SEATTLE, April 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwest Energy Angels, the Pacific Northwest's only angel group focused on providing early-stage capital exclusively to cleantech entrepreneurs, announced the launch of its new Advisory Council to help guide the organization, and enhance the synergy for the Northwest Energy Angels and its members.  The advisors will share insights and industry knowledge, which is a key benefit for members of angel investing groups.

"We are forming the Advisory Council for the Northwest Energy Angels because we believe the advisors will aid us in our mission to help cleantech entrepreneurs succeed in the Northwest," said Byron B. McCann, co-chairman of the Northwest Energy Angels.  "Advisors bring in-depth expertise in the cleantech domain, which will help us identify promising companies, enhance our due diligence capability, understand trends, clearly identify market opportunities and support companies post-investment."

Advisory Council Members:

• Nancy Floyd – www.nthpower.com - Nancy is the founder and managing director of Nth Power and has led many of its investments in various cleantech companies.
• KC Golden – www.climatesolutions.org - KC oversees the Policy Leadership Program, pioneering leading-edge state and local climate policies while helping to deliver strong regional support for responsible national and international climate policy at Climate Solutions.
• Rick LeFaivre, Ph.D. – www.ovp.com - Rick is a partner at OVP Venture Partners and serves as director of New Ventures at the University of Washington's Center for Commercialization, helping to create companies that leverage technology developed at UW.
• Amory Lovins – www.rmi.org - Amory is the co-founder, chairman and chief scientist at the Rocky Mountain Institute.  He is widely considered among the world's leading authorities on energy.
• Ron Pernick – www.cleanedge.com - Ron is managing director of Clean Edge. He is an accomplished cleantech research, publishing, and business development entrepreneur with more than two decades of high-tech experience. He is also coauthor of The Clean Tech Revolution.
• Rob Wiltbank – www.montlakecapital.com - Rob is a partner at Montlake Capital and lead's their Oregon activities.  He is also a professor at the Atkinson Graduate School of Management at Willamette University.

"I'm eager to help the Northwest Energy Angels investors make smart investment decisions in the cleantech sector, which is full of investment opportunities," said Nancy Floyd, founder and managing director of Nth Power, a venture capital firm focused on startup companies in energy technology. "Unlike technology darlings from the dot com era, cleantech companies typically have heavier scientific research, engineering and more manufacturing, which involve higher capital investments. It's important for angel investors to understand these complexities to ensure they're making a good investment."   

Advisors will be invited to member deal flow meetings, investor discussion groups and Northwest Energy Angels field road trips.  New advisory council member, Amory Lovins will be the featured speaker at the Northwest Energy Angel Leadership Luncheon on Monday, April 11 at REI Seattle to discuss the Rocky Mountain Institute's "Reinventing Fire" initiative.

About Northwest Energy Angels

Northwest Energy Angels, founded in 2006, is the first angel investment group in North America to focus exclusively on the cleantech industry. A non-profit organization, NW Energy Angels helps create successful cleantech companies by connecting promising entrepreneurs with experienced cleantech investors. NW Energy Angels members add value to the companies they invest in and act as a bridge to institutional investors. To date members have invested over $4 million in 24 companies. For more information, visit http://www.nwenergyangels.com/.

SOURCE Northwest Energy Angels