Xeros Ltd, Oxford Catalysts Group plc – 20 of the UK’s best growing Clean Tech companies to visit Silicon Valley

01 Feb 2010

Some of the UK’s most successful and promising clean technology businesses are to take part in a mission to Silicon Valley where they will showcase their technologies and work to start opening their businesses up to an international market.

Clean and Cool Mission 2010, will give the entrepreneurs behind some of UK’s most innovative and growing clean technology companies, the opportunity to engage with the US’s top technology businesses and see how they are approaching the emerging market opportunities that the race to address climate change presents. The mission, which takes place between 20th and 26thFebruary, is designed to ensure that the 20 companies taking part benefit from the collective impact of a well run trade mission.

The businesses, already highly successful in the UK, will meet the media, peers from around the world, investors and potential partners; they will also engage with experts on the financial and public policy agendas relevant to clean technology businesses operating in the US.

Organised by Technology Strategy Board, UK Trade and Investment, Polecat, Volans and Enterprise UK and supported by Orrick, BP Alternative Energy and Cleantech Group the mission is designed to make it easier for some of the most innovative and enterprising entrepreneurs in the UK’s Clean Technology sector to take their businesses into the global marketplace.

Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board said: “The real story here is about these very successful UK business people who have embarked on innovative ventures in a new but growing sector. They are pioneers and we are working with them because we want to see them find their place in what looks set to become a successful international market.”

Martin McAdam, Chief Executive Officer of Aquamarine Power, one of the companies selected to participate in the mission, said: “The Clean & Cool Mission is a fantastic opportunity for Aquamarine Power to showcase our world-leading Oyster wave energy technology in the US, as well as exchange knowledge, expertise and contacts with our American counterparts. At Aquamarine Power, we’ve gone from a technology concept to a successful business employing over 45 exceptionally talented people. We’re now looking forward to demonstrating our potential for commercial success on a global scale.”

Editor’s notes

  • The 20 companies produce and are developing a wide range of clean technologies from ‘straw bale low impact buildings ’ to ‘waterless washing machines’, ‘hydro- and wave- power energy generating devices’ and much more. The companies are:
    • AMEE
    • Aquamarine Power
    • Artemis Intelligent Power Ltd
    • Breathing Buildings Ltd (previously E-Stack Ltd)
    • Diverse Energy Ltd
    • DIY Kyoto
    • Evince Technology Ltd
    • EVO Electric Ltd
    • HydroVenturi Limited
    • Integrated Environmental Solutions Ltd
    • Intelligent Energy
    • Isentropic Limited
    • Juice Technology Limited
    • Metalysis
    • Microsharp Corporation Ltd
    • ModCell Limited
    • Nexeon Ltd
    • Oxford Catalysts Group plc – www.oxfordcatalysts.com
    • PassivSystems Ltd
    • Xeros Ltd –www.xerosltd.com
  • Clean tech businesses were invited to compete for the opportunity to take part and in all there were over 150 applications with 20 businesses selected for the mission by a panel of judges made up of representatives from sponsor organisations.
  • The successful companies were announced at private event in London on Feb 1www.cleanandcoolmission.com st. Photographs are to be made available for use by the media at
  • More information is available at www.cleanandcoolmission.com and you can follow the progress of the 20 companies during their visit to registering on our social media pages on this site. We plan to include: an RSS feed, profiles of mission attendees, twitter fountain, video blogs from businesses, and a daily web log.
  • Supplementary quotes:
    John Steedman - European lead for Venturing, BP Alternative Energy said:
    “The Clean & Cool Mission represents an amazing opportunity for the best of entrepreneurial UK talent to visit Silicon Valley to understand for themselves how the US has developed a complete cleantech innovation ecosystem and successfully commercialised ideas.”
    John Elkington, Founding Partner & Executive Chairman of Volans said:
    “There is pressing need for climate change mitigation and adaptation over the next 50 years and clean technology is already one of the world’s fastest growing markets. UK businesses in this field need to expand and thrive enough now to be able to keep a firm foothold in this market in the future.”
  • The mission will coincide with the annual Cleantech Forum which takes place in San Fransisco between 24-26www.cleantechforum/sanfrancisco10/index.cfm th February 2010 and will bring together 1,000 industry leaders. For more information please visit
  • If you require any further media support in the run up to or during the mission, including opportunities to interview individual businesses and representatives from all of the organisations involved, please contact our Media Relations Manager, Claire Cunningham. Tel: 01793 442901 Mob: 07554 115745- email: claire.cunningham@tsb.gov.uk
  • The Technology Strategy Board is a business-led executive non-departmental public body, established by the Government. Its role is to promote and support research into, and development and exploitation of, technology and innovation for the benefit of UK business, in order to increase economic growth and improve quality of life. It is sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). For more information please visit www.innovateuk.org.
  • UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the British government organisation that helps overseas companies bring high quality investment to the UK and also helps UK-based companies succeed in an increasingly global economy. UKTI provides a range of expert services, individually tailored to maximise a company’s international success. These services are offered through a network of international specialists in British Embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world, as well as key experts in government departments across the UK. For more information please visit www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk
  • Polecat is a market intelligence company. Polecat’s product, MeaningMine, enables strategic decision-makers such as the Technology Strategy Board to better understand the environment in which they work surfacing emerging and dominant trends, influencers and perception statistics. For the Clean & Cool Mission, MeaningMine is monitoring the online discussions, topics, key influencers, organizations, and trends of the Cool Economy. For more information please visit www.meaningmine.com
  • Volans. Focusing on the business of social innovation, Volans is part think-tank, part consultancy, part broker and part incubator. Volans works globally with entrepreneurs, businesses, investors and governments to develop and scale innovative solutions to financial, social and environmental challenges. For more information please visit www.volans.com.
  • Enterprise UK Enterprise UK gives people the skills, confidence and ambition to be enterprising, through four programmes of work promoting enterprise for now and for the future, globally and locally. Founded in 2004 by the British Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Businesses, it is sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), and chaired by the entrepreneur Peter Jones. For more information please visit www.enterpriseuk.org
  • Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is a global law firm with more than 1,100 lawyers in 21 offices. Orrick’s Emerging Companies Group is a multidisciplinary group of lawyers that merges deep experience and commitment to high-growth businesses with a global platform that scales with its clients as they grow. Representing more than 600 venture-backed emerging companies worldwide, the Group runs a strong network with more than 100 venture capital firms, banking and accounting firms, national laboratories, universities and public companies in Europe, the United States and Asia. For more information, please visit www.orrick.com/emerging
  • BP Alternative Energy, launched in November 2005, is a portfolio of some of the fastest growing energy businesses in the world today. The portfolio includes wind, solar, hydrogen power and alternative energies including advanced biofuels and the capture and storage of carbon dioxide from traditional fossil fuels. With a commitment to invest $8bn up to 2015 in renewable energy sources, Alternative Energy is an integral part of BP. To find out more visit www.bpalternativenergy.com
  • The Cleantech Group pioneered clean technology as an investment category in 2002. The company has played an influential role in the development of the sector, fostering growth through information products, world class industry connections and custom advisory services. Since its inception, the Cleantech Group has focused on providing insight, business opportunities and relationships that catalyze the growth of cleantech markets worldwide, through 3 distinct services: Research, Advisory Services and Events. Today, as a global company with offices in North America, Europe, India, China and Middle East, the Cleantech Group is uniquely positioned to help clients take advantage of the worldwide opportunities represented by clean technology. For more information please visit www.cleantech.com

Media contact:
 Claire Cunningham
Media Relations Manager
Technology Strategy Board
Tel: 01793 442901
Mob: 07554 115745
Email: claire.cunningham@tsb.gov.uk
Clean and Cool Mission 2010 /Feb 2010 /Claire Cunningham.

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