VatorNews - Vator contributor stories

Two wrongs don't make a right

by Awais Khan, February 9, 2009 | Comments

Brad Kayton, COO of 4Home, shares business model lessons

VatorNews clean tech correspondent Awais Khan speaks to Brad Kayton, COO of 4Home, in this segment of "Lessons for entrepreneurs." AK: You've been working with 4Home within the last three or four years; you are one of the founders. So are there any particular lessons you have learned that you can share with the rest of the entrepreneurial community as ...

Vision takes a long time to play out

by Awais Khan, January 29, 2009 | Comments

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Lessons learned from Mariah Power CEO Mike Hess

In this segment of "Lessons for Entrepreneurs," Awais Khan, VatorNews clean tech correspondent, sits down with Mike Hess, CEO of Mariah Power, a provider of east-to-install wind-powered appliances for the residential and business market.When asked to offer up his key pieces of advice from his experience running and starting the company three years ago, Hess dove right into failure. Experienced ...

Using the Internet to cut energy costs

by Awais Khan, November 4, 2008 | Comments

4Home fuels next-stage broadband services

The idea of Internet-connected appliances that can be controlled from one main dashboard has heretofore been more hype than reality. But increasingly, using the Internet to cut energy use is gaining traction. The home controls market is expected to grow fifty times its current size, according to the Home Automation and Security report. When I first visited the offices of ...

Turning waste into energy

by Awais Khan, September 21, 2008 | Comments

Ze-Gen converts waste streams to electrical energy

Globally, 4 Billion metric tons of waste is generated each year. In the United States alone, we create and then landfill over 300 million tons of Construction & Demolition (C&D) Debris , Municpial Solid Waste (MSW) and other related waste streams. Using gasification technology, Ze-gen converts C&D and MSW into zero-emissions Syngas and electrical energy. The company has demonstrated its technology at a prototype ...

The second most consumed item in the world

by Awais Khan, September 16, 2008 | Comments (2)

Integrity Block has developed a green replacement for Concrete Block

Guess what is the most consumed material in the world after water? - concrete! As of 2006, about 7 cubic kilometres of concrete are made each year—more than one cubic metre for every person on Earth. More than 55,000 miles (89,000 km) of highways in America are paved with this material. Due to the sheer mass of the concrete consumed and ...

The importance of working backwards

by Awais Khan, September 4, 2008 | Comments (3)

And, why ideas aren't worth much, but teams are worth tons

Often entrepreneurs are advised to be nimble and flexible; they're told to realize that their ideas and business models will change over time. So, why bother with a five-year plan? Well, as important as adapting to new realities is having goals and milestones and a road map. "One of the biggest lessons I've learned is the importance of working backwards," ...

Is a poor grid infrastructure an advantage?

by Awais Khan, August 20, 2008 | Comments

	Mariah Power enables distributed power generation Wind generators have been around for centuries but, Mariah Power, a company based in Reno, Nevada, has developed a very unique wind appliance - a vertical axis generator called "Windspire." It is 30 ft high and 2 ft wide, and costs under $4,000. The product is designed in a way that it can be easily installed and can begin generating power ...
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Saving a billion tons of emissions a year

by Awais Khan, June 5, 2008 | Comments

While the media is consumed with news about fuels and emissions from transportation, Kevin Surace, CEO of Serious Materials, points out that in fact the "built environment" is responsible for 52% of the greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, which compares to only 9% for cars and light trucks. Serious Materials intends to tackle this problem by manufacturing eco-friendly products and disrupting building materials processes, some of which were invented as early as 1917! The company is building manufacturing plants right here ...

Awais Khan Director, VC Practice, KPMG LLP

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