Japan – Asia’s Biggest Energy Market Opportunity in 2019?

Posted on August 2, 2019August 8, 2019 by Louis Brasington

One of the largest economies in the world and the fourth largest consumer of electricity, Japan has long been a recognized leader in energy technology development. The 2011 earthquake and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear accident triggered a major overhaul of the energy market in Japan. As a result, local and foreign innovators are now looking to capitalize on emerging opportunities. Start-ups and players with established customer bases are entering the market, seeing the opportunity to capture new value. Over the... Read More »

Echoes From the Past: Companies and Themes to Pay Attention to Beyond the APAC 25

Posted on October 4, 2018June 27, 2019 by Richard Youngman

Maybe you have been following us closely enough to notice that we have been making a stronger push into the B2B future of industrial innovation ecosystem in Asia over the last year? This initial push will culminate with AsiaConnect week, in which we will host our 1st Cleantech Forum Asia in Singapore on November 13-14, 2018, followed by our invite only Next-Gen Energy & Cross-Border Innovation Summit in Nanjing, China on November 15-16, 2018. Maybe you noticed that, two weeks ago,... Read More »

Just two of us? Or is anyone else noticing the innovation and venturing news coming from Southeast Asia, of late?

Posted on September 6, 2018September 6, 2018 by Richard Youngman

We are a firm believer in the idea that innovation, year on year, is going global, measured by where innovative solutions are emerging from, where demand for them resides, and who is providing the capital for the next-generation of new businesses, transitioning us toward a very different 21st century. Recent years have seen a venture capital industry boom in China, we have seen Slush in Finland becoming one of the biggest tech/innovation conferences in the world (20K people, >2,000 startups,... Read More »

Power to the People: Remote Microgrids Across Southeast Asia

Posted on July 26, 2018July 27, 2018 by Louis Brasington

Across the world around 1.3 billion people still have no access to electricity, and 87% of these people live in rural areas where extension of the grid is impracticable. Microgrids can help to provide electrification, as well as stability and resiliency to these areas, ultimately helping to pull a large portion of society out of energy poverty. [caption id="attachment_18557" align="alignright" width="395"] Active partners of the REIDS microgrid project.[/caption] One of the regions that has transformed in the past years is... Read More »

A Trillion Dollar Prize – Who will be the winners and losers in the new mobility paradigm?

Posted on April 30, 2018April 30, 2018 by Josh Gilbert

Business models in the transportation sector have stayed largely consistent over the past century, but today we are seeing a paradigm shift that is challenging the established order. Incumbents, both the old guard of auto OEMs and the nouveau riche TNCs, are facing a confluence of new systemic models and technologies challenging their core offerings. One of the key drivers of these systemic changes are autonomous and self-driving technologies. The brains of a vehicle, in the form of either radar or... Read More »

Profiling Orbital Insight – Geospatial Analytics Innovator

Posted on October 26, 2017October 26, 2017 by Josh Gilbert

Several synergistic and convergent trends are acting as a catalyst for the recent investment boom in geospatial analytics companies. Constellations of smaller, smarter satellites are being launched into space, providing high frequency imaging and enabling near-real-time monitoring of the earth. Leaps forward in AI and data science are allowing companies to convert near-constant streams of imaging and data into more than just satellite imagery, providing actionable insights for clients in a range of industries. Here, we profile one of these... Read More »

An Analyst’s Guide to Bursting Bubbles – China’s Bike-Sharing Market, and the Facts Behind the Figures

Posted on April 26, 2017April 27, 2017 by Josh Gilbert

Using our i3 platform, we aim to cut through the noise and provide analysis on the trends that you’ve seen, and many that you haven’t. Our database is the cornerstone upon which we build much of our insight, using i3’s proprietary intelligence on over 24,000 companies to providing clear visibility on the underlying drivers and global trends that drive sustainable innovation. We want to give an example of what this i3 data is telling us regarding one of the higher... Read More »

China’s Smog Triggers Investment in Air Pollution Mitigation

Posted on May 19, 2014August 15, 2014 by Wendy Bao

During the opening keynote at Cleantech Forum San Francisco 2014, Cleantech Group CEO, Sheeraz Haji, stepped on the stage while wearing a facemask commonly seen in China. Attendees immediately realized his reference to the infamous air pollution problem in China. According to China’s Development Research Center of the State Council, smoggy weather costs China approximately $100 billion a year. To mitigate such loss, Chinese government plans to invest $290 billion for air pollution treatment technologies from 2013 to 2017, said... Read More »

This Deal Matters: Cool Planet Energy Systems Closes Series D Funding; Corporates Bet on Advanced Biofuel and Rising Activities in Asia

Posted on April 3, 2014August 15, 2014 by Leo Zhang

Cool Planet Energy Systems, the Colorado-based developer of advanced drop-in fuels and biochar, announced a $50.7 million investment and the closing of the company’s $100 million Series D growth equity round. Cool Planet’s latest investors include Concord Energy Holdings, a Singapore-based crude oil trading company, which led the round with existing investor North Bridge Venture Partners. Other existing investors include BP Ventures, ConocoPhillips, Energy Technology Ventures, Exelon Capital Partners, General Electric, Google Ventures, NRG Energy, and Shea Ventures. The new investment,... Read More »

Wanxiang’s Purchase of Fisker Highlights Increasing Chinese Cross-Border Investment

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Gannon McHenry

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge approved Wanxiang Group’s bid for Fisker Automotive last Tuesday. The deal was a combination offer of cash and equity worth $150 million. Rather than simply incorporating the intellectual property and assets of Fisker into Wanxiang’s existing brands, the company plans to restart production of the Fisker Karma in a matter of months. Wanxiang previously bought the assets of Fisker’s battery supplier, A123 Systems, following its bankruptcy filing in October of 2012. Wanxiang believes the synergies achieved through owning both A123... Read More »