About Us

Rooted in Experience. Driven by Technology

Innovo Leadership Team

Meet Our Leadership

Our founders bring decades of experience in fintech, trading, and energy markets to drive innovation in environmental commodity infrastructure.

Proud to be a Minority-Owned Business

Our Mission

Innovo is transforming how environmental commodities are transacted, managed, and settled. Think of us as the software solution clearing the chaos—connecting brokers, suppliers, and buyers effortlessly. Starting with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), we're tackling the market's biggest headaches: wasted time, clunky settlements, and delayed transactions. Our platform is designed to reduce friction, save money, and accelerate the energy transition. Our goal? To upgrade the underlying technology and infrastructure of an industry running on 'old rails'. Join us in the next era of efficiency.

Meet our Team

Built by experts who've been in your shoes

CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Pratik Shah

Pratik Shah

Pratik is an expert in FX, swaps, and emerging markets. He has built and launched electronic platforms, and has 20 years of experience trading at major banks. He was most recently the CIO at CrossTower.
CO-FOUNDER AND CTO
John Tavares

John Tavares

John has 20 years of experience commercializing and scaling B2B platforms, including Enso Financial Analytics. He played a critical role in building and scaling Galaxy Digital's OTC electronic markets and was formerly the COO at CrossTower.
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER
Chris Kohler

Chris Kohler

Chris has 20 years of experience in institutional investing, sustainability consulting, and capital raising. As a growth leader, Chris helped raise more than $60 million at a digital assets hedge fund and more recently helped scale and institutionalize the digital assets prime brokerage, FalconX, $8 billion valuation (2022).
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER
Ryan Perlowin

Ryan Perlowin

With two successful exits and a track record as a founder and growth executive, Ryan brings deep expertise in go-to-market strategy and revenue leadership to Innovo as Advisor and Fractional CRO, helping scale early-stage companies through his work at Early Stage Labs and beyond.
ENGINEERING LEAD
Shikhar Shivam

Shikhar Shivam

Shikhar is a software engineer with 3 years of experience, including working at CrossTower alongside Innovo co-founders John and Pratik. He is passionate about designing scalable distributed systems and leveraging data to drive operational excellence. Shikhar specializes in building robust internal tools and APIs that empower teams and form the critical infrastructure of complex platforms.
VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS
Danny Koch

Danny Koch

Danny co-founded the blockchain community at the University of Illinois, where he studied Mechanical Engineering with a focus in renewable energy systems. Danny's energy background, coupled with experience working in FinTech, positions him as a strong leader to drive operations and innovation at Innovo.
SUSTAINABILITY ANALYST
Melina Slone

Melina Slone

Melina studied Environmental Science and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, receiving a certificate in Sustainable Business from the Erb Institute. With additional certification in GHG organizational and project-based accounting from the GHG Management Institute, she brings expertise in EAC markets and renewable energy solutions.

Our Advisors

Industry leaders guiding our vision

ADVISOR
Elle Carberry

Elle Carberry

Elle is a mission-driven commercial leader who has scaled seven ventures across the U.S. and Asia, advancing sustainable innovation in FinTech, GreenTech, and ClimateTech by building ecosystems and market-shaping platforms at IBM, Red Hat, and the China Greentech Initiative.
ADVISOR
Stefano (Steve) Bertamini

Stefano (Steve) Bertamini

Steve Bertamini is a global banking executive with over 30 years of leadership across five continents. He served as CEO of Al Rajhi Bank, the world's largest Islamic bank, and led global consumer banking at Standard Chartered, managing over $300B in assets across 44 countries. As CEO of KGI Financial Holdings, he drove record profits through a digital-first strategy. A former senior executive at GE, he now serves as Global Advisor at Kearney and Chairman of Ai966 and Spire Tech. Bertamini is recognized for driving innovation, digital transformation, and inclusive leadership in global finance.
ADVISOR
Erika Knierim

Erika Knierim

Erika is an attorney, legal engineer, and finance professional with over 14 years of experience, focusing on corporate and transactional matters at Founders Law, while also specializing in tokenization, blockchain, and Industry 4.0 technologies.
ADVISOR
Andrew Noll

Andrew Noll

With a strong background in renewable markets and an MBA from Cornell and Queen's University, Andrew has excelled at Sol Systems by implementing strategies that maximize client value in the renewable energy sector, overseeing more than 200 successful transactions.
ADVISOR
Jose (Pepe) Ruiz

Jose (Pepe) Ruiz

Since the age of 23 when he first became a partner of a Wall Street firm he created several successful trading franchises. Jose continues his journey by working deep in the blockchain space putting theory into practice. He is currently the president of DEFX, a decentralized exchange built for the future.
ADVISOR
Keith Henthorn

Keith Henthorn

Keith has 30+ years of experience leading corporate sales divisions and partnering with CFOs at Fortune 500 companies. He pioneered FX micropayments for companies including Amazon, eBay, and Paypal.
ADVISOR
Andrew Ross

Andrew Ross

An Investment Banker at Regiment Securities, Andrew has more than 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors. As Illinois Governor Pat Quinn's COO, he managed a $31 billion capital program and crafted the state's renewable energy policies.
ADVISOR
Jerry Putnam

Jerry Putnam

Gerald Putnam is an American businessman known for revolutionizing electronic trading as the co-founder of Archipelago Holdings, which launched the Archipelago Exchange (ArcaEx), one of the first fully electronic stock exchanges. Under his leadership, Archipelago was acquired by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), where he later served as President. Recognized for his transformative impact on financial markets, Putnam was named one of Time magazine's Innovators of the 21st Century.