Our Team of Inventors are passionate problem‑solvers united by a shared mission: creating technologies that matter. Driven by curiosity and collaboration, this multifaceted team transforms emerging technologies into practical solutions that drive performance today and unlock opportunity tomorrow.
Who We Are
Todd Benson
Chief Innovation Officer
Todd Benson is the Chief Innovation Officer for Hunt Energy. In his role, Todd is responsible for developing technologies to support energy transition initiatives and for improving the efficiency and productivity of existing business units. Prior to his role at Hunt, Todd was the Chief Innovation Officer at Helmerich and Payne, where he developed their technology portfolio to be the leader in drilling automation. Todd joined Helmerich and Payne through the acquisition of Motive Drilling Technologies, where he was the founder and CEO. Motive was originally incubated within Hunt Energy Enterprises and later spun out as an independent startup with funding from outside investors, including GE Ventures. Prior to working in oilfield technology, Todd spent the first half of his career in digital signal processing technologies working for Motorola and Texas Instruments. Todd holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Colorado School of Mines and holds more than 100 U.S. and international patents across a range of applications.
Stewart Brazil
Entrepreneur in Residence
Prior to joining Hunt, Stewart spent a decade at General Electric and Baker Hughes in various leadership roles, starting as a Technical Director at GE’s Global Research’s Energy Innovation Center where he developed new technology and partnered with Corporate Strategy and GE Ventures on major technology acquisitions and investments, including the purchase and spin-off of Baker Hughes. At Baker Hughes, Stewart served as Chief Scientist and later Chief Engineer for the Oilfield Services & Equipment segment. Before GE, Stewart worked at United Technologies in corporate strategy, M&A, integration, and across the consumer, industrial, and aviation businesses. At United Technologies’ Building and Industrial Systems division, Stewart directed an industrial engineering team developing and executing logistics, inventory and manufacturing strategy. Following United technologies, Stewart executed a similar role for Amazon Logistics Technology, developing local delivery algorithms and software. He began his career with 10 years at Schlumberger, developing MWD/LWD measurement systems and contributing to its first rotary steerable technology team. Stewart earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in applied and engineering physics from Cornell University and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
James Franks
Entrepreneur in Residence
James Franks is an Entrepreneur in Residence under the Hunt Innovative Technologies division of Hunt Energy. James is responsible for developing technologies to support energy transition initiatives and for improving the efficiency and productivity of existing business units. Prior to his role at Hunt, James was a Director of Innovation at Pioneer Natural Resources, where he managed project teams working on automation and workforce efficiency. Preceding his work in innovation technology, James worked in drilling and completions for Pioneer Natural Resources, BP, and Schlumberger. At the beginning of his career, James joined the U.S. Navy where he was an instructor for Navy personnel about nuclear power theory and operations at the Navy A1W prototype (modeled after the #3 engine room of the USS Enterprise) training facility in Idaho (now decommissioned). James earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks followed by an MBA from the University of Kentucky.
Richard Kulavik
Entrepreneur in Residence
Richard Kulavik is an Entrepreneur in Residence under the Hunt Innovative Technologies division of Hunt Energy where he assists in the development of technologies aimed at advancing energy transition initiatives, as well as enhancing the efficiency and productivity of current business units. Prior to this role at Hunt, Richard was the Senior Vice President of Engineering, Research, and Software Development at Helmerich and Payne, where he built their high-performance customer-centric product development team and responsible for industry changing products providing automation to oil rigs. Richard has built his career advancing consumer, audio, industrial, and gaming electronics, driving product innovation and revenue growth in roles at Turtle Beach Corporation, Sony Play Station, and Asahi Kasei Microsystems. Richard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electronics engineering technology from DeVry Institute of Technology and more than 160 U.S. patents across various areas of application, with additional patents pending.
What We Do
We identify, develop, and protect breakthrough ideas by leveraging patents, publications and trade secrets.
Field Testing
We test technologies in real‑world operating environments, ensuring they deliver practical value, performance, and reliability.
Partnerships
We collaborate with universities, industry leaders, and investors to accelerate innovation, scale proven solutions, and advance the future of energy.
Case Studies
We turn breakthrough concepts into real-world solutions through incubation, testing, and commercialization.