California Clean Tech Open Announces Inaugural Winners
September 27, 2006
California Clean Tech Open Announces Inaugural Winners. Check it out:SAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- Organizers of the California Clean Tech Open gathered at City Hall yesterday to unveil the five winners of the inaugural competition. Each winner received more than $100,000 worth of prizes in a "start-up in a box" prize package comprised of $50,000 cash, legal services, accounting services, public relations consulting, office space and executive search services. The winners are: Adura Technologies in the Energy Efficiency Category, GreenVolts in the Renewable Energy Category, KiteShip in the Transportation Category, EDC Technologies Inc. in the Smart Power Category, and Crystal Clear Technologies in the Water Management Category.
"The response from entrepreneurs to the California Clean Tech Open has been overwhelming and has exceeded our expectations," said competition co-chairs Laurent Pacalin and Michael Santullo. "The judges' decisions were difficult, but we're confident that the competition's winners offer the best combination of sound business model and innovative technology in their respective categories. These five companies exemplify the competition's mission to encourage economic growth and environmental sustainability by creating a clean technology cluster in California."
The competition's awards ceremony took place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and features remarks from the winners, competition organizers, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, leading venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, California Energy Commissioner Art Rosenfeld and Ralph Cavanagh of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The Winners and First Runners Up
The California Investor Owned Utilities Energy Efficiency Prize:
Adura Technologies (www.adura.com) provides a wireless lighting management solution designed to save businesses over 50 percent on lighting energy costs and offers a quick payback. With flexibility enough to allow easy configuration for growing or shrinking lighting needs, Adura enables dramatic energy savings as well as dynamic control capabilities.
First runner up in the Energy Efficiency Category: Nila Inc. (www.nila.tv).
The AMD Smart Power Prize:
EDC Technologies has developed a hot water controller that reduces natural gas consumption in Multifamily Apartments, Condominiums, Dormitories and Hotels/Motels by 15 to 40 percent. The technology allows users to see proof of their savings via the internet where they are offered the ability to view performance of other components within their hot water environment.
First runner up in the Smart Power Category: Energy Recommerce (www.energyrecommerce.com).
The Lexus Transportation Prize:
KiteShip (www.kiteship.com) develops, builds and sells very large traction kites, which reduce ship owners' crippling fuel costs by up to 25 percent, and vastly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants.
First runner up in the Transportation Category: Aurora Biofuels (www.aurorabiofuels.com).
The Agora Foundation Water Management Prize:
Crystal Clear Technologies (CCT), using nano-coating technology, has created proprietary filter media with dramatically higher absorption capability and capacity than currently available media, at considerably lower costs. CCT can deliver potable water from a river at $1.50 per 100 gallons, versus competitive systems that offer $16.50 - $49 per 100 gallons.
First runner up in the Water Management Category: Meridian Design (www.uvaquastar.com).
The Renewable Energy Prize:
GreenVolts (www.greenvolts.com) supplies renewable energy matching peak demand at costs competitive with natural gas used for peak demand generation. Our revolutionary High Concentration Photovoltaic (HCPV) technology produces energy at half the cost of traditional solar panels without reliance on scarce silicon wafers.
First runner up in the Renewable Energy Category: CoolEarth Solar (www.coolearthsolar.com).
"The California Clean Tech Open is a perfect example of the practical initiatives that will make the city of San Francisco and the state of California, epicenters for innovation in environmentally-conscious technology," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "The City is honored to host this groundbreaking competition. Today's winners will be an important part of the fast-growing, clean-tech industry in San Francisco."
The California Clean Tech Open received more than 155 submissions to its initial challenge in May. A panel of experts--including venture capitalists, researchers and faculty from the state's leading universities and research laboratories, and leading industrialists from related sectors--narrowed the field to 43 finalists in June. The finalists spent the remainder of the summer preparing their business plans, which were submitted at the end of August. Judges spent the first several weeks of September determining the winners.
About The California Clean Tech Open
The mission of the California Clean Tech Open is to encourage the development of clean technology companies that foster a healthy natural environment -- companies that provide environmental benefits in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, pollution reduction and resource protection, and conservation. The competition will also serve as a platform to educate the public, as well as the participants, about the environmental challenges we face and new technologies that can provide solutions to those challenges. The inaugural competition opens in April 2006, and winners will be announced in September at a finals event in the Bay Area. The best plan submitted from five categories -- Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Smart Power, Transportation, and Water Management -- will be awarded a bundle of prizes to create a sustainable business. Prize sponsors to date include: Energy Efficiency -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas Company, and San Diego Gas and Electric; Smart Power -- AMD; Transportation -- Lexus; Water Management -- Agora Foundation, led by President Wynnette LaBrosse. The competition was initiated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Club of Northern California (MITCNC) with charter partners Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Horn Murdock Cole, A&R Edelman, Plug & Play Real Estate, PeopleConnect and CalCEF. Ernst and Young and MCF Corp. are also supporting the competition as Gold Sponsors.
A group of entrepreneurs and technologists from Silicon Valley -- Derry and Charlene Kabcenell, Mark Farley, Frank H. Levinson, Geoff Ralston, and Michael and Amy Santullo -- have generously provided the charter funding to launch the competition. The 2006 Host City is the City of San Francisco. Venture capital partners are Advanced Technology Ventures, Chevron Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Foundation Capital, New Enterprise Associates, J.P. Morgan's Bay Area Equity Fund, and Venrock Associates. Innovation partners include Electric Power Research Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Palo Alto Research Center, SRI International, and Technology Ventures Corporation. Competition partners include Clean Edge and Clean Tech Venture Network. University partners include: the Lester Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley Institute for the Environment; Business Association of Stanford Engineering Students; Ward W. and Priscilla B. Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University; Stanford Graduate School of Business Environmental Management Club; and Stanford Graduate School of Business Energy Club. Competition supporters include California Clean Energy Fund, Environmental Entrepreneurs, CalPERS, and Natural Resources Defense Council. The competition co-chairs are Laurent Pacalin and Michael Santullo.
Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth, a California 501(c)3 non-profit public benefit corporation (Tax ID 23-7064937) is the administrative and fiscal sponsor of the 2006 California Clean Tech Open legally responsible for the activities of the competition. Acterra is located at 3921 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303-4303. Additional details about the program are available at www.CaCleanTech.com.
Related Tags: california clean, energy efficiency, renewable energy, water management, smart power, energy
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