Cleantech Forum New York 2010

Innovation is as much about business and financing models, as it is technology. And, company lifecycles in cleantech can be long, and expensive. With cleantech companies being capital thirsty, there's not enough global venture investment annually to provide the infrastructure needed to create a low-carbon world. So, what are the best financing models for cleantech? How have they evolved?

The Cleantech Forum New York on Oct. 12-13, 2010 will concentrate on an array of key cleantech resource-efficiency categories — energy efficiency, transportation, smart grid, and water, among others — but does so from a finance angle.

How can technology development be financed through its lifecycle? How can promising technologies be prevented from withering on the vine? What is the right mix of debt and equity? What types of players and mechanisms are already in operation? How do viewpoints vary from government to entrepreneur, PE investor to investment bank?

The agenda takes inspiration from other industries, such as biotech and software, and from other parts of the world (where the venture capital model is less mature — such as Japan).