Source:
GreenBiz.com
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2005 - This fall, the World Resources Institute
is recognizing several companies from the energy efficiency,
agriculture, and construction sectors in three countries as prime
candidates for venture capital investment. The companies are being
announced as finalists for New Ventures -- a series of green-business
accelerators sponsored by the World Resources Institute (WRI).
The first event was held in Mexico on October 18, with upcoming
competitions slated for today in Shanghai, China and Nov. 29 in Sao
Paulo, Brazil.
"We are seeking access to China's innovative technologies and
entrepreneurs; the New Ventures forum is a place for us to do that,"
said Catherine Cao, a partner at Tsinghua Venture Capital Fund. "Through
the selection and mentoring process, they ensure a pipeline of quality
companies with high growth potential."
Many of the entrepreneurs that will be at the forum in Shanghai offer
products and services aimed at improving energy efficiency, particularly
relevant in light of the Chinese government's efforts to reduce its
dependency on fuel imports. These companies include Yunnan Zhenghong
Environmental Protection Energy Conservation, which manufactures
energy-saving ovens that increase fuel efficiency by up to 40 percent,
and Nanning Growing Power Tech, which manufactures energy-efficient
small-scale boilers. Another company, Beijing Daxing Heat, holds nearly
20 patents for a movable heat recycling and shipping machine that
collects waste heat from energy-intensive industries and transfers it to
nearby commercial properties. Inner Mongolia Huaqi Biotechnology uses
methane-capture technology to recycle the energy created from animal
waste into a source of energy for farmers.
Construction companies are prevalent among the finalists for the Nov. 29
forum in Brazil, where the market for environmental technologies grows
about 8% to 10% each year. Destinação e Revaloração de Resíduos
processes industrial waste to manufacture a variety of construction and
concrete products such as blocks, tiles, and panels. Empresa Brasileira
de Reciclagem recycles plastics to manufacture traditional wood products
for the construction industry, and Adespec specializes in
environmentally sound adhesives and sealants for construction, home, and
arts.
The agricultural sector in Mexico has been struggling to adapt to market
changes brought on by NAFTA, and several entrepreneurs at the forum in
Mexico sought to exploit specialized and environmentally friendly
markets. One firm, Itanoni Flor de Maiz, is a gourmet tortilla franchise
promoting native Mexican varieties of corn. Another, ALIBIO, provides
bio-tech services to the agricultural and water-treatment sectors. A
third company, Biopremium, processes and distributes organic mushrooms.
"WRI's New Ventures program enables funds like ours to find those unique
entrepreneurs who are truly achieving triple bottom-line impacts," said
Jennifer Morris, Verde Ventures fund manager at Conservation
International. “Also, the New Ventures mentoring program provides
entrepreneurs with the essential skills needed to grow their businesses
and increase their level of environmental, social, and financial
impacts."
New Ventures provides all of its finalists with professional business
consulting. Since 1999, New Ventures has hosted nine investor forums
that have facilitated investments of more than $12 million to several
sustainable businesses. The forums began only in Latin America, but have
since expanded to include China. In 2006, New Ventures will hold its
first investor forums in India and Indonesia.
More information on New Ventures, plus a complete list of portfolio
enterprises, is available
online.
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