Evolution Markets was founded in 2000 by Andrew Ertel, Peter Zaborowsky, and Stephen Nesis, pioneers in U.S. emissions and coal markets. Starting from a small trading floor just blocks from Wall Street, the founders sought to not only build a successful brokerage firm, but also help design new risk management strategies and market based approaches to environmental challenges.

An early motto of the firm was "Saving the Planet One Trade at a Time", and this reflected the founders' belief that trading markets were an important tool in confronting environmental challenges. This led Evolution Markets to expand its brokerage services into global carbon and renewable energy credit markets in 2001. In that same year, Evolution Markets also launched a weather derivatives desk, leveraging the experience of Mr. Ertel, who helped structure the first ever weather derivatives trade in 1997.

Building from this foundation, Evolution Markets brokered the first carbon trade under the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme in 2003 and soon after set up its first international office in London. The company expanded in 2004 to the Western U.S. with an office in San Francisco, CA and the start of California emissions markets and West Coast renewable energy desks. Evolution Markets also expanded into U.S. natural gas markets in 2004, extending its reach in the energy complex.

In 2006, Evolution Markets conducted its first institutional capital raise, taking on CCP Equity Partners as an equity investor. The strategic raise fueled rapid expansion of Evolution Markets business, including growth in its core brokerage business (new desks in 2007 serving biofuels, nuclear fuels and natural gas options), expansion of its structured transactions service for the renewable energy sector, and ultimately the launch of Evolution Markets Financial Services, Ltd., the company's merchant banking unit.

Evolution Markets further diversified its services to environmental and energy markets - in December 2007 when it co-founded The Green Exchange with NYMEX and a host of leading global financial institutions

As global carbon markets continued to expand, Evolution Markets extended its global reach, with the opening of offices in Beijing and New Delhi in 2008 and 2009, respectively. These offices enabled Evolution Markets to grow its brokerage capabilities for global carbon markets, as well as, provide a platform to meet our client's demand for international finance and structured transaction services.

Over the last decade, Evolution Markets has led by innovation, and as a result has been at the forefront of the development of key environmental and energy markets. The company continues to expand into new markets in the U.S. and abroad, as well as grow the financial services capabilities built on the three legs of brokerage, structured transaction services, and merchant banking.

Evolution Markets looks forward to celebrating our tenth year of business, and we thank you for your continued support.