The greatest investment opportunities of the coming decade will be created not only by software, but by the physical infrastructure that enables it.
Chad Bown is a Partner and Managing Director at Flathead Forge, where he invests in the infrastructure of the Industrial Supercycle. He partners with founders building the technologies that solve the physical constraints shaping the next industrial era—including energy, water, critical resources, and advanced manufacturing. Chad believes the greatest investment opportunities of the coming decade will be created not only by software, but by the physical infrastructure that enables AI, industrial resilience, and economic growth.
Prior to joining Flathead Forge, Chad spent more than a decade as a Managing Director at bp Ventures, where he led venture investments and portfolio activities across the Americas as part of one of the world's leading corporate venture capital programs. During his tenure, he helped deploy more than $1 billion into emerging technology companies, led more than $600 million of portfolio liquidity transactions, and served on the boards of industry-leading companies including Eavor Technologies, Xpansiv, Beyond Limits, and Saltworks Technologies. Chad was named to the Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist in 2023.
Earlier in his career, Chad held leadership roles at Shell and Jacobs Engineering and served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. Across more than two decades, he has worked at the intersection of venture capital, corporate development, industrial technology, and infrastructure investing, partnering with entrepreneurs to commercialize breakthrough technologies and build enduring businesses.
At Flathead Forge, Chad focuses on identifying and scaling the enabling technologies behind the Industrial Supercycle. He is passionate about helping founders bridge the commercialization gap, leveraging deep industrial networks, strategic partnerships, and disciplined investment practices to transform proven innovations into market-leading infrastructure companies.
Outside of work, Chad is a married father of two, an avid surfer and skier, and a three-time finisher of the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. He tries to split his time between Texas and Colorado.
