Tag: energy
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VC Company, Harvard Start Seed-Stage Fund
The Experiment Fund, a joint venture of Harvard University’s engineering school and venture capital company New Enterprise Associates (NEA), opened today in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The fund plans to support technology-based student start-ups in Cambridge and companies begun elsewhere by former students. The venture expects to support companies working in information technologies, health care, and energy.…
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Medical Sensor Powered by Music Vibrations Developed
Engineers at Purdue University in Indiana have developed a miniature medical sensor that can be powered by vibrations from music played nearby, with the deep bass of rap music found most effective. The research conducted in the lab of Babak Ziaie, professor of electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering, will be presented at the…
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U.S. VC Investments Up for 2011, Flat for Science Companies
Venture capital (VC) investors in the U.S. increased in 2011 compared to 2010, both in terms of numbers of deals and amount of money invested. However, the fourth quarter of the year was an unusually slow period, according to Dow Jones VentureSource that compiled the data, and consumer Web companies appeared to benefit from the…
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Biofuels Developer Secures $17M Investment Round
SG Biofuels Inc., a bioenergy crop company in San Diego, has completed a $17 million financing round to expand its R&D and commercialization programs. The series B funding — the second round of financing after start-up — was lead by life sciences venture capital company Thomas, McNerney & Partners, with participation from Finistere Ventures and…
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Faster, Cheaper Thermoelectric Materials Process Developed
Engineers and materials scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York have discovered new methods to create nanomaterials for more efficient refrigerators and cooling systems with no refrigerants or moving parts. The research is described in a paper published online in the journal Nature Materials (paid subscription required), and the authors have started commercializing…
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Cleantech Investment Volume Up, Deal Numbers Down in 2011
Global investment dollars in clean technologies increased in 2011 from the previous year, but the number investment deals declined somewhat, according to the industry research company CleanTech Group in San Francisco. Clean technologies, as defined by Cleantech Group, include renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, as well as energy efficiency, pollution control, infrastructure…
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Electronics Show to Feature Science Start-Up Exhibits
The 2012 CES in Las Vegas, the world’s largest consumer electronics trade show, will feature an exhibit of start-up companies and technologies emerging from research and development, including small businesses funded by National Science Foundation. The exhibit, called Eureka Park, is a collaboration of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Startup America Partnership, CNET, and UK…
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Prototype Livestock Device Cuts Pollutants, Energy Use
Researchers from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, West Virginia University in Morgantown, and University of Maryland in College Park have developed a new technology that can lower harmful emissions from some chicken and swine barns, and reduce energy use by recovering heat. The authors published their findings in the December 2011 issue of the…
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Cellulosic Biomass Sugars Developer Gains BASF Backing
Renmatix Inc., a developer of biofuel sugars from cellulosic feedstocks in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, has secured a $50 million investment round led by German chemical manufacturer BASF. The BASF subsidiary, BASF Biorenewable Beteiligungs GmbH, contributed $30 million to the investment round, joined by new and existing investors. Renmatix has devised a technology platform called…
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Biofuels Start-Up Adds BP as Investor
Cool Planet BioFuels in Camarillo, California says BP Technology Ventures has made an investment in the company’s C round — the third series of equity investments after start up. The amount of the investment by BP’s venture capital division was not disclosed. Current investors in Cool Planet Biofuels also include General Electric, Google Ventures, ConocoPhillips,…