Nathaniel Simons is an American businessman and philanthropist. He started Meritage Group, an investment management firm, and co-founded Prelude Ventures, a clean techinvestment fund. Simons is the co-founder and a director of the Sea Change Foundation, a foundation focused on climate change and clean energy policy.
Simons began his career at Cylink Corp in 1989. From 1994 to 2011, Simons was a principal at Renaissance Technologies, an investment management firm started by his father, James Simons. At Renaissance, Simons worked as a data analyst from 1994 to 1995, then as a futures trader from 1995 to 1997. In 1997, Simons began the Meritage family of funds, which was spun off from Renaissance. Simons has served as a board member and vice-chair at Renaissance, and as senior managing director and chairman of Meritage Group. In 2009, Simons co-founded Prelude Ventures, a clean tech venture fund. In that same year, he was listed #20 on Fortune's World's Top 25 Eco-Innovators. In 2015, Simons and his wife, Laura Baxter-Simons, joined the Breakthrough Energy Coalition. The coalition is a partnership of individuals who have pledged to invest in new energy technologies.
Philanthropy
In 2006, Simons co-founded Sea Change Foundation, focused on climate change and clean energy policy. In 2009, Simons spoke along with Bill Clinton and Al Gore at the National Clean Energy Project roundtable. In discussing philanthropy’s role in combating climate change, Simons stated, “I think the role of philanthropy is more than anything to just facilitate the process. There are many different stakeholders, and they all have to be brought together. The grid is perhaps the best example we can think of where there are many disparate interests. And to get it done quickly is going to take a herculean effort from all sides.” Nat Simons has been on the board of the Exploratorium and a member of the UC Berkeleyboard of visitors. Simons and his family have supported their alma mater, Berkeley, including SERC and the Berkeley Tsinghua Joint Research Center on Energy and Climate Change. In May 2017, Simons and Laura Baxter-Simons signed The Giving Pledge, a foundation created by Bill Gates where individuals pledge to donate the majority of their wealth.
Personal life and family
Simons is married to Laura Baxter-Simons, and they have two children. Baxter-Simons, who holds multiple degrees in Economics, German, and German Literature from Berkeley, is the daughter of former California Supreme Court Justice, Marvin Baxter, and is an attorney, having received her JD from Stanford. Baxter-Simons serves as the general counsel and chief compliance officer at Meritage Group.
