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Attendee responses:

… relevant, clear, authentic…

… very engaging…

… extremely helpful…

Bob Musselman, LACI Advisor and accomplished executive, led the latest C-Level Series, “Lessons Learned: Some Useful Advice in Industrial Marketing and Sales.”  Our goal with this ongoing series is to offer LACI Portfolio Companies and Members vital real world knowledge they can use today, and Bob didn’t disappoint.

We thought it would be valuable to share some of the lessons he has learned over the past 30 years in selling and managing sales teams in a B2B environment.  That quickly turned into 3 hours of material over 2 sessions, and he easily could have drilled down into sub-topics for hours with deep expertise on each.

Thanks again to Bob for sharing your deep knowledge with the LACI community!

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Skyline Innovations announces major Southern California deal

LACI Portfolio Company Skyline Innovations announced a new deal with AMCAL Housing to provide solar water heating solutions to 11 multifamily properties in Los Angeles and San Diego.  AMCAL and the 2,100 residents it serves will receive an instant 30% savings for 10 years.  Skyline continues to impress the market with their model that guarantees significant water heating savings with completely managed solar solutions at no upfront cost for commercial and affordable housing clients.  Read more at the Wall Street Journal…

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The region’s leading clean technology initiatives – Clean Tech Los Angeles (CTLA) and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) – are unifying to increase both efficiency and impact toward their complementary charter: champion and continue Los Angeles’ standing as a green economic powerhouse and world-class innovation hub. The CTLA Board of Directors has transitioned into a joint Leadership Council while a formal plan for combining both CTLA and LACI into a single entity is developed. In the interim, a single team with proven success will co-manage both organizations, led by executive director Fred Walti.

This new structure will bring together two organizations that are key to developing a vibrant clean tech economy in Los Angeles. CTLA convenes, markets, connects, and advocates for clean technology initiatives and constituents throughout the region. LACI helps commercialize promising clean technologies throughout Los Angeles by offering flexible office space, executive coaching and education, and access to a robust network of experts and capital to qualified startups. Together, they work to build and sustain a regional ecosystem that supports research, innovation and commercialization of clean and sustainable technologies.

As sister organizations, both CTLA and LACI emerged from the Mayor’s regional vision to build and sustain a world-class green economy in Los Angeles, rooted in the strengths of the region. Los Angeles boasts one of the largest global markets, world-class research and academic institutions, international trade dominance, and a talented workforce, all of which combine to make the region attractive to any business. With substantial policy mandates and practical commitments to sustainable, renewable and clean technologies, Los Angeles is already a dominant cleantech force. Both CTLA and LACI have leveraged these regional assets with strategic initiatives and programs aimed to grow the Los Angeles green economy into an international model for success.

“This integration has very clear benefits for both organizations. CTLA has achieved a great deal over the past five years. Combining staff and resources with LACI will reduce costs and increase output, critically important during these challenging economic times. This new management structure will eliminate staff redundancy and allow for a more efficient approach to operations in the long term. Moreover, functions such as human resources, facility and accounting will be combined, providing additional savings,” said Michael Swords, Board Chairman of CTLA.

Swords added, “Fred Walti and Neal Anderson have done an outstanding job at managing the development of LACI, and we believe that they will be able to leverage the assets of the combined organization in a way that will benefit the entire region.”

“As two organizations that are so highly aligned, formalizing that alignment and becoming more clear and efficient about what we do just makes sense,” said Fred Walti, Executive Director of LACI and CTLA. “Cooperation is key to making LA’s green economic leadership position a long-term one. This cooperative move is symbolic for what’s happening here in Los Angeles. With our market size, talent pool, research institutions, and growing pool of hard and soft incentives, if you’re in cleantech, Los Angeles is the place you want to start, build, grow, and headquarter your company.”

The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) is a private nonprofit founded by the City of Los Angeles to accelerate the commercialization of clean technologies in the Los Angeles region. Located in the center of the City’s Cleantech Corridor, LACI offers flexible office space, CEO coaching and mentoring, and access to a robust network of experts and capital. Incubated companies operate in a range of sectors including Smart Grid infrastructure, energy efficiency, energy storage, electric transportation, and materials science. LACI works closely with the region’s universities, business community, government institutions, capital markets and utilities to foster innovation and to grow the region’s green economy.

Clean Tech Los Angeles (CTLA), is a multi-institutional collaboration between UCLA, USC, Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Business Council (LABC), Central City Association (CCA), Central City East Association and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), to establish Los Angeles as the global leader in the research, commercialization, and deployment of clean technologies.

For more information, please visit: http://www.cleantechla.org or http://www.laincubator.org

For press information or images, please contact:
Gypsywing Media
Lolo Siderman
310-445-8877
laci@gypsywing.com

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LACI’s Hive Lighting has pulled off this first ever electrifying milestone with a beautiful Chevy Volt commercial (see video below – make sure to watch past 30 seconds to see the behind the scenes info).

Hive Lighting presents The Volt Plasma Challenge from Hive Lighting on Vimeo.

Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder.  There’s a lot to like about this from whatever angle you look.

As you can see, Hive’s lights make for gorgeous film.  The quality that plasma lights offer is unparalleled.

Without all of the cables, wires, distribution boxes, anchored lights, generators, and clutter you’d find on a traditional shoot, the creative team behind this commercial was highly mobile in ways that boosted their creative freedom, resulting in more shots in less time.

On the energy side, Hive’s plasma lights burn up to 90% less energy than conventional lights, and bulbs last 30x longer.  Plugging in lights that would otherwise require diesel generators (noisy, dirty, and expensive) is a big deal for budgets and breathing.

And, did we mention that they produce no heat?  No dripping makeup from sweating actors.  Fewer breaks.

You get it… super-efficient.

Learn more at hivelighting.com

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The US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and California Lithium Battery Inc. (CalBattery), a Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator portfolio company, announced today that they have signed a licensing agreement for an Argonne-developed, silicon-graphene composite anode material for high-energy lithium batteries.

CalBattery plans to move forward rapidly in the commercial scale-up and production of this breakthrough novel composite anode material, which tests show triples the energy capacity of the state-of-the-art graphite anode.

CalBattery has worked with Argonne for more than a year under a Work for Others agreement to develop the technology under the DOE’s Startup America program, which is part of a White House initiative to inspire and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship.

Startup America pairs innovative individuals, businesses, universities and foundations with a broad range of federal agencies with the goal of significantly increasing the number and success of American entrepreneurs.

“The CalBattery-Argonne collaboration is a shining example of the national public-private partnership enabled by DOE’s America’s Next Top Energy Innovator part of Startup America,” said Dr. Karina Edmonds, Technology Transfer Coordinator for DOE. “This technology was originally developed at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory as a result of Argonne’s ongoing pursuit to produce advanced battery materials that will substantially improve battery performance with products that startup companies can then take to global markets. This is the type of partnership envisioned by Startup America to boost U.S. competitiveness by supporting the high-growth startups across the country.”

“An important part of a national laboratory’s role is to perform research that enables U.S. industry to develop and manufacture advanced technologies to be marketed both domestically and internationally,” said Jeff Chamberlain, who heads Argonne’s Energy Storage Initiative and is Deputy Director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research Energy Innovation Hub.

“Argonne’s research efforts support the continued development of the American economy, as well as job creation; so we are extremely pleased that the lab has been able to help CalBattery attain its goals by working with the company to develop an anode technology that it will be able to manufacture and commercialize,” Chamberlain added. “This deal demonstrates the Department of Energy’s enthusiastic and practical support of research that supports entrepreneurship and U.S.-based start-ups. It also reflects the value DOE places on basic science as the basis for innovative advanced technologies like advanced lithium-ion batteries.”

CalBattery is a portfolio start-up company headquartered at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), which was started by The City of LA and the LA Department of Water and Power in 2011.

- Read the full announcement here

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EWSI is an electronic waste management and reverse logistics company that covers every zip code in the Continental US, and now expands to China through their eWaste pure play brand with this agreement. EWSI brings technology, regulatory knowledge, industry experience and market knowledge to the deal. Tanke, Inc. (OTC: TNKE) brings its significant experience in China and its presence in environmental technologies to EWSI.

“We are thrilled to enter the market in China with this deal. This is the fastest growing market in the fastest growing sector of all waste streams. The prospects for recycling in China are massive. After all, China is the world’s second largest producer of e-waste, next to the US.” said Martin Nielson, CEO of EWSI.

By 2020, eWaste in China is expected to jump by 400% from 2007 levels while discarded mobile phones will be 7 times higher (UNEP). Profits for the emerging eWaste industry in China are forecast to rise over 300% to 10 Billion by 2017 (ReportsnReports).

“This master license advances our global footprint as the leading eWaste pure play public company and is extremely important to secure our eWaste brand globally.” stated Mr. Nielson. “To enter China, we needed a well connected and experienced partner who shares our passion for doing things right, and now we have that. We have great confidence that subsequent expansion deals will follow very shortly.” added Mr. Nielson.

Read more about the deal at ewastesystems.com

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The first Leadership Council meeting of the year for CleanTech LA and LACI got off to a great start today as we hosted candid, intimate discussions with the five candidates running for Mayor of Los Angeles:  Eric Garcetti, Wendy Greuel, Kevin James, Jan Perry and Emanuel Pleitez.

Each candidate joined a room packed with members of the Leadership Council, LACI Advisors / Mentors, and LACI Portfolio Company executives for separate 30 minute conversations that centered around building a sustainable green economy in Los Angeles.  The conversations covered a range of topics including:

• Why cleantech is important
• Economic development priorities for the City
• Specific programs to build the City’s innovation ecosystem and green economy
• The City as a startup, and how the City can help startups
• Regional competitiveness

We want to thank all of the candidates again for discussing the future of LA’s green economy, listening to our collective concerns and ideas, and sharing their thoughts and plans.

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They’re the poster child of what a small, amazing team can achieve. It’s not easy to break into a big market, and they’re making a lot of noise bringing high-quality, super-efficient Plasma lights to film, TV, and digital media productions. So much noise, they’re raising funds now to finance their next manufacturing run of affordable plasma lights (PS – if you invest, this would be the time to get in… it’s unlikely they’ll need to raise money again).

So, it seems like a good time to share five highlights on Hive:

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With virtual models, simulations and designs complete by a host of experts, their coveted prototype is being built now. It is a 40kW generator that promises 96% efficiency (compared 88% for the best option on the market) at less than half the size with 33% fuel savings.

Big numbers, right? According to 360 Power Group, big enough for John Deere to agree to supply engines for Generator sets (GenSets), and big enough for the GreenTech Fund to enter into an agreement to buy 1,300 of them (valued at $20 million).

You’re likely aware of the recent grid challenges in India. Gensets are a highly needed solution there, and that’s exactly the focus of this first product, the r+a generator (pronounced “rita”). That said, the electric motor and generator technology they’re commercializing – if everything proves out – is fully scalable up and down, with countless potential market applications.

For a one-page brief, click here.  Or, for a more in-depth overview of 360 Power Group’s technology and announcement of the commitment from GreenTech Fund, click here.

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