A high-level delegation from Liaoning Province, a major industrial center in Northeast China, and officials from Washington and the City of Bellevue recently conducted two days of meetings in Seattle, Bellevue, and Mukilteo, Washington, to foster collaboration between the two economic areas on the development and commercialization of clean technology including advanced energy storage. The… Continue Reading
Russ Weed
Liaoning Province, Washington State, and UniEnergy Technologies
Posted in Clean Energy, Energy Conservation, Entrepreneurs, TechnologyOn Disappointment
Posted in Capital and Funding, Clean Energy, Events, Smart Grid, TechnologyVery early in the morning on November 17, 2011, long before the sun came up, the president of smart grid company GridMobility and I drove from San Jose to SFO for a first flight back to Seattle. The prior two days, the CleanTech Open had held its national business competition. The vehicle was thick with… Continue Reading
GridMobility Is Swinging for the Fences
Posted in Entrepreneurs, Events, Sustainable BusinessIn a prior post, Washington Start-ups Should “Swing for the Fences” in the Efficient Energy Sector, I sought to highlight the opportunities (including financing and acquisitions) in the efficient energy sector. For example, according to one sustainable industry analysis, cleantech M&A activity in Q2 2011 rotated away from the capital-intensive biomaterials/biofuels and solar sectors and… Continue Reading
A Fundraising Idea
Posted in Capital and Funding, EntrepreneursHow can a startup legitimately incentivize someone to raise money is a frequent question for start-ups, including cleantech companies. The someone can be a founder, board member, advisor, employee, or other person. To put the question more specifically, what legal tools are available to implement a strategy of incenting startup fundraising which: (A) does not undeservedly… Continue Reading
Washington Start-ups Should “Swing for the Fences” in the Efficient Energy Sector
Posted in Capital and Funding, Entrepreneurs, TechnologyI was struck at a recent meeting with a “player” in the Cleantech financing space that all of the deals on which that firm is working involve companies located elsewhere than the State of Washington. Why should that be when Washington continues to rank as the #2 sustainable state in the U.S.? Part of the… Continue Reading
The Bank Test
Posted in Capital and Funding, EntrepreneursWhether your greentech business is a pre-revenue start-up or a middle market-sized company, regardless of segment from smart grid to alternative fuels to clean technology generally, do you have at least monthly discussions with two or more business or commercial bankers? If you are not, you may well be missing conversations you should be having,… Continue Reading
Build, Buy, License, Strategic Partner – And The Legal Strategies That Go With Them
Posted in Capital and Funding, Sustainable Business, Tax and Tax Stimulus, TechnologyThere is a straightforward way to think about and plan the growth strategy – and corresponding legal strategy – for your green tech company: • Build • Buy • License • Strategic Partner “Build” is Invented Here – development and commercialization of green tech products and services – When the growth strategy is Build, the… Continue Reading