"A Structured Approach to Cleantech Development"

John Davison - Tips for Entrepreneurs

John Davison is a Global Accounts Business Analyst at HP and the San Francisco Metro Director of the Cleantech Open, the largest business competition for early stage companies in the cleantech sector. In this HP Startup Central Tips for Entrepreneurs interview, "A Structured Approach to Cleantech Development," Davison provides his insights on what makes the cleantech sector unique for startups and how to be successful working in it. 

Davison says the main thing he sees working with early stage cleantech companies is that often the technical and engineering founders don't have much entrenched strategic business education. On the other hand, the cleantech sector is distinctive in that entrepreneurs with business experience also need to arm themselves with both the technical knowledge of the science behind the cleantech technology and the understanding of its unique economic drivers. Because the sector is new and quickly changing, many entrepreneurs don't have that background to prepare them and have difficulty competing. Furthermore, Davison observes that the cleantech sector is highly fragmented and very technical, making it challenging to stimulate innovation. 

As a result, Davison is working with startups through the Cleantech Open to create an environment where entrepreneurs can have a "structured approach to growth and development"—what he refers to as structured innovation. The mission of the Cleantech Open is to "find, fund and foster the most successful cleantech startups on the planet." To learn more about the Cleantech Open, visit: https://www.cleantechopen.com 

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