USA: Northwest Energy Angels Invests in Columbia Power Technology

The Northwest Energy Angels, the Pacific Northwest’s only angel group focused exclusively on providing early-stage capital to cleantech entrepreneurs, continued its mission of building a vibrant cleantech community in 2011 by investing more than $880,000 in nine cleantech companies, one receiving a second round of funding.

 “Despite the economic downturn, our members continued to support cleantech innovation, which we think is a vital part of achieving a clean energy economy and building a thriving business community in the Pacific Northwest,” said Byron McCann, co-chair of Northwest Energy Angels. “We saw a number of exciting cleantech innovations this year, especially in the lighting, water, renewables, materials and energy efficiency spaces. We’re really looking forward to continuing to meet other talented entrepreneurs in 2012 and helping them become leaders in their markets.”

Since its inception in 2006, the Northwest Energy Angels have invested close to $4.8 million in 31 regionally based cleantech companies. This year the group welcomed 20 new investors, bringing the total to nearly 50 members. It also added an Advisory Council of six distinguished leaders from the clean technology, investment, environmental and research arenas to provide insight and guidance to members.

In 2011, the Northwest Energy Angels invested in the following cleantech companies:

 New Investments

 Banyan Energy

Developed breakthrough technology for photovoltaic modules using a new category of waveguide optics known as Aggregated Total Internal Reflection (ATIR).

BioVantage Resources

Offers sustainable, bioremediation solutions for industrial, agricultural and municipal wastewater treatment.

Columbia Power Technology

Developed new wave energy harvesting devices using novel, off-shore, direct-drive, permanent-magnet generator technologies.

Flux Drive Inc.

Designs and manufactures permanent magnet, adjustable speed drives and couplings that increase the life and performance of rotating equipment while decreasing energy consumption by as much as 75%.

OneEnergy Renewables

Offers Renewable Energy Certificates and Carbon Offsets, and develops wind and solar projects, to help customers meet their clean energy goals and grow the green power supply in the US.

Virticus

Developed a scalable communication and control system that enables a 30-50 percent reduction of lighting system energy and maintenance costs.

WISErg Corporation

Developing a technology that converts compostable organic waste into valuable organically derived fertilizers and biogas..

 Follow-on investment

REV Technologies, Inc. (REV)

REV’s electric vehicle (EV) energy networking technologies allow EV’s to act as high-output energy endpoints that improve the resilience and reliability of the power grid by synchronizing their energy needs with renewable power generation in real-time.

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Offshore WIND staff, February 24, 2012; Image: columbiapwr