California Clean Tech Open finalists

One of the biggest opportunities to put your best foot forward as a new clean-tech start-up is to be a finalist in the California Clean Tech Open (CCTO).

This business plan competition is a springboard towards generating funding for a project to get it off the ground. Past finalists have been able to rustle up over $70 million in VC funding over the last two years. And while statistics show that 90% of new businesses fail in their first year, a huge 84% of CCTO alumni are still viable businesses, proving the significant weight the competition holds.

There are six categories a finalist can fall under –- Air, Water, & Waste; Energy Efficiency; Green Building; Renewables; Smart Power; and Transportation. All categories are broad enough to catch the incredible creativity of entrants.

Over 100 Executive Summaries were submitted, but only 44 made the cut. And the nominees are:

Air, Water, & Waste category - Prize sponsor - Grundfos:

• Clean Coal Inc.: Removes contaminants from coal
• Over the Moon Diapers: High-performance reusable diapers and service network
• Porifera: Carbon nanotube membrane for reverse osmosis desalination
• PURE-T: Salt-free water softener using nanobeads
• Purite: Zero-energy, chemical-free, whole-house water filtration
• SequesCO: Microbial CO2 capture and conversion to biofuel
• Waste Water Works: Microbial wastewater treatment also generates electricity

Energy Efficiency category – Prize sponsor - PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E:

• Atomic Precision Systems Inc.: New semiconductor process for ultra-cheap LED lighting
• Enovative Group: Smart pump for hot water circulation
• NexChem: Energy-saving process improvement for zinc galvanizing
• Transoptic: Solar energy assistance for conventional water heaters
• Viridis Earth: Domestic HVAC retrofit to improve efficiency
• WicKool: Energy-efficient water recovery for existing rooftop air conditioning

Green Building category:

• BottleStone: Ceramic stone counter-tops featuring 80% recycled glass
• en-vis-age: Green, modular, and customizable buildings
• Green Design Systems: Straw wall building panels
• GreenHomeAnswers.com: Home improvement website for green products and services
• GroundSource: Residential geothermal system with installation services
• ISTN: Eco-friendly building insulation
• Parco Homes: Manufactured green (zero net energy) home kits
• Solar Red: Low-cost rooftop PV installation system and components
• Team Wawa: Water-conserving shower system

Renewables category – Prize sponsors - Google, PG&E, and SCE:

• Covalent Solar: Organic thin-film solar concentrators
• Focal Point Energy: Solar thermal water heater for industrial processes
• IEM Applications: Landfill methane accelerated recovery
• Renewable Fuel Technologies: Agricultural waste biomass converted to green coal
• Solar Ice: Solar-powered ice maker
• Solindis: Optical solar concentrator for thin-film PV

Smart Power category – Prize sponsors - AMD and Siemens TTB:

• 1ARC Energy: Higher capacity lithium-ion batteries
• Cooler: Carbon calculator to allow B2B targeted advertising in LOHAS
• Energy Empowered: Home display and control to reduce standby power usage
• Enverity Corporation: Greenhouse gas tracking and compliance
• Power Assure: Data center energy management software service
• Renewable Voltage: Treats organic waste to provide hydrogen and energy storage
• Tangerine Network Devices: Home energy display and control

Transportation category – Prize sponsor - Lexus:

• AAA Fleets:Turnkey electric vehicles and solar charging systems for fleets
• E-Chargers: Plug-in hybrid charging station
• ElectraDrive: Gas-to-electric drive-train auto conversion
• Electric Drive Research: Plug-in/gas hybrid two-person, three-wheel sports car
• ElectronVault, Inc.: More efficient traction battery for hybrids
• Enhanced Vehicle Acoustics: Flexible engine sound generator for quiet cars
• FuelMotion: Series hybrid conversions for the developing world
• Goose Networks: Hosted dynamic scheduler for carpools/vanpools
• Philo Fuel: GPS-based audiovisual cues to help drivers optimize fuel efficiency

The finalists compete for a "Start-Up in a Box" prize package worth $100,000. The package provides essentials that help the projects move from concept to full-blown business -- no small beans!

We’ll find out the winners on November 6, 2008. Stay tuned.