Meet Our Team

Founder's Journey and Background

"Extreme weather is intensifying as global energy demand continues to rise. Today, nearly 80% of the world’s energy still comes from carbon-based sources, producing over 42 gigatons of CO₂ each year. Achieving net-zero will require scalable carbon capture alongside renewable energy and carbon removal.

In 2020, while studying climate technologies and policy shifts, I realized that the most scalable solutions would come from core materials technologies that control molecular interactions, rather than increasingly complex process systems. This insight led me to focus on solid sorbents.

Solid sorbents enable efficient CO₂ capture with low energy requirements and can be deployed across diverse industrial environments. This became the foundation of Metasorbex, which develops advanced sorbent platforms to capture industrial CO₂ and convert it into low-carbon fuels and chemical feedstocks.

In September 2025, we expanded the platform into rare earth element (REE) separation. While rare earth resources exist in coal fly ash, mine tailings, and industrial waste, the real constraint is separation infrastructure, which remains highly centralized.

Metasorbex applies programmable sorbent materials to enable modular, distributed processing, supporting both carbon utilization and critical mineral recovery through the same underlying materials platform."

Background

Edward Chan is a senior executive with extensive experience in corporate America and advanced materials startups. He has led R&D, product management, quality assurance, and IP management in the chemicals and packaging sectors for Fortune 500 companies, delivering innovation, commercialization, and cost reductions.

At startups, he commercialized nanomaterials, raised $20 million over three rounds, and grew a team from 30 to 100 employees. His expertise spans carbon capture for hard-to-abate sectors, bridging business and technical excellence.

Management Team

Metasorbex is led by a diverse team of experienced leaders and technical experts, combining over 10 years of nanomaterials commercialization with deep scientific knowledge and business acumen. From Fortune 500 executives to materials engineers and design specialists, we simultaneously drive industry-specific product development, cost optimization, and scalable carbon solutions, delivering both societal impact and strong business performance.

Edward Chan, Ph.D.

Founder and CEO

BS-ChE, Caltech, PhD-ChE, Princeton

Senior executive at Fortune 500, commercialized advanced materials at startups

Fund Raising, Strategy, Customer/ Product Development

Joe Menner

VP - Business Development

BS-Business Administration, Saint Francis University

Senior executive at Fortune 500 new business development, sales and marketing

Chemicals, Polymers, Global Management

David Heuring

Director - Technical Services

BA-Photography, Art Institute of Atlanta

Design engineer, computer systems engineer, network specialist

Design Engineering & Prototyping

Fuming Yang, Ph.D.

Technology Project Manager

MS-Civil Engineering, USC, Ph.D.-Advanced Materials, MSU

Advanced materials engineer, experienced in deep-tech VC, guest editor & scholar reviewer

Materials Design, Process Engineering and Technology Development

Advisory Board

Metasorbex is supported by a world-class advisory board that guides strategy, governance, science and engineering, fundraising, human resources, and communications. Its members bring deep expertise across private equity, investor relations, corporate strategy, climate best practices, intellectual property development, and scientific and engineering excellence.