investing

Solar-cell maker Suniva hauls in $50 million

Atlanta-based Suniva said on Tuesday that it has raised $50 million to commercialize its solar-cell technology, which it says will be as cheap as conventional electricity.

Investors are New Enterprise Associations and H.I.G. Ventures, according to the company's Web site.

Suniva has licensed technology from Georgia Tech's University Center of Excellence in Photovoltaics (UCEP) to make very thin solar cells--less than 100 microns.

Using monocrystalline silicon, it said it can improve the efficiency of cells to about 20 percent, which is the high range of traditional panels. SunPower has a panel with 22 percent efficiency.

Its … Read more

A design week in NYC: friendlier cabs, greener gadgets, thick crusts, and disco balls

Having just returned from New York City, I wonder whether I find it so intense because that's just how it is or because I tend to overbook my schedule, trying to squeeze in an ambitious number of meetings, rushing back and forth between midtown and downtown. In almost every cab ride I took on this trip, I noticed that many cabs now have a touch screen infotainment system that lets you pay with a credit card, watch TV, or access local city info (including a GPS tracker). I like the credit card option and the GPS but had mixed … Read more

Green-tech investing to outpace Internet in 2008

The results of a KPMG survey project continued investment in the green-tech sector this year and a wave of acquisitions.

KPMG is scheduled to publish the results of its annual venture capital survey on Thursday, which show that green-tech investing, already a torrent, will keep flowing.

Twenty-four percent of respondents to the survey said the green tech, or clean tech, area will receive the most capital over the next two years, followed by biotech and pharmaceuticals, attracting 15 percent of respondents. Thirteen percent picked Internet services, and 11 percent said mobile technology.

The results seem to reflect the move by … Read more

Is green tech recession-proof?

Discussion of a "clean-tech bubble" has been going on for about two years and as fears of a recession set in, people in the field are starting to ask: how bad will clean-tech companies be hit, if at all, by a slowing economy?

Rob Day, a clean-tech venture capital at @Ventures, appears to have been first out the gate with a blog analyzing the potential impact of a recession, which has already helped take the wind from the sails of public solar companies.

Day lays out the possible scenarios, from increasing investment in clean energy to the floor … Read more

On the eve of OnMedia NYC: media and advertising industries still optimistic about 2008

I'm off to New York for the OnMedia conference from January 28-30. The two-and-a-half day event features technology CEOs from Silicon Valley leading presentations and debates with their counterparts in global advertising and media. It will be a dynamic crowd that's coming together to discuss emerging user trends and new opportunities in the marketing, branding, advertising, and public relations industries.

The list of speakers includes web 2.0 entrepreneurs such as Steve Rosenbaum (CEO, Magnify.net), Ami Kassar (Chief Innovation Officer, ideablob), and Matt Colebourne, (CEO, coComment); established content players such as Jim Spanfeller (President, Forbes.com) and … Read more

WordPress creator pulls in $29.5 million

Automattic, the company best-known for blog publishing software WordPress, has raked in $29.5 million in Series B funding. Originally reported on several blogs, the funding round was confirmed by Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg in his personal blog Tuesday evening.

The most notable of the investors is the New York Times Co., which joins existing Automattic investors Polaris Ventures, True Ventures, and Radar Ventures. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Automattic turned down an acquisition offer several months ago from a "larger Internet company." Mullenweg's only apparent reference to this in his blog post was his … Read more

Despite recent declines, alternative energy firms to show resilience

Amid a drop in solar company stocks and concerns over a green-tech investment bubble, Sanford Bernstein analysts issued a report on Tuesday that takes the long view on alternative energy, arguing that the sector is a relatively safe bet.

Persistently high fossil fuel prices and environmental regulations mean that alternative energy technology companies are poised for growth in the coming years, the investment firm said in its report, one of several over the past two years to analyze the changing energy business.

During a teleconference, analysts said there is no end in sight for high prices of oil and natural … Read more

Report: European Founders Fund invests in Facebook?

A trio of German entrepreneurs-turned-investors may have invested in Facebook, TechCrunch wrote Tuesday.

The European Founders Fund, consisting of thirtysomething brothers Alexander, Marc and Oliver Samwer, has reportedly put out a "very brief press release" explaining that they have invested in the Palo Alto, Calif.-based social-networking site. An exact amount was not disclosed.

The investment firm was not immediately available for comment.

It's no secret that Facebook has been hunting for new investors ever since it was pegged with a whopping $15 billion valuation following Microsoft's famous purchase of a $240 million stake. Some of … Read more

Digging into Facebook's ad future

The fireworks have faded, the champagne has been uncorked and drunk, and now it's time to get down to business: Now that Microsoft has acquired a $240 million stake in Facebook to expand its advertising partnership, how is either company going to profit from the deal?

"That's the question that has surrounded social networks for the past few years," said Debbie Williamson, an analyst at eMarketer. "Right now, a lot of (the revenue) is from old-fashioned banner advertising that's not very targeted, it's inexpensive, and very plentiful."

The common wisdom is that … Read more