Paul Burgon

Partner

KittyHawk · Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area

Present

Kittyhawk Ventures focuses on identifying “N of 1” startups—unique, mission-driven ventures with the potential to lead or create entirely new market categories. The firm specializes in frontier technologies such as AI, energy, aerospace, quantum computing, and digital health. I am the energy and infrastructure tech Partner at Kittyhawk, and I focus on early stage energy technologies. I leverage the resources of my network of over 150 corporate co-investor partners to source and invest in highly disruptive, cutting-edge technologies that serve massive markets. My previous fund, Exit Ventures, merged with Kittyhawk in October 2025.

Board Observer

encoord · Denver Metropolitan Area

Present

encoord is the only end-to-end grid optimization and planning solution for operations (electrons) and financial analysis. By facilitating highly efficient flexible interconnections, encoord allows its customers to connect to the grid years faster and much cheaper than with the current legacy approaches and solutions

Member Board of Directors

Solubag · North America

Present

Solubag is a leader in the development of environmentally sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics. Founded in Santiago, Chile, the company developed and patented a proprietary raw material that replaces traditional plastic in single-use products such as shopping bags, dog waste bags, t-shirt bags, bubble-wrap, etc. Solubag's products dissolve in soil or water, are non-toxic, and eco-friendly, offering a viable solution to the global plastic waste problem.

Member of the Board of Directors

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions · Provo, Utah Area

Present

Member of the Board of Directors of the parent company for this fast-growing, fully accredited university that specializes in graduate health care degrees. Member of the Executive Committee.

Member Board of Trustees, Finance Committee Chair

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions · Provo, Utah Area

Member of the Board of Trustees, and I was the Finance Committee Chair. Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions is a fast-growing, fully-accredited graduate healthcare university with some of the highest graduation and job placement rates, as well as national certifying exam scores, in the nation.

Managing Partner

Exit Ventures · Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area

I leverage my experience as a former clean tech public company Managing Director, a former clean tech startup CEO, and strategic acquirer / corporate venture investor to invest in energy and infrastructure tech startups. We invest in startups that meet our rigorous criteria and are highly likely to be acquired by strategic buyers. After investing, we work with the CEO and the board to guide the startup through our strategic exit value creation process. When the startup is ready for a sale, we implement best practices in a sale transaction to maximize the exit value. I have acquired over $3 billion in businesses as a strategic acquirer, and initiated a Fortune 500 corporate venture capital program that was very successful. I am currently the co-chair of the clean tech committee in one of the nation's largest super angel groups that invests over $75 million a year. I have been a public and private company board member. By leveraging these skills, we implement the Exit Ventures Strategic…

Clean Tech Committee Co-Chair

Keiretsu Forum · Utah, United States

Startup investor and Co-Chair of the Keiretsu Forum Northwest clean tech committee. The clean tech committee presents committee members a half-dozen potential investments each month to screen and evaluate for further consideration. The committee also invites industry experts to educate members and guests on relevant tech and macro issues in clean tech and clean tech investing.

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Vortechs · Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area

Vortechs is a clean technology development firm focused on unique, disruptive technology in plastic and other hydrocarbon recycling. We focused our technology primarily on the plastic film market, where most of the world's plastic film is unrecycled. Vortechs creates disruptive technologies that enable new, environmentally friendly solutions in very large global markets. I was responsible for developing the strategy, financial forecasts, raising capital, and developing new sales channels and customers. I sold the business to our largest investor and related party in April 2023.

Managing Director, North America

LiqTech International

I ran the North American division of LiqTech, a manufacturer of industrial silicon carbide membranes and systems. LiqTech is a clean-tech company that solves difficult industrial process and filtration problems, and is publicly traded on Nasdaq. LiqTech serves the oil & gas, mining, power generation, marine, municipal, and general industrial industries.

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development

Steel Partners Holdings · Greater New York City Area

Ran M&A for Steel Partners and our affiliates, and contributed to other public and private investments for the company. Successfully sourced, negotiated, performed due diligence, and closed over $1.4 billion in acquisitions and divestitures. Achieved an outstanding six year average cash on cash return for acquisitions.

Vice President, Business Development

Steel Partners Holdings · Greater New York City Area

Ran M&A for Steel Partners and its affiliates, which was struggling to grow revenues at the time. I implemented a new and highly successful acquisition and due diligence process, and increased the proprietary deal funnel four-fold. Increased the pace of closed acquisitions from zero or one a year at most to an average of four a year.

Member of the Board of Directors

LiqTech International · Ballerup, Denmark

LiqTech is a public company that develops, manufactures and sells revolutionary silicon carbide ceramic filtration systems for the purification of liquids and gasses. I assisted the Board of Directors in successfully repositioning the company from a membrane supplier to a complete systems provider. Participated in and assisted the company through multiple rounds of equity financing. I was the Senior Independent Director for four years and the Audit Committee Chair. I was a member of all board committees.