Chris Romer, Founder and CEO, Project Canary
/Chris Romer is the CEO and co-founder of Project Canary, a ClimateTech company and leading provider of environmental data. Canary provides technology to measure and address greenhouse gas emissions across the energy value chain. From the company’s founding, Chris’s vision was to unlock a net-zero energy economy and tackle climate change – and achieve this with support from the biggest players in the space. With a suite of software and IoT solutions, the company measures environmental impact and provides independent, quantified emission profiles across the energy, agricultural, and manufacturing sectors.
But how did we get here? It’s no secret that the oil and gas companies have been slow to embrace the E in ESG data. Historically, the strategy has been a combination of inaction and greenwashing. As a result, climate stewards have excluded fossil fuel companies from the conversation, and energy producers haven’t taken the necessary steps to responsibly assess their environmental footprint. Chris realized that high-fidelity data was a critical first step to empowering companies to take ESG action, while still acknowledging the impact of operations. And this challenge isn’t limited to energy sector. As Chris puts it, “getting to net-zero is a mission-critical goal for agriculture, landfills, and steel industries, and the sense of urgency has never been more profound.” With this mission, and the innovative technology to enable it, Chris has led a talented team of engineers, scientists, and industry professionals to market.
Today, Canary helps over 100 energy partners accurately assess the environmental impact of their operations and create resilient, low-carbon energy systems. By providing transparent, verified emissions data, producers have been able to reclassify natural gas products as Responsibly Sourced Gas (RSG), and demonstrate their commitment to responsibly developed energy. Canary also provides a TrustWell rating system for customers, a certification process for facilities to be individually rated, certified, and inspected on an annual basis. These tech-enabled services are packaged into a SaaS platform, with data being independently certified throughout the process. With Chris’ forward-looking persistence, the company is fast-tracking its growth to providing the most important data for solving the climate crisis.
Chris began his career as an investor with JP Morgan, where he leveraged public-private partnerships to finance infrastructure projects for schools, hospitals, and transportation. He then served as a Colorado state senator, where he led energy policy for the natural gas rich state and helped pass the “Clean Air, Clean Jobs” bill. Immediately prior to Project Canary, Chris co-founded Guild Education, the first B-Corp to reach a $1 billion. His 25-year career spans multiple industries, and has yielded the unique insight needed to transform the complex world of energy systems.
We are thrilled that Chris recently announced the successful close of the company’s $111 million Series B round, led by Insight Partners and with participation from Frontier Venture Capital, Brookfield Technology Partners, Quantum Energy Partners, and Energy Impact Partners.