SAN FRANCISCO, October 25 – Cleantech Group today released a whitepaper covering the findings from their September invitation-only Water Innovation Summit. The report touches on the utility perspective on innovation, smart water networks, financing innovation, sustainable water management in the oil and gas sector, opportunities in water and agriculture, and securing clean water for industries.  Download the whitepaper for free on Cleantech Group’s website.

The Water Innovation Summit was held as part of Cleantech Group’s ongoing effort to support the water technology community. “We feel strongly that water is poised to become a leading cleantech theme and investment sector over the next few years. The demand for innovative solutions to industry challenges is growing and water and waste water technologies are being watched closely by major corporations and key investors. We brought the leading stakeholders across the sector together to discuss these important issues and we are pleased to be able to share the findings and action items with the wider water technology community.”

The key takeaways and learnings covered in the report include:

• Innovation at a water utility is driven by 3 C’s: Cost, Crisis, and Cool.
• “Water as a Service” is a new and innovative business model that can help entrepreneurs sell to conservative, financially-strapped water utilities.
• We are shifting from an ‘era of water development’ to an ‘era of water allocation’ (water rights).
• The water-energy nexus is more than ever appropriately the water-energy-food nexus.

Over the course of the Summit, agriculture was recognized as one of the most important sectors in water management given the significantly high percentage of water that gets allocated to farming. “A good model brings together industry, academic, and farming communities to develop new technology,” said Henrik Skov Laursen, Director at Grundfos’ Silicon Valley office. Potential solutions discussed included precision irrigation, pump efficient solutions and use of treated waste water for irrigation. Also the topic of real-time monitoring of field yield, soil characteristics, moisture sensors and general equipment performance including pumps was discussed as being an area with great opportunities for new business creation all of which likely will cause a new generation of farmers to pay more attention to water and spearhead entrepreneurs to commercialize new technologies and companies.

Specifically designed as an interactive workshop, the invitation-only executive retreat convened the top thought leaders, investors, and influencers in the water technology business to tackle head-on the real challenges facing the sector. The key findings and actionable plans resulting from this event can be downloaded for free at www.cleantech.com/water. The 2013 Water Innovation Summit is scheduled for September 10-11.  Request an invitation today.  Additional information on water innovation investment trends and the companies involved in this market can be found in Cleantech Group’s i3 market intelligence platform.

About Cleantech Group

Cleantech Group’s research, events and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation.  A global company with offices in North America and Europe, we help business leaders make strategic decisions involving cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform, the most comprehensive, vetted, up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem.Cleantech Group also produces the premier Cleantech Forum® and Focus™ conferences worldwide, including upcoming events in San Francisco and Europe.  Cleantech Group merged with GreenOrder in October of 2012.

Media Contact

Hannah Gustafson

Direct: + 415-233-9713

hannah.gustafson@cleantech.com

SAN FRANCISCO – October 9, 2012 – Cleantech Group™, a global market intelligence firm helping executives connect with cleantech innovation, today released preliminary 3Q 2012 results from its i3 research platform. The firm reported that worldwide clean technology venture investment in the quarter totaled $1.56 billion.

Measured by dollars invested, cleantech venture investment dropped only slightly compared to the previous quarter ($1.60 billion), but was off 30 percent from 3Q11 ($2.23 billion). The number of deals recorded in 3Q12 was 148, compared to 169 in 2Q12. The tally may rise again once all investors have submitted all deals. Of these deals, 63 percent (93) were Series B or later rounds, accounting for 92 percent ($1.43 billion) of all money invested during the quarter.

“We’re seeing a continued shift in cleantech – as investors shy away from the solar sector, transportation and green chemistry companies are gaining mindshare and capital,” said Sheeraz Haji, CEO of Cleantech Group and GreenOrder. “The lack of strong IPO exits has certainly dampened venture returns to date,”said Haji, “but the growing recognition that sustainable innovation will reshape big, traditional infrastructure sectors has kept investors engaged.”

Earlier this month, Cleantech Group announced plans to merge with GreenOrder, one of the country’s leading sustainability consulting firms.  The new combined company will track closely how trends in corporate sustainability are impacting cleantech investment and adoption.

VENTURE INVESTMENT BY TECHNOLOGY SECTOR
The leading sector in the quarter by amount invested was transportation ($320 million), followed by biofuels & biochemicals ($256 million) and smart grid ($208 million). Energy efficiency and transportation were the most popular sectors measured by number of deals, with 29 and 15 funding rounds respectively. The solar sector fell under the $100 million mark for the first time since early 2006.

The largest transactions in the top three sectors were:
TRANSPORTATION – $320 million in 15 deals

• Fisker Automotive, a California-based manufacturer of luxury electric cars, raised $104 million from New Enterprise Associates, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and others in a new $150 million equity financing round.
• Protean Electric, a Michigan-based provider of in-wheel propulsion systems for electric vehicles, raised $84 million from GSR Ventures, Oak Investment Partners and others.
• EcoMotors a Michigan-based developer of high-efficiency engines for use in cars, light trucks, marine applications, agricultural vehicles and stationary generators, raised $35 million from Braemar Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures and others.

BIOFUELS & BIOCHEMICALS – $256 million in 10 deals

• Elevance Renewable Sciences, an Illinois-based producer of high-performance waxes, functional oils, anti-microbials, lubricants, additives and other chemicals using olefin metathesis technology, raised $104 million from Genting Berhad, Total Energy Ventures and others in a Series E offering after the company pulled its IPO plan.
• Genomatica, a California-based developer of green chemicals from renewable feedstocks such as sugar and garbage, raised $46.4 million from Draper Fisher Jurvetson, VantagePoint Capital and others in a Series D financing round after the company pulled its IPO plan.
• Solix BioSystems, a Colorado-based developer of technology for industrial algae production, raised $31 million from Bohemian Ventures, I2BF Global Ventures and others.

SMART GRID – $208 million in 9 deals

• Alarm.com, a Virginia-based developer of wireless security and energy management systems, raised $136 million from ABS Capital Partners, NJTC Venture Fund and others.
• GridPoint, a Virginia-based developer of smart grid load measurement and control devices, and network integration of renewable energy and storage technologies, raised $23 million of equity financing, according to a regulatory filing.
• Viridity Energy, a Pennsylvania-based developer of smart grid demand response technology, raised $15 million in an equity financing round led by Mitsui Global Investment.

VENTURE INVESTMENT BY WORLD REGION

North America accounted for 78 percent of the total, while Europe & Israel accounted for 18 percent and Asia Pacific for 4 percent.

NORTH AMERICA: North American companies raised $1.22 billion, down 6 percent from 2Q12 and 32 percent from 3Q11. In North America, California again led all states/provinces with $358 million in investments (29 percent share), followed by Virginia ($167 million, 14 percent) and Massachusetts (166 million, 14 percent). The largest deals included VA-based Alarm.com ($136 million), IL-based Elevance Renewable Sciences ($104 million) and CA-based Fisker Automotive ($104 million).

EUROPE & ISRAEL: European and Israeli companies raised $274 million, up 20 percent from 2Q12 and 14 percent from 3Q11. There were 31 deals, declining from 45 in 2Q12. The largest deals were for The Netherlands-based Element Materials Technology ($93 million), UK-based Oxis Energy ($24 million) and Ireland-based Mainstream Renewable Power ($21 million).

ASIA PACIFIC: Asian companies raised $64 million in 9 disclosed rounds in 3Q12. Notable deals were for India-based Anu Solar Power ($18 million), India-based Trishe ($15 million) and also India-based Earth Water Group ($15 million).

GLOBAL M&As AND IPOs
M&A transactions involving clean technology totaled 46 transactions in 3Q12, of which totals were disclosed for 16 transactions totaling $6.92 billion. In 11 of the 46 transactions, the targets were VCPE-backed companies. Notable transactions for VCPE-backed cleantech companies were China-based Wanxiang Group acquiring an 80 percent stake in advanced battery maker A123 Systems for $465 million, and German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer’s $425-million acquisition of AgraQuest, a California-based developer of natural biopesticides and biofungicides. Other notable M&A transactions in the cleantech space included Star Atlantic Waste Holdings’ $1.9-billion acquisition of Veolia ES North America, the North American subsidiary of Veolia that provides of integrated environmental solutions, and Waste Connections’ $1.3-billion acquisition of R360 Environmental Solutions, a provider of oilfield waste recycling and management services.

There were 11 clean technology IPOs raising a total of $742 million during the quarter, 9 of which were for China-based companies. The largest IPOs were for Jiangsu Nata Opto-electronic Material, a manufacturer of materials used for LED lamps and thin film solar PV cells, which raised RMB 830 million in an IPO on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and Jiangmen KanHoo Industry, a developer of energy-efficient lighting technologies based on rare earth metal materials, which raised RMB 600 million on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. In North America, four more venture-backed cleantech companies withdrew their IPO plans. Three of them— Elevance Renewable Sciences, Genomatica and Smith Electric Vehicles—openly expressed the desire to raise private funding instead of going public.

TOP GLOBAL VC INVESTORS

3Q12 Most Active Cleantech Venture Investors

Source: Cleantech Group’s i3 Platform (i3.cleantech.com)

About Cleantech Group, LLC

Cleantech Group’s market intelligence, events, and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation. A global company with offices in North America and Europe, we connect business leaders with cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform, the most comprehensive up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem. In October 2012, Cleantech Group merged with GreenOrder, a leading sustainability strategy and management consulting firm .  Details at http://www.cleantech.com.

 CONTACT

Hannah Gustafson
Cleantech Group
415 233-9713

WEBSITE:
http://www.cleantech.com

Media Contacts:

Whitney Bennett Michael
Cleantech Group
T 415-233-9711
media-services@cleantech.com

Kathleen Brennan
LRN
T 646-862-2040
kbrennan@lrn.com

Cleantech Group and LRN Announce Merger of Cleantech Group and GreenOrder

Leading Firms to Join Forces, Offering Corporations Insight into Sustainability and Innovation

October 2, 2012, San Francisco, CA and New York, NY– Cleantech Group, a leading market intelligence and advisory firm focused on innovation, and LRN, a company that helps corporations foster ethical, winning cultures and inspire principled performance in their operations, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge Cleantech Group and GreenOrder, formerly a sustainability strategy consulting subsidiary of LRN. LRN will become a major shareholder and long-term partner in the combined company—under a broad new partnership agreement that will extend the reach of both LRN and the newly formed firm. Additional financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

“Leading enterprises are increasingly trying to understand how sustainability challenges will impact their growth and profitability, and they are looking for innovative technologies and business models to turn those challenges into opportunities,” said Sheeraz Haji, CEO of Cleantech Group and the CEO of the newly formed company. “By joining forces, Cleantech Group and GreenOrder will be uniquely positioned to assist executives in both developing strategies that address sustainability issues, as well as sourcing the innovative technologies, partnerships, and investments that will transform these strategies into reality.”

“As a major shareholder and close business partner, LRN is inspired by the way this new company will reinforce our commitment to environmental sustainability,” said LRN’s founder and CEO, Dov Seidman. “Culture as a deliberate strategy for resiliency, innovation, and growth is becoming a focus for more of the companies LRN works with, creating significant opportunities for LRN. Together, Cleantech Group and GreenOrder will also yield greater depth and breadth of new knowledge that will help LRN power clients’ sustainability and innovation strategies.”

GreenOrder brings respected management consulting capabilities, along with a deep understanding of how sustainability initiatives can create substantial enterprise value. The combined advisory team will leverage Cleantech Group’s expertise in helping clients identify and adopt leading innovative technologies to address sustainability challenges.

“By uniting the worlds of sustainability and cleantech, we will provide a broad array of data, networking, and advisory services to a joint client roster that includes General Electric, Veolia, Électricité de France (EDF), HP, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and many other leading enterprises, investors, and government agencies,” explained Michael Ellis, Principal of GreenOrder.

“Our clients are operating supply chains and dealing with environmental issues around the world,” stated Truman Semans, Principal of GreenOrder. “Leveraging Cleantech Group’s global footprint and unparalleled network, our new firm will be well positioned to navigate the regulatory and business climates that organizations are facing at both the international and local level.”

The new company will have a powerful data and knowledge management foundation anchored by i3, Cleantech Group’s market intelligence platform that provides insight into transactions, companies, and partnerships. Joint clients will also benefit from Cleantech Group Forums and Executive Summits, where key corporate leaders, policy makers, investors, entrepreneurs, and industry influencers regularly gather to examine trends, source new investments, and forge strategic relationships.

“Corporations need an integrated view of complex resource issues and their impact on business performance,” said Hank Habicht, Managing Partner at SAIL Capital Partners and former Deputy Administrator (COO) at the U.S. EPA. “The impressive teams coming together in this merger have proven their ability to add significant value to clients over the past ten years. The merger combines a disruptive market intelligence platform and the premier global event series with premier consulting services, creating a firm uniquely positioned to help the world’s largest companies in the decade ahead.”

Three major offices—San Francisco, New York, and London—and a network of partners in regions around the world will provide the company the ability to support its global customer base and maintain the broadest visibility on cleantech innovation.

The transaction is expected to close in October 2012.

About Cleantech Group

Cleantech Group’s market intelligence, events and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation. A global company with offices in North America and Europe, we connect business leaders with cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform, the most comprehensive, vetted, up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem. Cleantech Group also produces the premier Cleantech Forum® and Focus™ events worldwide. Details at http://www.cleantech.com.

About LRN

Since 1994, LRN has helped over 20 million people at more than 700 companies worldwide, simultaneously navigate complex legal and regulatory environments, foster ethical, winning cultures, and inspire principled performance in their operations. LRN’s combination of practical tools, education and strategic advice helps companies translate their values into concrete corporate practices and leadership behaviors that create sustainable competitive advantage. In partnership with LRN, companies need not choose between living principles and maximizing profits, or between enhancing reputation and growing revenue: all are a product of principled performance. LRN works with organizations in more than 100 countries, and has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Mumbai. For more information, visit www.lrn.com.

About GreenOrder

GreenOrder is a strategy and management consulting firm founded in 2000 that helps companies gain competitive advantage through environmental innovation. Called “the go-to consulting firm for green business” by Fortune, the company’s groundbreaking work has demonstrated that environmental leadership can be a driver of billion-dollar growth. GreenOrder is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. GreenOrder offers practical tools that help companies integrate environmental values throughout an organization. For more information, visit www.greenorder.com.

List Recognizes the Top Private Companies in Clean Technology

Washington, D.C. – October 1, 2012: Cleantech Group, a leading global research and advisory firm focused on energy and environmental innovation, today released the fourth annual Global Cleantech 100 list and report. The list recognizes the one hundred most promising and innovative companies in areas such as energy efficiency, biofuels & biochemicals, smart grid, renewable energy, water and waste, and transportation.

The list identifies the private cleantech companies most likely to make a significant market impact over the next five to ten years. “The Global Cleantech 100 is a natural extension of our companywide mission to help corporations, investors and financiers, professional service firms and governmental agencies connect with global cleantech innovation” said Sheeraz Haji, Cleantech Group CEO. “This report celebrates the best in innovation and is the industry standard for gauging where cleantech innovation is headed next.”

The full list of Global Cleantech 100 firms and the full report are available online for free at Cleantech Group’s website. Complete profiles of all 100 companies can be found in Cleantech Group’s i3 market intelligence platform.

“The 2012 Global Cleantech 100 is markedly different in its composition to that of 2009, our first edition,” said Richard Youngman, Managing Director, Europe & Asia for Cleantech Group. “As such, it is a strong statement of how the collective market opinion has shifted as to what type of companies are the most likely to have significant market impact in a 5-10 year timeframe.”

To qualify for the Global Cleantech 100, companies must be independent, for-profit, cleantech companies not listed on any major stock exchange. This year, 5,117 companies were nominated from 85 countries. A 75-member expert panel, including leading global investors and a wide range of corporate executives from multi-national enterprises such as ABB, BP, Ecolab, GE, General Motors, IBM, Intel, Johnson Controls, Procter and Gamble, and Vestas, gave input on the shortlisted 236, to get to the final list of 100 companies from 13 countries.

The input of the expert panel is an integral component in the selection process. “The Global Cleantech 100 list reveals an increasing maturity of the cleantech sector,” said Colin le Duc, Partner, General Investment Management LLP and member of the 2012 expert panel. “In contrast to what the press and stock markets may have you believe, many private cleantech companies are gaining real market traction, generating significant revenues and profits and contributing materially to the challenges of resource efficiency and the climate crisis. The best companies in this sector are demonstrating the value of focus and persistence and are emerging as stronger organizations for having thrived in a very challenging environment over recent years.”

Cleantech Group presented awards in eight categories to clean technology innovators at the Global Cleantech 100 Gala at the Italian Embassy in Washington, DC on October 1.

Company of the Year was awarded in each of three regions to the highest-ranked company with no negative votes from the expert panel:

• OPower, developer of a software-as-a-service that utilizes customer engagement and billing analytics for utilities, won for the region of North America
• NovaLED, developer of energy-saving, long-life organic light emitting

diodes (OLEDs), won for the region of Europe & Israel

• Miartech, designer of integrated circuits for power line communication systems, utilizing power lines as a medium for transmitting information, won for the region of Asia Pacific

Other categories:

• Rising Star of the Year, given to the highest-ranked new entrant on this year’s list, was awarded to Clean Power Finance, provider of power purchase (PPA) financing for solar PV installations as well as customer acquisition software for installers.
• The Continued Excellence award, given to the highest-ranked of companies that have made it onto the Global Cleantech 100 list for at least the last three consecutive years was awarded to Harvest Power, which maximizes the value of organic materials through the production of renewable energy and soils, mulches and natural fertilizers.
• Early Stage Company of the Year, given to the highest-ranked product development stage company was awarded to Siluria Technologies, developer of methane conversion technology for creating fuels and chemicals from natural gas.

Awards were also given in two investor categories:

• Google Ventures won Corporate Investor of the Year, as the corporate investor with the largest percentage of its cleantech venture portfolio in the 2012 Global Cleantech 100.
• An award was given to Bright Capital for Investor of the Year as the financial investor with the largest percentage of its  cleantech venture portfolio in the 2012 Global Cleantech 100

Over 28 of the companies on the Global Cleantech 100 list were in attendance at the Gala. “We’re thrilled to be named the 2012 Global Cleantech 100 North America Company of the Year,” said Opower President and Founder Alex Laskey. “In our first five years, we expanded to more than 75 utility partners in six countries and saved utility customers more than $170 million on their utility bills. I’m excited that our work is being recognized by a list widely regarded as the leading standard for identifying leading industry innovation in the clean tech sector. Over the next five years, we will continue to work with our utility partners to drive significant customer engagement and large-scale energy efficiency.”

2012 Global Cleantech 100 Quick Facts:

• 13 countries are represented in the 2012 list. The United States is the most highly represented country with 64 companies.
• Energy Efficiency remains the hottest and growing sector within cleantech, with 22 companies on the list, up from 19 in 2011 and 15 in 2010.
• Solar’s representation in the 100 falls again, down 40% from what it was in 2009.
• Corporations continue to be ever more active in global cleantech innovation – as investors, partners, licensees, customers, and acquirers of Global Cleantech 100 companies. GE is the most active overall partner with 2012 Global Cleantech 100 companies, followed by Siemens, Google, IBM and Waste Management.
• Over 400 investing entities, from 28 different countries, have a shareholding in the 100 companies. Kleiner Perkins is the most prolific shareholder of 2012 Global Cleantech 100 companies. It has invested in 19 companies in the list, representing 44% of its overall cleantech portfolio.

About Cleantech Group

Cleantech Group’s research, events and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation.  A global company with offices in North America and Europe, Cleantech Group helps business leaders make strategic decisions involving cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform, the most comprehensive, vetted, up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Whitney Bennett Michael

Cleantech Group

Tel: 415-233-9711

Email: media-services@cleantech.com

Autodesk, Deloitte, Veolia Environnement, Chubb, HP and over 200 others gather October 1-2 for the announcement of the fourth annual Global Cleantech 100 List of companies poised to make the most significant market impact over the next 5-10 years

Leading utilities, technology providers, corporate executives, and government leaders convene to address challenges and opportunities in the water market

SAN FRANCISCO –September 6, 2012

Cleantech Group, a leading global research and advisory firm focused on energy and environmental innovation, today announced that its upcoming Water Innovation Summit on September 13-14 in Berkeley, California, has reached full capacity.

This exclusive, invitation-only leadership event will gather the most important voices in the water industry to promote closer collaboration and to accelerate the adoption of innovation. Attendees include investors, water utility executives, multi-national corporations, and CEOs of water technology companies.

Cleantech Group’s new Executive Summit format is meant to compliment the firm’s larger North American and European Forums with a more intimate, retreat-style approach to cultivating high impact discussions of key issues.  Cleantech Group received hundreds of requests for invites from which is curated a select group of key industry players.  “We have created a real opportunity for established leaders in the water industry to engage in lively, candid, peer-to-peer conversations” said Group CEO, Sheeraz Haji. “By creating an environment where partnerships can be forged, customers engaged, and investments considered, we believe that this Summit can help tackle head-on the real challenges facing the sector.”

The Water Innovation Summit is generously supported by BP, Global Water Resources, Grundfos, and Veolia Water North America. Discussion will focus on the latest innovations, opportunities, and challenges facing the water sector.  Key topics will include:

• ·         Emerging innovation in the municipal water market
• ·         Smart water technologies
• ·         Securing clean water for the beverage industry
• ·         New opportunities in water & agriculture
• ·         Sustainable water management in the oil and gas sectors

View the full agenda.

With no “audience” and no “speakers,” the agenda is designed to create a quality dialogue. Industry experts confirmed to attend as active “Conversation Starters” include Harald Jensen, Executive Vice President, Veolia Water; Richard Harris, Manager of Water Conservation, Eastbay Municipal Utility District; Trevor Hill, President & CEO, Global Water Resources, Inc; Issam Dairanieh, Head of BP Ventures, BP;  Bill Kocher, Water Director, Santa Cruz Water Department; Henrik Laursen, Head of Water Technology Center, North American Region, Grundfos and Cynthia Truelove, Ph. D., Director, Water-Energy Research Initiative, Stanford University.  For a complete list of Conversation Starters visit http://events.cleantech.com/waterfocus/agenda

About Cleantech Group

Cleantech Group’s market intelligence, events and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation.  A global company with offices in North America and Europe, we connect business leaders with cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform, the most comprehensive, vetted, up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem.  Cleantech Group also produces the premier Cleantech Forum® and Focus™ events worldwide including the upcoming Global Cleantech 100 Summit & Gala.  Details at http://www.cleantech.com.

Contact

Cleantech Group
Whitney Bennett Michael

415-233-9711
media-services@cleantech.com

Users can more easily search for information on over 18,000 companies and investors, 9,000 partnerships and supply chain relationships, and 11,000 investments, acquisitions, mergers and other financial transactions.

San Francisco, CA – August 21, 2012 – Cleantech Group, the world’s leading resource for clean technology market intelligence, events, and advisory services, today released a new taxonomy and classification system in the i3 Platform.  Having developed the industry’s first definition of clean technology in 2002, Cleantech Group has now, a decade later, revealed a new, overhauled taxonomy to reflect the current state of the industry.

Clients – including venture capitalists, corporate investors and executives, and service providers – are awash in data from an increasing number of sources as they search for partners, deal flow opportunities and relevant market data.  “As a leader in energy efficiency, we are interested in partnering with innovative companies focused on the built environment” said Archit Gadicherla, Senior Manager of Corporate Development at Johnson Controls.  “Cleantech Group’s revamped taxonomy helps me better understand the market opportunities within the energy efficiency landscape.  I look forward to finding and learning about more partners using i3.”

The release of the new taxonomy includes i3’s sector activity pages. This dynamic visual representation of the state of the sector provides clients with instant real time sector data such as venture investment over time, top deals, top investors and top acquirers.

This represents a significant improvement in the way that executives can search for and find information on innovative companies.” said Cleantech Group CEO, Sheeraz Haji. Haji continued, “i3 is all about creating better access to rich data, facilitating industry connections, and empowering our customers at less cost and with greater effectiveness. The new taxonomy is a great example of how we provide faster and more targeted access to market intelligence than any other investment data source in the space.”

The new taxonomy and improved browse tools allow users to more easily navigate the comprehensive i3 database. Cleantech Group has organized the industry into 18 sectors: Advanced Materials, Agriculture,  Air, Biofuels & Biochemicals, Biomass Generation, Conventional Fuels,  Energy Efficiency, Energy Storage, Fuel Cells & Hydrogen, Geothermal, Hydro & Marine Power, Nuclear,  Recycling & Waste, Smart Grid, Solar, Transportation, Water & Wastewater and Wind. View the taxonomy here.

Cleantech Group clients were consulted throughout the re-tagging process.  “Having collaborated with Cleantech Group on the water taxonomy, we can see how this feature will enhance the powerful information-discovery capabilities and collaboration tools that we use in the i3 platform” said Steve Kloos, Partner at True North Venture Partners.

Entrepreneurs and cleantech companies in search of funding should view their profile or add their company to the i3 platform to be viewable by thousands of investors and corporate executives.

About Cleantech Group

Cleantech Group’s market intelligence, events and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation.  A global company with offices in North America and Europe, we connect business leaders with cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform, the most comprehensive, vetted, up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem.  Cleantech Group also produces the premier Cleantech Forum® and Focus™ events worldwide including the upcoming Global Cleantech 100 Summit & Gala.  Details at http://www.cleantech.com.

Contact:

Cleantech Group
Whitney Bennett Michael

415-233-9711
media-services@cleantech.com

SAN FRANCISCO – August 2, 2012

Cleantech Group, a leading global research and advisory firm focused on cleantech innovation, today announced that it is accepting applications for its invitation-only Water Innovation Summit. This exclusive leadership event will be held September 13-14 in a retreat-style setting at the Claremont Resort in Berkeley, California. Interested individuals should request an invitation.

Attendees will include investors, water utility executives, multi-national corporations, and CEOs of water technology companies. “The goal of the Summit is to convene the most important voices in the water industry to promote closer collaboration and to increase the adoption of innovation,” said Sheeraz Haji, CEO of the Cleantech Group. “This is a key opportunity for the leading players in water technology to tackle head-on the real challenges facing the sector.”

The Water Innovation Summit is generously supported by BP, Global Water Resources, Grundfos, and Veolia Environment.  Participants will discuss innovation in municipal water applications, as well as industrial uses such as Oil & Gas, Food & Beverage, and Agriculture.  With no “audience” and no “speakers,” the agenda is designed to create a quality dialogue. “We are experimenting with a new brand of executive retreat” explains Cleantech Group’s Executive Vice President, Greg Neichin. “Attendees will be true participants in interactive and highly moderated group discussions. We are looking for participants who will voice strong opinions, raise hard questions, and make valuable contributions.”

View the full agenda.

Industry experts confirmed to attend as active “Conversation Starters” include Harald Jensen, Executive Vice President, Veolia Water; Richard Harris, Manager of Water Conservation, Eastbay Municipal Utility District; Trevor Hill, President & CEO, Global Water Resources, Inc; Issam Dairanieh, Head of BP Ventures, BP;  Bill Kocher, Water Director, Santa Cruz Water Department; Henrik Laursen, Head of Water Technology Center, North American Region, Grundfos and Cynthia Truelove, Ph. D., Director, Water-Energy Research Initiative, Stanford University.  For a complete list of Conversation Starters visit http://events.cleantech.com/waterfocus/agenda

About Cleantech Group

Cleantech Group’s market intelligence, events and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation.  A global company with offices in North America and Europe, we connect business leaders with cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform, the most comprehensive, vetted, up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem.  Cleantech Group also produces the premier Cleantech Forum® and Focus™ events worldwide.  Details at http://www.cleantech.com.

Request an invitation at http://info.cleantech.com/waterinnovationfocus.html.

CONTACT:
Whitney Bennett Michael
Cleantech Group
T 415 233-9711
media-services@cleantech.com
WEBSITE:
http://www.cleantech.com

David Crane, President and CEO of NRG Energy, Amory Lovins, Co-Founder, Chairman, of the Rocky Mountain Institute to Keynote as well as Executives From General Electric, Autodesk, HP, Deloitte, PG&E, and Others

SAN FRANCISCO – March 26, 2012 – The Cleantech Group kicked off its annual Cleantech Forum today at San Francisco’s Hyatt Regency.  Bringing together the world’s most innovative technology companies, top venture capitalists and investors, corporate leaders, and policy-makers, the event will begin with a gala tonight celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the Cleantech Group.

Notable venture capitalists and early cleantech investors will provide a retrospective on the growth of the cleantech sector over the past decade, and new perspectives on where the industry is headed.  “For ten years, the Cleantech Group has brought together the most exclusive and esteemed group of thought leaders and innovators in the industry,” said Cleantech CEO, Sheeraz Haji.  “Our Forums and Summits are widely recognized as the place to go to share and learn about the latest and greatest in cleantech.”

Internationally recognized as the premier cleantech event devoted to catalyzing global venture capital and private equity investment, business formation, and industry mergers and acquisitions, the Forum welcomes 700 attendees from over 25 countries.  “The cleantech sector has never been more global with products being developed in all corners of the world and deployments varying widely from region to region,” said Cleantech Group Executive Vice President Greg Neichin.  “The strength of our global network means that attendees can truly take a world tour of cleantech in three days right here in San Francisco.”

Cleantech Forum San Francisco promises new insights from key sector leaders, breaking news announcements by Fortune 500 corporations and innovative start-ups, an extensive exhibit hall and outdoor technology showcase, and special award presentations. The event runs from March 26-28. For full information, visit  http://events.cleantech.com/sanfrancisco/

Some of the highlights at Cleantech Forum San Francisco 2012 include:

Welcome & 10th Anniversary Celebration – March 26, 5pm

In celebration of Cleantech Group’s 10th anniversary, and of the industry overall, key cleantech founders and influencers will present the history of cleantech and reflect on how the industry has evolved and where it is going.

Speakers include:

• Nancy Floyd, Founder and Managing Director, Nth Power
• Chuck McDermott, General Partner, RockPort Capital Partners
• Nicholas Parker, Chairman, Cleantech Group
• Vicky Sharpe, President & CEO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada
• Wal van Lierop, President & CEO, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital

Breaking News Announcements (March 27 and 28)

-          Cleantech Group

-          Schneider Electric and BuildingIQ

-          Enlighted

-          A special presentation to the City of San Francisco

-          Saint-Gobain and the USGBC

-          MaRS

-          Veolia

-          Laurence Berkeley National Labs

Entrepreneur Showcases (March 27)

Competitively selected CEOs from across the cleantech spectrum will present and pitch their investment opportunities, Sessions are held for companies seeking Series A, B and C venture rounds. Sponsored by Autodesk

Regional Spotlights (March 28)

“Regional Spotlight” sessions provide international entrepreneurs, governments, and economic development agencies the unique opportunity to showcase innovative advances from their region and attract new business to the area. Delegations from the United Kingdom, Australia, Korea and Ecuador will participate. They are hosted by Clean and Cool Mission, Deloitte, KOTRA and Invest Korea, and Pro Ecuador and Ecuador Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Integration.

About the Cleantech Group

Cleantech Group’s market intelligence, events and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation.  A global company with offices in North America and Europe, we connect business leaders with cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform (http://i3.cleantech.com/), the most comprehensive, vetted, up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem.  Details at http://www.cleantech.com.

Media Contact:

Edward Sullivan for the Cleantech Group

+1 617 230 6152

Media-Services@cleantech.com

Veolia, Autodesk, Ford, GE, ABB, HP, NRG Energy, Deloitte, and 700 others Gather From March 26^th thru 28^th To Explore the Impact of Global Partnerships On The Growth Of The World’s Cleantech Sector

SAN FRANCISCO – March 20, 2012 – The 10th annual Cleantech Forum, the cleantech sector’s longest-running and largest annual assembly of global leaders, kicks off next week at the Hyatt Regency.  Running from March 26^th-28^th, the Cleantech Forum San Francisco will once again convene the world’s most innovative technology companies, top venture capitalists and investors, corporate leaders, and policy-makers to engage in dialogue on the most pressing issues facing the sector and to build relationships that will shape the future of the cleantech industry.

The focus of this year’s Cleantech Forum San Francisco is The Power of Global Partnerships, an exploration of how strategic relationships are playing an ever more important role in catalyzing innovation and delivering real project results.

“We are incredibly proud that the Cleantech Forum has always attracted executives and investors from around the world looking to develop cross-border partnerships,” says Cleantech Group CEO, Sheeraz Haji. “These relationships have never been more important as we are finding that collaboration between innovators and large, global corporations can dramatically accelerate the pace of cleantech adoption.”

Cleantech Forum San Francisco is generously supported by a broad array of leading companies, economic development agencies, investors, and service providers all of whom are significantly contributing to the growth of the global cleantech economy.

Platinum sponsors: Autodesk and Veolia.

Gold sponsors: Ford, Hewlett Packard, KOTRA, and NRG Energy.

Silver sponsors: Aderly, Ecuador Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Integration, General Electric, Louisiana Economic Development, MarRS, Morrison & Foerster LLP, Pro Ecuador, and Wermuth Asset Management.

Bronze sponsors: ABB, Ativ Software, Babson College, Claremont Creek Ventures, Crosswicks Communications, Earth & Water Consulting, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, NGEN Partners, RockPort Capital, Saint-Gobain, and Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

North America Advisory Board: Deloitte, Veolia, Sail, Braemar Energy Ventures, Chrysalix, EDF, Hercules, HP, Johnson Controls, Nth Power, Silicon Valley Bank, SDTC, VantagPoint Venture Partners, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Forum attendees will hear interactive panel discussions and CEO presentations, participate in roundtable industry breakout sessions and network with hundreds of industry influencers. The Cleantech Forum also will offer the following unique exhibits and opportunities:

· Entrepreneur Showcases: Competitively selected CEOs from across the cleantech spectrum will present and pitch their investment opportunities, Sessions are held for companies seeking Series A, B and C venture rounds. Sponsored by Autodesk

·Regional Spotlights: “Regional Spotlight” sessions provide international entrepreneurs, governments, and economic development agencies the unique opportunity to showcase innovative advances from their region and attract new business to the area. Delegations from the United Kingdom, Australia, Korea and Ecuador will participate. They are hosted by Clean and Cool Mission, Deloitte, KOTRA and Invest Korea, and Pro Ecuador and Ecuador Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Integration.

· Breaking News Announcements: Several Cleantech Forum participants, including Veolia, BuildingIQ, Enlighted, and others have scheduled major breaking new announcements about their cleantech initiatives, partnerships and research at the Forum.

· Cleantech Eco City: Building upon the success of last year’s all-electric car show, the Eco City is designed as a public showcase of the latest clean technologies available on the market. As a special treat for cleantech aficionados, this component of the Forum is open and free to the public.  It will take place on Justin Herman Plaza on the Embarcadero in San Francisco on March 27 and 28. Hosted by Ford and Autodesk

Global Cleantech 100: Nominations will open for Cleantech Group’s 2012 list of top private cleantech companies.

About the Cleantech Group

Cleantech Group’s research, events and advisory services accelerate market adoption, stimulate demand, and remove barriers to cleantech innovation.  A global company with offices in North America and Europe, we connect business leaders with cleantech innovation through the i3 Platform (http://research.cleantech.com/), the most comprehensive, vetted, up-to-date source for insights into companies, investors, financing and relationships across the clean technology ecosystem.  Details at http://www.cleantech.com.