Join Our Community for Clean Energy Entrepreneurs.
FountainBlue is pleased to partner with SDForum to develop a program, featuring panels of investors, corporate intrapreneurs and clean energy entrepreneurs, as well keynote speakers on policy and investment trends.
We hope that you will join us for our second annual State of the Clean Green Industry event, to be hosted at Sun Microsystems on January 30, 2009.
FountainBlue and SDForum conducted our Second Annual State of the Clean Green Industry event on
Friday, January 30, 2009, from 8:30 a.m. � 3:00 p.m. at
Sun
Microsystems, 4030 George Sellon Circle in Santa Clara.
This second-annual event will feature policy-makers,
entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and investors, updating the larger Silicon Valley
community on the opportunities and challenges in the clean green space. Opening remarks were presented by City of San
Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and featured comments on �How Policymakers Are Supporting Clean Green Entrepreneurship�.
Following the opening remarks, our Financing Panel entitled �Where'�s the
Green in Clean?� featured:
Facilitator Quentin Falconer, Silicon Valley
Bank
Kjerstin Barley, Sr VP, Industry Leader,
Technology & Electronics, GE Commercial Finance
Steve Eichenlaub, Managing Director, Hardware,
Intel Capital
Nancy Pfund, Managing Director, DBL Investors
and Board Member, CalCEF
Following the financing panel, and a morning
break, we showcased a corporate panel, on
�Doing Well While Doing Good�which featured:
Facilitator Deborah Gage, SF Chronicle
Subodh Bapat, Sun Microsystems
Peter Graf, SAP
Rich Lechner, VP, IBM
John Skinner, Director of Marketing,
Eco-Technology, Intel Corporation
Ann Marie Feldhursen, HP
Following lunch, we conducted our third and final panel
featuring entrepreneurs profiling �Clean
Green Success Stories�:
Facilitator Dan Lankford, Partner, WavePoint
Ventures
Tom Balkum, Balkrete Inc.
Donnie Foster, Power Assure
Matt Golden, President, Sustainable Spaces
Jason Wolf, Business Development, North America,
A Better Place
PR Yu, CEO, Optony
We would like to thank each of our sponsors, our speakers, our attendees and our partners for their support of our very successful second annual State of the Clean Green Industry event!
SDForum
and FountainBlue produced our second annual State of the Clean Green Conference
on January 30, 2009, to a packed room of entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs,
investors, and other key stakeholders. Below are notes from the conversation.
City of San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed made comments on 'How Policymakers Are Supporting Clean Green
Entrepreneurship'. Below are takeaways from his talk.
The clean green industry is
charged with a lot of responsibility: from eliminating dependence on foreign oil,
to mitigating global climate change, to create money and jobs, to pulling Silicon
Valley out of the depression. But Silicon Valley and its entrepreneurial
culture and infrastructure has a proven track record for delivering on
technology challenges and business innovations, particularly during challenging
economic times, such as the S&L crisis and the dot com bust. The clean
green opportunities are there, with markets in the trillions of dollars for
companies who can deliver solutions. Government's role is to clear the path,
and ensure policies that support the creation of the technologies and business
that will lead us out of this recession, and to help demonstrate technologies,
to facilitate its commercialization.
The City of San Jose, under
Mayor Reed's leadership, has 150 initiatives in support of the Green Vision.
The Green Vision Goals are: within 15 years, the City of San José in tandem
with its residents and businesses will:
1.Create
25,000 Clean Tech jobs as the World Center of Clean Tech Innovation
2.Reduce
per capita energy use by 50 percent
3.Receive
100 percent of our electrical power from clean renewable sources
4.Build
or retrofit 50 million square feet of green buildings
5.Divert
100 percent of the waste from our landfill and convert waste to energy
6.Recycle
or beneficially reuse 100 percent of our wastewater (100 million gallons per
day)
7.Adopt
a General Plan with measurable standards for sustainable development
8.Ensure
that 100 percent of public fleet vehicles run on alternative fuels
9.Plant
100,000 new trees and replace 100 percent of our streetlights with smart,
zero-emission lighting
The experienced panel of
investors had varying and interesting perspectives on the path to
cash/viability for clean green businesses. Below are some thoughts on what
entrepreneurs can do to build that path to profitability:
It is inherently more expensive
to create and manufacture products and services for any new industry or new
technology. So with this new clean energy industry, we are not quite at parity,
where clean/green solutions cost almost the same as standard products and
services, but with factors such as loaded costs to consider, the mood and
mind-set of the customers, parity will accelerate faster than we think.
Adoption will be very rapid and pervasive once we get there.
Current stats are as follows:
In an IBM study of 1900 consumers worldwide, 33%
wouldn't pay more for clean green services, 40% would pay 5% more and 20% would
pay 10% more.
In the City of Palo Alto, 60% of the citizens
willingly signed up for a 15% premium for electricity with is more sustainable.
Below are some ideas for helping accelerate
parity:
Help your partners, customers, colleagues and
others change the way they think about what they staff, measure and buy.
Help others consider the total cost of ownership
not just the up-front cost, but the amount of savings and other benefits of
ownership.
Policy will impact the
profitability and time to profitability for clean energy companies. Incentives
will help consumers to better accept risk for early adoption of technologies
for example. However, incentives must have a predictable time period and
payback so that customers can understand the benefits and companies can plan
based on these incentives. In addition, incentives should not be provided to
oil companies, for example, who are making record profits.
When thinking about a
profitable exit strategy for clean energy companies, consider who are the big
buyers (from utilities to corporations to construction or transportation
companies) and what would make them interested in your solution, and when and
how to get them engaged in your solution. Manage the risks incumbent with any
early stage company lack of technology, lack of customers, undeveloped team,
etc., - and your company would be a more attractive, de-risked M&A option
for these buyers. Consider also The clean green landscape of 8.4 billion in
2008 is comprised of:
40% solar
11% biofuels
10% transportation
6% wind
4% energy efficiency
2% agriculture
2% water
With that said, the panel is in
agreement that there is tremendous opportunity, particularly for smart
grid/energy efficiency solutions, such as software and IT companies and
services companies which are less capital-intensive. But even in the energy
efficiency companies, exits are on average around 14 years, rather than the 6-8
year average for software firms. There will be no quick dot-com-like exits
here.
In the end, factors such as
global warming, AB32, Al Gore, and the economic stimulus package will impact
and hopefully accelerate exit times and margins. Investors, like entrepreneurs,
will be very creative to help this promising industry make forward progress.
Involvement from other players such as utilities may also impact an
entrepreneurs' options, and the current needs for infrastructure upgrade and
technology standardization may provide opportunities as well.
Our corporate panel was on the topic of 'Doing Well While Doing Good' and
featured:
Facilitator Deborah Gage, SF Chronicle
Subodh Bapat, Sun Microsystems
Ann Marie Feldhursen, HP
Peter Graf, SAP
Rich Lechner, VP, IBM
John Skinner, Director of Marketing,
Eco-Technology, Intel Corporation
Below are notes from the conversation:
Corporate leaders are actively
doing well while doing good by:
Managing their own internal energy usage, from
better managing on-site usage of energy to facilitating virtual work stations,
to facilities and systems automation, to better measuring and managing manufacturing
practices, to finding business opportunities in providing cleaner, greener
options, and to proactively managing water usage at work and at home;
Spearheading bottom-up sustainability drives,
while also promoting top-down clean-green policies;
Working with different groups and partners and
others to ensure coordinated and integrated sustainability practices with
measurable targets on specific goals on carbon footprint, on energy usage,
etc.,
Negotiating with and supporting federal and state
government to establish corporate policies and energy standards, and
Making sustainability a priority and a challenge
within and outside the organization.
These corporate leaders agree
that the economic downturn is impacting everyone, and that what was true before
the downturn is even truer today. Know what you are spending, what the payback
time period and investments are. The economy is pushing everyone to be better
consumers and better vendors. The internet changed our culture with the boom
and with the bust. The clean green industry may help us adopt better
sustainability practices, practices which just might impact cultures
post-downturn, and may even help pull us out of the downturn.
Our entrepreneurs' panel was on the topic of 'Clean Green Success Stories' and
featured:
Facilitator Dan Lankford, Partner, WavePoint
Ventures
Tom Balkum, Balkrete Inc.
Donnie Foster, Power Assure
Matt Golden, President, Sustainable Spaces
Jason Wolf, Business Development, North America,
A Better Place
PR Yu, CEO, Optony
Below are notes from the
conversation.
Other panels today alluded to
that fact that 'a recession is a terrible thing to waste' and that it is up to
the entrepreneurs who are clever enough to see the opportunities, nimble enough
to execute on a good business ideas, and an understanding of markets to lead
the way. This panel spoke about what they have done with their varying companies
and business models and what it will take for them and others in their clean
green sub-industries to succeed.
Each panelist spoke eloquently
about how providing a clean green service/solution was attractive at the
individual level for personal reasons (everyone wants to do their part) and at
the corporate level for business reasons (it's a good business practice to
choose the clean/green option). Below are some ideas for what we need to do to
support clean/green entrepreneurship:
Create a standard infrastructure for storing and
distributing energy;
Work together to build an understanding of the
total cost of ownership;
Create policies that support R&D, not just
consumer purchasing;
Encourage accurate ongoing measurement of energy
usage in the home, in businesses, and incentivize people and companies to make
more sustainable energy choices on usage and purchases;
Leverage technology to automate energy
management, where appropriate, and
Use practical solutions to manage energy usage
like opening a door rather than using air conditioning.
The panelists also agree that
it's a great time to be a clean energy entrepreneur. There's concrete evidence
of the need to focus on sustainable solutions, from the recent energy price
volatility to the water access and shortage problems to the extreme storms to
the melting of the polar ice caps. In addition, there are tremendous
opportunities with the change in administration, and there already proven
dedication to take specific measures in support of the clean energy industry.
In addition, the clean energy
industry to beginning to mature, expanding beyond the supply-only side to the
demand side solutions, providing solutions. One up-side of this trying economic
climate is that there is less noise out there, and the 'real' entrepreneurs and
investors are actively committed to creating value, especially during a down
cycle when there's less corporate investment in R&D.
Policy makers can support this
entrepreneurial talent in Silicon Valley by:
Providing performance-based rather than
prescriptive incentives.
Not subsidizing dirty energy, but R&D for
alternative energy sources instead.
Impose taxes to encourage more thoughtful usage
of coal and petroleum.
Encourage a fact-driven society, with clear
measurable and obtainable goals for sustainability, without the hype and
politics.
Encourage innovation.
As one panelist put it, these
are 'anxious and giddy times of change', and we are challenged to leverage it
to our advantage.
2009 State of the Clean Green IndustrySpeaker Bios:
Tom Balkum, Founder and CEO, Balkrete, Inc. Mr.
Balkum invented Balkrete Custom Aggregates, lightweight high-strength
concrete aggregates produced from non-recycled waste plastics. He
later received patents for them, presented the same at the Research in
Progress session at the American Concrete Institute 2006 Fall
convention, and has more than 35 years of design, engineering and
operational experience. Mr. Balkum leads the technical development of
Balkrete, as well as corporate strategy.
Prior to Mr. Balkum's
development of Balkrete Aggregates, he served start-ups and high growth
enterprises as a manufacturing and operations management specialist
with direct profit and loss responsibility. In these positions, Mr.
Balkum applied his extensive knowledge in product and process
development and re-engineering, modular demand flow manufacturing and
distribution systems, production planning, inventory control, quality
assurance and contract administration. Later, Mr. Balkum managed
small to mid-size companies, providing products and services for
consumer, industrial and government markets.
Working in the recycling
industry from 1995-1996 to create new markets for scrap tire
by-products, Mr. Balkum gained valuable insight into the difficult task
of separating, cleaning, processing, and reselling recovered materials
profitably. Plastic recycling efforts proved even more difficult,
given the unique characteristics inherent in plastic polymers.
Nevertheless, Mr. Balkum reasoned and later proved that if concrete
aggregates could be produced with plastic recovered from the waste
stream, it would be possible to reduce the weight of concrete (30
40%), outperform existent concrete technology (improving insulation
values by 300%), sequester CO2 inside plastic aggregates (diverting
plastic from being incinerated, where every ton of plastic emits 3 tons
of greenhouse gas) and create a profitable construction supply product
which uses as it principal ingredient, millions of tons of
non-biodegradable plastic waste - annually.
Subodh Bapat, Vice President and Distinguished Engineer, Sun Microsystems Inc. Mr.
Bapat is a vice president and distinguished engineer at Sun
Microsystems, responsible for driving Sun's systems level energy
strategy. This includes energy management architectures,
specifications, tools and standards for the entire stack, from the
microprocessor and system level up through the system software,
including the virtualization and operating system layers. Mr. Bapat has
served as CTO for Sun's volume systems division, in which role he drove
the expansion of Sun's product portfolio to include Opteron-based
systems. He was responsible for the overall technology direction for
Sun's blade servers, rack-mount servers, telecom-optimized servers,
technical compute servers and workstations. In that role, he drove
architectures and strategies for next-generation system architectures,
interconnects, and networking standards. Most recently, he also served
in Sun's software division as CTO for Sun's systems management and
connected services product line.
Kjerstin Barley, Senior Vice-President and Industry Leader, Technology and Business Services, GE Capital. Kjerstin
E. Barley is Industry Leader, Technology and Business Services and a
Senior Vice President at GE Capital. With a global portfolio of over
$7B in assets, GE is a significant provider of capital to companies
across technology sectors.
Kjerstin has more than 18 years of experience in technology and
financial services. She joined GE Commercial Finance's Media,
Communications & Entertainment business in 2005, responsible for
debt and equity investments in venture-backed, privately held
technology companies. Prior to GE, Kjerstin held progressively senior
roles in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications investment
banking practices at Bear Stearns & Co. and JP Morgan.
Earlier
in her career, Kjerstin held a variety of operating roles at Brown
Venture Associates, Silicon Graphics, Inc. and Franz Inc.
Kjerstin received her MBA from New York University Stern School of
Business and her BA in political economics from the University of
California at Berkeley.
Stephen Eichenlaub, Managing Director, Emerging Platform Technologies and Cleantech Sector, Intel Capital.
Stephen Eichenlaub joined Intel Capital in 1998, and is a voting member
of Intel Capital's investment committee. As managing director of
strategic investments aligned with Intel Corp's central research
laboratories and head of the Cleantech investment focus, Steve leads a
team of investment managers driving equity and technology licensing
relationships with external companies. The objectives of his team's
efforts are to expand, align and accelerate the frontiers of technology
via strategic relationships with early and mid-stage start-ups in the
context of driving significantly positive financial returns for
Intel. Prior to Intel, Steve worked at leading software and solutions
companies such as Adobe Systems, Mentor Graphics, Silicon Compiler
Systems, and GammaMetrics, across a variety of roles including venture
investing, mergers & acquisitions, business development, strategic
marketing, product management, sales management, and investor
relations. He holds a BS in Electrical and Nuclear Engineering from UC
Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Quentin Falconer, National Cleantech Coordinator, Silicon Valley Bank. As
National Cleantech Coordinator, Quentin Falconer leads the business
development efforts for the cleantech industry at SVB Silicon Valley
Bank. SVB is the premier commercial bank for technology and life
science companies of all sizes. SVB currently banks half of all
venture-backed companies nationwide. Founded in 1983 and headquartered
in Santa Clara, Calif., the company serves clients around the world
through 27 U.S. offices and international operations in China, India,
Israel and the U.K.
Formerly an engineer with
Bechtel Corporation, Quentin began his commercial banking career in
1990 and has been with Silicon Valley Bank since 1999 working with
emerging and mid-stage technology companies. He provides and oversees
commercial and merchant banking, investment management and global
treasury services for his portfolio of clients. Quentin sits on the
Advisory Council for the Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum and is a member
of Financial Executives International. He earned Bachelor's degrees in
mechanical engineering and music from Tufts University and a master's
of business administration from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.
He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Anne Marie Feldhusen, Marketing Manager, Green Business Technology Initiative, Hewlett Packard. Anne
Feldhusen is the Marketing Manager for HP's Green Business Technology
Initiative. The initiative supports enterprise clients in achieving
business outcomes while at the same time reducing environmental impact.
Anne has held leadership roles in HP Services Marketing and Australia's
field sales organization. In 2007, Anne launched HP's first large-scale
solar installation.
Anne joined HP from
Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Business. Prior to
HP, Anne worked in financial services and holds a Bachelor of Science
degree in industrial management and industrial engineering from Purdue
University.
Donnie Foster, Founder, President & CEO, Power Assure, Inc. - Holistic Power Management. With
over 30 years in the High Tech, Pharmaceutical, and Biotech industries,
he is experienced in providing executive, business, people and
information technology management. Prior to Power Assure, Donnie held
numerous executive positions most notable as the General Manager
(P&L responsibility) at Hewlett-Packard for America's Region for
custom software solutions, and set-up business development, R&D and
delivery capabilities using local and offshore resources. Over his
distinguished career at HP, he served in many roles including Software
R&D Manager, E-Services Business Organization, Division
Professional Services and Support Manager - India Support Organization,
Facilities, IT Systems and Programming Manager.
Donnie stepped into his first
data center more than 30 years ago and felt the cold air on the hot IBM
and Amdahl mainframes and has watched over the years as minicomputers
and then servers have multiplied in numbers, power and cooling
requirements and believes that he and his team have found a more
sustainable model.
Donnie's specialties include
Green Power Management, Executive Program and Project Management,
Business Transformation, Executive Transition Management and
International IT, Data Center, R&D, and Outsourcing Expertise.
Donnie is an experienced CEO and business executive who collaborates
and challenges colleagues, board members, and staff to excel in
dynamic, high-pressure situations using results-oriented leadership,
financial analysis, and proven project management techniques. He
creates a catalyst for improved bottom-line results with a
team-oriented approach and problem-solving demeanor.
Donnie is active with the DOE,
EPA, and Silicon Valley Leadership Group, among others promoting energy
efficiency and improved sustainability techniques for high tech
companies. Donnie lives with his wife and daughter in Mountain View,
California and is active in community affairs.
Deborah Gage, Senior Technology Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle. Deborah
is a senior technology reporter covering green technology, security,
privacy, venture capitalists and Silicon Valley startups. She is also a
technology blogger for The Tech Chronicles. Deborah joined the San
Francisco Chronicle as a senior technology reporter in December 2007.
She previously was a senior writer for Baseline magazine in New York.
She has covered the high technology industry since 1994 and has won
over a dozen national and regional editorial awards, including the
Grand Neal and Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards in
2005 for a story on how American-made software contributed to the
deaths of cancer patients in Panama.
Matt Golden, Co-Founder and President, Sustainable Spaces. Matt
Golden is the co-founder and president of Sustainable Spaces. Prior to
founding the company in 2004, Matt worked as an Energy Consultant,
helping homeowners and businesses develop solar power systems. He soon
realized that he was offering only a point solution and was not truly
addressing most homeowners' desires to make their homes and lives more
sustainable. Matt developed the concept for Sustainable Spaces to meet
this market demand by providing a single, full-service resource and a
brand homeowners can trust to help them improve the comfort, health,
and efficiency of their home. Matt speaks extensively on
building science and integrated green design to groups such as the AIA
(American Institute of Architects), West Coast Green, Build it Green
and others. Matt has authored a number of articles for Home Energy
Magazine and has been featured in the SF Chronicle, USA Today, KQED
Radio, and the Ellen Degeneres Show. He currently resides on the
following boards: Department of Energy (DOE) Home Performance Council,
California Building Performance Contractors Association (CBPCA), Build
It Green, and Fine Home Building Magazine Green Building Advisory Board.
Peter Graf, Executive Vice President, SAP.
Peter Graf, executive vice president, is head of sustainability at SAP.
Reporting to board member Jim Hagemann Snabe, he leads SAP's overall
sustainability solutions and ensures sustainable operations at SAP
itself. Based out of SAP Labs Offices in Palo Alto, CA, Peter holds a
Masters degree in computer science and economics as well as a Ph.D. in
artificial intelligence.
Dan Lankford, Managing Director, Wavepoint Ventures.
Dan brings more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications
equipment, software, semiconductor, and energy technology industries to
Wavepoint, including senior leadership roles at AT&T/Bell
Labs/Agere Systems and several early-stage companies.
Prior to Wavepoint, Dan was
Chairman and CEO of BOLDER Technologies, where he took the company from
early-stage through IPO and raised more than $100 million in the
private and public markets. BOLDER was an energy technology company
that, among other things, supplied the batteries for the original
Chrysler hybrid electric vehicle project. Before joining BOLDER he was
the CEO of AT&T Microelectronics (Agere Systems) Europe, where he
increased revenues from $15 million to $250 million in five years and
established the company as one of the leading chip, opto-electronic,
and power systems suppliers to the European electronics industry.
Prior to moving to Europe, Dan served as
vice president of marketing for AT&T's $2.5 billion worldwide
microelectronics business. He was also part of the team that
commercialized the UNIX business at Bell Labs. He has been involved
with early-stage technology ventures for more than 20 years as an
investor, board member, executive, and consultant.
Dan has a Master's degree in
management from Stanford Business School where he was a Sloan Fellow;
he also has a Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering (with honors)
from Johns Hopkins University and has attended the Senior European
Executive Program at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. Dan is a former
Commissioner on the Colorado Governor's Commission on Science and
Technology and has presented at the White House Conference on
Alternative Energy.
Rich Lechner, Vice President, Energy & Environment, IBM.
Mr. Lechner was named vice president, Energy & Environment in
September 2008. In this role, he leads IBM's efforts in helping clients
address the issues and opportunities around energy, the environment,
and sustainability. He is responsible for defining strategy and
managing the broad portfolio of capabilities and offerings that
leverage IBM's technology innovation, deep industry insight, and
business process strategy.
Mr. Lechner has a strong track
record for driving key cross IBM initiatives that deliver value to
clients of all sizes including virtualization, Project Big Green, and
IBM's New Enterprise Data Center Strategy. Previously, he was vice
president for Enterprise Systems addressing IBM's large enterprise
customer base and market opportunity by bringing to market a unified
set of systems, software and services designed to optimize large-scale
IT infrastructures. He has held a number of other senior leadership
positions at IBM across the hardware, software, and services
organizations including: IT Optimization, Storage Systems, Mainframes,
Software Strategy, and Systems Management. Mr. Lechner spent ten years
as a programmer for IBM and began his career as a micro-code programmer
in the Financial Services Industry.
Nancy E. Pfund, Managing Partner, DBL Investors and CalCEF Board Member. Ms.
Pfund is a Managing Partner of DBL Investors, an investment firm
focused on delivering strong financial returns together with positive
social, environmental, and economic impact. DBL Investors drives
sustainability through a combination of investing in cleantech
companies as well as in companies from more diversified sectors and
then helping these companies realize the economic benefits of
environmental stewardship and branding. DBL Investors' first fund, the
Bay Area Equity Fund, implements this strategy with top-tier returns in
a portfolio of investments in emerging growth companies located in
lower-income neighborhoods of the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Pfund
currently sponsors or sits on the board of directors of a number of
private companies, including Tesla Motors, Pandora Corporation,
Brightsource Energy, SolarCity, and eMeter.
Originally a regional venture
capital group within JPMorgan, DBL Investors spun out as an independent
firm in January 2008. Ms. Pfund joined JPMorgan (then Hambrecht &
Quist) in 1984 as a securities analyst and later joined its venture
capital department as Principal and then Managing Director. In addition
to her private equity responsibilities, Ms. Pfund also built and
directed H&Q's external affairs and philanthropic programs from
1996 to 2001.
In 1988, President Bush
appointed Ms. Pfund as a charter member of the National Advisory
Council for Environmental Policy and Technology. In 1999, Ms. Pfund was
appointed by President Clinton to serve on the Congressional Web-Based
Education Commission. Currently, Ms. Pfund is a member of the board of
directors of the California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF), a
not-for-profit fund mandated by the California PUC to invest in
companies pursuing alternatives to a fossil-fuel dominated economy, and
is an Advisor to its newly-created CalCEF Angel Fund. She is also a
member of the Advisory Board of the UC Davis Center for Energy
Efficiency, and is a founding officer and director of ABC 2, a
foundation aimed at accelerating a cure for brain cancer. Most
recently, Ms. Pfund has been appointed as a member of the Task Force on
California's Energy and Environmental Challenges, an initiative of the
Pacific Council on International Policy. Ms. Pfund speaks frequently on
subjects relating to environmental investing, environmental policy, and
mission-related investing.
Prior to joining JPMorgan, Ms.
Pfund worked at Intel Corporation, Stanford University, the State of
California, and the Sierra Club. Ms. Pfund received her BA and MA in
anthropology from Stanford University, and her MBA from the Yale School
of Management.
Chuck Reed, Mayor, City of San Jose. Chuck
Reed is the 64th Mayor of San José. Elected on November 7, 2006, Chuck
was sworn into office the following January by his daughter, Air Force
Major Kim Campbell. Chuck was born on August 16, 1948 and was raised in
the small farming town of Garden City, Kansas. His family lived in a
public housing project, teaching him from an early age the importance
of government aide for working families. A strong work ethic was
evident during childhood as he took jobs sweeping floors while still in
elementary school. Chuck dug ditches, shoveled gravel, and worked in
the fields before becoming a teenager. While in high school, Chuck
worked part time operating a bull dozer and driving an 18 wheeler semi
truck. Chuck left Kansas to attend the United States Air Force Academy
and went on to serve in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He received a
Master's Degree in Public Affairs from Princeton University and
graduated from Stanford Law School. After passing the bar, Chuck began
working as an attorney in San José handling environmental, employment,
land use and real estate law, and commercial litigation. Chuck's
success as an attorney gave him the opportunity to devote time to
serving the community. He began offering free legal advice to tenants
in housing disputes and helping local non-profit organizations. Chuck
has served on more than 20 boards, commissions, committees, and task
forces. After two decades of civic participation, Chuck ran for City
Council in 2000. Winning the seat, Chuck represented District 4
including Berryessa, North San José, and Alviso. As a councilmember,
Chuck openly opposed issues that he believed were not in the best
interest of San José's long term future. He became the independent
voice on the City Council and gained a reputation for his commitment to
fiscal responsibility. As Mayor of San José, Chuck is committed to
improving the quality of life in the City, boosting the public's trust
in local government, and fixing the City's structural budget deficit.
The Reed Reforms, a comprehensive strategy to return honesty, fiscal
responsibility, and open government to City Hall, are part of Chuck's
vision to make the political process more accessible to the general
public. The reforms require further disclosure from elected officials,
add restrictions on lobbyists, and increase the role of citizens in San
José government. Chuck and his wife, Paula, have been married for over
35 years. Paula manages a medical clinic specializing in the care of
cancer patients. They have two children, Kim and Alex, who both
attended public schools in San José. Kim is a fighter pilot in the U.S.
Air Force with more than 100 combat missions. Alex works in Washington
D.C. to help prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
John Skinner, Director of Marketing, Eco-Technology, Intel Corporation.
John Skinner is the Director of Marketing for Eco-Technology at Intel
Corporation, where he is responsible for managing alliances and
communications related to Intel's "Eco Technology" thrusts: Energy
Efficient Performance, Sustainable Manufacturing, Design for the
Environment, and Policy and Industry Leadership. In this capacity, John
is co-chair of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative marketing
council, and supports Intel's activities within The Green Grid
consortium. John is a 24 year veteran of the computing industry, with
significant experience in business development, marketing, and
technology program management. As a district manager at Intel, John was
responsible for growing sales within his group to $1B in annual
revenue. John was later the worldwide manager of Intel Enterprise
Marketing, and established Intel's first Enterprise Co-Marketing
alliance with Microsoft. For four years, John was managing director of
Intel's Global Software Alliances group, overseeing all joint
engineering and business development activities with Oracle, SAP,
Adobe, and others. Most recently, John was Director of Software and
Enterprise Programs for Intel's relationship with Apple Inc. John is a
passionate advocate for the potential of technology to help address the
challenge of climate change, and enable a more sustainable world. John
is an active leader within the Intel Employee Sustainability Network,
Sustainable Silicon Valley, and the California Clean Tech Open
communities. John received a Bachelor of Science in electrical
engineering from Cornell University, and a Master's degree in business
administration from Rutgers University.
Jason Wolf, Business Development , North America, Better Place. Jason
Wolf is responsible for business development in North America for
Better Place. In this role, he strives to form strategic partnerships
with energy companies, automobile manufacturers, investors, governments
and other key parties in an effort to create infrastructure for the
mass adoption of electric vehicles.
Jason brings more than 11
years of management experience in the IT industry, having held various
positions in strategic planning, product rollouts, sales and
professional services. In his last role, Jason served as president of
Sterna Technologies USA, the pioneer of Business Positioning Systems
software. Prior to joining Sterna, he held a number of positions during
a 10-year career at SAP AG, including senior vice president of
Strategic Initiatives and senior vice president of New Product
Introductions.
Jason holds a B.A. in
Economics and Psychology from the University of Tel-Aviv, and an MBA
from San Jose State University. From 1986 to 1993, he served as an
officer in the Israeli military.
Laurie Yoler, Managing Director, GrowthPoint Technology Partners. Laurie Yoler is a Managing Director at GrowthPoint Technology Partners, an
investment bank that helps innovative technology and clean technology
companies to raise capital, build strategic alliances and complete
M&A transactions. She
has been helping emerging technology companies grow for over twenty
years as an executive, advisor, investor and board member. She has
served on the boards of public companies, private companies, and
non-profit organizations. Ms. Yoler currently serves on the board of
advisors of Tesla Motors, the board of directors of the Washington
State University Research Foundation, the advisory board of DNA Direct,
and the TIEClean Tech Advisory Board.
Previously,
Yoler was chief development officer at Intellectual Ventures, working
with Nathan Myhrvold exploring invention and investment opportunities
in a wide variety of technology areas ranging from software, user
interface design, semiconductors, electronic devices, consumer
products, lasers, biotechnology and medical devices.
Before
joining Intellectual Ventures, Yoler was vice president of marketing
and business development for Packet Design LLC, a networking R&D
firm started by Judy Estrin, Bill Carrico and Van Jacobson. She was
instrumental in helping Packet Design spin out three networking
companies: Vernier Networks, Packet Design Inc., and Precision I/O.
Yoler
was previously a director at Sun Microsystems for seven years where she
held a number of corporate development, business development, marketing
and sales management positions, including three years based in Geneva,
Switzerland as the sales director for financial markets for Europe,
Middle East and Africa.
Prior
to Sun, Yoler was the director of product development and management at
Visa, where she designed and implemented new banking products, like the
Visa Check Card. Before joining Visa, she was a manager in the
advanced technology practices of Accenture and PwC.
Yoler
previously served on the board of directors of Tesla Motors since its
founding, the public company Interactive Investor (acquired by AMP) and
the technical advisory board of Index Ventures.
Yoler
graduated summa cum laude from Washington State University with a B.A.
in management information systems. She also completed a year abroad in
the international business program at the University of Copenhagen. She
completed executive management programs at both Kellogg and INSEAD.
PR Yu, CEO and Co-Founder, Optony. Dr.
PR Yu is the CEO and co-founder of Optony Inc., a solar startup that is
pioneering the commercialization of proprietary TFC Solar TM
technology. With financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy
and angel investors, and technical support from the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL), Optony has demonstrated certified
world-record performance solar prototypes which it continues to refine
in preparation for high-volume manufacturing.
Dr. Yu is a serial
entrepreneur with a history of innovation in the solar industry. Prior
to Optony, Dr. Yu was with Innovalight where he developed the company's
first prototype solar cells as well as several key patent applications
which laid the foundation for the company's growth. Before that, Dr.
Yu worked at NREL where he was part of a team that made major solar
breakthroughs that received Eni Award, touted as the Nobel Prize of
energy research. While in graduate school, Dr. Yu co-founded
international education service company Ansipen Co., and took it to
profit. Dr. Yu is an invited cleantech speaker in the US and China.
He received his Ph.D. from University of Colorado at Boulder, and B.S.
from Peking University.
Details about our 2008 Events
FountainBlue is pleased to partner with SDForum and dozens of organizations across the valley to produce an annual event on 'Policy and Its Implications for the Clean Energy Entrepreneur' scheduled for January 25, 2008. This annual event is designed to:
Build connections between clean energy entrepreneurs, investors, policy-makers and other stakeholders,
Educate key stakeholders about local, state and national policies which impact clean energy entrepreneurs and find out how entrepreneurs can best work with policy-makers,
Facilitate conversation on the implications of policies for clean energy entrepreneurs and their partners,
Better understand this burgeoning market and the current successes and challenges from the perspectives key players in the market, and to
Launch SDForum's new clean energy SIG
This year, the event is scheduled for Friday, January 25, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at AMD Commons Building, 991 Steward Drive in Sunnyvale.
Entrepreneurs, tech executives, investors, policy-makers, and other stakeholders have been analyzing the burgeoning clean energy industry, both from the technology side and from the business opportunity side. From the technology side, we are leveraging learnings and successes from many industries, from the semi-conductor and automobile industry to the nanotechnology and life science industries, to the chemistry and geology industries. From the business side, we are seeing the potential global impact of clean energy solutions, identifying the need for partnerships locally and globally, and examining the implications of policy on clean energy entrepreneurs. This annual event will bring together policy-makers, corporate executives, entrepreneurs and investors, presenting differing perspectives on policy and its implications for the clean energy entrepreneurs.
AGENDA: 8:30 Networking and Registration
9:00 Welcomes and Thank Yous
9:15 The Honorable Bill Lockyer, State Treasurer, Keynote Speaker, "California's Investment in the Clean Revolution", with Introduction by Craig Tighe, Partner, DLA Piper
Our State Treasurer will highlight how and why California has taken a leadership role in supporting sustainable energy practices partnering with corporations, energy companies, entrepreneurs. We will highlight how current and upcoming California policies will impact entrepreneurs and businesses and how stakeholders can collaborate with policymakers to benefit all.
10:15 "A Corporate Perspective: Doing Well While Doing Good"
For this panel, executives will highlight how clean solutions support their employees, their shareholders and their communities, and also support the strategic goals of the organization. The panel will also cover how policies are impacting their programs and solutions and how they are working local, state and national policy-makers on clean energy efforts.
Panelist Janice Berman, Sr. Director of Customer Generation and Emerging Products, PG&E
Panelist Reed Content, AMD Fellow, Global Environmental Health and Safety, AMD
Panelist Annette Finsterbusch, Director, Corporate Business Development, Applied Ventures, LLC
Panelist Christina Page, Director of Energy and Climate, Yahoo Inc.!
11:30 Lunch Break
12:15 "Clean Energy Lessons Learned"
Clean energy solutions are hot entrepreneurs' and here to stay. This panel will feature entrepreneurs from around the world with energy generation, energy management, and transportation solutions. Our esteemed panel will include:
Facilitator Ted Samson, Senior Analyst & Blogger, Sustainable IT InfoWorld Media Group, InfoWorld
Panelist Dan Lankford, Managing Director, Wavepoint Ventures, former Chairman and CEO, Bolder Technologies
Panelist Paul McGrath, RideSpring and California Clean Tech Open Finalist
Panelist John Melby, President and CEO of APX Inc.
Panelist Gregory Pal, Sr. Director, Corporate Development, LS9, Inc.
1:15 Keynote Speaker, Scott Sandell, NEA, "Clean Energy Opportunities and Challenges: the Venture Perspective"
Investors and policy-makers are only beginning to partner together in support of the growing opportunities around clean energy, positioned to benefit entrepreneurs, companies, the state, the country, the earth. Our speaker will highlight successes and opportunities for clean energy solutions.
2:15 Closing Remarks by Brad Rock, Senior Partner, DLA Piper
2:30Thanks, Adjourn and Networking
Below are notes from the conversation:
Thoughts on How the State of California is Supporting Clean Energy Entrepreneurs:
The economy needs to create an engine of new jobs every 7-8 years as a stimulus to the economy. The clean energy industry to well positioned to be the next job-making engine for the state.
Local governments, educational organizations, state government, and the business all have a part in ensuring that the clean energy opportunity produces jobs and stimulates the economy.
The world demand for energy is ever-increasing, as is our carbon footprint. We must create solutions to address the demand side and off-set/manage our impact on the earth.
The state is managing half a trillion dollars in CALPERS and STRS retirement funds and is facilitating smart, effective, environmentally sound investments. Clean energy entrepreneurs should investigate funding opportunities in these areas.
The state has 260 million square feet of space in buildings and is working on an ambitious plan which would retrofit these buildings, $500 investment for $865 savings with an anticipated payoff of 5-6 years, and savings thereafter. Clean energy opportunities should also investigate how their technologies or services could assist the state in retrofitting its buildings.
Thoughts on What Corporations Are Doing, and How That Is an Opportunity for Entrepreneurs:
Consider PG&E's California Solar Initiative Program.
Measure your company's impact on the environment, create and implement tools to manage the impact, communicate your successes, and share your success stories with other organizations.
Consider the value of education and motivate/incentivize staff/customers to meet measurable milestones.
Measure the performance of your manufacturing plant and identify processes/tools which may be performing badly, costing the company money, and negatively impacting the environment. Take measures to correct it and motivate others to keep fixing broken processes/tools.
Work with customers, investors, technologies, entrepreneurs, policy-makers, etc., to make clean energy options available to the masses.
Help everyone make the right small decisions (e.g. wash your mug vs. use a styrofoam mug) every day.
Create a volunteer green team within your organization and encourage them to be creative, passionate, and solution-centric. Give them resources. Adopt their ideas company-wide.
Use common sense, natural solutions (e.g. ambient air cooling) when considering operational challenges.
As entrepreneurs looking to work with corporations, consider the demand side as well as the energy management side.
Consider the company's pain point and the overall market opportunity before approaching a corporate venture fund.
Leverage technologies used in creating carbon-neutral energy-efficient servers to the desktop and then to the notebook.
Encourage original, creative brainstorming like at Yahoo!'s Green Hack day, and see if solutions created at these events presents opportunities for the company as a whole.
Consider the needs of your customers and your customers' customers.
Encourage universal metrics, for example in data standards.
Forward-thinking corporations like the ones highlighted on our panel are integrating clean energy solutions into their business model by managing their carbon footprint, by creating products and solutions more efficiently, by fostering a culture passionate about clean solutions, by funding clean energy companies, etc.,
Thoughts on What Entrepreneurs Can Do to Support More Favorable Legislation for Clean Energy Entrepreneurs:
It is difficult for entrepreneurs to dedicate the time and money to track and impact policy, but it must be done so that policy-makers understand the needs of the entrepreneur and so sustainable policies can be created which support clean energy businesses.
With that said, it's important for entrepreneurs to be heard by policy-makers.
Powerful factions from oil companies and automotive industry, for example, invest a lot of money on legislation which supports their interests, but not necessarily that of the clean energy entrepreneur or the earth.
Perhaps it would make sense to lobby for subsidies for other cleaner energy solutions. There are currently huge, existing subsidies for oil, coal, gas and nuclear.
Policy-makers in general don't have the technology background to understand what clean energy companies are doing and how to support them in their growth.
Participate in associations representing your industry.
Speaker Bios:
Keynote: Bill Lockyer, Treasurer of CA Californians on November 7, 2006 elected Bill Lockyer as the 32nd State Treasurer. As State Treasurer, Lockyer is committed to using the tools of the Office to help provide residents what they need to create a stronger California more jobs, superior education, improved transportation, quality health care, more affordable housing and a cleaner environment.
From 1999-2006, Lockyer served as California Attorney General and left a lasting legacy at the Department of Justice. In his eight years, he helped revolutionize crime fighting in California by creating and maintaining the nation's most sophisticated DNA forensic crime laboratory. He also cracked down on Medi-Cal fraud, established the Megan's Law website, and recovered billions of dollars for defrauded energy ratepayers, consumers and taxpayers.
Prior to his election as Attorney General in 1998, Lockyer served for 25 years in the California Legislature, culminating his Capitol career with a stint as Senate President pro Tempore. In that leadership position, Lockyer crafted agreements to balance the state budget and reform government programs to make them run more efficiently and effectively for taxpayers.
Afternoon Keynote: Scott Sandell, General Partner, NEA joined NEA in 1996 as an Associate, became a Partner in 1999 and a General Partner in 2000. Scott focuses on investments in information technology and alternative energy, and is responsible for NEA's activities in China.
He also serves as Co-Chairman of the board of the Software Development Forum. He has sponsored investments in 3ware (acquired by Applied Micro Circuits Corporation), Amplitude Software (acquired by Critical Path), Fineground Networks (acquired by Cisco), Neoteris (acquired by Juniper Networks, (NASDAQ: JNPR), NetIQ (NASDAQ: NTIQ), Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) and WebEx (NASDAQ: WEBX). Scott started his career at the Boston Consulting Group and later joined C-ATS Software as the company's first salesman. He founded and ran the European Subsidiary before attending Stanford Business School. During and after business school, Scott was a Product Manager at Microsoft, where he worked on Windows 95. In addition to an MBA from Stanford, Scott holds an AB in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College.
Janice Berman, Senior Director, PG&E. She is responsible for four departments at PG&E:Customer Generation, Sustainable Communities, Pricing and Emerging Products, and New Revenue Development.
Prior to her current position, Ms. Berman has held numerous regulatory, financial and operational positions at PG&E, including Director of Rates and Tariffs, Director of Revenue Requirements, Director of Business Development, and Director of Gas System Operations.
Reed Content, AMD Fellow, has more than twenty years of environmental management experience in the semiconductor industry. Reed joined AMD in 1989 and is an AMD Fellow in the Global Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) organization. His responsibilities include managing AMD's Extended Producer Responsibility and EHS/Technology Integration programs, directing AMD's efforts to address EHS considerations in product design and advanced process technology development. Reed leads development of AMD's annual Global Climate Protection Plan, first published in 2001. AMD's climate protection plan details the company's strategic approach to achieving energy efficiency and emissions reduction through product design, industry initiatives, and sustainable manufacturing operations.
Annette Finsterbusch, Director, Applied Ventures in the Corporate Business Development group of Applied Materials since 2004, responsible for identifying, recommending and managing venture capital investments. She is also a Kauffman Fellow.
Prior to joining Applied Materials, Ms. Finsterbusch was the CEO at MindShadow.com, an investment manager for DaimlerChrysler Venture Capital , and lead the business development efforts in Russia at Applied Materials.
Dan Lankford, Managing Director, Wavepoint brings more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications equipment, software, semiconductor, and energy technology industries to Wavepoint, including senior leadership roles at AT&T/Bell Labs/Agere Systems and several early-stage companies.
Prior to Wavepoint, Dan was Chairman and CEO of BOLDER Technologies, CEO of AT&T Microelectronics (Agere Systems) Europe, where he increased revenues from $15 million to $250 million in five years and established the company as one of the leading chip, opto-electronic, and power systems suppliers to the European electronics industry.
Paul McGrath, CEO of RideSpring. Paul is on a mission to make using an alternative commute as easy and as rewarding as possible. Driven by the idea that a company-focused web service could provide the most rapid and environmentally sound way to address the monstrous problems of traffic congestion, Paul gave up a career as an analog IC design engineer in 2005 to develop the RideSpring service. Clients nationwide are now using RideSpring.
Selected as a finalist in the California Clean Tech Open and as community hero by the United Way for his work in reducing single passenger auto use, Paul is enjoying the many challenges and rewards of starting a clean tech business. BSc. Engineering, Lancaster University, England
John Melby, President &CEO of APX, Inc. Under his leadership APX has become North America's leading infrastructure provider to create, track, manage, and retire environmental commodities in renewable energy, energy efficiency and greenhouse gases including carbon. APX is the system of choice for all major renewable energy markets in North America and has extended this technology to greenhouse gas markets worldwide including carbon offset credits and emission allowances.
Chris Page, Director, Yahoo! joined the Yahoo! team in July of 2007 and is the director of Climate and Energy at the company. Page is responsible for overseeing the company's climate-neutral program, efficiency and clean tech initiatives, and providing technical support to Yahoo!'s all-volunteer Green Team, an employee group that harnesses the collective energy of Yahoos around the world to reduce our carbon footprint.
Prior to joining Yahoo!, Page was a senior consultant on the Energy and Resources Team at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), sShe also provided counsel to business networks on corporate social responsibility practices, and has led regular lectures on sustainable business practices at National Taiwan University, Peking University, and University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. Prior to working at RMI, Page was a field instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School and a writer/editor for National Public Radio's "Living on Earth."
Gregory Pal, Senior Director, Corporate Development LS9, is responsible for marketing and business development at LS9. Prior to joining LS9, Mr. Pal spent 6 years at Tellme Networks, where he helped grow company revenue to over $100 million per year (a 50x increase). He combines a passion for building sustainable businesses with a pragmatic approach to problem solving. At Tellme Networks, Mr. Pal held various positions, including Director, Vertical & Corporate Marketing and Director, Financial Planning & Analysis, and was involved in all aspects of the business - from strategic planning, market selection, and product management through pre-sales activity, contract negotiation, and post-sales account management and P&L optimization.
Ted Samson, Senior Analyst & Blogger, InfoWorld Ted is Media Passionate, about both environmental issues and technology, InfoWorld Senior Analyst Ted Samson tracks green-tech trends in his Sustainable IT blog . Ted works out of his home office in Sacramento, Calif. His kitchen appliances are all Energy Star-compliant -- but he does not currently own a hybrid.
Partnerships:
This annual workshop is part of of FountainBlue's monthly series designed for clean energy entrepreneurs in order to build connections,share best practices and upcoming trends, connect on policy questions and issues. This event is also the launch event for SDForum's new clean energy SIG, which will meet quarterly.
We would also like to acknowledge co-marketing partners who have assisted with the outreach, marketing and programming for this event:
Co-Marketing Partners:
AAMA
ASTIA
ASVC
Berkeley Chinese Alumni Association
City of Menlo Park
City of San Jose
California Clean Tech OPEN
Financing Partners
GABA
Invest in Germany
KITECH
MIT/VLAB
Plug and Play
San Jose Environmental Business Cluster
San Jose Software Business Cluster
Santa Clara University
SDForum
SF Bay Ventures
SRI International
Stanford University
Sustainable Silicon Valley
TEN
US Department of Commerce
Investor Partners:
Angels' Forum
Bessemer Venture Partners
Keiretsu Forum
Nth Power
We are grateful to our sponsors for our clean energy entrepreneurs' forums and proudly recognize them below.
