World Resources Institute Identifies Prime New Venture Capital Targets
This fall, WRI is recognizing several companies from the energy efficiency, agriculture, and construction sectors in three countries as prime candidates for venture capital investment.
This fall, the World Resources Institute is recognizing several companies from the energy efficiency, agriculture, and construction sectors in three countries as prime candidates for venture capital investment. The companies are being announced as finalists for New Ventures -- a series of green-business accelerators sponsored by the World Resources Institute (WRI).
The first event was held in Mexico on October 18, with upcoming competitions slated for today in Shanghai, China and Nov. 29 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
"We are seeking access to China's innovative technologies and entrepreneurs; the New Ventures forum is a place for us to do that," said Catherine Cao, a partner at Tsinghua Venture Capital Fund. "Through the selection and mentoring process, they ensure a pipeline of quality companies with high growth potential."
Many of the entrepreneurs that will be at the forum in Shanghai offer products and services aimed at improving energy efficiency, particularly relevant in light of the Chinese government's efforts to reduce its dependency on fuel imports. These companies include Yunnan Zhenghong Environmental Protection Energy Conservation, which manufactures energy-saving ovens that increase fuel efficiency by up to 40 percent, and Nanning Growing Power Tech, which manufactures energy-efficient small-scale boilers. Another company, Beijing Daxing Heat, holds nearly 20 patents for a movable heat recycling and shipping machine that collects waste heat from energy-intensive industries and transfers it to nearby commercial properties. Inner Mongolia Huaqi Biotechnology uses methane-capture technology to recycle the energy created from animal waste into a source of energy for farmers.
Construction companies are prevalent among the finalists for the Nov. 29 forum in Brazil, where the market for environmental technologies grows about 8% to 10% each year. Destinação e Revaloração de Resíduos processes industrial waste to manufacture a variety of construction and concrete products such as blocks, tiles, and panels. Empresa Brasileira de Reciclagem recycles plastics to manufacture traditional wood products for the construction industry, and Adespec specializes in environmentally sound adhesives and sealants for construction, home, and arts.
The agricultural sector in Mexico has been struggling to adapt to market changes brought on by NAFTA, and several entrepreneurs at the forum in Mexico sought to exploit specialized and environmentally friendly markets. One firm, Itanoni Flor de Maiz, is a gourmet tortilla franchise promoting native Mexican varieties of corn. Another, ALIBIO, provides bio-tech services to the agricultural and water-treatment sectors. A third company, Biopremium, processes and distributes organic mushrooms.
"WRI's New Ventures program enables funds like ours to find those unique entrepreneurs who are truly achieving triple bottom-line impacts," said Jennifer Morris, Verde Ventures fund manager at Conservation International. “Also, the New Ventures mentoring program provides entrepreneurs with the essential skills needed to grow their businesses and increase their level of environmental, social, and financial impacts."
New Ventures provides all of its finalists with professional business consulting. Since 1999, New Ventures has hosted nine investor forums that have facilitated investments of more than $12 million to several sustainable businesses. The forums began only in Latin America, but have since expanded to include China. In 2006, New Ventures will hold its first investor forums in India and Indonesia.
More information on New Ventures, plus a complete list of portfolio enterprises, is available online.
The first event was held in Mexico on October 18, with upcoming competitions slated for today in Shanghai, China and Nov. 29 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
"We are seeking access to China's innovative technologies and entrepreneurs; the New Ventures forum is a place for us to do that," said Catherine Cao, a partner at Tsinghua Venture Capital Fund. "Through the selection and mentoring process, they ensure a pipeline of quality companies with high growth potential."
Many of the entrepreneurs that will be at the forum in Shanghai offer products and services aimed at improving energy efficiency, particularly relevant in light of the Chinese government's efforts to reduce its dependency on fuel imports. These companies include Yunnan Zhenghong Environmental Protection Energy Conservation, which manufactures energy-saving ovens that increase fuel efficiency by up to 40 percent, and Nanning Growing Power Tech, which manufactures energy-efficient small-scale boilers. Another company, Beijing Daxing Heat, holds nearly 20 patents for a movable heat recycling and shipping machine that collects waste heat from energy-intensive industries and transfers it to nearby commercial properties. Inner Mongolia Huaqi Biotechnology uses methane-capture technology to recycle the energy created from animal waste into a source of energy for farmers.
Construction companies are prevalent among the finalists for the Nov. 29 forum in Brazil, where the market for environmental technologies grows about 8% to 10% each year. Destinação e Revaloração de Resíduos processes industrial waste to manufacture a variety of construction and concrete products such as blocks, tiles, and panels. Empresa Brasileira de Reciclagem recycles plastics to manufacture traditional wood products for the construction industry, and Adespec specializes in environmentally sound adhesives and sealants for construction, home, and arts.
The agricultural sector in Mexico has been struggling to adapt to market changes brought on by NAFTA, and several entrepreneurs at the forum in Mexico sought to exploit specialized and environmentally friendly markets. One firm, Itanoni Flor de Maiz, is a gourmet tortilla franchise promoting native Mexican varieties of corn. Another, ALIBIO, provides bio-tech services to the agricultural and water-treatment sectors. A third company, Biopremium, processes and distributes organic mushrooms.
"WRI's New Ventures program enables funds like ours to find those unique entrepreneurs who are truly achieving triple bottom-line impacts," said Jennifer Morris, Verde Ventures fund manager at Conservation International. “Also, the New Ventures mentoring program provides entrepreneurs with the essential skills needed to grow their businesses and increase their level of environmental, social, and financial impacts."
New Ventures provides all of its finalists with professional business consulting. Since 1999, New Ventures has hosted nine investor forums that have facilitated investments of more than $12 million to several sustainable businesses. The forums began only in Latin America, but have since expanded to include China. In 2006, New Ventures will hold its first investor forums in India and Indonesia.
More information on New Ventures, plus a complete list of portfolio enterprises, is available online.
