Keith Blakely

Co-founder
Graphene Stakeholders Association

Keith Blakely is a serial entrepreneur and started his first company, Advanced Refractory Technologies, Inc. (ART) at the age of 24. He served as ART's Chairman, President & CEO, overseeing its growth from a 2 person operation to an enterprise with over 325 people, three international joint ventures and three domestic facilities – in Buffalo, NY, Santa Clara, CA, and Amesbury, MA. During his tenure, he established strategic and commercial relationships with General Motors, Motorola, Ericsson, Bekaert, Mitsubishi, Westinghouse, Siemens, McDermott International, United Defense, and many others major international corporations. The company was recognized as a worldwide leader in advanced materials and components when it was acquired by a subsidiary of Tyco International in June, 2001.

In 2002, Blakely started NanoDynamics, Inc., a leader in the commercialization of nanomaterials and nanotechnology-enabled components and systems. He served as its CEO until 2009, raised over $60 million, and oversaw the development and launch of disruptive products for the energy, environmental, and infrastructure markets. He also established Epik Energy Solutions, LLC a $10 million joint venture with the venture arm of Shell Oil.

Blakely now heads The InVentures Group, Inc., a venture investment and strategic advisory firm focused on delivering technology assessments, strategic business planning, and technology commercialization assistance to organizations on a global basis. At various times, through the InVentures Group, he has served as the interim CEO of AP Materials, Inc. (a St. Louis based nanomaterials company), TechSys, Inc. (a NYC based fuel cell company), NanoMech, Inc. (an Arkansas based advanced materials company), Duralor, Inc. (a subsidiary of NanoMech), and R3 Fusion, Inc. (a Troy, NY based water purification technology company).

Blakely is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society, a two-time winner of R&D Magazines' IR-100 award, holds multiple US patents, has appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box, profiled in Figaro magazine, and was named Business Leader of the Year by Small Times Magazine in 2007. He has significant board-level experience and is a 1976 graduate of the University of Buffalo, completing a BS in Psychology and BA in Biology in two years. He and his wife of 35 years live in Buffalo, NY.