If you are trying to start, join, or invest in, the next major company in the cleantech industry, this event is for you! Many would-be entrepreneurs catch the wave of a disruptive technology when it is already mainstream and commonplace – this should not be your story. Engage our panel of experts drawn from different facets of the cleantech space as they discuss the latest trends, disruptive technologies and market dynamics that are defining the cleantech industry. Get a front-row seat as this group of seasoned investors, entrepreneurs, and intermediaries provides an insider-view of budding trends in the next wave of cleantech companies. There will be two panels on this subject; the first will address early-stage technologies, while the second will address late-stage technologies.
Register Online
We are pleased to announce that the "Next Cleantech Blockbuster" event (6-8pm) will be preceded by a PARC forum event on "Vehicle electrification" (4-5pm) at the same venue, and you are welcome to attend both events. Please see the full schedule below.
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009
Location: 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304 (PARC Auditorium). Please note the new venue, and see directions below
Cost: There is no cost for this event, thanks to our generous sponsors. Registration for this event ends when tickets sell out.
4 - 5pm: VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION EVENT (PARC FORUM EVENT)
Dr John Suh, Advanced Technology Office, General Motors
6 - 7pm: EARLY STAGE PANEL
Jon Bonanno - The Keiretsu Forum (Angel Investor)
Forrest North - Mission Motors (Electric Motorcycles/ Batteries)
Erfan Ibrahim - Electric Power Research Institute (Think Tank)
Ty Jagerson - Simple Energies (Renewable Projects)
Dan Mennel - Price Waterhouse Coopers - Moderator (Consulting)
7 - 8pm: LATE STAGE PANEL
Emily Chiu - Formerly GI Partners - Moderator (Private Equity)
Dharmesh Thakker - Advanced Technology Ventures (Venture Capital)
Tom VonReichbauer - Tesla Motors (Electric Cars)
Edwin Liu, PhD - Quanta Technology (Smart Grid)
Carla Peterman, PhD Candidate, UC Berkeley (Academia)
PANELIST BIOS
Jon Bonanno
Jon, a seasoned angel investor and board member, serves as the Chairman of the Keiretsu Forum Cleantech Committee. The Keiretsu Forum is the largest angel investing group. Jon also co-founded Principle Power in October 2007, to bring new renewable energy technologies into the commercial space. He is a serial entrepreneur who also made angel investments in Earth Class Mail, Sierra Nevada Solar and Cool Earth Solar.
Dharmesh Thakker
Dharmesh, a seasoned venture capitalist, joined ATV in 2007 as a member of the firm's Cleantech and IT Infrastructure practice areas. He is involved with the boards of AltaRock Energy, Nuventix, Qumu, Wharton Energy Network and TiE. Dharmesh received his M.B.A. from The Wharton School and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin where he received the Dean’s award for graduating in the top 1% of his class
Carla Peterman
Carla is a doctoral student in the Energy and Resources Group, UC Berkeley. She is also a co-author of the 2009 solar report by Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, LBNL. She holds a Msc. in Environmental Change and Management and a Masters' of Business Administration from Oxford University (as a Rhodes Scholar). She also has a B.A. in History from Howard University
Erfan Ibrahim, PhD
Dr. Erfan Ibrahim is a Technical Executive at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). His current research activities focus on the communications infrastructure for the utility Smart Grid. Dr. Ibrahim received a Bachelors in physics from Syracuse University, a Masters in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas, Austin, and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Forrest North
Forrest has over 10 years of experience in electric vehicles. After leading the Stanford Solar Team through five separate international competitions, Forrest joined Tesla Motors and helped design and build the first Tesla Roadster battery packs. In 2007, Forrest left Tesla to start Mission Motors (an electric motorcycle company). Forrest holds a Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.
Edwin Liu, PhD
Edwin has more than 25 years of experience in power system analytics and integration, with deep expertise in smart grid. Edwin received his BS degree in Electrical Engineering from National Taiwan University; MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, both from UC Berkeley. Dr. Liu is an IEEE Fellow, and was Chairman of the IEEE Computing and Analytical Methods Subcommittee.
Tom vonReichbauer
At Tesla Motors, Tom serves as the finance lead for the product development and sales, marketing, & service organizations. Additionally, he was a co-lead on the successful $465M public debt financing from the Department of Energy. He has a BS in economics and management from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business
Emily Chiu
Most recently, Emily worked as a private equity investor at GI Partners, a $4 billion firm. Before this, she was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, where she helped raise over $3.0 billion in debt and equity financing and executed multiple transactions. Emily graduated from The Wharton School of Business with degrees in finance, healthcare management and entrepreneurship, and from University of Pennsylvania with a degree in International Studies.
Ty Jagerson
Ty Jagerson is CEO of Simple Energies, LLC, a developer of hybrid renewable energy projects. Ty was VP Corporate Development and a founding member of SolFocus, the largest Concentrating PV company. Ty led business development at PARC for 5 years, and co-initiated the PARC Cleantech Initiative and what became Start-up @ PARC. Ty ran an ESCO in Eastern Europe for 3 years, and has an MBA from Wharton (WG’01)
Dan Mennel
Dan Mennel is a tax professional at PriceWaterhouseCoopers with 10 years of experience advising technology companies on R&D tax issues. Dan’s expertise lies in identifying tax incentives, and Dan has helped companies secure over $300 million in credits. Dan also has extensive experience in defending companies’ tax claims in IRS negotiations. Dan is a CPA and member of the America’s Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Directions to the venue: PARC (Palo Alto Research Center)
Map: http://www.parc.com/util/map.html
From San Francisco/ SFO & Peninsula
Driving on 280 southbound:
- [from airport: 101 North to 380, then 380 West to 280 South]
- 280 South toward San Jose
- Exit at Page Mill Road; at the end of the offramp, turn left
- Right on Coyote Hill Road (small street immediately after light/ Deer Creek Road)
- PARC is on the left, just past the crest of the hill
Driving on 101 southbound:
- Exit Embarcadero/Oregon Expressway
- Follow signs to Oregon Expressway
- Oregon Expressway will become Page Mill Road
- Continue on Page Mill Road
- Left on Coyote Hill Road (small street immediately after Foothill Expressway; if you pass Deer Creek Road or 280 you've gone too far)
- PARC is on the left, just past the crest of the hill
Public transportation:
- The Caltrain stations closest to PARC are downtown Palo Alto (at University Ave) and California Ave; express “baby bullet” trains do stop at the downtown Palo Alto station [Caltrain schedule]
- Buses connect to PARC from either station, but check the bus schedules for the best connection since some lines run infrequently or only for part of the day [see bus information below]
From San Jose/ SJC
Driving on 280 northbound:
- [from airport: 880 South to 280 North - or- 87 North to 280 North]
- 280 North toward San Francisco
- Exit at Page Mill Road; at the end of the offramp, turn right
- Right on Coyote Hill Road (small street immediately after light/ Deer Creek Road)
- PARC is on the left, just past the crest of the hill
Driving on 101 northbound:
- Exit Embarcadero/Oregon Expressway
- Follow signs to Oregon Expressway
- Oregon Expressway will become Page Mill Road
- Continue on Page Mill Road
- Left on Coyote Hill Road (small street immediately after Foothill Expressway; if you pass Deer Creek Road or 280 you've gone too far)
- PARC is on the left, just past the crest of the hill
Public transportation:
- The Caltrain stations closest to PARC are downtown Palo Alto (at University Ave) and California Ave; express “baby bullet” trains do stop at the downtown Palo Alto station [Caltrain schedule]
- Buses connect to PARC from either station, but check the bus schedules for the best connection since some lines run infrequently or only for part of the day [see local bus/ shuttle information below]
From the East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley)
Public transportation:
- Take BART to the Union City BART station
- Transfer to the Westbound Dumbarton Express (direction: Deer Creek)
From Palo Alto
Public transportation from University Ave. (downtown):
- Option 1: Dumbarton Express westbound (direction: Deer Creek) -- leaves from the Palo Alto transit center, located on the West side of the Caltrain station
- Option 2: Stanford Marguerite shuttle (“Research Park") -- leaves from the corner of Lytton and Alma St, on the East side of the train station
- Option 3: VTA bus 22 or VTA bus 522 to California Avenue (from there, see directions below) -- leaves from the Palo Alto transit center, located on the West side of the Caltrain station
Public transportation from California Ave.:
- Option 1: VTA bus 89 -- leaves from the California Ave. Caltrain station
- Option 2: Deer Creek shuttle -- leaves from the California Ave Caltrain station
- Option 3: Dumbarton Express westbound -- stops at the corner of El Camino Real and California Ave.
summary of bus schedules & fares:
BART | Caltrain | Deer Creek shuttle | Dumbarton Express | VTA line 22 | VTA line 522 | VTA line 89 | Stanford Marguerite shuttle
