Trey Goede

Theodore L. ("Trey") Goede III is currently Investment Director for Aramco Entrepreneurship Ventures, a $200MM venture fund launched by Saudi Aramco in 2013 to diversify the Kingdom’s economy and create high quality Saudi jobs. After participating in fund formation, Mr. Goede helped lead the fund through its first 22 approved transactions in 4.5 years. Mr. Goede also currently sits on the Board of Directors of five Aramco Entrepreneurship Ventures portfolio companies, PayTabs, an online payment services company, SafeRoad, a GPS vehicle tracking company, Golden Scent, a perfume and beauty supply ecommerce company, Geophysical Equipment Factory Limited, an oil and gas exploration and geophysical equipment manufacturing company, and Virtual Vision, an ICT services company specializing in cloud solutions. Mr. Goede is also a member of the Investment Committee for the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals’ Entrepreneurship Institute funding program, and an Advisory Board Member for the College of Engineering at Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University. Recently, Mr. Goede helped to create and launch a Professional Certification in Innovation for Saudi Aramco as an Instructor, where the class is now being offered on a quarterly basis. Lastly, Mr. Goede helped launch the registered Innovation Ecosystem Society as a co-founder and he serves on the Board of Directors. Previously, Mr. Goede was Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Wind, LLC, a wind energy development company, which he founded in 2007. After raising $1.5MM from individual investors and a major university, and then forming a strategic joint venture with turbine manufacturer Suzlon Corporation for an additional $3MM of funding, Affinity developed a portfolio of wind projects located in the United States. He was formerly Executive Vice President of River City Internet Group, LLC, a privately-held investment and holding company focused on developing, owning and operating businesses primarily in the Information Communication Technology (“ICT”) sector. While at River City Internet Group, Mr. Goede started several businesses related to technology and telecommunications, including Electric Internet, a Broadband over Power Line joint venture with a United States public utility, Ameren Corporation. Previously in 1998, he was Vice President of Primary Network, which Mr. Goede helped develop into one of the nation's largest regional ISPs before raising over $50 million to fund its growth to offer local and long-distance telephone and DSL services. In 1999, Primary Network was recognized as the fastest growing technology company in the St. Louis area, and the thirteenth fastest in the United States. Mr. Goede was recognized by Fast Forward/St. Louis Business Journal as one of the publication's “30 under 30” business people, twice recognized as one of the Most Influential St. Louisans (2011 and 2012), along with Who’s Who in Energy honors in 2012. Mr. Goede served on Missouri Governor Bob Holden's Information Technology Roundtable Committee and contributed to a Battelle Memorial Institute study related to technology. Mr. Goede has served on a number of Boards including Affinity Wind, Ameren Pure Power, FinServe Tech Angels, Boston College Energy and Environment Alumni Network, Missouri Department of Economic Development-Energy Sector, Missouri Association of PACE Professionals, Cultivation Capital (Entrepreneur In Residence) and River City Internet Group. Mr. Goede was an adjunct professor in the Business School’s Entrepreneur Department at St. Louis University from 2004-2012, the 7th best Entrepreneur program in the United States. Mr. Goede holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a Bachelor of Science in Business Operations and Strategic Management, both from Boston College.