Sharon Creek Ventures

Author · Sharon Creek Journal

Sam Schutte

Sam Schutte is the founder of Sharon Creek Ventures and writes the Sharon Creek Journal. He co-founded Synthica Energy and led it as CEO through the St. Bernard organics-to-energy project.

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Sam Schutte, founder of Sharon Creek Ventures

Bio

Sam Schutte is a Cincinnati native. He studied at the University of Pittsburgh and started his career as a software engineer during the early years of Java and .NET.

He later earned an MBA and founded Unstoppable Software, a custom software company he built and sold to a longtime colleague.

He then co-founded Synthica Energy and served as its CEO. He raised the $80 million1 to build the Synthica St. Bernard facility in the Cincinnati region. After the project reached final investment decision, he and his partners raised a further $450 million equity commitment2 from Goldman Sachs Asset Management's infrastructure business.

At Sharon Creek Ventures, Sam advises energy founders, developers, and boards. His Journal articles cover project development, financeability, feedstock, and fuel supply.

1Project cost as reported by RETTEW, the facility’s lead design engineer: RETTEW, “St. Bernard Organics-to-Energy Facility”

2Synthica Energy announced the equity investment from the Infrastructure Business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management in August 2023; financial terms were not disclosed in that announcement: Synthica Energy announcement. For context, RETTEW describes St. Bernard as the foundation for Synthica’s broader $400 million portfolio of facilities, representing more than $1 billion in future investment: RETTEW project page.

Synthica St. Bernard is Sam Schutte's prior work at Synthica Energy. Sharon Creek Ventures is a separate, independent firm.

Experience

  1. Founder

    Sharon Creek Ventures

    Energy advisory, board leadership, and venture-studio work, plus a development-capital fund in formation.

  2. CEO and co-founder

    Synthica Energy

    Helped originate the St. Bernard concept in 2016, then led Synthica through siting, financing, construction, and commissioning of the organics-to-energy facility.

  3. Founder

    Unstoppable Software

    Founded and built a custom software company, then sold it to a longtime colleague.

  4. Software engineer

    Programming roles and startups

    Began his career writing software during the early years of Java and .NET, after studying at the University of Pittsburgh.

Synthica press record

Public announcements from Synthica Energy and its partners, 2021 to 2025. Sam Schutte co-founded Synthica and served as its CEO. Sharon Creek Ventures is a separate firm and is not affiliated with Synthica.

  1. Synthica names Clark Water as construction partner in Rome, Georgia

    EIN Presswire · Rome, Georgia

    Clark Water was contracted to build Synthica's Rome facility, which broke ground in October 2024. Synthica reported three facilities under construction: Cincinnati, San Antonio, and Rome.

  2. Synthica partners with Glazer's Beer & Beverage

    EIN Presswire · San Antonio, Texas

    Synthica agreed to manage expired and damaged beverage products from Glazer's Beer & Beverage at its San Antonio facility while the plant was still under construction.

  3. Synthica breaks ground on its San Antonio facility

    Business Wire · San Antonio, Texas

    Synthica broke ground on its second facility, expected to divert nearly 250,000 tons of waste from landfills each year.

  4. Texas approves air quality permit for Synthica San Antonio

    San Antonio Report · San Antonio, Texas

    The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved an air quality permit for the facility, clearing the way for construction.

  5. Synthica leases an expanded headquarters in Blue Ash

    Cincinnati Business Courier · Blue Ash, Ohio

    Synthica signed a lease for a larger headquarters after its equity investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management's infrastructure business.

  6. Synthica receives an air quality permit for Rome, Georgia

    Business Wire · Rome, Georgia

    The Georgia Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality permit for a facility sized to take up to 300,000 tons of organic waste a year.

  7. Synthica announces equity investment from Goldman Sachs Asset Management

    PR Newswire · Cincinnati, Ohio

    Synthica closed an equity investment from the infrastructure business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management to develop facilities in Ohio, Texas, Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisiana. Terms were not disclosed in the announcement.

  8. Synthica announces a food-waste RNG facility in San Antonio

    Business Wire · San Antonio, Texas

    Synthica announced a facility in northeast San Antonio to convert food and beverage byproducts into renewable natural gas, with engineering by RETTEW.

  9. Synthica plans a digestion and RNG facility in Houston

    News coverage (PDF) · Houston, Texas

    Synthica announced a facility on an industrial site along the ship channel east of Houston, sized to divert about 300,000 tons of organic waste a year.

  10. Synthica starts permitting in Kentucky's distillery region

    Business Wire · Lebanon Junction, Kentucky

    Synthica entered the permitting phase for a facility designed to process about 200,000 tons of bourbon stillage and food waste a year.

  11. UGI and Synthica partner to develop renewable natural gas

    UGI Corporation · Ohio and Kentucky

    Hamilton RNG, a joint venture of Synthica and a UGI Energy Services subsidiary, agreed to develop food-waste digesters in Ohio and Kentucky, starting with Synthica St. Bernard.

Articles by Sam Schutte