Berkeley Entrepreneurs Forum
February 26, 2009
6:30-8:30 PM
Andersen Auditorium, Haas School of Business
Earth, Wind & Fire:
The Clean Tech Opportunity Today
Sponsored by: |
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Click here for program description and speaker biographies
Presentations available (pdf):
- Jon Bonanno, Principle Power (wmv1) (wmv2)
- Richard Chow, ThermaSource
- Susan Preston, CalCEF Angel Fund
- Dr. Chris Somerville, Energy Biosciences Institute
Video on YouTube (video on YouTube site):
Program Description and Speaker Biographies
Some of the best opportunities arise in the worst times. While financing of technology and bioscience struggle, alternative energy investment flourishes - at least relatively. The new administration has identified alternative energy as a national priority, and has designated our own Steven Chu, director of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, as Secretary of Energy. Developing alternative energy technologies melds established and cutting edge technologies, allies heavy industry, science, information technology and government, and requires a new paradigm for investment, including combinations of angel capital, debt, government grants and loan guarantees. It's a whole new world of earth, wind and fire!
Please join us for a panel discussion of the opportunities and challenges facing entrepreneurs and investors in geothermal, wind and biofuels. Our distinguished panel includes:
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Jon Bonanno, Co-Founder, Chairman and President, Principle Power, started the company in 2007 to bring new renewable energy technologies into the commercial space through his entrepreneurial, team-building, and finance experience. In October of 2006 Mr. Bonanno decided to dedicate 100% of his time to Cleantech investing. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the Cleantech Investment Committee for Keiretsu Forum, the world's largest Angel investment network. Click here for more information on Mr. Bonanno. |
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Richard Chow is the Interim President of ThermaSource, the largest geothermal drilling and services company in the US. Previously, he was the President of a private-equity backed biofuels venture, where he oversaw all aspects of the business and the sale of the company. He founded Presidio Energy in 1999, an advisory firms focused on alternative energy. Prior to Presidio, he worked with a series of joint venture companies under Bechtel Enterprises (part of the Bechtel Group) that developed, financed, and owned power generating assets. Click here for more information on Mr. Chow. |
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Susan Preston, General Partner at the CalCEF Angel Fund, is an angel investor and world-recognized expert in angel financing. Her most recent book, Angel Financing for Entrepreneurs, Early-stage Funding for Long-Term Success was released in 2007, and her first book, Angel Investment Groups, Networks and Funds: A Guidebook to Developing the Right Angel Organization for Your Community, a guidebook on the establishment and operation of angel investment groups was published in 2004. Click here for more information on Ms. Preston. |
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Dr. Chris Somerville, Director of the Energy Biosciences Institute, oversees all open activities at the Institute, including research, communications, education and outreach. Dr. Somerville is a professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley, and a visiting scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research focuses on the characterization of proteins implicated in plant cell-wall synthesis and modification. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Societies of London and Canada. Click here for more information on Dr. Somerville. |
The program begins with a networking hour at 6:30 PM with complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres in the Bank of America Forum at the Haas School of Business. Don't forget the opportunity to "Be a Number" and pitch your idea or company to the crowd!
Registration is required. If you are currently a UC Berkeley faculty, staff, or student, a Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory employee, or associated with the UC Office of the President, call 642-4255 or e-mail lester@haas.berkeley.edu for special rates. If you are unfamiliar with the UC Berkeley campus, check out the campus map to locate the Haas School on the east (uphill) side of campus.
Panelist Biographies
Jon Bonanno, Co-Founder and CEO, Principal Power
Jon Bonanno co-founded Principle Power in 2007 to bring new renewable energy technologies into the commercial space through his entrepreneurial, team-building, and finance experience. His vision is to grow the portfolio of Principle Power assets, to generate multiple gigawatts of sustainable energy, and to make a significant difference in offsetting fossil fuel usage.
In 1995, Mr. Bonanno founded Interbill, a global online business-to-consumer micro-billing foundation for digital consumables. He later sold Interbill to Global Internet Billing (GIB) where he worked on footprint expansion, opening offices around the world. Mr. Bonanno then founded Solid Streaming which developed a BREW audio/video streaming foundation for CDMA 1x. In the wake of 9/11, Solid Streaming struggled, prompting Mr. Bonanno to move to Barcelona, Spain to start his third venture, ViaMoviles. This was an online and mobile marketing company, which grew to a #103 rating on Alexa and created a bridge between Internet vendors and publishers worldwide. In October of 2006 Mr. Bonanno decided to dedicate 100% of his time to Cleantech investing. In a short time, he became an early angel investor in Earth Class Mail and Sierra Nevada Solar and the first investor in Cool Earth Solar. He is currently serving as the Chairman of the Cleantech Investment Committee for Keiretsu Forum, the world's largest Angel investment network.
Richard has over 15 years of experience in the energy sector, including serving as the President and Board member for several companies. He is currently is the interim President of ThermaSource, the largest geothermal drilling and services company in the US. Previously, he was the President of a private-equity backed biofuels venture, where he oversaw all aspects of the business and the sale of the company. He founded Presidio Energy in 1999, an advisory firms focused on alternative energy. Prior to Presidio, he worked with a series of joint venture companies under Bechtel Enterprises (part of the Bechtel Group) that developed, financed, and owned power generating assets. The companies included EnergyWorks Asia, where he was the President. EnergyWorks focused on the development of renewable energy projects and onsite generation for industrial and commercial customers. At US Generating Company, another Bechtel JV, he worked on a range of power projects, including coal, hydro, biomass, natural gas, and all major forms of renewable energy.
Richard has a BA from Wesleyan University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. Richard is on the National Council for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s largest conservation organization.
Susan Preston, currently serving as General Partner at The CalCEF Angel Fund, is an angel investor and world-recognized expert in angel financing. She has authored numerous articles, white papers and books on angel financing. Her most recent book, Angel Financing for Entrepreneurs, Early-stage Funding for Long-Term Success was released in 2007, and her first book, Angel Investment Groups, Networks and Funds: A Guidebook to Developing the Right Angel Organization for Your Community, a guidebook on the establishment and operation of angel investment groups was published in 2004.
She is a national and international speaker on economic development, angel and venture financing. Ms. Preston is one of the founders of the Angel Capital Association, the North American industry association for angel organizations. She was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation for 6 years and continues to serve as a consultant.
Ms. Preston has been profiled in Red Herring, Inc. magazine and other local and national publications. She is the architect of the Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs Act, a bi-partisan federal income tax credit bill for private equity investing, which was introduced in the House and Senate in 2006 and has been reintroduced in the current Congressional session. Ms. Preston received her JD from Seattle University School of Law and her BS in Microbiology and Public Health from Washington State University.
Chris Somerville, Director, Energy Biosciences Institute
As Director of the Energy Biosciences Institute, Dr. Somerville oversees all open activities at the Institute, including research, communications, education and outreach. He also chairs the Institute's Executive Committee and reports to the Governance Board.
Dr. Somerville is a professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a visiting scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
His research focuses on the characterization of proteins implicated in plant cell-wall synthesis and modification. He has published more than 200 scientific papers in plant and microbial genetics, genomics, biochemistry and biotechnology.
Somerville has served on the scientific advisory boards of many corporations, academic institutions and private foundations in Europe and North America. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of London and the Royal Society of Canada.
