business development, joint venture, and manufacturing leadership roles in DuPont over the last 30 years. Bill is very active in cultivating and advancing science across sectors and has served on numerous private company, university, industrial, governmental, and scientific association advisory and management boards and committees. He currently serves on the board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) supporting scientific research and advocacy; the Resolution Project, supporting social entrepreneurship; and the National Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship with US Department of Commerce, supporting creation of a national entrepreneurship strategy.

Marcie Reilly, MS

Chief Growth Officer

Marcie Reilly is the Chief Growth Officer at The Innovation Space, where she leads external communications, strategic partnerships, and programs that support startups in life sciences, clean tech, and advanced materials. With a background in materials engineering and venture development, she brings deep expertise in customer discovery, marketing, ecosystem-building, and startup acceleration.

Before joining The Innovation Space, Marcie co-founded a tech startup in the events industry after years of commercializing technologies across the healthcare continuum. She held multiple roles at Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the commercialization arm of the #2 healthcare system in the U.S., where she most recently served as Director, Global Healthcare Innovation Alliance, supporting innovation efforts across a global network of industry and academic partners.

Earlier in her career, Marcie played a pivotal role in bringing biomaterial and cardiovascular products to market in several product development engineering roles at Kensey Nash Corporation (now DSM Biomedical).

She holds both a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

Alex Dulin

Chief Operating Officer

Alex currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Innovation Space. In this role, Alex is responsible for all aspects of the Innovation Space’s facilities and laboratory operations including ongoing scientific operations, building/ facility maintenance, and capital improvement projects. Prior to accepting this role, Alex received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware and joined ExxonMobil Research & Engineering upon graduation. In seven years with ExxonMobil, Alex held a variety of roles within R&D Engineering, Laboratory Operations, & Process Research functions across multiple US research facilities. Most recently, Alex held assignments as the Laboratory Operations Engineering Team Lead for the Upstream Research Company in Houston, TX, followed by an assignment as a Process Development researcher located at the ExxonMobil R&D headquarters in Clinton, NJ. Over the years, Alex has worked on a variety of R&D programs, most recently supporting a portfolio of CO2 reduction initiatives in the carbon capture/storage & biofuels markets.