Cleantech San Diego to Host Three-Part Energy Startup Showcase Series in November
17 Southern California Energy Innovation Network Companies Will Present
SAN DIEGO, CA, October 21, 2020 – This November, the energy innovations of 17 regional cleantech entrepreneurs will be featured during a three-part Cleantech San Diego series showcasing startups in the Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN).
Over three weeks, the series will feature presentations from later-stage (November 5), mid-stage (November 12), and early-stage (November 19) companies with cleantech solutions spanning smart grid services, energy services, energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, energy storage, and clean transportation. The events are designed to raise visibility of SCEIN startups with venture capitalists, investors, and the broader cleantech community.
Held on Thursday, November 5, 12, and 19 from 9:00-10:30 am, all three events are virtual, free, and open to the public.
Schedule of Presenters:
November 5, 9:00-10:30 am
The first showcase in the series will feature the following late-stage startups that are currently in the process of raising a Series A or Series B round of funding.
Aquacycl – Aquacycl provides the only technology for treatment of high-strength organic wastewater without dilution. Aquacycl’s BETT™ systems eliminate primary sludge, offer net-neutral energy operations, and guarantee permit compliance at operational costs that are 50-95% lower than incumbent processes.
Kitu Systems – A comprehensive portfolio of communication solutions that enable coordination at scale of distributed energy resources (DER) with grid management systems. Kitu delivers EV charging and DER management services to residential and commercial customers, IEEE 2030.5 software to smart inverter and EVSE device manufacturers, and DERMS and aggregation services to utility customers.
Quibitekk – The US critical infrastructure is facing ever increasing cybersecurity threats and attacks. Qubitekk provides state-of-the-art cybersecurity protection for critical energy infrastructure using an unbreakable physics-based solution called the Quantum DataLoc transceiver. This product can be easily added into existing utility operations to reduce the cost and complexity of managing security keys.
UCAP Power – UCAP Power™ is an exciting new startup that provides ultracapacitor-based solutions across a wide range of renewable markets. Ultracapacitor systems use sustainable based products offering a longlasting (10+ years) source of reliable power storage that is targeted to replace lead-acid or other hazardous batteries in applications requiring dependable high power.
XENDEE – XENDEE is led by an award-winning team which has created a patented microgrid assessment and design software platform that simultaneously co-optimizes the techno-economic performance and power flow analysis of proposed energy resilience projects.
Xtelligent – Xtelligent is developing the traffic signal network of tomorrow. By integrating cutting-edge algorithm research with innovative sensing and learning capabilities, Xtelligent is working towards improving road network capacity by 50%+ at a 20x cost This is estimated to improve transportation efficiency by 20%+ while also enabling scaling of connected, automated, and electric vehicles.
November 12, 9:00-10:30 am
The second showcase in the series will feature the following mid-stage startups that are currently in the process of raising a Seed or Series A round of funding.
Chilldyne – A leak-proof liquid cooling technology for data centers that uses a patented negative pressure design to save 20-40% on electricity costs and enables up to ten times higher density computing than traditional air-cooled systems.
Conectric – An inexpensive wireless mesh sensor network and open API software platform that autonomously delivers rich data to create smart buildings and save operating costs without complicated IT commissioning and at three times cheaper than existing solutions.
igrenEnergi – An intelligent Battery Management System (BMS) that makes EV and stationary batteries more economically viable by using dynamic balancing to address cell mismatch issues resulting in longer-life, increased utilizable energy, and two times faster charging.
Ivy Energy – A software platform designed to help multifamily real estate investors increase their property values and secure additional monthly revenue while reducing tenant energy expenses. The company makes solar lucrative for multi-meter properties with shared roof space.
KIGT – KIGT manufactures interactive vehicle-to-grid EV charging stations (220 and 440 Volt options) that feature on-board billing with card swipe and the ability to manage surge pricing and power throttling in real-time during peak demand response events.
Uprise Energy – A 10 kW wind turbine that fits in a shipping container and sets up in one hour to produce clean, affordable electricity. The machine is most efficient in low wind speeds, allowing it to be conveniently located near customers that have historically relied on diesel generators for power.
November 19, 9:00-10:30 am
The third and final showcase in the series will feature the following early-stage startups that are currently in the process of raising Pre-Seed to Seed funding.
Benchmark Labs – Benchmark Labs combines grid-level weather forecasting data with site-based IoT sensors and uses proprietary AI software to provide precise asset-located weather forecasting to optimize renewable energy generation and maximize financial benefits.
Helicoid – Helicoid is commercializing a helicoidal structural design that will make all composite material products even lighter, stronger, more impact resistant, and more energy efficient while enabling a lower overall manufacturing cost. Helicoid’s beachhead market is wind turbine blades.
Icarus RT – Icarus RT offers a snap-on technology that boosts the power output of solar PV panels by cooling the panels, capturing the heat that would otherwise be lost, and using the collected heat to generate and store additional power.
NeoCharge – NeoCharge is a sustainably-driven company dedicated to enabling clean, easy, and affordable home electrification. Their flagship product, The Smart Splitter, eliminates multi-thousand dollar installations for homeowners and renters when retrofitting homes with EV charging and electric appliances. Their Smart Splitters include an integrated software platform that synchronizes charging for times of cleaner and more affordable energy. NeoCharge is currently working with EV charging companies, electric utilities, and Auto OEM’s to reduce barriers to home electrification.
Paranetics – Game-changing platform magnetics technology that significantly elevates energy and power yields in multiple applications. The revolutionary magnetic fields that are created by the ParaNetics proprietary technology generates two same magnetic poles on the outsides of a ParaNetic device – with the opposite pole existing between the two outside fields. ParaNetics is targeting applications in electric motors, aerospace propulsion, and sensors.
Southern California Energy Innovation Network Background and Quotes:
Funded by the California Energy Commission, Cleantech San Diego’s Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN) accelerator program supports energy startups from Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties that are developing solutions to help California meet its clean energy goals. The program provides free resources through a consortium of regional partner organizations to help energy entrepreneurs successfully bring their innovations to market.
As of October 2020, 50 companies have been served by the Southern California Energy Innovation Network, 34 of which are currently active in the program. Together, these startups employ 268 people and have raised $51 million in private capital investment and $23.5 million in public capital investment since being accepted into the program.
“The Southern California Energy Innovation Network continues to be a critical resource for our business,” said Orianna Bretschger, CEO and founder of award-winning cleantech water startup Aquacycl, who will present on November 5. “The SCEIN management team, mentors, service providers, learning opportunities, and investor connections have been pivotal in helping our company grow. The resources and introductions provided by SCEIN have helped Aquacycl meet funding goals, build our team, and better leverage and expand our network.”
“Cleantech San Diego and the SCEIN program changed the trajectory of our business tremendously,” said Paul Francis, founder and CEO of KIGT, a smart grid and energy services company, who will present on November 12. “In two years. KIGT has grown from a team of four to fifteen people and is projected to install thousands of EV Charging Stations in the next two years.”
“The SCEIN program has played a critical role in helping us expand our market opportunities beyond our initial agricultural beachhead and into the energy vertical,” said Christopher Lund, CEO and co-founder of machine learning based weather forecasting company Benchmark Labs, who will present on November 19. “Their staff and network have provided invaluable help with defining use cases as well as making introductions to potential customers and investors.”
“The Southern California Energy Innovation Network is not only helping the next wave of energy entrepreneurs bring their technologies to market, but it is ensuring the San Diego region and the state of California remain competitive in the clean technology and renewable energy sectors,” said Cleantech San Diego President and CEO Jason Anderson. “The entrepreneurs we are working with embody the innovation that San Diego is known for, and we look forward to using these events as a platform for sharing their ground-breaking clean energy solutions with investors and the cleantech community.”
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Media Contact:
Shannon Bresnahan, Cleantech San Diego, 858-568-7777, shannonb@cleantechsandiego.org
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