Hundreds of women descended on the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, January 30 and 31st for the second annual Silicon Valley She’s Geeky Conference.
Kaliya Hamlin did a stellar job moderating the proceedings. Introductions were made using the expression: “I’m geeky because….” and everyone tried hard to outgeek each other with comments like “I’m geeky because I named my first born child after my favorite search engine,” and “I’m geeky because I take my laptop in the bath with me.”
During intros, everyone was encouraged to share their Twitter ID, which revealed over 90% of the room was already Twittering. One gal proudly announced that she was going to do her 10,000th tweet that morning!
As for me, still a Twitter virgin, I decided I’m a just nuevo geek with a very long way to go.
Highlights on Saturday were a seminar on social media and business (twitter, facebook, myspace, Hi5 among others) by Jen Leggio – ZDNet, and Jen from Adobe; and Mary Vincent of Green Star Solutions led a seminar about ecopreneurship; and Lynne Sopchak talked about biomimicry You can check out more at this TED video
Great to see Debra Bowen, Secretary of State for California there. She’s a strong advocate for using the Internet to open government to computer users worldwide. In 1993, she successfully helped to pass legislation making all of California’s bill information available on the Internet.
If you want to read a wiki listing notes from all the seminars and information shared (and there was a ton of it!), check out this link. And if you want to find out more about my seminar, Greening your business, click here
A capacity crowd packed Sun Microsystem’s historic Santa Clara campus auditorium last Friday.
After introductions by hosts Susan Lucas Conwellof SDForum and Linda Holroydof FountainBlue, a rousing challenge to the green tech crowd came from Mayor Chuck Reed: “We want YOU to make us energy independent and pull us out of this recession!” Tall order, no pressure guys.
The Green Mayoremphasized the trillion dollar opportunity in the energy market and anticipates clean tech will receive between $40-$60 billion from President Obama’s stimulus package, most of which will benefit Silicon Valley. He underlined Silicon Valley’s reputation as the best place in the world to start and grow a business; and urged entrepreneurs to call him if they need land or buildings. The guy is serious and announced his number several times: (408) 535-4800.
The first panel “Where’s the Green in Clean?”assembled a group of top VCs: Laurie Yolerof Growth Point Technologies, Nancy Pfund– DBL Investors, Kjerstin Barley – GE Capital, and Stephen Eichenlaub -Intel Capital. Nancy Pfund addressed the issue of the price premium for clean tech products. She says some consumers are willing to pay a premium for efficiency improvements, but for a global thriving business, we need to get to parity with existing energy sources. Looking at the total cost of ownership (TCO) is key. ie a Tesla Roadster may cost a fortune to buy, but a “fill up” only costs $4.
Consumer sentiment is strongly in support of clean tech, says Laurie Yoler and cited Palo Alto where consumers were offered “green” electricity for a 15% premium. So far, the sign up rate is 60%. Of course, Palo Alto is hardly representative of the rest of the world, but what starts in Silicon Valley seldom stays in Silicon Valley.
The credit crunch is impacting investment activity especially for capital intensive solar comanies. Startups with smaller capital demands will do better, says Yoler and points out there’s a vibrant market for companies focused on energy efficiency: especially virtualization software and clean tech construction companies looking for $10 million/ round.
Someone had the audacity to ask what we can learn from the Europeans who invested heavily in clean tech, especially solar, over a decade ago. I look forward to discussing this issue further with Nancy Pfund at a later date.
Steve Eichenlaub emphasized the importance of keeping the green buzz going and credits the Obama administration for talking about the environment, global warming, energy independence and green tech almost every day since he took office. What a difference a Bush-less fortnight makes!
Check back soon for more on the conference from the Green Czars from Sun, HP, SAP, Intel and IBM
It only took six days to change the (clean tech) world.
On January 20th, while the world stopped to watch, President Obama gave a stoic but very powerful Inauguration Address. Instead of the soaring oratory we’ve grown accustomed to, he was somber in his words and delivery, reflecting the gravity of our economic crisis.
From my perspective, the speech has brought nothing but optimism and goodwill from friends and colleagues in Silicon Valley and around the world. I was especially cheered by his promise to restore science to its rightful place in government policy making.
Here are some excerpts of President Obama’s Inauguration Address that underline his commitment to fighting climate change and boosting clean tech:
“…each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.”
“We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.”
“With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.”
On January 26th, President Obama announced his new energy policy at a White House press conference. His words will no doubt bring sighs of relief and even some champagne sloshing to those in the clean tech world, especially electric vehicle manufacturers.
“No single issue is as fundamental to our future as energy. America’s dependence on oil is one of the most serious threats our nation has faced…it funds both sides of our struggle against terrorism and puts the American people at the mercy of shifting gas prices; stifles innovation and sets back our ability to compete.”
He’s also started to follow through this weekon his campaign pledge to allow California and 13 other states to set strict car emissions and fuel efficiency standards. The California Air Resources Board estimates these new standards will cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars 18% by 2020, and 27% by 2030.
This fine president not only talks the green talk, he walks the green walk. Bravo.
If we need any more evidence that clean tech is hot in Silicon Valley, this is it. Last Wednesday, I attended a lecture on Clean Tech Entrepreneurshipby Andres Wydlerat Stanford University. Originally planned for 20 to 30 students, the class was heavily oversubscribed and extended to 80 students. As of this writing, there are still 30 on the waiting list.
The class was packed with energetic people and ideas: a woman from National Geographic, just back from the Antarctic who’d witnessed the scale of the ice melting; a “green” executive from WallMart; entrepreneurs working in the solar, wind, and batteries sectors, and at least one VC. According to Andres’s questionnaire, two key factors are motivating attendees: making a living and making a difference. Several attendees are “between jobs” so the down economy is providing opportunities for some efficient reallocation of capital and labor.
Andres, founder of smartgrid company, BPL Global, wants to equip cleantech entrepreneurs with the tools they need to leverage their skills and ideas; and is bullish about Silicon Valley’s role in the world of clean tech. Admitting that the U.S. currently lags the rest of the world, he anticipates that we will be in the forefront of clean tech in certain sectors within the next 3-5 years.
“When Silicon Valley puts its mind to something, it’s a fantastic environment to pursue a cause,” he says.
The regulatory enviroment is moving in the right direction
Encumbant energy companies are motivated to change
FDR’s motivation: “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” (heard again by President Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel most recently )
VC fundingfor clean tech is at record levels. Although 2008 Q4 showed a marked reduction in VC funding, Andres points out that it’s still attractive and alternative clean tech funding sources are available
Coming Soon: After his last class in February, I will interview Andres at length to find out what hot clean tech entrepreneurs he discovered, and get an overview of his conclusions and predictions for clean tech in Silicon Valley.
Last Friday, I met with Linda Holroyd, CEO of Mountain View based FountainBlue to discuss her views on the resiliency of green tech in today’s economy. Given that the oil price has now tumbled to under $50 a barrel and gas prices are half of last summer’s high of $4+ a gallon in Silicon Valley, is there still a pressing case for clean energy and green tech investment? We discuss:
In Part Two of our interview with Mayor Chuck Reed, the Green Mayor discusses how the city is changing its rules and practices to move “at the speed of business” to attract clean tech companies like Tesla Motors to Silicon Valley. The interview includes:
Why the Mayor’s Green Vision had to be bold and aggressive
Which green achievement makes him most proud
Why Mayor Reed thanks Governor Schwarzenegger for his part in Tesla’s decision to relocate to San Jose
The phone call to Tesla’s CEO and how it got San Jose on the company’s shortlist
What rule changes the City of San Jose put in place to accommodate clean tech business
What entrepreneurial practices does the city use that are models for the rest of the world?
How did the city reduce one approval process from 3-6 months to one HOUR?
The interview took place in November 2008 at San Jose City Hall.
To check out part one of the interview with Mayor Chuck Reed, on his humble beginnings, his inspiration for the Green Vision and his views on Obama’s presidency, click here
because I named my first born child after my favorite search engine,” and “I’m geeky because I take my laptop in the bath with me.”
Mary Vincent of Green Star Solutions led a seminar about ecopreneurship; and Lynne Sopchak talked about biomimicry You can check out more at this TED video 
it!), check out this link. And if you want to find out more about my seminar, Greening your business, click here
