Venture Capitalists (VCs)
VCs within the building-products marketspace are typically investors that:
- fund energy-related, substitution building products that are "green" or "clean"
- amount of embodied energy reduced as a percent of the whole
- desire to build sizable, valuable, healthy companies
- are not interested in buying innovators' patent rights
- offer low-end initial rounds of funding between approximately a half- and five- $million
- there are VCs that will supply seed money at a lower dollar amount
- require a referral before they seriously will consider funding a project
- from AIs, research labs, etc
- about 1 percent of proposal get funded
- prefer to fund companies that produce technologies, which are
- capable of competing in markets that generate $billions in annual sales
- currently generating revenue
- early-stage, pre-revenue funding is a possibility with some VCs
- new rather than incremental changes to existing technologies
- highly defensible against competitors and imitators
- prefer diverse management composition, where
- client (company) recruits an entrepreneur who knows how to
- raise money
- get a company through milestones
- develop products
- generate first sales
- funding group (VC) has a very active role in the company
- on the board and in recruiting an executive team
- finding the right sales executives
- helping to make industry connections
- making contacts at high levels that are sometimes hard to find
- prefer company ownership at the point of exit to be:
- 60-80% for funding group (VC)
- 20-40% for client (company) and associates
- desire to sell their stake in a company after 3 to 7 years
For details and to view a term sheet, see for example http://www.netpreneur.org/funding/anatomy_term_sheet.pdf.
Venture Capitalists Focused on Funding "Green" and "Clean" Technologies Show/Hide Content
Note: It is highly recommended that you not contact these organizations without first obtaining a referral (such as one from the NAHB Research Center) acknowledging that you have performed due diligence in developing your product.
- 3i
- Atlas Venture (boston@atlasventure.com): Atlas Venture invests primarily in early stage technology and life sciences businesses in the U.S. and Europe.
- BP Alternative Energy
- Black River
- McColl Partners
- Chevron Technology Ventures
- DFJ Element
- Draper Fisher Jurvetson
- Expansion Capital Partners
- Foundation Capital: Serious Materials funder
- Global Environment Fund (GEF): invests in businesses around the world that provide cost-effective solutions to environmental and energy challenges
- Good Energies
- Google.org
- Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers: Greentech innovation and entrepreneurs.
- New Enterprise Associates: Serious Materials funder
- NGEN Partners funded Hycrete, Inc.
- Nth Capital
- Partech International
- RockPort Capital Partners: energy and power technology, advanced materials, and process and prevention technology sectors
- Rustic Canyon Partners: Serious Materials funder
- SAIL Venture Partners
- Southeast Interactive Technology Funds
- Statoil Hydro Venture
- Vanguard Ventures
- VantagePoint Venture Partners
- Weston Presidio
- CleanTech Partners, Inc. a Wisconsin-based, private, non-profit organization that invests in emerging, energy-saving technologies
- Inside Cleantech Newsletter: For investors and entrepreneurs to keep current on what's occurring in the cleantech venture investment space
- Cleantech News Agency/Wire Service: CleanTechwire provides accurate and timely distribution by topic specialists
- Cleantech VC: A news and commentary blog for those interested in venture capital in clean technologies.
- Clean Break: Trends, happenings and innovations in the
Clean Technology market. A blog by Tyler Hamilton.
- Sequoia Capital: Prefers to fund sustainable companies that have the following elements
- Clarity of Purpose: summarize your company's business on the back of a business card
- Large Markets: address existing markets poised for rapid growth or change
- Rich Customers: fast-moving target market that pays a premium for unique offering
- Focus: product is easily understood and has a singular value proposition
- Pain Killers: ID a burning desire of customers and deliver a compelling solution
- Think Differently: constantly challenge conventional wisdom
- Team DNA: team members are the smartest or most clever in their domain
- Agility: stealth and speed will usually help beat-out large companies
- Frugality: maximize profitability by only spending on critical priorities
- Inferno: start with only a little money -- it forces discipline and focus
- Raising Money links from KookyPlan
- FundingPost
For over four years FundingPost has worked with thousands of Angel and Venture Capital Investors and Entrepreneurs. With over 2,500 CEOs and 400 Venture Funds attending events in 15 cities nationwide; a quarterly Dealflow magazine; and a deal-exchange website that has, on average, seen an introduction of an Investor to an Entrepreneur every business day since its inception; FundingPost believes that it is important to reach investors in every medium possible - both online and offline, and is experiencing strong growth as the venture capital markets continue to improve worldwide.
Note to editors: For additional information regarding the Pitching Across America competition, its winners or the its judges, please contact Aren Cohen at FundingPost who will facilitate any one-on-one interviews with FundingPost,
the winning companies or the Venture Capital / Angel investors.
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