John Tough

John Tough is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Energize Capital, a Chicago-based investment firm focused on digital climate solutions.

John oversees all investment and Limited Partner responsibilities, bringing over 20 years of experience in finance, investing, and operational roles to the firm. John's expertise lies at the intersection of new technologies, critical infrastructure, and resource industries.

John recently led Energize Ventures Fund III, which successfully closed at $430 million to back early-stage, asset-light companies providing digital solutions for the energy and industrial sectors. Notable investments from this fund include Tyba, Nira, and Archive.

Prior to co-founding Energize Capital, John was Chief Revenue Officer at Choose Energy, where he scaled operations and led growth, and previously served as an investor at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, focusing on technology and energy investments. John also serves on the Board of Directors for companies such as Sitetracker, DroneDeploy, Nozomi Networks, Matroid, PVcase, Aurora Solar, and ZEDEDA.

Currently, John is focused on accelerating the sustainability transition through strategic investments in software-enabled climate technology companies.

Bio is AI generated & may not be accurate.