Source: Russ Weed, Graham & Dunn, November 10, 2011.
In 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 towards the capital-efficient efficient energy sector, with the latter having the largest number of deals (38) and amount of invested capital ($428MM). I concluded that Washington entrepreneurs should use their software expertise to found and grow start-ups that “swing for the fences” in the efficient energy sector.
One Washington start-up that is definitely swinging for the fences is [WCTA member] GridMobility, a smart-grid company based in Kirkland, WA. Through its SaaS platform and proprietary algorithms (patent pending) and relationships with energy service providers, information technology companies, regional system operators, utilities, and other channel partners, GridMobility’s technology enables businesses and consumers to choose “clean electrons,” save money, and reduce their carbon footprint.
For more on the problem of “curtailed” and therefore wasted renewable energy, and GridMobility’s solutions to that large and growing problem, see this webinar. For the story on GridMobility’s inception, see this Time magazine article.
GridMobility is a Pacific Northwest finalist in the national CleanTech Open 2011 Business Competition on November 15 and 16. I’ll be in attendance at the competition and will be blogging about the developments there.