Adzmel Adznan
VC Tech Investor | Kauffman Fellow
- Role
- Class of 25 Fellow at Kauffman Fellows
- Location
- San Francisco, CA, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Adzmel Adznan
Before transitioning to venture capital, Adzmel spent over a decade in the energy sector, progressing through engineering, project development, and strategic leadership roles. He began his career as a project development engineer, working on large-scale energy infrastructure projects before moving into subsurface and commercial roles, where he developed strategies for Malaysia’s upstream petroleum sector.His work focused on local industry development, strategic partnerships, and designing new fiscal models to extend the economic lifecycle of Malaysia’s oil and gas assets. Adzmel played a critical role in developing PETRONAS\' CVC strategy, focusing on new energy, advanced materials, and industrial automation technologies to future-proof the company’s operations. This experience gave him first-hand exposure to venture investing, corporate innovation, and startup collaboration, solidifying his passion for backing frontier technologies with transformational impact.After earning his MBA from Harvard Business School, Adzmel co-founded Piva Capital, an early-stage venture firm investing in breakthrough industrial and energy transition startups across North America and Europe. At Piva, he applies his technical, commercial, and investment expertise to identify and back visionary entrepreneurs reshaping the future of energy, industry, and supply chains.Since launching Piva, Adzmel has been instrumental in sourcing, structuring, and supporting investments in companies such as Ineratec, Oobli, and OneRail. In 2024, he co-led follow-on investments in Oobli and OneRail, ensuring successful fundraising outcomes. Additionally, he continues to support Ineratec’s €65M round from EIB and Catalyst, leveraging his deep industry network to facilitate investor diligence and strategic alignment with PETRONAS.Adzmel is passionate about solving the energy sector’s most pressing challenges, fostering deep tech commercialization, and championing diversity, inclusivity, and servant leadership in venture capital. His mission is to bridge industrial expertise with venture investment, ensuring breakthrough technologies scale beyond the lab and into real-world impact.
Experience
Class of 25 Fellow
Jun 2020 — Present · San Francisco, CA, US
The Kauffman Fellows Program, established in 1995, seeks to develop the next generation of venture capital investors by providing them with the skills, the network, and an enhanced awareness of their life’s mission and legacy in order to accept the mantle of leadership in an uncertain world.
Education
Harvard Business School
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Business Administration and Management, General
2015 — 2017
University of Strathclyde
Master of Engineering (MEng), Mechanical Engineering
2004 — 2008
KTJ Primary Secondary Academia Kolej Tuanku Ja'afar
A Level
2002 — 2004
Skills
- Oilfield
- Petrel
- Eclipse
- Competitive Analysis
- Management
- Petroleum Economics
- Oil
- Offshore Oil
- Energy Industry
- Energy
- Reservoir Engineering
- Reserves
- Project Planning
- Strategy
- Strategic Planning
- Gas
- Business Analytics
- Drilling
- Petroleum
- Petroleum Contracts
- Project Management
- Reservoir Simulation
- Upstream
- Project Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
- Primavera P6
- Reservoir Management
- Field Development
- Oil & Gas
- Market Research
- Oil/Gas
- Business Strategy
- Strategy Development
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