Our Team
We are a team passionate about creating impact, and committed to building a more cost-effective and cleaner transportation future. Our team has rapidly built and scaled industry-defining vehicle platforms at Tesla, Zoox, Honda and beyond. We’re excited to apply our expertise toward practical electrification that delivers both cost savings and enhanced safety for the critically important heavy trucking industry.
Ali Javidan
Ali Javidan is a hands-on engineer with a history of leading pioneering teams at Tesla, Google, and Zoox. As an early hire at Tesla, Ali built the very first Model S and was responsible for early-stage testing and development for all vehicle programs. Prior to founding Range Energy, Ali architected the prototyping and experimental operations org – xOps – at Zoox, supporting the ground-up development of all vehicle platforms at the company. At Google, Ali led the ATAP Skunkworks team where he filed 15 patents in the areas of micro-machining, additive manufacturing, and robotics, and supported the development of the Soli radar chip, Jacquard conductive textiles, and Tango mapping tablet. Ali spent his early career at Caltrans and as a racing team engineer, and currently serves as a venture partner at R7.
Kyle Foley
Kyle Foley has more than a decade of engineering experience at the forefront of the EV industry. As Head of Engineering at Range Energy, Kyle is responsible for system architecture, supply chain strategy, program planning, project execution, and leading the technical team. Prior to joining the company, Kyle led powertrain development for the world’s first purpose-built robotaxi vehicle platform at Zoox, and was the lead engineer for high voltage systems at Tesla for its Model S, Model X, and Model 3, along with Mercedes B-class platforms. In his younger days, Kyle could be found building hybrid cars, fixing snowmobiles, and crewing yachts in Mexico. Outside of work, Kyle is an avid mountain biker, surfer, and skier.
Brandon Harris
Brandon Harris is a supply chain leader with diverse experience across aerospace, automotive, and consumer electronics. Brandon led powertrain and thermals sourcing for the Zoox autonomous robotaxi, developing deep relationships with critical automotive suppliers. At Microsoft, he led sourcing activities for power supply and batteries for the iconic Surface and Xbox product lines. More recently, at Meta, Brandon led groundbreaking projects within the Connectivity organization with the mission to provide ingenious internet solutions to underserved communities in third-world countries and impoverished areas.
Board of Directors
Ali Javidan
Ali Javidan is a hands-on engineer with a history of leading pioneering teams at Tesla, Google, and Zoox. As an early hire at Tesla, Ali built the very first Model S and was responsible for early-stage testing and development for all vehicle programs. Prior to founding Range Energy, Ali architected the prototyping and experimental operations org – xOps – at Zoox, supporting the ground-up development of all vehicle platforms at the company. At Google, Ali led the ATAP Skunkworks team where he filed 15 patents in the areas of micro-machining, additive manufacturing, and robotics, and supported the development of the Soli radar chip, Jacquard conductive textiles, and Tango mapping tablet. Ali spent his early career at Caltrans and as a racing team engineer, and currently serves as a venture partner at R7.
Hinrich Woebcken
Hinrich is a seasoned automotive and manufacturing CEO with over 30 years of experience and leadership in the automotive, truck, and manufacturing industries. He served as the President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America and as the CEO of the Commercial Vehicle Systems Division of Knorr Bremse AG, of which the Cleveland-based heavy-duty brake company Bendix is a part.Hinrich sits on various boards, including Meyers Manx, and serves on several advisory boards, such as CesiumAstro and Coreshell.
Adam Grosser
Adam brings a passion for innovative companies as well as substantive experience to the technology community. With a long history of successful involvement in key Silicon Valley companies, Adam is currently the Chairman & Managing Partner of UP Partners, an early-stage Venture Capital Fund. Additionally, Adam serves as a Senior Advisor to the Canadian Pension Plan Advisory Board (CPPIB) and on the board of First Reserve’s energy platform. Previously, Adam was the Group Head of Silver Lake Kraftwerk for 11 years, a strategy of Silver Lake Partners; a global technology investment firm with approximately $75 billion of combined assets under management and committed capital, where he led successful private equity investments across the energy, automation, mobility, and data communications sectors. He currently serves on the board of Carbon, LineVision, a Google project, and the advisory board of Beta Technologies. At Silver Lake he oversaw successful investments in Tesla (TSLA), Solar City (SCTY), and other transformative companies. Before SilverLake Kraftwerk, Adam was a General Partner at Foundation Capital for 10 years and was named to Forbes Midas List 4 times.
Tyler Engh
Tyler Engh founded R7 with the mission to address critical challenges within industrial sectors, crucial for a thriving world. R7 strategically focuses on early-stage companies within physical industries, positioned at the forefront of significant economic shifts, particularly in mobility, manufacturing, and infrastructure. Tyler is a board director for Range Energy, and has led investments in Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE), Amyris (NASDAQ: AMRS), AEye (NASDAQ: LIDR), Ooma (NYSE: OOMA), Wayport (acquired by AT&T), and more. His dedication to merging top-tier venture returns with impactful, sustainable advancements has positioned R7 and its portfolio as champions of innovation.
Investors
Yamaha Motors
R7
UP Partners
Trousdale
Speedway Motors
Sonic Financial
Longzhong Yang
Mark Leslie
Yuda Doron
Carl Bass
Jeff Rothschild
Ajay Shah
Ferdi Porsche
Roger Farah
