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Erik Saenz
Venture Partner
Houston, Texas
Biography
Erik Saenz works with energy companies, investment funds, and infrastructure developers to build, scale, and manage portfolios in the United States, with a focus on Lower 48 upstream oil & gas, LNG, and energy-adjacent infrastructure. He brings over 27 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, capital structuring, regulatory strategy, and operational oversight, having closed or advised on more than $15–20 billion in transactions across the energy and industrial sectors.
He is a co-developer and board member of LNG21, a proposed $2.8–3.2 billion offshore LNG export project in the Gulf of Mexico, where he leads regulatory strategy, governance, compliance, and capital coordination. His role includes managing federal permitting processes and coordinating EPC and technology partners while supporting engagement with strategic investors.
Erik serves as a Venture Partner at Smart Society Ventures, focusing on building and managing the firm’s U.S. energy investment footprint from Houston. He also acts as an advisory partner to Culper Ventures, a venture investment firm backed by former senior U.S. clandestine services professionals, focused on advanced technologies in aerospace, defense, and national security-adjacent sectors.
His public-sector experience includes serving as Chairman of the Harris County Cultural Educational Facilities Finance Corporation, where he facilitated over $10 billion in public-private financings, and as a gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Lottery Commission (2019–2023)
Why Energy Tech:
Energy tech represents the convergence of capital discipline, operational necessity, and strategic opportunity. After 27 years in traditional energy infrastructure and transactions, I've seen firsthand how technology can unlock stranded value, reduce capital intensity, and create competitive advantages in an increasingly complex regulatory and market environment. Whether it's optimizing production efficiency, enabling energy transition infrastructure, or enhancing security and resilience in critical systems, energy tech allows us to deploy capital more intelligently while building the platforms that will define the next generation of energy infrastructure in the United States.
Fun Facts:
Served as Texas Lottery Commissioner from 2019-2023, appointed by Governor Greg Abbott.
