Incubators are usually pretty adept at gauging which companies have upside. And while business moves fast, the coaching, mentoring and preparation that aids young startups has to move faster. That’s where the network comes into play for Austin Technology Incubator (ATI). “We want to bring the genetics of ATI into the fold,” said ATI Director Isaac Barchas. “It’s really about activating the alumni network.” The network Barchas refers to spans more than 200 companies, $1 [...]
That’s not a catchy headline. That’s what Ethernet inventor and current UT innovation czar Bob Metcalfe told me at a recent Dell Entrepreneur event. And if you caught Metcalfe’s keynote at this year’s Clean Energy Venture Summit, you know he’d likely tell you to invest in a handful companies in the so-called “enertech” sector. “I’m waiting for all those tech and social networking investors and VCs to come over to energy,” he said. Jokingly taking [...]
Talk about timing. When a reminder about the upcoming Clean Energy Summit hit my inbox, I jumped at the chance to make the case for why Austin should be excited about this event. And while I’d be the first to advocate the benefits of a clean energy community, this isn’t a rah-rah session. Let’s look at what’s happening in clean energy to see why this year’s gathering should accelerate Austin’s clean energy future. The Economic [...]
Firefly LED Lighting is pleased to announce the recent installation of its PAR 20 LED lamps in Austin Energy’s headquarters. In just over two years since company inception, Firefly LED Lighting has brought its lighting products to market, delivering on the promise of using 90% less electricity than standard lighting products. This green company is a product of Austin and Texas through out – with headquarters in Austin, and manufacturing in Texas, keeping and growing [...]
Nuventix, creator of an LED cooling technology for energy-efficient lighting, announced today that GE (NYSE: GE) has provided capital alongside other investors and recently entered into a license agreement to access Nuventix’s extensive patent portfolio. GE unit GE Energy Financial Services and The Bergquist Company joined existing investors Braemar Energy Ventures, CenterPoint Ventures, InterWest Partners and Rho Ventures to complete a $10 million investment round to fund Nuventix’s global expansion and technology advancements. GE’s investment [...]
Image by George Dearing via Flickr With dwindling resources and tight budgets, local governments might not be the first place to look if you’re a startup pitching clean technology. The data tells a different story, however. An April survey of almost 400 mayors in all 50 states, showed 75% of cities plan to increase cleantech deployments over the next five years. Some of the key findings paint a vivid picture of what’s motivating the [...]
SolarBridge Technologies, an AC module system developer for the solar industry, on Monday announced the close of its $19 million Series C round of funding from existing investors Rho Ventures, Battery Ventures, and the Texas Emerging Technology Fund. This round brings the company’s total raised to $46 million. Originally founded in 2004 as SmartSpark Energy Systems to commercialize electronics technologies created at the University of Illinois, SolarBridge made a pivotal shift in 2009 to focus exclusively on the [...]
KLD Energy Technologies Inc. (KLD), developers of clean energy technologies, was selected by the State of Texas to receive $2,800,000 in funding from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). The company will leverage the funding to accelerate the commercialization of its high-performance electric drive system, execute its expansion strategy and introduce its products to new markets. “We are pleased to receive funding from the State of Texas to forward the commercialization of our cutting-edge technology,” [...]
The Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) and the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) are announcing a program to launch two new clean energy incubators at Texas universities. This program will make two awards of $200,000 each to build clean energy incubation capability. Interested parties should go to the program website, http://www.ati.utexas.edu/cei-rfp/, for more detailed information. This program is designed to help university commercialization programs and/or existing university incubators create dedicated clean energy incubators. The goal is [...]
The 28th annual running of UT-Austin’s Global Moot Corp was completed this past weekend and, for the first time for this event, I participated as a judge. In case you didn’t catch the post-event coverage of the event, there were a couple of outcomes worth note. First, already informally regarded as the “super bowl” of investment competition, the event will be henceforth renamed the Venture Labs Investment Competition, reflecting the true nature of what it [...]
