Westly Group raises a $160M (gasp) cleantech fund
One of the few investors to make money from backing cleantech startups, The Westly Group has finally closed on a $160 million cleantech fund. Read more »
The real reason for the greentech IPO missteps
Three greentech IPO hopefuls pulled the plug on their public market plans this month. There’s a lot that these companies have in common, and it’s not that they’re green: it’s the lack of profits and even revenues. Read more »
Waste-to-fuel startup Enerkem withdraws its IPO, too
Waste to fuel startup Enerkem has withdrawn its IPO plans citing — what else — poor market conditions. The move is the third greentech IPO hopeful to cancel public market plans this month. Read more »
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Ups and downs for cleantech in Q1
This quarter the EV market struggled to find its footing. Meanwhile, the smart-grid sector solidified and low-power technology proved itself important in the data center. Read more to learn what these news pieces and others mean for the larger space over the next few months. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Goldman banker: Things are looking up for greentech IPOs
Stuart Bernstein, the head of the clean energy group at Goldman Sachs, showed up at Cleantech Forum in San Francisco to talk about the IPO market, and his message to startups and investors was: hang in there. Read more »
Is the window for greentech IPOs opening up?
Two greentech companies that have planned to go public — waste to fuel company Enerkem, and solar inverter company Enphase Energy — have set the expected price ranges for their shares in recent days. Is it a sign that the IPO window is slowly opening back up? Read more »
Despite struggles, next-gen biofuels continue to find funding
Despite the lack of results, next-gen biofuel companies continue to receive a significant amount of both government and VC support. At what point will the funding transform into advanced biofuels being produced at scale? Read more »
Feds offer $105M loan guarantee for “Project Liberty” biofuel plant
Poet’s so-called “Project Liberty” biofuel plant, which will use corn waste instead of edible corn, is getting some support from the U.S. government. On Thursday, the Department of Energy announced it will offer Poet a $105 million loan guarantee to build out Project Liberty in Iowa. Read more »
Cleantech investing drops by a third and embraces efficiency
Cleantech venture investments dropped by a third in the second quarter of this year compared to the same quarter last year, according to the Cleantech Group. However, energy efficiency technologies such as LED lighting and energy management software are still getting some love from private investors. Read more »
OPX Biotechnologies raising $45M for next-gen biofuels
Four-year-old OPX Biotechnologies, which uses genomics to make biofuel production more efficient and economic, is in the process of raising a $45 million round, and has closed on $37 million of that funding, according to a filing. Read more »
Waste-to-Fuel Startup Enerkem Raises $60M From Valero, Investors
Waste to fuel startup Enerkem already had trash king Waste Management on its side — now Enerkem has scored backing from oil refiner giant Valero. Enerkem announced it has raised $60 million from Valero, along with existing investors like Waste Management and Braemar Energy Ventures. Read more »
Waste Management Bets on German Trash Tech With Agnion
We like trash technology — tech that can turn trash into something useful — and clearly garbage giant Waste Management does, too. The serial corporate investor just added another one to its portfolio: Agnion Energy out of Germany. Read more »
Fulcrum Raises $75M, Inches Toward First Waste-to-Fuel Plant
Trash-to-fuel technology could be the quiet front-runner in the next-generation of biofuels. Fulcrum BioEnergy said Tuesday it has lined up $75 million and plans to start building its first commercial refinery using municipal trash this summer. Read more »
Feds Promise $571 Million in Biofuel Loan Guarantees
Biofuel production nationwide has been woefully behind schedule as would-be producers struggle to just get their first commercial plants rolling. The U.S. government wants to help and on Thursday announced loan guarantee commitments totaling $571 million for Coskata, Enerkem, and a JV from Valero. Read more »
Trash to Fuel: Enerkem Lands $51.5M Led by Waste Management
Cellulosic ethanol startup Enerkem needs trash and money. Massive trash company Waste Management has lots of both. The two said Wednesday that they’ve gotten together, with Waste Management making a strategic investment in the Montreal-based company as part of a 53.8 million Canadian dollars ($51.5 million) […] Read more »
