Whereas the economic impact potential of CleanTech is considered to be 60 times greater than that of the Internet, the challenge for universities and startups remains to filter the ‘knowledge supply chain’ to a series of successful companies with potential societal impact. 

Technological entrepreneurs have two strategic challenges:  Finding the appropriate market application for currently discovered technologies and finding appropriate technologies that can create and capture value for an emerging market opportunity. 

Failure of proposed high-tech companies is often driven by the overemphasis on technology, in the absence of understanding market needs, unawareness of strategic principles that help positioning the technology-based product, and a fiscally-sound value proposition for investors or partners to enable the venture.  

Leveraging my background and teaching experience, my advising activities are two-fold: (i) To advise CleanTech student teams of the Wolverine Venture Fund and the Frankel Commercialization Fund identify and screen companies; and (ii) To help screen Dare to Dream grant applications for business opportunity identification. 

CleanTech Conference Sponsorship (2007-2010)

1. September 2007:   ZLI hosted a VC Investment Forum showcasing University of Michigan technologies in the CleanTech space (see UM CleanTech).
   

2. September 2008:   Co-sponsorship (ZLI and Global CleanTech LLC) of a CleanTech investment conference of the Opal Financial Group in Phoenix, AZ.
   

3. November 2009: The Zell Lurie and Erb Institutes co-hosted a Cleantech Conference to spotlight investment trends in Wind, Solar and Energy Storage. 
   

4. November 2009: ZLI and Global CleanTech LLC co-sponsored the Chinese Entrepreneurship Network’s conference in Fall ’09, highlighting CleanTech innovation and entrepreneurship.
   

For more information on the University’s activities in Innovation and Economic Development, please see the website on the Innovation Economy. 

Recent Investment and Business Development Presentations

1. Environmental CleanTech Value Chains.ppt.pdf
   

2. Remediation Value Chain Opportunity Identification.pdf
   

3. Algae Value Chain.pdf
   

4. Entrepreneurship and Value Creation.pdf
   

5. Energy Utility Investments in Cooling Technologies.pdf