Management
Larry Evans, Chief Executive Officer & Founder
Larry joined Rive as co-founder and Chief Executive Officer in 2005. Previously he was the principal founder of Aspen Technology and served as chief executive officer from 1981 to 2002. During this time the company grew from a start-up to become the leading provider of technical software and solutions to the chemical and refining industries. He led Aspen’s successful initial public offering in 1994.
In addition to his business experience, Larry has a strong technical background. He served as professor of chemical engineering at MIT from 1962 to 1990, where was well known for his work in modeling and optimization of industrial processes. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2002. He also served as President in 2007 of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
Larry holds his BS from the University of Oklahoma and an MS and PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan.
Larry Dight, Senior Vice President of Research & Development
As Senior Vice President of R&D for Rive Technology, Larry is responsible for research, technology development and technology strategy.
Larry began his career as a process development engineer at BASF, formerly Engelhard, where he was involved in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst development. At Engelhard, he led the research and development team that commercialized Engelhard’s revolutionary technology platform for improving the selectivity of FCC catalysts.
Larry ascended the ranks at Engelhard, holding positions as Manager of Catalyst Evaluation and Director of R&D for Petroleum Catalysts. Larry was then appointed Director of R&D for Engelhard’s Process Technologies division, where he led the worldwide research and development function for refining, chemical and polyolefin catalysts.
Larry received his BS in chemical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Andrew Dougherty, Vice President of Marketing & Strategy
Andrew is responsible for the corporate development, strategic marketing and financial functions of Rive Technology.
Prior to serving as Vice President of Operations at Rive Technology, Andrew served as Manager of Corporate Development & Strategic Planning for Aspen Technology, Inc. AspenTech is the world’s leading engineering, manufacturing and supply chain software company focused on the energy industry. Andrew also served as Director of Market Analysis and Director of aspenONE Product Operations where he developed a programmatic approach to product lifecycle management and software releases, as well as developing and implementing pricing strategy and policy for the company.
Andrew has also worked as a management consultant for Arthur Andersen.
Andrew received his BA in political science from the Colorado College and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Tom Thomas, Vice President of Business Development
As Vice President of Business Development, Tom will further develop strategic partnership opportunities and drive commercialization activities for the Company's advanced catalyst technology platform.
Tom joined Rive from Accelergy, a venture-backed coal-to-liquids company, where he was VP & GM of Commercial Programs. Prior to Accelergy, Tom spent over eight years in various executive positions at Engelhard Corporation (acquired by BASF in June 2006). Most recently, he was general manager for Engelhard's global chemical catalyst business, serving the refining and petrochemical industries.
In addition to his experience with Accelergy and Engelhard, Tom held leadership and management positions in sales, marketing, and business development within Honeywell's Pharmaceutical Fine Chemicals business and FMC Corporation's Lithium Division. Tom also held sales and sales management positions within Nalco Chemical Company and Unocal Chemicals Division.
Tom holds a BS in chemical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Javier Garcia Martinez, Founder
Javier invented Rive’s core technology while a post doctoral student at MIT. At Rive, he plays a leadership role in technology development and intellectual property strategy.
Javier is currently a Faculty member at the University of Alicante, Spain and has worked in the world’s leading material science laboratories, including MIT, Caltech and UC Berkeley. Javier recently served as editor for "Nanotechnology for the Energy Challenge" (Wiley, 2010), a new book about nanomaterials for energy production, and has published more than thirty articles, three book chapters and two books on nanotechnology and energy.
Javier has been recognized as a leader in nanotechnology and materials science. In 2005, Javier was awarded the Europa Medal, awarded annually to the outstanding European chemist under the age of 35, and he received the Silver Medal of the European Young Chemist Award in 2006. In 2007, Javier received the TR 35 Award from MIT’s Technology Review magazine, and in 2009 Javier was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
Javier received his BS in chemistry and went on to earn an MS in chemistry from the University of Alicante. He also has a PhD in chemistry from the University of Alicante.
—Bill Wiberg,
Advanced Technology Ventures
