Mainspring Energy CEO and leadership

Adam Simpson co-founded Mainspring (formerly EtaGen) and leads product, external affairs, and intellectual property as Chief Product Officer. While completing his doctorate at Stanford, Adam received funding from the Global Climate Energy Project to advance multi-criteria analysis techniques for making decisions in energy with the goal of guiding economically and environmentally sound investments and policies in a complex and evolving sector. Prior to Mainspring and during his graduate work, Adam consulted for Sandia National Laboratory and various energy-focused venture firms in Silicon Valley. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Lafayette College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

Matt Svrcek co-founded Mainspring (formerly EtaGen) and leads research and development as Chief Technology Officer. While completing his doctorate as a Stanford Graduate Fellow, he received funding from the Global Climate and Energy Project to investigate the efficiency and emissions impact of reacting various fuels under high compression. In performing this research, Matt collaborated with Shannon Miller to design and develop the early prototype that served as the foundation for Mainspring’s high-efficiency, linear generator technology. Prior to Mainspring, Matt served as research manager at Renewable Energy Policy Project in Washington DC, where he analyzed the economic benefits of renewable energy manufacturing. He holds a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

Dave DeGraaff, Chief Operating Officer, joined Mainspring in early 2017 to help bring linear generation technology to customers. Prior to joining Mainspring, Dave served as vice president of solar panels at SunPower Corp., where he led module engineering, product management, and reliability. He also served as vice president of engineering at startup Ausra, Inc., where he helped to successfully commercialize a state-of-the-art solar-thermal boiler technology for utility-scale power production that was acquired by Areva. Previous to that, Dave held leadership positions in software companies and was a faculty member in the Thermoscience division of Stanford, where his research focused on turbine cooling in collaboration with GE Aircraft Engines. Dave holds a B.S.E. in mechanical engineering from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

Jim Dawe is a Chief Commercial Officer at Mainspring Energy.

Adam Simpson co-founded Mainspring (formerly EtaGen) and leads product, external affairs, and intellectual property as Chief Product Officer. While completing his doctorate at Stanford, Adam received funding from the Global Climate Energy Project to advance multi-criteria analysis techniques for making decisions in energy with the goal of guiding economically and environmentally sound investments and policies in a complex and evolving sector. Prior to Mainspring and during his graduate work, Adam consulted for Sandia National Laboratory and various energy-focused venture firms in Silicon Valley. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Lafayette College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

Matt Svrcek co-founded Mainspring (formerly EtaGen) and leads research and development as Chief Technology Officer. While completing his doctorate as a Stanford Graduate Fellow, he received funding from the Global Climate and Energy Project to investigate the efficiency and emissions impact of reacting various fuels under high compression. In performing this research, Matt collaborated with Shannon Miller to design and develop the early prototype that served as the foundation for Mainspring’s high-efficiency, linear generator technology. Prior to Mainspring, Matt served as research manager at Renewable Energy Policy Project in Washington DC, where he analyzed the economic benefits of renewable energy manufacturing. He holds a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.