The clean technology market, often called
“cleantech,” is beginning to emerge as a hot area
in the investment and entrepreneurial communities.
Cleantech encompasses a wide range of
technologies that reduce our ecological impact while
creating economic value, from renewable energy to water
purification. In 2000, cleantech investments made
up 1 percent of the venture capital market, last year
that number had grown to 14 percent. In
Wisconsin, biofuels – a component of cleantech –
has received an increasing amount of attention. From the
Governor’s biofuels initiatives to the press, cleantech is in
the spotlight.
But what are some of the people working in the
trenches experiencing? In this month’s eVestor we
profile a solar start-up from Central Wisconsin and an
investor whose investment portfolio is dedicated to
cleantech.
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Monthly Member Profiles |
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Entrepreneur: PDM Solar
If being in
the right sector at the right time truly does
matter, then PDM Solar is heating up for a bright
future. This Wausau-based start-up is an example
of a clean technology company, or cleantech
firm, which is poised to enter a marketplace
hungry for ideas in the energy and conservation
sector.
The company is designing and developing a
patent-pending system for generating electricity
from solar energy. It has raised $172,500 so far
from angel networks, individual angels, friends
and family, in part a result of the company’s
strong finish in the 2006 Wisconsin Governor’s
Business Plan Contest and its use of ePlan and other
resources provided by the Wisconsin Angel Network.
Read more...
Investor-members, logon to
the Deal-flow Pipeline and
watch PDM Solar's ePlan presentation. Not
an investor-member of WAN? Learn how to join here.
Investor: Daycholah
Capital LLC
Daycholah Capital LLC is an
Illinois-based private equity investment
management group with an appetite for
opportunities in Wisconsin. As an investor-member
of the Wisconsin Angel Network, Daycholah is
searching for deals in the clean technology
resources market, otherwise known as
“cleantech.” Cleantech refers to the
diverse range of technologies that create economic
value and produce a positive environmental impact.
Read
more...
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Deals Made |
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A total of $12.8 million in 4
deals were reported to WAN in January.
NimbleGen Systems
$12.5 million by undisclosed investors
PDM
Solar $75,000 by Central Wisconsin Business
Angels* and others
C5-6 Technologies
$200,000 by MDC Venture-Debt Fund*
BioSystem Development $200,000 by MDC
Venture-Debt Fund*
*WAN
Investor-member
Are we missing a deal? Please
e-mail us at
info@wisconsinangelnetwork.com.
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Investing Resources |
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Entrepreneurs
eVenturing from
the Kauffman Foundation.
eVenturing
provides practical information on how to start,
manage, and grow a business. Compiled by
experienced entrepreneurs, eVenturing covers all
aspects of developing a business including:
finance and accounting, people/HR, sales and
marketing, products and services, and operations.
Investors
HillSearch from
the non-profit James J. Hill Reference Library
HillSearch, featured last month for
entrepreneurs, is also a great resource for
investors. Investors can use HillSearch to perform
due diligence on business opportunities. From
performing a D&B search to getting the latest
market trend, HillSearch is a tool that can help
investors become more familiar with a potential
investment. Currently there is a free 10-day trial
offer. That is enough time to sign-up, watch the
on-line tutorial and research a current investment
target. If you find it useful, there is a monthly
subscription fee.
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