Four cleantech companies pitch at Greenstart demo day

Companies range from solar system provider to "Internet of Things" software app developer

Today was Demo Day at Greenstart, a San Francisco-based accelerator for digital cleantech companies.  Like other accelerators, Greenstart accepts a select few startups for three months of mentorship, complete with office space and $115,000 in funding.

At today’s Demo Day, four digital cleantech companies strutted onstage in front of 200 Silicon Valley investors.  Each startup got 10 minutes to pitch their business and technology, including:

Root3, a cloud-based energy software provider that reduces energy costs for facilities on large campuses, like hospitals, universities, airports, military bases, and manufacturers.  The solution requires no hardware installation, only access to data from the on-site power plants.  After three days, the cloud-based software can provide hourly, real-time guidance for managing the power generation facilities to produce exactly the amount of energy needed to run the campus.  Root3 reduces energy costs by 10-30%.

Kiwi, a solar power company that launched “JuiceBox” today.  JuiceBox is a new model of residential solar systems that are designed online, shipped directly from the manufacturer, and installed by local contractors in the Kiwi network.  The entire model is designed to cut down on costs to make the systems affordable enough for home owners to purchase outright, rather than lease.  Kiwi sells three sizes of JuiceBoxes that range from $12,000 to $24,000, and the model allows Kiwi to service states that major solar leasing companies don’t currently operate.  Originally launched in 2009, Kiwi has already raised $1.5 million in seed funding and plans to raise an additional $500,000 to launch JuiceBox into new markets.

Liquid, a peer-to-peer bike lending marketplace.  Liquid announced its rebranding Tuesday and demo’d its new mobile app.  Formerly known as Spinlister, the service allows any bike owner to rent his or her bike out to tourists, travelers, cyclists, and the like on an hourly, daily, weekly, or even a monthly basis.  The average price to rent is $20 a day, and bike owners have made up to $150 a week on the platform.  The company launched in New York and San Francisco in April 2012, and in September, Liquid opened up its platform nationwide.  CEO Will Dennis explains that the name-change reflects the core experience of the company’s product: a liquid marketplace.  The startup has already raised $340,000 to date.

People Power, a mobile app and cloud services company that specializes in the “Internet of things.”  Internet of Things refers to the growing network of connected devices that go beyond phones and computers to the more mundane, less obvious objects—like refrigerators, consumer packaging, front doors, power strips, etc.  People Power helps build out the connective tissue between those new “smart” objects and the companies who need to build out the software to connect to mobile users.  People Power develops software applications to connect smart objects to users’ mobile phones.  The company was founded in 2009 by serial entrepreneur Gene Wang, who sold his last startup, BitFone, to HP for $150 million in 2007.

All of the startups will launch a fundraising roadshow tomorrow, in which they’ll tour Silicon Valley to meet angel investors and venture capitalists. 

In addition to the startups’ pitches, Greenstart founder Mitch Lowe announced that the accelerator will be dropping the cohort model and will switch to rolling investments for companies who are accepted into the program.  Greenstart accepts 2% of applicants.  

Image source: celsias.com