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Green things (image by WTL photos, CC 2.0 license)
I'm starting a green energy/green building salon, and the first meeting is this Thursday night (1/29) in Menlo Park. Sign up on to let me know if you're coming.
If you're interested in green buildings like me, or are working out how to have a new career in the green economy, you should drop by!
As I've mentioned, I have a modest little goal to ensure that all 50,000 housing starts in California in the year 2018 are "zero net energy." That means they'll generate as much or more energy as they consume in operation.
I attended the tonight. The topic was "Where's the Money?" Five panelists, representing a VC firm, a bank, an angel funding group, a bridge-financing firm, and an entrepreneur who has raised his money independently, discussed the various sources of funding for clean tech companies. i took extensive notes, and will provide more details later, but for now some of the highlights were:
In a , supply chain executives across a range of industries agreed not only that "greening" the manufacturing process was becoming more and more cost effective, but that they expected increased profits and better quality as a result.
A whopping 95% of the 3,000 North American executives polled agree that green manufacturing will continue to expand, citing increased profits (66%) and improved efficiency and product quality (43%) as key drivers.
43% is not even a majority, but it's a sign the tide of perception is turning that going green is not a tax, but can result in both bottom line and top line benefits to companies.
Public Domain. Credit information: Hinode JAXA/NASA
Every day I get emails about "clean tech financing this" and "clean tech financing that" - last year there was over $7 billion in investments in clean technologies in the U.S. in the San Jose Merc, Paul Holland of describes some of his philosophy on clean tech investment, including a strong focus on technologies that will reduce energy demand:
"The first lesson is there's nothing wrong with a capital-efficient investment, even in clean tech. The second lesson is, look what happens when you don't pay attention to the first lesson."
The , a three-year-old competition for clean technology startups, got a nice little present from the Department of Energy the other day - a $100,000 grant focused on sustainable building technologies.
The Clean Tech Open focuses on an annual "Business Plan" competition, where clean tech entrepreneurs compete for the six top prizes of a $100,000 "startup in a box" including office space, cash, and services. They've already awarded over $1.2 million in prizes, and over three-quarters of their winners are still in business and have raised nearly $70 million in funding.
