Venture Capital
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LightSail raises another $5.5M for energy storage
LightSail Energy Inc. has raised another $5.5 million -- a second close of its Series D round -- for its compressed air energy storage technology, according to Greentech Media. LightSail is developing…
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EnerG2 marks first year at Albany plant
EnerG2, maker of engineered carbon material for energy storage, declared its federally funded plant in Albany a success Thursday, one year after opening its doors. The plant regularly employs about 25…
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Garage Technology Ventures matching cleantech startups with backers
Joyce Chung, a managing director at Garage Technology Ventures, has been working recent months on the Los Altos firm's new program of matching cleantech startups with corporate backers. Chung's background…
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NW Energy Angels invested close to $4.7M in 2012
Regional investment network Northwest Energy Angels announced Tuesday that the group invested $4,696,500 in 15 cleantech companies in 2012 — the biggest investment year since the group was founded in…
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Better Place shutting down U.S. operations
Better Place, the once-hot electric vehicle startup that raised $750 million in investment, said it is shutting down operations in the U.S. and Australia to focus on the markets where its made the most…
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Sustainability-focused venture capital fund raising $10 million to invest in Northwest
David Williams has joined the team at Reference Capital where he's partnering with Brock Metcalf to raise a $10 million fund that will focus on making investments in sustainable businesses in Oregon and…
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New 1366 Tech factory aims to deliver 'solar at the cost of coal'
Venture-backed solar energy company 1366 Technologies cut the ribbon on a 42,000 square-foot factory in Bedford, Mass. In a news release, 1366 called the facility "the final step in the path to commercialization…
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Nest to raise $80M for smart thermostats
Nest, makers of smart, sleek thermostats that learn user behavior and adjust to save residents money, has reportedly raised $80 million, according to tech blog GigaOm. GigaOm said the company is shipping…
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AltaRock announces success with Oregon geothermal test
AltaRock Energy is reporting success at its Newberry Volcano Enhanced Geothermal Systems Demonstration, announcing last week it created three reservoirs within a single wellbore at its geothermal demonstration…
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Mass. startup targets micro-wind sector
When it comes to wind energy, Wing Power Energy CEO Harry Ruda thinks small. While large wind farms like the Cape Wind Project routinely take years to get approval and support, Wing Power Energy is focused…
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Year-end numbers highlight cleantech VC slowdown
By the time another round of 2012 figures came out this week, the alarms around the dearth of cleantech venture capital had already been sounded. The annual report released Friday by PricewaterhouseCoopers…
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Sungevity raises $125 million for solar projects
Sungevity Inc. has raised $125 million in venture capital and project financing. The funding includes $40 million in capital raised in 2012, led by Oakland-based Brightpath Capital Partners and the home…
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Cleantech venture capital investment dives 33 percent
We knew it was bad. But this is pretty bad. Global venture capital investment in cleantech plunged 33 percent in 2012 to $6.46 billion, according to new data released by the Cleantech Group. “Weak…
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EnerG2 raises $9.4M for Oregon high-tech battery manufacturing plant
Seattle-based high-performance battery company EnerG2 has raised nearly $9.4 million in new funding, the company announced Wednesday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition…
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ClearEdge acquires United Technologies' fuel cell business
Hillsboro-based fuel cell manufacturer ClearEdge Power said it has acquired UTC Power, a business unit of United Technologies Corp. known for developing fuel cells for the nation's space program. Terms…
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GlassPoint Solar raises $26M for oil-extraction technology
Big oil gave another nod to solar last week with GlassPoint Solar’s announcement of $26 million in funding. The Fremont, Calif.-based company, which develops solar technology for use in oil extraction,…
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Blu Homes acquires SF-based Modern Cabana
Prefabricated home maker Blu Homes Inc. bought Modern Cabana in San Francisco, which makes add ons for existing homes. Blu Homes, which has offices in Waltham, Mass. and San Francisco, didn't say what…
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How well did Oregon vet its $5 million in loans to now-bankrupt ReVolt?
How well did Oregon government agencies vet the now-bankrupt company ReVolt Technology before giving it more than $5 million in taxpayer-backed loans? That's a tough question to answer. The Business…
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ReVolt Technology officially files bankruptcy
The parent company of a taxpayer-backer battery technology company has filed bankruptcy in a Norwegian court. Portland-based ReVolt Technology, whose parent company is in Norway, said last month it would…
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One Northwest startup a finalist at 2012 Cleantech Open
None of the Northwest startups sent to the 2012 Global Cleantech Forum this month took home a grand prize, but a British Columbia company won the Green Building category title. GR Green of Burnaby, British…
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Social Venture Society raising VC fund, hosting conference
Next Monday and Tuesday some 200 entrepreneurial types will gather in Portland for Hacking Social Impact, an event put on by the newly formed Social Venture Society, which is in the midst of raising a…
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Energy storage startup LightSail raises $37.3M
Berkeley-based renewable energy storage startup LightSail, in its third year of existence, has raised $37.3 million from investors including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates…
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Earth Advantage Institute spins off CakeSystems
The nonprofit Earth Advantage Institute announced Thursday the spinoff of a for-profit green software startup built around its home energy audit software. The new company, CakeSystems Inc., will be run…
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San Francisco mayor announces cleantech initiative
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee Tuesday announced a city initiative to support the growth and development of cleantech businesses. Lee said the CleantechSF initiative will focus on three areas first: using…
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SF-based Green Start's demo day focuses on IT
Mitch Lowe, founder of the Greenstart accelerator in San Francisco, is at the heart of a shift in the kind of companies getting funding to tackle problems like energy use and recycling. Those areas were…
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