The Future of Energy “Bubbles Up” in Richmond
From left to right: Top row, far right: Rex Northen, Director Cleantech Open; 2nd row, center: Rebekah Hetzel, Presidio Graduate School, Dr. Lisa Dyson, CEO of Kiverdi, Dr. John Reed, CTO; 3rd row, center: H. Abram Wilson, Mayor of San Ramon; Gayle McLaughlin, Mayor of Richmond; Elizabeth Patterson, Mayor of Benicia; 4th row: l to r – Ross Yarrow, Chevron; Des King, Chevron Technology Ventures. Photos and collage by Adam L. Turner.
Chevron hosted the Cleantech Open Regional Finals at the Crainway Pavilion, Oct. 6 at the historical Ford Motor Company manufacturing facility in Richmond. The purpose of the competition is to spark California entrepreneurs and business growth.
The Cleantech Open semifinals will determine 18 of Northern California’s most promising clean-tech startups and the world’s largest clean tech business competition has helped alumni contestants raise over $300 million and create thousands of jobs.
Clean energy start-up companies bubbled up on the site to pitch their ideas to panels of judges in different energy sectors as part of California’s most 39 promising clean-tech startups. The 6 semi-finalists what were selected will move up to the finals and a chance to win $250,000 as the National Grand Prize. One such company who presented as a semi-finalist is Kiverdi, a company based in the blossoming Mission Bay area of San Francisco which recycles carbon and converts the carbon into oil using a proprietary technology.
Kiverdi uses microbes to consume gases that are produced from feedstock, landfill and agricultural waste by converting the carbon into usable products. With energy companies like Chevron constantly looking for new ideas it’s start-up companies like Kiverdi which help keep the evolution of innovation alive.
The event brought some of the brightest minds in the region to one place in hopes of securing a finalist slot and potential funding to further the development of their start-ups. The event also provided talks on how to secure venture capital and leverage their pulic relations and marketing strategies.
In attendance to promote its resources and services was the East Bay Green Corridor from Oakland. The company has formed partnerships with the cities of Alameda, Albany, El Cerrito and San Leandro, and works closely with California State University East Bay and Peralta Community College District.
One of their goals is to attract existing and start-up green businesses to the Green Corridor where a network of real estate brokers and economic development directors match spacing needs for start ups in light manufacturing, assembly, warehousing, production and R&D.
A Test Program for Cleantech start-ups has already spawned from UC Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and other institutions as a prototype development which has already attracted early adopters for commercialization.
Some of the developmental goals of the Green Corridor are industry outreach, employer identification and job placement. The corridor model has been adopted by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
