Cleantech Group Closes $3.2 Million in Series C Financing

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cleantech Group, a leading global research and advisory firm focused on cleantech innovation, today announced the closing of $3.2 million in its third round of equity financing with investments from Credit Suisse AG, SAIL Venture Partners, Consensus Business Group, Georgieff Capital, and others. The new funds will be used to enhance the Group's global research offerings to inform and advise corporations, investors, and government agencies on cleantech innovation. The announcement is also timed with the addition of several new members to the executive team and board of directors, including Sheeraz Haji, who was named president of the company.

"We are incredibly excited about the expanded research capabilities of our firm and are looking forward to helping global organizations understand the cleantech market landscape and make strategic investment, sourcing, and partnering decisions with cleantech innovators," said Sheeraz Haji, president of the Cleantech Group. "By enhancing our three core services — world-class research, advisory services, and events — we can help our clients build their businesses and brands globally."

The theme of the Cleantech Group's San Francisco Cleantech Forum XXVI, "Taking Cleantech to Scale," acknowledges an important market shift as large corporations and governments worldwide play an increasing role in financing and scaling clean technologies. Tracking the emergence of cleantech ventures, much like understanding previous innovation waves in information technology or biotech, requires special market expertise, strategic understanding, and focus — capabilities that the Cleantech Group has been honing since 2002.

To address these emerging market opportunities, the Cleantech Group has added new world-class research, data, and information products to its subscription service. These include Insight Reports, which provide in-depth market analyses, and Country Reports, such as the recently released report on Korea. The Cleantech Group has also expanded its proprietary Cleantech Market Insight Database to integrate more than 1.2 million unique cleantech patents published between 1981 and the present, as tracked by IP Checkups.

The Cleantech Group's expanded advisory services assist global corporations in making critical business decisions impacted by cleantech innovation. The Group has successfully provided these services for a number of companies including Veolia Environnement, a global leader in environmental services, and Autodesk.

The advisory practice leverages the firm's core insights into cleantech ventures and its deep industry network to provide client-specific analysis of market sectors, technology trends, and competitive dynamics. The practice works closely with clients to identify market opportunities; profile and evaluate emerging innovators; and explore partnerships, investments, or acquisitions. In addition, the Cleantech Group's experienced team of advisors helps structure external innovation sourcing programs to ensure that large enterprises have the capacity to scan the cleantech sector for cutting edge developments, and have the processes and relationships required to capitalize on these opportunities.

"We consider the Cleantech Group a top resource for global analysis on the cleantech industry," said Philippe Martin, senior vice president for research and innovation, Veolia Environnement. "In supporting Veolia's strategic initiatives to provide the best technologies to the customers of their environmental services, the Cleantech Group's advisory team has provided in-depth research on cleantech innovations and key markets, as well as important introductions to entrepreneurs, investors, and potential partners."

The Cleantech Group also announced adding three new Cleantech "Focus" events to its annual calendar, in addition to the five Cleantech Forum events in San Francisco, Paris, New York, Beijing and Mumbai. The first two Cleantech Focus events include, "Bringing India and China to New England" in Boston on June 10, 2010, and "Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment" in Chicago. Cleantech Forum events serve as global networking hubs, while Focus events bring together specific cleantech industry sectors or regions for more focused information sharing and networking.

New executive and board member appointments include:

• Sheeraz Haji, President
• Richard Youngman, Managing Director, Europe and Vice President, Global Research
• Greg Neichin, Vice President, Advisory Services
• Nicholas Parker, Co-founder and Executive Chairman
• George Hornig, Credit Suisse, new member of the Board of Directors

To see the Cleantech Group network in action, come to the Cleantech Forums:

• San Francisco, February 24-26, 2010. Taking Cleantech to Scale. For more information, please visit: http://cleantech.com/cleantechforum/sanfrancisco10/
• Paris, France, April 26-28, 2010. For more information, please visit: http://cleantech.com/cleantechforum/paris10/

About the Cleantech Group, LLC

The Cleantech Group, a leading global research and advisory firm focused on cleantech innovation, pioneered the clean technology category in 2002. Today, it helps its clients make critical business decisions by providing the latest industry market intelligence through subscription-based research, world-class advisory services, and global networking events. The company's international portfolio of global corporations, investors, entrepreneurs, governments, service providers and others—representing trillions of dollars in assets—receives market leading research and data, networking opportunities, and other strategic benefits. The Cleantech Group's advisory practice leverages the firm's core insights into cleantech ventures and deep industry network to provide client-specific analyses of market sectors, technology trends, and competition. The company also publishes leading cleantech sector industry news coverage and produces the premier Cleantech Forum® and Focus™ events worldwide. Details are available at http://www.cleantech.com.

SOURCE Cleantech Group, LLC