Indow Windows won the Energy Efficiency category Award at the 2011 Cleantech Open Global Forum. This represents the second category winner from the Pacific Northwest at the event. Indow Windows also won the National Sustainability award for their exemplary sustainable business practices. Furthermore, they won the Pacific Northwest Regional award. Indow Windows mass-customizes energy efficient window inserts. Congratulations to these great entrepreneurs and teams!
Washington State’s early stage GridMobility won the “Smart Power” category award at the Cleantech Open 2011 Global forum in San Jose, CA Tuesday evening. GridMobility’s “Renewable Demand Response” software enables power users to time-shift electricity consumption based on current availability of renewable electricity or “green electrons”. Bonneville Power Administration and a WA State utility are currently using the software as well as a number of major companies in commercial, industrial, and electric vehicle markets.
The National Cleantech Open winner across all categories will be announced today, Wednesday.
Brammo announced today that it had secured another $28 million in private funding for its Series B round AND a strategic deal with Polaris Industries who is also investing. With innovative design brains, technology,, market savvy, cash, good investors, and great strategics like Polaris and Flextronics, keep watching what Craig Bramscher (CEO) and his passionate team create out of the lovely Ashland, Oregon area.
“We are excited to advance our electric vehicle capability by establishing Polaris as a business partner and part owner of Brammo, one of the most innovative and aggressive companies I have found in the electric motorcycle space,” said Scott Wine, Polaris CEO. “Our companies share a passion for performance, and I look forward to exploiting the numerous opportunities created by pairing Brammo’s industry-leading electric powertrain technology with Polaris’s vast array of market-leading powersports products. This is a small but important investment for Polaris in an electric vehicle market that we feel is poised for significant growth.”
Also, see the MarketWatch announcement in this link:
A Cleantech Open National winner in 2010, Puralytics now becomes a Global Cleantech 100 winner. Congratulations to Mark Owen and his team for their great, water purification innovation! “Puralytics recently exhibited and spoke at the Pacific Northwest Cleantech Open offering inspiration to this year’s semi-finalists,” said Byron McCann, NW Regional Director of the Cleantech Open.
http://www.wqpmag.com/2011-Global-Cleantech-100-Winners-Announced-NewsPiece24554
Sunlogics to Acquire EPV Solar Germany and New Millennium Solar EquipmentOctober 10, 2011
Source: Clean Edge News
Sunlogics PLC, a vertically integrated global solar energy systems provider specializing in solar project development and installation, recently announced that it has acquired privately-held Phoenix Solar Holdings Corp and its operating subsidiaries, including EPV Solar Germany GmbH and New Millennium Solar Equipment Corp. With the completion of this transaction, Sunlogics now has the ability to manufacture solar panels, using its proprietary technology, in Europe, Asia and North America. The transaction included investments by GLG Partners LP, Tenor Capital, Atlas Investment Fund and Catalyst Investment Management Co LLC. Exact financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but did include Sunlogics receiving a $6 million equity investment.
The acquisition includes the photovoltaic manufacturing facility located in Senftenberg, Brandenburg, Germany. The 55,000 square feet, 30 MW plant entered production in 2008. The Company is in the process of finalizing an existing government grant and once resolved will increase production, staffing levels and project development initiatives. The Company also intends to invest up to $6 million in additional, proprietary manufacturing technology over the next few years. Moreover, the Senftenberg location will serve as the base for projected expansion in Europe. The Company has announced plans to relocate the acquired U.S. panel manufacturing equipment, representing 20MW of production, from New Jersey to Detroit, Michigan and Ontario, Canada.
3rd ANNUAL CLEANTECH OPEN ANNOUNCES FINALISTS TO COMPETE FOR NATIONAL $250,000 PRIZE
From green building to smart grid technology, the 2011 class of semifinalists includes start-up companies from Washington and Oregon
(SEATTLE, WA) – The Pacific Northwest Cleantech Open – a chapter of the world’s largest business competition devoted to finding, funding and fostering successful cleantech businesses – today announced the three finalists to represent the Northwest at the national competition for a chance to win $250,000. The winning companies – Indow Windows, HM3 Energy and GridMobility – were selected from a class of 11 semifinalists which represent some of the most innovative, local start-up companies addressing the critical energy, environment and economic challenges we face today.
“From innovations in green building to energy efficiency, this year’s class of semifinalists exemplifies the high-quality and caliber of entrepreneurship growing in the Northwest,” said Byron McCann, Cleantech Open Regional Director for the Pacific Northwest. “This year’s winners will proudly represent our region at the national competition, and we wish them luck.”
The Pacific Northwest 2011 competition finalists are:
• Indow Windows – (Portland, OR) – builds thermal inserts that press on the inside of a window frame without any nails, screws or adhesives to deliver the performance of double pane windows, at a fraction of the price. With 43 percent of U.S. residences using single pane windows, Indow Window delivers a cost-effective, energy-saving alternative. To learn more: http://www.indowwindows.com.
• HM3 Energy – (Troutdale, OR) – uses proprietary technology to convert biomass into clean fuel to replace coal in coal-fired power plants. Existing power plants can co-fire biomass with coal, or directly use torrefied biomass in place of coal, without any plant modifications and at nearly the cost. To learn more: http://www.hm3e.com.
• GridMobility – (Redmond, WA) – is a smart grid company that enables utilities, power balancing authorities, commercial and residential power customers to significantly increase their consumption of renewable energy and reduce energy costs. Using proprietary technology, GridMobility allows customers to choose their electricity sources and actively manage power consumption. To learn more: http://www.gridmobility.com.
“The Cleantech Open provides access to mentorship, business and financial expertise to help start-ups transform bright, new ideas into successful, profitable companies,” McCann added. “The Northwest has long been an incubator for innovation and there’s an opportunity to add to that legacy by building a strong, regional clean technology industry.”
In just three years, the all-volunteer organization can already point to measurable successes in the Northwest. Last year’s regional finalist, Puralytics, an Oregon-based company pioneering photochemical water purification, won the national championship for the tremendous environmental and social impact of their technology.
The three Pacific Northwest winners will compete with finalists from six other Cleantech Open regions on November 16 at the national awards ceremony in San Jose, CA.
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Cleantech Open Sponsors
The Cleantech Open is made possible by the generous support provided by Global Partner: Chevron; National Sponsors: Autodesk and University of Phoenix; Multi-Regional Sponsors: Wells Fargo and Deloitte. Event sponsors include: Puget Sound Energy, Avista, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, Lane Powell, Silicon Valley Bank, Stoel Rives, Dorsey & Whitney, and Portland General Electric. Mentor support provided by Aeon Law.
About the Cleantech Open
The Cleantech Open is the world’s largest cleantech business competition. Its mission is to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental and economic challenges. The program provides the infrastructure, expertise and strategic relationships to turn clever ideas into successful global cleantech companies. Since 2006, through its one-of-a-kind annual business competition and mentorship program, the Cleantech Open has enabled hundreds of clean technology startups to bring their breakthrough ideas to fruition, helped alumni contestants raise over $280M, and created an estimated 1,200 green collar jobs. Fueled by a network of more than 700 volunteers and sponsors, the Cleantech Open unites the public and private sectors in a shared vision for making America’s cleantech sector a thriving economic engine.
Connect with the Cleantech Open
Online: http://www.cleantechopen.com
Twitter: @NWCleantechOpen
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Cleantechopen
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Cleantech-Open-57271
The 3rd Annual Cleantech Open Northwest Region Awards Expo is this Wednesday, Oct 5th, at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle.
The event will spotlight the region’s most promising clean technology innovators of the year and includes a stellar venture capital, angel, and entrepreneur panel on the clean tech investing outlook.
Three Finalists will receive awards to help them grow their ventures, and they will go on to compete for the National Cleantech Open Championship in November.
To register, follow this link:
Registration Link to Cleantech Open NW Awards Exp
Some details:
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
3:30pm to 7:30pm
Location
Bell Harbor Conference Center
Pier 66, 2203 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Washington
Program
3:45pm – 5:45pm – Two hours on the exhibition floor
5:45pm – 6:45pm – Keynote Panel on Cleantech Investment Outlook
6:45pm – 7:15pm – Announcing the Finalists who proceed to the Nationals and their awards
We hope to see you there to cheer on these innovative entrepreneurs and listen to the clean tech investing panel.
Byron McCann
Venture capital backed Silver Spring Networks filed on July 7th to go public. Kleiner Perkins and Foundation Capital are among the leading investors. The tech IPO trend has been picking up after an extended drought. And, Silver Spring needs to pick up needed capital to expand its business while the financing window is open. We are looking forward to more clean tech IPO’s to propel more liquidity in this critical sector.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_18435261?nclick_check=1
Puralytics, the innovative water purification company from Oregon, won the national Cleantech Open award in a field of many excellent, emerging cleantech companies. www.puralytics.com
I had the pleasure of announcing Puralytics win as the Northwest Regional Cleantech Open finalist at the awards gala and moments later, we learned that it won the entire national prize. Seeing Mark Owen and his team win and receive the award was particularly gratifying as I’ve been keen on seeing a Northwest company win since my role as NW Regional Director was to encourage entrepreneurs to enter, compete, improve their businesses and win in more than one way!
Mark Owen, CEO, is the kind of entrepreneur who one can work with to build a successful company. They are gaining great commercial traction and philanthropic groups realize that their water purification technology can solve many disaster water needs as well as in less advantaged areas.
We did a celebration on December 2nd in Portland and will do one on December 9th in Seattle with the Cleantech Open NW regional group. Feel free to email me for information: byron@ascentpartnersgroup.com
China will indroduce a measure to cut taxes for renewable energy companies and implement price incentives for renewable power, Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, told reporters in Beijing today, according to Bloomberg News. This is consistent with their economic policy to be the global leader in clean technologies. Perhaps the political debate in the U.S. over how to address the future of this important industry sector can be resolved in light of a global competitiveness issue.
