Aaron T. Ratner

Aaron T. Ratner is a seasoned climate technology investor and infrastructure developer with over 20 years of domestic and international investment and advisory experience, including eight years working across Asia. He currently serves as a Venture Partner at Vectr Ventures, a Hong Kong-based venture capital firm, where he has focused on climate technology investments since November 2017.

Ratner grew up in Carlisle, Massachusetts, in a small town near nature, which later influenced his commitment to environmental and climate work. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and also studied at Jochi University (Sophia University) in Tokyo, Japan. He later completed a Master of Science in Management (MSM) at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

His career began in finance in Hong Kong before returning to the United States for graduate school at Stanford. After Stanford, Ratner co-founded i2 Capital Group with Ashley Allen in Washington, DC, serving as President from 2012 to 2014. i2 Capital was an impact investment merchant bank focused on landscape-scale conservation finance, where he worked on projects including a 1.3 million-acre conservation mitigation bank in Wyoming.

Ratner then transitioned into sustainable infrastructure investing, joining Generate Capital as their first Developer-in-Residence, where he focused on anaerobic digester and waste-to-value projects. He subsequently served as Managing Director at Ultra Capital, a sustainable infrastructure project finance fund manager based in Philadelphia, where he worked on higher-risk, cutting-edge development projects at the forefront of the circular economy in agriculture, waste, water, and renewable energy across the U.S. and Canada.

In July 2020, Ratner founded Cross River Infrastructure Partners LLC, where he currently serves as President. Cross River is a platform of development companies deploying climate technology into sustainable infrastructure projects across hydrogen production, carbon capture and upcycling, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy. The firm partners with technology companies to deploy solutions as long-term service models, signing 10-30 year contracts with end customers.

In 2022, Ratner co-founded Vectr Carbon Partners, an early-stage global climate technology venture capital fund manager, where he serves as Managing Partner. That same year, he also founded CC Risk Solutions and Climate Risk Partners, serving as Executive Chairman of the latter.

Ratner holds multiple board positions, including Director at Burcon NutraScience Corp. (since November 2022), Director at Alternus Clean Energy, Inc. (since 2022, where he also serves as Executive Director), Director at Toledo Solar, Inc. (since 2023), and Managing Director at Mighty Sky, LLC (since 2020). He previously served as CEO of Clean Earth Acquisitions Corp., which merged with Alternus Energy Group.

Ratner is a published author with his book "The Mineral Imperative" scheduled for release in January 2026. He is also involved in mentorship, serving as a mentor with The Ayadee Foundation.

Aaron Ratner's investment philosophy centers on patient, long-term capital deployment in climate technology and sustainable infrastructure. At Vectr Ventures, he focuses on AgTech, FoodTech, and waste upcycling technologies, specifically leading investments in carbon utilization and transformation, pollination technology, and sustainable protein production.

Ratner emphasizes that infrastructure investing requires significantly more patience than traditional venture capital, advocating for 10-12 year fund lifecycles rather than typical 3-4 year horizons. His key investment principles include:

His investment sectors span:

Ratner describes climate work as "a very long-term, secular trend" requiring sustained commitment rather than quick exits. He recommends Simon Sinek's *The Infinite Game* as reflecting his philosophy on climate investing as an infinite, multi-generational endeavor.

• Projects over intentions: He states "the number one metric is projects in the ground," emphasizing tangible deployment over theoretical potential
• Economic sustainability: Projects must be viable "without any sort of third-party support" and generate returns through fundamental economics
• Early-stage commercial deployment: Willingness to take on higher-risk, cutting-edge projects with significant engineering diligence before financing
• Long-term contracts: Structuring investments as service models with 10-30 year customer commitments
• Climate Technology: Carbon capture, carbon upcycling, and transformation technologies
• Sustainable Agriculture: AgTech solutions, pollination technology, alternative proteins
• FoodTech: Sustainable protein production, food waste reduction
• Renewable Energy: Solar, hydrogen, and clean energy infrastructure
• Circular Economy: Waste-to-value, waste upcycling, anaerobic digestion