GreenGold: 2009

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Feel-Good Government Grants Leading Cleantech Astray

Grants for smart grid projects. Grants for battery manufacturing lines. Loan guarantees for renewable energy project development. Grants to private companies for energy efficiency projects. And with each it seems that the cleantech world cheers. Yet for all our desire to create sustainability in our consumption and use of energy, this model of getting us there is not only unsustainable but is of questionable value.

I want to emphasize that I am speaking about government grants to the private sector where the government is not the end customer and where the grants are for implementation of projects that businesses may (or may not) have done otherwise as opposed to grants to conduct basic R&D. Projects like smart grid implementations, battery manufacturing lines, biofuels plants or industrial energy efficiency implementations that have represented the bulk of cleantech grants to the private sector this year. Instead of focusing on cultivating businesses that can sustain themselves via customers, government handouts have focused company time and money on lobbyists and grant writers. And if you haven’t noticed, the handouts are huge, with many in the tens of millions and even hundreds of millions of dollars for a single award. Some award winners, like ECOtality, are honest enough to admit that their efforts to secure government funding directly attributed to a drop in their revenues. For every company that wins a cleantech grant, there are as many as 10 times the companies that applied and lost. All those losers spent significant time and money chasing those funds and, in the process, neglecting their real business and real customers. Lately the discussion in board rooms often has concentrated more on how to win the next government grant and which lobbyist to hire than on how to build a successful and sustainable business.

At the most basic level, the goal of current U.S. energy policy should be to speed our transition to sustainable domestic energy consumption – a transition that would occur naturally as carbon-based energy sources declined but likely too slowly to avoid the environmental, economic and national security implications. Presumably, the concept behind hundreds of billions of dollars in grants to the private sector is to enable and encourage acceleration of this change. As such, it also must presume that government employees can select winners better than the private sector, do so without political influence, and that the projects being funded are absolutely ones that would not have occurred without government funding. Finally, those same government employees; 1) must be able to select projects that will help accomplish our goal and; 2) must either be able to continue to fund those projects or have effectively analyzed that a one-time grant will be sufficient to incentivize the private sector to take over from there. My Democratic friends may scream at me, but those are an awful lot of largely unrealistic presumptions that defy the history of government grant programs to the private sector. (Synfuels and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Advanced Technology Program are just two examples.) And to add insult to injury, large amounts of the recent cleantech grants will help the competitiveness of foreign corporations as it was awarded to U.S. subsidiaries or joint ventures of those companies (for example, hundreds of millions in battery grants involving LG Chem, Kokam, Itochu Corporation, BASF and Saft). While the government has long had a role in advancing basic R&D, the concept that the U.S. will jump-start, let alone build, a sustainable energy economy through government handouts for implementation of manufacturing plants, production facilities or enhanced utility grids is, quite simply, ludicrous.

Government grants to the private sector are great PR and make the cleantech public feel good. But they don’t provide quick economic stimulus to the economy (see Cleantech Stimulus Not Very Stimulating) and will not provide meaningful acceleration on the path to sustainable domestic energy consumption. In the end, the only way to have sustainable change is to have a change in the fundamental economics of energy – both in the cost of non-sustainable sources and in the regulatory infrastructure through which carbon based energy companies and utilities earn money. We all saw how quickly things began to change when oil hit $100 a barrel and how quickly they reverted when prices went back down. Reform the regulatory environment so that utilities can profit from conserving energy instead of from building power plants and watch how things change. In my home state of Colorado, wind turbine manufacturer Vestas just announced it is furloughing all 500 workers at the plant it built not long ago. Why? Vestas notes the challenge of natural gas prices being so low that wind turbines can’t compete. I guess we need to borrow more money from the Chinese and other foreign governments to further increase our grants to the wind turbine market…or, we can focus on a sustainable solution.

Nothing can provoke an economic transformation more quickly than the free market appropriately motivated by profit. That, in fact, is largely how we got to where we are today with our reliance on carbon-based energy sources. And the most sweeping and powerful thing the government can do is to influence the profit motive for the private sector by changing energy economics. But that is a topic for another blog post. (And now my Republican friends can scream).

Monday, November 2, 2009

Cleantech Venture Capitalists are Human Too

Sectors like solar, biofuels and smart grid have received a significant overweighting of venture capital investment compared to other sectors. Is this because they are better investment opportunities or because venture capitalists (VCs), being human, invest in what they know and who they know? While many entrepreneurs may not believe it, VCs are human, too.

In my last post, “Human Capital, Not Venture Capital, the Biggest Cleantech Need,” I discussed how the greatest challenge today to growing a successful early-stage cleantech business is the shortage of successful, experienced cleantech entrepreneurs. But finding the right human capital to build great cleantech businesses isn’t the only stumbling block: Human capitalists (VCs) have been limited by their own experiences and networks.

At the end of the day, venture capitalists almost always invest first in people. A great, experienced management team can make a business out of an average technology. A bad management team can destroy the most amazing of technologies. Over the past decade, as cleantech VC investment started to expand to more than a handful of specialized funds, VCs naturally turned to their business networks to learn about the sectors, identify opportunities and build management teams. Given that the largest categories of VC investments in the preceding few decades have been in software/web, semiconductors, information technology and pharmaceuticals, these are also the areas where the VCs’ largest network of experienced successful entrepreneurs resided.

As crossover entrepreneurs and crossover VCs started to explore or create opportunities, they naturally looked where their knowledge could be most applied. It should not be surprising that the lion’s share of VC investment dollars have been going into areas that have closely related technology foundations to the traditional areas of VC investment. Sectors like solar, smart grid, biofuels and LEDs have received most of the VC dollars and, as a result, increased press hype. The table below highlights the approximate portion of cleantech VC investments in some of these key areas over the past three years.

No doubt there are exciting investments to be made in these sectors. Our fund, Access Venture Partners, has invested in both an LED lighting company (TerraLUX) and a smartgrid company (Tendril Networks). But what about sectors like green building materials, industrial energy efficiency, geothermal and nuclear? They serve equally enormous markets (if not larger) and at least in some areas (if not most) have equal or greater potential impact on the economy and the environment.

Solar is a particular anomaly, receiving the single largest share of all cleantech venture capital. While sexy because of its elegance, solar is a challenged technology. The economics of solar must struggle against the triple confluence of very low efficiencies, very high costs and the fact the sun simply doesn’t shine much of the time (think night and clouds). No doubt that solar venture investments are targeted at changing those factors – except for the sun, of course. There are limits to what even VCs can accomplish. But even if the cost of solar cells dropped to zero, solar still would find itself challenged to compete with other renewables, let alone traditional energy, because at least half the system cost is outside of the cells.

Geothermal, which unlike solar can be used as “base load” (meaning that it is always on), is at the other end of the spectrum. There have been few geothermal venture capital investments, yet it has some of the most compelling economics at both the utility and home scale. I would highlight both MIT’s 2006 report on the huge potential of geothermal energy and, of more contemporary interest, the October 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, which showed how a geothermal heat pump’s potential economic return usually outperforms that of a home-based solar thermal system.

So why the VC investment preference for solar over geothermal? I’m betting that much of the bias has to do with the fact that not many VCs have strong networks of geologists, drilling technologists, heat pump engineers and steam turbine power generation experts to build great geothermal companies (myself included). While it is certainly important to be knowledgeable and comfortable with the people and technology of a company, VCs must challenge themselves to think outside their own box. If the cleantech market is going to fulfill its full business potential, VCs must push themselves beyond the normal human inclination to stick with what’s familiar. A comfortable investment may not be a great investment. Cleantech VCs need to take a peek over the side of our box. What we see and what we can learn may surprise us.

Cleantech Segment	Traditional VC Corollary	Estimated % of Cleantech VC Investment $’s 2006-2008
Solar	Semiconductors	33%+
Biofuels	Biotech	20%+
SmartGrid	Software, Web, Information Technology	14%+
LED Lighting	Semiconductors and Information Technology	5%+
Geothermal	None	<2%
Nuclear	None	<2%
Building Materials and Efficiency	None	<2%
Industrial Energy Efficiency	None	Not tracked… likely <2%

Data aggregated from sources including NVCA, PriceWaterHouse Coopers MoneyTree and Greentech Media. Data from these organizations use different sources that yield different totals and each has different categories they track with cleantech funding.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Human Capital, Not Venture Capital, the Biggest Cleantech Challenge

Building great businesses typically requires three key ingredients: phenomenal people, compelling technology and investment capital. Cleantech companies are no exception. While cleantech venture capital investments have expanded rapidly, averaging an annual growth rate of 65% over the past five years and now representing over 15% of all venture investments, the compelling technologies are mostly early in their development cycles and the human eco-system for early stage cleantech companies is in its infancy. There is much buzz about the venture capital and government funding that is being invested in cleantech companies, but the immaturity of the cleantech entrepreneurial ecosystem is overlooked as a significant challenge in accelerating the growth of successful cleantech companies.

In the more traditional areas of VC investment such as software/internet, life sciences, and semi-conductors there are a relatively large number of successful entrepreneurs who have had exit events that made them wealthy. These individuals are the most likely source of smart early angel financing for other start-ups in the same sector. I emphasize “smart” because angel investors who invest in companies within industries that they know well not only make wiser investments but also can add real value to those businesses. And they tend to be more prolific investors within those industries for just that reason. The reality is that the list of successful cleantech entrepreneurs, where success is defined by a healthy exit event, is very short.

Early stage cleantech companies struggle much more than companies in traditional areas of venture capital to find wise angel investors, or advisors and executives with both industry and entrepreneurial experience. While crossover entrepreneurs – those with success in a different sector who desire to get into cleantech – can be helpful and bring valuable wisdom, nothing can substitute for the valuable knowledge and experience gained by building a company within the same sector. Efforts like the Cleantech Open , some of the emerging cleantech incubators (like CleanLaunch, Austin’s Cleantech incubator and San Francisco’s incubator) and cleantech network groups (like Colorado Greentech Group, the Renewable Energy Business Network and the CleanTX Foundation) can assist in the tough challenge of bringing the right mix of entrepreneurial, business and industry expertise together for an early stage cleantech company. But, in the end, only time will fully cure this problem by generating experienced and successful entrepreneurs who can breed the second generation of cleantech companies. In the mean time, the challenges of growing and investing in early stage cleantech companies are as great as they will ever be. Fortunately, I believe, the rewards will be equally great.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Cleantech Stimulus Not Very Stimulating

The way the Obama Administration used the economic crisis to drive a major policy and spending shift regarding clean technologies was very deft politics. The cleantech stimulus (which represented over $45 billion of the $787 billion stimulus bill) was sold in large part as a piece of the solution for our immediate need of job creation.

So, you might be surprised to discover that the cleantech stimulus bill has actually slowed many investments into clean technologies.

As a venture capitalist I have the luxury of talking with many executives of venture funded cleantech companies and their customers. I have heard firsthand from executives in smart grid companies, utilities and battery companies that many stopped or significantly slowed their planned purchases and/or investments this year to await the outcome of the massive federal grant programs. Smart meter companies, arguably the most mature in the smart grid space with several already public, took a direct hit from this. For example, Itron (ITRI) specifically attributed some of its soft 2009 performance to delays resulting from the stimulus bill (see http://www.beaconequity.com/technical-trading-overview-for-itron-inc-itri/). Some venture funds also held off on investments in early-stage cleantech ventures, waiting to see which ones would win dilution-free government funds. (For related info, see http://earth2tech.com/2009/09/16/how-the-stimulus-funds-could-hinder-a-smart-grid-buildout/, http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2009/07/27/story2.html.)

Why the sluggishness? If I were to tell you I might pay for half of the new furnishings for your home, would you rush out and refurnish your house, losing the potential opportunity to have me foot half the bill? I’m guessing you’d wait to hear more. And that is exactly what so many cleantech companies have done. It’s rational. It’s good business sense. And so our grand cleantech “stimulus” actually has, in the near term, caused a further slowdown in the cleantech sector at the time when the economic stimulus was mostly needed.

Now, I hope you realize that the government is notoriously slow and inefficient (and, some would argue, ineffective as well). The DOE is setting new records for speed in getting grant solicitations out the door, yet only about $600M of the tens of billions DOE has to allocate in cleantech stimulus funds have actually been transferred from the government to private companies, according to Matt Rogers, the senior advisor for Recovery Act Implementation at DOE, who spoke recently at the Boston Cleantech Forum.

Here we are seven months after stimulus was passed, and the reality is that the bulk of the short-term “stimulus” won’t flow to the job-creating private sector until a year or more later – well after the stimulus was critically needed. In the smart grid area, DOE has said it expects initial award announcements in November. Keeping in mind that it typically takes many months after an award announcement to get a contract in place and that many of these are matching grants that will be paid on a reimbursable basis, it is not unreasonable to believe that it will be March 2010 -- or later -- before any of these funds flow to the private sector. And that assumes the November target for announcements doesn’t slip.

Some would say that these are long-term investments and putting them in the stimulus bill was simply the expedient way to get the funding to the private sector. But the combined objectives of making rapid awards to stimulate the economy and making wise long-term investment decisions are fundamentally conflicted. In other words, cleantech stimulus may have been good politics but was likely bad policy. For example, very few industry people with hands-on knowledge of the real-world demands, needs and technology have been able to participate in the selection process with DOE bureaucrats, who largely have only book knowledge to rely upon in trying to hand out money to the “best” proposals. Why? Because most knowledgeable business people face a conflict of interest due to their own company’s proposal submissions.

A large portion of the cleantech world is waiting to hear from the federal bureaucrats who are picking the winners (and, yes, although it is a Republican cliché, thereby designating the “losers”). These awards are so large that they will have a significant impact on which companies in certain sectors (such as batteries and smart grid) ultimately will succeed. The cleantech stimulus was not a stimulus but rather a down payment on the Administration’s plans for continuing direct government spending in clean technologies. So whether cleantech company executives like these grants or not, I assure you they are all applying. As the lottery saying goes, you can’t win if you don’t play!

Friday, September 25, 2009

The Green Gold Blog Launch

After joining Access Venture Partners over two years ago and heading up our cleantech investments, I contemplated starting a blog. But there are so many blogs (especially in cleantech) that I decided to hold off until I was certain how mine would be different, insightful and valuable. While many of the cleantech blogs are informative, two things have inspired me to finally launch this blog, “Green Gold”.

First, in my travels to find great cleantech companies in which to invest, it has become glaringly evident that many more first-time entrepreneurs have entered the cleantech world than other, more established venture categories. However, the human ecosystem around growth-oriented, venture-funded cleantech companies is simply not as mature as in more traditional areas of venture capital investment. As a result, the cleantech community doesn’t yet have the more robust support systems and business relationships found in other sectors that would allow these new entrepreneurs to more easily network with and identify seasoned mentors, who could help them navigate the start-up and venture capital mazes. While there are fantastic cleantech news and information blogs out there, almost none cater to the issues that entrepreneurs face in building a successful cleantech business.

Second, with all the political hype around cleantech it has amazed me how little dissent or critical thinking is arising on the subject of cleantech policies. Having worked briefly on Capital Hill for a Democrat and in the Executive Office of the President under a Republican, I like to feel I have a balanced view – or at least equal disdain for both parties! I am firm believer that vibrant debate of policy leads to better policies being implemented. The Obama Administration has made cleantech a mantle of its first year in office, which is fantastic for those of us who believe in the critical nature of finding cleaner technologies. But much of the discussion on cleantech is being driven by the dogma of the left or the right rather than by a clear view of what is truly needed and of what will generate the desired results.

So, with those two thoughts in mind, welcome to the Green Gold Blog! Why “Green Gold”? Well, yes, it is a catchy and convenient title given my last name! But of equal importance, for cleantech to be successful in spearheading meaningful change in the market and in our lives, I fundamentally believe it must turn Green into Gold. The largest leaps in technology that have affected our everyday lives – the automobile, television, computer and World Wide Web to name a few – sometimes have their R&D seeds paid for by the government (but often not), but their growth into useful every-day tools is driven by the pursuit of profits in the free market. Real change in using clean technologies will come as the free market has the profit motive to create the change.

Through Green Gold I will endeavor to compel cleantech junkies (like me) to *think critically* about cleantech policies, whether those policies are coming from the left or the right. In addition, I hope to provide useful business insight and guidance to cleantech entrepreneurs who, through their technologies and businesses, will bring about the much-needed revolution in how we produce and consume energy. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to post their questions to me through the Green-Gold blog site; some of my posts will answer questions about start-ups, angel capital, venture capital, and building successful cleantech businesses.

One final promise to my readers: You will only see a new Green Gold article when I have something insightful to share. I won’t bury you with content, but hopefully when you see a new post you will find it worth the time to read.