Hispanic-Net

Overlooked Rising Clean Tech Stars?

By definition, all contestants are either early-stage startups and/or mostly self-funded.In fact, many of them are outright moonlighting ventures. However, if history is any guide (past winners have now raised more than $115M), some of these companies should advance to secure venture backing, and generate revenue and profits. 

These are the good old days

It's been awhile since I've posted to this blog, but it is a great time for us to share experiences. The doom and gloom backdrop of the overall financial markets could have the effect of driving entrepreneurship to the back of the bus. However, this is really an opportunistic time. If you think about it, companies large and small are facing the same playing field. So, no one gets too far ahead. If you've got a new idea, you'll have more time to get it right. If you want to think about a new idea, you'll get mindshare from everywhere as people have time to give you specific feedback on the viability of your idea.

Future of Renewables Symposium @ Google

I am reporting on the CTO symposium dubbed “Future of Renewables" at Google, which I attended this week. In it, a panel of PG&E, Google , VC clean tech, policy experts and entrepreneurs explained where both the action and the roadblocks are in the renewable energy space.  It was a sold-out event, with many other Hispanic entrepreneurs and volunteers also present.

On this post, I report on the 3000 feet view presented by the panel.  There were also a number of CCTO entrants presenting at boots in the hallway.  I will mention some of them in my next post covering the contest finalists.

Mitch Posada Launches QueVerde.com

Here's a shout-out to Mitch Posada, managing director of Grupo Entrada, on his latest venture, www.queverde.com.  QueVerde.com's mission is to be the leading media outlet dedicated to sustainability and green living among Latinos and Latino owned business in the U.S.

Why QueVerde?
There is no global news or media connection point between the Sustainability Movement and the Latino World >> Mass media is shrinking and media outlets are proliferating and segmenting the Latino into less coverage >> Sustainability Movement data is overwhelming and scientific oriented >> The Green Movement tone is negative and alarming >> Multi-dimensional topics are needed to address the interests of Latinos in the evolution of the Sustainability Movement

Queverde has launched two blogs:  TodoVerde and SoyVerde.  Check them out.

Download this podcast interview with Mitch Posada on Daniel Gutierrez' radio show. About the podcast:  Join Daniel as he dives into the question of the new social capital and social networking. How does this new way of reaching your audience change the way we see our world and how we communicate with each other. Guest Mitch Posada, Managing Director of Grupo Entrada, and Founder of LatinLounge.tv and QueVerde.com.

Attention Clean Tech Hispanic Entrepreneurs

Turn 3 Pages into $100k. Deadline to Enter: June 14th

Ready to take your clean tech business idea to the next level?

All it takes is a three-page Executive Summary and $250 per team ($150
for all-student teams), and you have the chance to win a
"Startup-in-a-Box" Prize Package worth $100,000 in cash and services.
Upload your Executive Summary by June 14.

To Enter and for details, click here. 

For a personal perspective on CTO '07, see Steve Montoya's post in this blog.