David Gelbaum was a former Wall Street hedge fund manager who founded and led the Newport Beach-based Quercus Trust. See sector focus and contact routes.
David Gelbaum was a former Wall Street hedge fund manager who founded and led the Newport Beach-based Quercus Trust, a private venture capital firm dedicated to clean technology and alternative energy. Beginning in 2002, he invested approximately $500 million into roughly 40 to 50 green economy businesses, with a primary thesis focused on solar energy alongside sectors like smart grids, sustainable agriculture, electric vehicles, and biofuels. The firm operated as a very private investor with no significant public contact information, specializing exclusively in green technology without disclosed typical check sizes or lead/follow behavior. Notable portfolio companies include Energy Focus Inc., Axion Power International Inc., Entech Solar Inc. (which Gelbaum co-founded and chaired), and Firefly Energy. Gelbaum was characterized as a low-profile, reclusive investor who made his fortune using quantitative modeling for stock returns before retiring to focus on green tech and anonymous philanthropy. He died in September 2018 and was known for donating hundreds of millions anonymously to environmental groups and civil rights organizations rath
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