press releases

Cleantech venture network honors industry leaders at Cleantech Forum XII

 

  • SAN FRANCISCO, February 21, 2007 – Cleantech Venture Network, LLC announced three major
  • cleantech award winners at the Cleantech Forum XII Gala Dinner in San Francisco last night. The
  • Cleantech Leader of the Year award was given to Jesse Fink, the Managing Partner and founding sponsor
  • of MissionPoint Capital Partners and Bob Epstein of E2 and New Resource Bank. The Cleantech
  • Emerging Enterprise of the Year was awarded to both the SunPower Corporation, which designs,
  • manufactures and markets high-performance solar electric technology worldwide and Schmack Biogas
  • AG, a leading German supplier of biogas plants. The Cleantech Corporation of the Year was presented to
  • Wal-Mart.
  •  
  • “In 2006 cleantech arrived as one of the key drivers for innovative improvements that are moving our
  • global culture towards the creation and implementation of sustainable solutions. Cleantech will solve the
  • real, environmental challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Nicholas Parker, co-founder and chairman of
  • Cleantech Venture Network, LLC. “On behalf of the Cleantech Venture Network and our advisory board
  • we would like to thank all of our award recipients for their tremendous contributions to the development
  • and expansion of the cleantech industry.”
  •  
  • The Cleantech Leader of the Year is awarded to an organization or individual who has shown exceptional
  • leadership in adding credibility or resources to the cleantech industry field in 2006.
  • • Jesse Fink, Managing Partner and founding sponsor of MissionPoint Capital Partners
  • Jesse Fink is the Managing Partner and founding sponsor of MissionPoint Capital Partners, an
  • investment firm capitalizing on high-growth investment opportunities created by the accelerating
  • demand for clean, secure energy and the large-scale transition to a low-carbon global economy. Fink
  • is a graduate of the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry in
  • Syracuse, New York, where he received a B.S. in Resource Management. He also earned an MBA
  • from Syracuse University's School of Management.
  • • Bob Epstein, E2 and New Resource Bank
  • Bob Epstein currently splits his professional time between his roles as co-founder of Environmental
  • Entrepreneurs, Director New Resource Bank and Trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
  • Epstein is Vice Chairman of California's Economic and Technology Advancement Advisory
  • Committee for AB 32. Epstein is a co-founder of five companies: Sybase, New resource Bank,
  • GetActive Software, Zight and Britton-Lee. Epstein has a Ph.D. from the University of California at
  • Berkeley.
  •  
  • The Cleantech Emerging Enterprise of the Year is awarded to a company, or its CEO, that experienced
  • rapid growth and/or provided a high realized return to investors in 2006 by bringing a truly disruptive
  • clean technology or business model to market.
  • • SunPower Corporation
  • SunPower Corporation (www.sunpowercorp.com) designs, manufactures and markets highperformance
  • solar electric technology worldwide. SunPower's high-efficiency solar cells and panels
  • generate up to 50 percent more power per unit area than conventional solar technologies and have a
  • uniquely attractive, all-black appearance. SunPower's PowerLight subsidiary is a leading global
  • provider of large-scale solar power systems, with over 100 megawatts installed. Thomas H. Werner,
  • CEO of SunPower and Dr. Richard Swanson, president and CTO, accepted the award on behalf of
  • SunPower Corporation.
  • • Schmack Biogas AG
  • Schmack Biogas AG (www.schmack-biogas.com) is a leading German supplier of biogas plants.
  • Established in 1995, the company provides its services through two divisions, namely Planning and
  • Construction and Plant Management and Service, and is one of the few full-service providers in the
  • industry. Through its newly established subsidiary, Schmack Energie Holding, the company now also
  • invests in the operation of its own biogas plants. Schmack Biogas has built 171 plants with combined
  • nominal output of 41MW. Gina Domanig, Head of Private Equity SAM Sustainable Asset
  • Management, accepted the award on behalf of Schmack Biogas AG
  •  
  • The Cleantech Corporation of the Year is awarded to a major corporation, or its CEO, whose actions in
  • 2006 significantly advanced the growth of cleantech markets and/or demand for cleantech products and
  • services.
  • • Wal-Mart
  • Wal-Mart began in 1962 with a single store in Northwest Arkansas, and has since grown to become
  • the world’s largest retailer, serving more than 176 million customers each week. The company now
  • employs 1.8 million associates around the world, including 1.3 million in the United States, and
  • operates more than 6,700 stores in 14 countries. Last year, Wal-Mart generated more than $312
  • billion in global revenue. Wal-Mart is working hard to integrate sustainable practices into their
  • business plans, saving the company and customers even more money. Bill Correll, Director of
  • Architecture at Wal-Mart, accepted the award on behalf of Wal-Mart.

 

  • About Cleantech Venture Network®, LLC
  • The Cleantech Venture Network® LLC is a membership group that catalyzes investment, business
  • opportunities, and relationships driving the growth of cleantech globally. The Cleantech Venture
  • Network® founded the cleantech investment category in 2002 and brings together stakeholders at the four
  • Cleantech Forums ™ per year and provides investors, executives, government agencies, and media
  • accurate and consistent data on cleantech venture investments, M&A and IPO’s for North America,
  • Europe, and China. The network has over 7,000 cleantech investors and 7,700 companies worldwide that
  • take advantage of the global Cleantech Forums™, comprehensive market research services and reports,
  • online proprietary deal flow, and investor directory. In addition, CVN provides information services,
  • including the twice-a-month market intelligence newsletter Cleantech Capital Alert™ and the quarterly
  • Cleantech Investment Monitor™ report that tracks and analyzes all cleantech investments, M&As and
  • IPOs in North America and Europe.