Almost every metropolis in any civilized country is jumping on the clean-tech bandwagon. Fund mangers are calling it the new engine of economic growth. Cities, Counties, Investors, Entrepreneurs are all diving in. Conference producers are all donning the clean-tech suit (we are one of them). With so much attention being grabbed by the analyst industry, media and entrepreneurs, where’s the real opportunity for innovation and investment?
Why does clean-tech matter now and what are the technologies that seem to be delivering the best bang for the buck - and the environment - and what do we see on the horizon? Join a panel of investors who are also considered the pioneers and experts in clean-tech venture capital on June 28th at the next TechCoire meeting as they share their insight into the future of the clean tech industry. Some of the discussion topics include:
- What are the unique opportunities and challenges?
- What are the areas that are emerging as opportunities for strong growth?
- Is this just another technology hype-cycle? If not, why would it succeed now?
- What’s the financial case for clean energy? Does the economics work now?
- What sectors are hot (storage wind, biofuels , alternative energy, etc.)?
- Where are the innovation opportunities in clean technology?
- Role of labs and university in the ecosystem.
Panelists
Jonathan Bonnano, Chair – Cleantech Investment Committee, Keiretsu forum
 In 1995, Jonathan Bonanno founded Interbill, a global online B2C micro-billing platform for digital consumables. Two years later, he sold his company to Global Internet Billing (GIB) out of London. This inspired him to move to London and work under the corporate umbrella focusing on footprint expansion, opening offices in Hong Kong, Sydney, Dusseldorf, New York and Los Angeles. After exiting from GIB, Jon founded Solid Streaming, a venture backed by JP Morgan, CIBC and Telesystems which developed a BREW audio / video streaming platform for CDMA 1x. In the wake of 9/11, Solid Streaming went into receivership, thus Mr. Bonanno started his third venture ViaMoviles from Bareclona, Spain. This was an online and mobile marketing company, which grow to #103 on Alexa and created a bridge between Internet vendors and publishers worldwide.
In October of 2006, he sold his position to the original partnership in order to dedicate 100% of his time to Cleantech investing. In this short time, he has been an early Angel investor in Earth Class Mail and the first investor in Cool Earth Solar, at which he serves on the Board of Directors and as a Commercial Advisor. He was recently elected by his peers to Chair the Cleantech Investment Committee for the Keiretsu Forum Angel Network, the world’s largest Angel Investing organization. Mr. Bonanno is a member of ACORE (American Counsel on Renewable Energy), a member of the New Energy Congress and sponsor of EasyConnect, a Berkeley based mobility and transportation study group. Jon is married to Kathryn Shedrick and they live in San Francisco, driving a B99 biodiesel Jetta wagon.
Barbara Grant, Managing Director, American River Ventures
 Dr. Barbara Grant joined American River Ventures in 2004. Over the past three decades, she has acquired management, operational and technology development experience working in both start-up companies and major corporations. Barbara was most recently CEO of Siros Technologies, a Silicon Valley start-up that developed innovative optical components and subsystems for the storage and communications markets, While she was at Siros the company raised over $60 million in funding from top-tier venture capital and corporate investors. Prior to joining Siros, Barbara was at IBM for 21 years where she held several executive positions. Her last position was as a Vice President and General Manager in the Data Storage Division, responsible for a $1B line of business. Over the course of her career, Barbara has developed and introduced more than 50 new products. She is the recipient of eight patents and has authored numerous publications in a variety of technology sectors. In 1996, Barbara was recognized for her accomplishments and elected to the inaugural group of the Women in Technology Hall of Fame.
Barbara is passionate about technology and the role it plays in the enterprise and consumer marketplace. She has led or been a member of teams introducing new lithographic materials for semiconductor manufacturing, the flat panel TFT LCD technology utilized in IBM's ThinkPad product line, numerous data processing printer products, and data storage tape and hard disk drives and storage subsystems. Barbara shares her hands-on experience with portfolio companies to help guide them during the crucial phases of mapping out product requirements, product and production launch, and customer adoption
Larry Bawden, CEO, Jadoo Power Systems
 As an entrepreneurial leader, Larry Bawden has been focused on building companies that take technology from the lab and move them through the process of commercialization to various consumer markets. Jadoo Power Systems, Inc. (Jadoo) is one such visionary company – a solutions oriented, market-driven provider of portable fuel cell power products. Mr. Bawden serves as Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Jadoo Power.
Mr. Bawden’s first involvement with moving the fuel cell industry forward was developing a strategic technology transfer and partnership agreement between Aerojet and H Power Corporation (acquired by Plug Power – NASDAQ:PLUG) and was instrumental in starting two other fuel cell and hydrogen related businesses.
Mr. Bawden has been appointed to the recently formed Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC). HTAC was formed in accordance with the 2005 Energy Policy Act as a key component of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative. Mr. Bawden will be giving recommendations to the Secretary of Energy regarding Department of Energy's (DOE) programs, plans and activities, as well as regulatory, economic and environmental issues related to the commercialization of hydrogen-based fuel cell products.
Mr. Bawden is the recipient of the "Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 Award" for Emerging Markets - Northern California.
Scott Doniger, VP Marketing, Prosper Media , Moderator
 A master of all things marketing, Vice President of Marketing and Circulation Scott Doniger brings over 17 years of communication, analysis, and business-building capabilities to Prosper. He is the Founder and CEO of Motiv Marketing, a Sacramento-based consultancy created to help organizations make sense of their marketing efforts and achieve branding Zen. He’s developed global experience working for companies such as BMW of North America, Forrester Research, and Quokka Sports. Scott’s drawn to Prosper’s ever-expanding market presence and potential for growth. In addition to his corporate experience, Scott once owned a high-end retail bicycle shop. Never one to be stuck behind a desk for too long, he’s an avid road cyclist and enjoys all things outdoors – preferably with his fiancé at his side.
Bradley J. Ferrell, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales of SPI
 Bradley J. Ferrell has served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales of SPI, since August 2006. Since 2003, Mr. Ferrell was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for International DisplayWorks, Inc. (IDW). In this role, he directed worldwide sales where grew revenue from $10 million in 2001 to over $100 million in FY 2006. Mr. Ferrell began working for IDW in 2001 as a Production Coordinator with the primary focus on Hong Kong and China operations. In 2002, he was appointed Domestic Sales Manager. Prior to joining IDW, Mr. Ferrell worked as an analyst in the technology sector of a brokerage firm. Mr. Ferrell received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Southern Methodist University.
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