Chris Gaughan is the Founder and Managing Partner of Caelum Ventures, a venture-growth investment firm focused on American industrial technology. We provide capital and government advisory services to pioneering companies in sectors such as energy, manufacturing, transportation, and agriculture. Our differentiated relationships, experience, and expertise help portfolio companies navigate government complexity and access non-dilutive capital, resulting in reduced risks, lower costs of capital, and superior returns on investment.Caelum Ventures is raising its maiden fund with a target size of $150mm expected to close in early 2025, while simultaneously serving as an independent sponsor of direct co-investments.Prior to launching Caelum Ventures, Chris was Co-Founder and General Partner of SineWave Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on accelerating digital transformation across public sector and commercial ecosystems. Chris served on the Investment Committee of SineWave’s maiden 2015 vintage fund that generated top-5% returns (in terms of both DPI and TVPI), and led asset raising efforts that attracted over $300mm across 3 fund vintages and related co-investment SPVs.Chris began his career at Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers in the 1990s, after which he was the Co-Founder and President of hedge fund Big Sky Capital (’98-’06), Founder and CEO of specialty finance company Condesa Financial Holdings (’06-’10), Co-Founder and President of hedge fund Illumination Asset Management (’11-’14), and Co-Founder and GP of SineWave Ventures (2015-2022).Chris graduated from Yale University in 1991 with a B.A. in Economics & Political Science, and splits time living in Chicago and Jackson Hole.