12 Semi-Finalists Chosen in Pacific Northwest Clean Tech Open

Teams to complete summer entrepreneur “boot camp” to finalize business plan for regional finals

At a event held last week at Puget Sound Energy (PSE) in Bellevue, Wash., the Pacific Northwest region of the Clean Tech Open (CTO), an innovation catalyst that helps great ideas become viable clean tech businesses, announced the 12 semi-finalists out of a field of 56 initial competitors in its clean tech business plan competition. The teams will compete for three regional prizes of up to $50,000 in cash and in-kind services as well as for one national prize of up to $250,000 in cash and services. Semi-finalists will now receive focused, hands-on mentoring from local and national business leaders to hone their clean tech business plans in preparation for the regional finals in September.

Given its nationally recognized Green Power Program, its ongoing regional leadership in the advancement of energy efficiency and the development of renewable energy, and its Silver-level sponsorship of CTO, PSE was a logical venue for the ceremony.
“We are dedicated to fostering innovation in clean technology,” said Stephen P. Reynolds, president and CEO of PSE.

The region’s semi-finalists represent several distinct clean tech categories including energy storage, solar power, small-scale solar, wind and hydro, transportation and renewable chemicals. The entire geography of the Pacific Northwest region is represented in the semi-finalist group including eight teams from Washington, three from Oregon and one from Idaho. The 2009 Pacific Northwest region semi-finalists include:

- Clarian Technologies - Smart-grid enabled wind and solar appliances, Seattle, Wash.
Extreme Caps - Energy storage, Olympia, Wash.
- GoNano - High surface area nanomaterials for energy storage, Moscow, ID
- Green Lite Motors – 100 mpg commuter car/motorcycle vehicle, Portland, Ore.
- Hydrovolts - In-stream hydro turbines, Seattle, Wash.
- InnovaTek – Renewable hydrogen fuel cell technology, Richland, Wash.
- LivinGreen Materials - Advanced solar technology, Seattle, Wash.
- NHThree - Green anhydrous ammonia production, Richland, Wash.
- Pangreen - Mobile and web-based platforms enabling green living, Kirkland, Wash.
- Shorepower Technologies – Electric charging stations, Portland, Ore.
- Soluxra - Low-cost organic solar cells, Seattle, Wash.
- Veranda Solar - Plug and play solar appliances, Portland, Ore.

The 12 semi-finalist teams will now participate in the CTO Accelerator program where they will be given training and experience in all aspects of starting and sustaining their businesses from national experts in venture capital, business, law, marketing and sustainability. All contestants can continue to be involved in the CTO community, having access to networking events, business tools, and other mentorship opportunities.

“The quality of entries was so high that we feel any of these 12 semi-finalists could be the regional, or even national winner,” said John Pierce, co-chair of the CTO Pacific Northwest chapter, member, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and one of the leaders of its Renewable Energy and Clean Tech Practice. “These entrepreneurs and more than 30 volunteer mentors are anxious to get to work and turn these clean tech ideas into successful businesses.”

http://www.cleantechopen.com/

Clean Tech Open Kicks Off Southern California Search for Next Generation of Clean Tech Startups

On Wednesday, April 8th, the Clean Tech Open will kick off a series of Southern California events with its first ever Breakfast Briefing in Orange County, bringing together clean tech entrepreneurs, start-ups, investors and industry thought leaders for discussions on the future of the clean tech market. The first event will be hosted by OCTANe, the Southern California supporting partner for the Clean Tech Open, and will feature a talk by Josh Bigelow from Synchromatics, a Clean Tech Open alumni contestant, as well as a preview of the Clean Tech Open's 2009 season. The Clean Tech Open, now in its fourth year, will award $1 million dollars in prizes to clean tech start-ups that win the 2009 competition, with a grand prize available of $250,000 to the winning start-up.

The Southern California series of Clean Tech Open Breakfast Briefings are scheduled weekly at different locations throughout the region and include primers on how to enter the Clean Tech Open competition before the deadline of May 30th, 2009, as well as insights and conversations around emerging issues in the clean tech sector from industry insiders.

More on this year's schedule here: http://www.cleantechopen.com/app.cgi/events/index/

European Tech Tour Association Launch First Cleantech Summit

Call for Applications Now Open for Europe's Top Cleantech Start-ups

The European Tech Tour Association (ETT) announced the launch of the ETT Cleantech Summit 2009, a sector-specific event focused on bringing together Europe's most innovative Cleantech start-ups with leading venture capitalists and senior industry professionals. Selected companies will present to an international delegation of more than 130 influential investors, technology industry leaders, service providers and academics, offering participants the opportunity to network, develop partnerships and potentially generate financing. Cleantech start-up submissions for the event, which will be held June 17-19 in Geneva, Switzerland, are now being accepted and potential applicants should register online before April 15th at http://www.techtour.com/cleantech09/how_to_register.php.

The Cleantech Summit is designed to profile the green entrepreneurs of the future, and provide networking opportunities for the participants and visiting delegates from industry and finance. Given the current market dynamics and government policy and investment priorities, Cleantech is one of the key growth areas for Europe's technology industry. The Cleantech investment community in Europe and Israel is relatively small, but developing rapidly. The Cleantech Summit provides unique visibility and access to this community for the short-listed entrants.

"Cleantech offers the green shoots for Europe's technology industry," said Bernard Vogel, President, Cleantech Summit. "The market conditions are undoubtedly tough, but the combination of private sector ingenuity and government-led necessity is driving a new wave of interest in clean and green technology. Bringing together entrepreneurs and investors will help convert these green shoots into positive growth prospects for Europe."

Companies based or incubated in Europe and Israel are eligible to participate in the Summit. Companies need to submit a full company profile, latest business plan and draft presentation together with the online registration form. Each submission is then reviewed by two members of the selection committee, comprised of 20 senior-level business leaders from various backgrounds including venture capital, technology, research and economic promotion. The Selection Committee will identify the 30 most promising companies, and the finalists will be notified by late April, who will then be invited to present at the Summit in June.

The ETT Cleantech Summit 2009 is presided over by Bernard Vogel of Endeavour Vision. The Vice President of the Selection Committee this year is Alexis Figeac of Entrepreneurs Fund and the Vice President of Sponsoring is Alexander Banz.
http://www.techtour.com/cleantech09/

Clean Tech Open Announces 2008 California Competition Finalists

Selects 44 Exceptional Startup Businesses in Six Categories to Advance to the Next Stage of the Contest

The Clean Tech Open (CTO) tonight announced that its judges have selected 44 finalists in the 2008 California competition, from among more than 100 contestants. The Clean Tech Open is America's richest clean tech business plan contest, having awarded over $1.2 million in prizes in just two years.
Finalists compete in one of six categories, vying for the winning prize of "$100,000 Start-Up in a Box" prize package that includes all of the business essentials necessary to help take clean technology ideas from a concept to a successful business.
"Every year I am pleasantly surprised with the increased overall quality of the teams entering the competition relative to the previous year," said Rebeca Hwang, judging chair for Clean Tech Open. "Our judges are really looking forward to learning more about our entrants and had a tough time making their final decision. We are excited to see how finalists and non-finalists bring their ideas to market."
All 44 finalists may take part in a series of comprehensive entrepreneur summer workshops sponsored by the Cleantech Circle and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and additionally receive mentoring services from a group of volunteers including successful technology entrepreneurs and other business experts.
Following formal pitches by the finalists to the judging panels, CTO will select six winners and present them with their prizes at the grand final event on November 6, 2008.
"This is my third year as judge and our panel is very impressed at this year's entrants," said Chris Vargas, partner for Cleantech Circle LLC and judging panel chair for the Energy Efficiency category. "There is a strong focus on solving real needs, developing sound businesses and creating a meaningful impact on the environment. Selecting just 5 to 10 finalists in each category becomes more difficult each year."
Finalist profiles are available at www.CleanTechOpen.com. The finalists are:

Air, Water & Waste category - Prize Co-Sponsor Grundfos:
-- Clean Coal Inc.: Removes contaminants from coal
-- Over the Moon Diapers: High performance reusable diapers and service network
-- Porifera: Carbon nanotube membrane for reverse osmosis desalination
-- PURE-T: Salt free water softener using nanobeads
-- Purite: Zero-energy chemical-free whole house water filtration
-- SequesCO: Microbial CO2 capture and conversion to biofuel
-- Waste Water Works (WWW): Microbial wastewater treatment also generates electricity

Energy Efficiency category - Prize Sponsors PG&E, SCE and SDG&E:
-- Atomic Precision Systems Inc.: New semiconductor process for ultra-cheap LED lighting
-- Enovative Group: Smart pump for hot water circulation
-- NexChem: Energy-saving process improvement for zinc galvanizing
-- Transoptic: Solar energy assistance for conventional water heaters
-- Viridis Earth: Domestic HVAC retrofit to improve efficiency
-- WicKool: Energy efficient water recovery for existing rooftop air conditioning

Green Building category:
-- BottleStone: Ceramic stone countertops include 80% recycled glass
-- en-vis-age: Green, modular and customizable buildings
-- Green Design Systems: Straw wall building panels
-- GreenHomeAnswers.com: Home improvement website for green products and services
-- GroundSource: Residential geothermal system with installation services
-- ISTN: Eco-friendly building insulation
-- Parco Homes: Manufactured green (zero net energy) home kits
-- Solar Red: Low cost rooftop PV installation system and components
-- Team Wawa: Water-conserving shower system

Renewables category - Prize Sponsors Google, PG&E, and SCE:
-- Covalent Solar: Organic thin film solar concentrators
-- Focal Point Energy: Solar thermal water heater for industrial processes
-- IEM Applications: Landfill methane accelerated recovery
-- Renewable Fuel Technologies: Agricultural waste biomass converted to Green Coal
-- Solar Ice: Solar powered ice maker
-- Solindis: Optical solar concentrator for thin film PV

Smart Power category - Prize Sponsors AMD and Siemens TTB:
-- 1ARC Energy: Higher capacity lithium-ion batteries
-- Cooler: Carbon calculator to allow B2B targeted advertising in LOHAS
-- Energy Empowered: Home display and control to reduce standby power usage
-- Enverity Corporation: Greenhouse gas tracking and compliance
-- Power Assure: Data center energy management software service
-- Renewable Voltage: Treats organic waste to provide hydrogen and energy storage
-- Tangerine Network Devices: Home energy display and control

Transportation category - Prize Sponsor Lexus:
-- AAA Fleets: Turnkey electric vehicles and solar charging systems for fleets
-- E-Chargers: Plug-in hybrid charging station
-- ElectraDrive: Gas to electric drivetrain auto conversion
-- Electric Drive Research: Plug-in/gas hybrid 2 person, 3 wheel sports car
-- ElectronVault, Inc.: More efficient traction battery for hybrids
-- Enhanced Vehicle Acoustics: Flexible engine sound generator for quiet cars
-- FuelMotion: Series hybrid conversions for the developing world
-- Goose Networks: Hosted dynamic scheduler for carpools/vanpools
-- Philo Fuel: GPS-based audiovisual cues to help drivers optimize fuel efficiency

Past CTO finalists have gone on to raise more than $70 million of VC funding in two years, not including the revenue gained from substantial customer contracts. Plus, of the 95 alumni companies, more than 84 percent are still viable businesses.

www.CleanTechOpen.com

Merriman Curhan Ford & Co. 4th Annual CleanTech Conference

Merriman Curhan Ford & Co., a subsidiary of MCF Corporation (NASDAQ:MERR), hosted its annual CleanTech Conference on May 13, 2008, in New York. CEOs and senior executives from more than 50 leading CleanTech companies presented to institutional investors.

Presenting companies:
Acorn Energy, Inc. ACFN Akeena Solar, Inc. AKNS Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. ASTI Axion Power International Inc. AXPW.PK Azure Dynamics AZDDF.PK Beacon Power Corp. BCON BrightSource Energy, Inc. Private Capstone Turbine Corp. CPST ClearFuels Technology, Inc. Private CoaLogix Private Comanche Clean Energy Corporation Private Composite Technology Corporation CPTC.OB Detroit Electric Private Electrovaya Inc EFL.TO Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. ENER Energy Focus, Inc EFOI Ener1 Inc. ENON.OB EnerSys ENS Environmental Energy Services, Inc. Private Environmental Power Corp. EPG EPV Solar, Inc. Private Genesis Energy LP GEL Great Point Energy, Inc. Private groSolar Private Hoku Scientific, Inc. HOKU Hydrogenics Corp. HYGS Innovation Fuels Inc. Private Konarka Technologies, Inc. Private Lamina Lighting Inc. Private Lighting Science Group Corporation LSCG.OB Lime Energy LIME Linc Energy Ltd LNCGY.PK Maxwell Technologies Inc. MXWL Mechanical Technology Inc. MKTY Nexxus Lighting, Inc. NEXS Nova Biosource Fuels, Inc. NBF Nviro Cleantech NVR.L Phoenix MC, Inc Private Pursuit Dynamics PDX.L Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. QTWW Renaissance Lighting Inc. Private SolarCity Private Solar Power Inc. SOPW Soliant Energy, Inc. Private Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc. SYMX Syntroleum Corp. SYNM Thermoenergy Corp. TMEN.OB Westport Innovations, Inc. WPT.TO ZBB Energy Corporation ZBB ZENN Motor Company ZNNMF.PK ZPower, Inc. Private

http://www.merrimanco.com

GoingGreen 2007: Sept 10-12, UC Davis

Over seven hundred greentech professionals, venture capital and private-equity investors, and leading members of the press and blogging community will convene at University of California, CA from September 10 – 12 for the inaugural AlwaysOn GoingGreen 2007 event. Thousands more worldwide attendees are expected to participate ‘virtually’ as GoingGreen 2007 will be simulcast live from www.alwayson.goingon.com. This two-and-a-half-day executive event will features CEO presentations and high-level debates on the most promising emerging green technologies and new entrepreneurial opportunities. The purpose of this event is to identify and debate emerging trends, build high-level relationships and create new business opportunities for all greentech professionals.
http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/6393