Kojo Ako-Asare, Managing Director, is a member of Decarbonization Partners, a joint venture between BlackRock and Temasek that invests in innovative businesses focused on decarbonization solutions that accelerate global efforts towards realizing a healthier planet. He joined Decarbonization Partners in 2022. Kojo has over two decades of transaction experience, including: principal investing, project finance, capital raising, M&A and real estate development. Prior to joining Decarbonization Partners, Kojo was a Partner at Emerson Collective Ventures (a multi-stage venture firm) where co-led the organization's ClimateTech investments. Previously, Kojo served as the Head of Corporate Finance for Google (now Alphabet), where he built an industry leading investment team which deployed over $1 billion in renewable energy infrastructure projects. He later moved on to Google[X] (the organization focused on improving the world through innovation and applied technology), where he led Strategy & Operations as the Chief Operating Officer for the Makani project. Kojo is a decorated US Marine Corp veteran who has served in Afghanistan's Helmand province as part of NATO's 2009 troop surge. During this time, he led operations and training for over 250 members of Afghanistan's National Security Force. Prior to Kojo's Afghanistan deployment, he held senior investment banking roles within Citigroup's Investment Bank, where he advised leading technology companies on mergers, acquisitions and capital raising matters. Kojo has earned graduate degrees from Columbia University in both Business Administration and International Affairs. He also holds a B.S.E. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan.