Biochemical developer Aurora Algae raises $22M

Aurora Algae, a developer of biofuels and biochemicals produced from processed algae, announced today that it has raised $22 million in its most recent round of funding.

The company is part of a small set of funded biologically-produced chemical companies that produce a diverse number of biochemical products, such as feed stock and transportation fuel. These types of companies have experienced a recent string of successful exits. Biofuel makers Solazyme, Amyris and KiOR all successfully … Continue Reading

Biofuel investing falls as sector matures

Investing in biofuel companies that produce oil-alternatives fell 5.4 percent to $930 million in 2010, down from $980 invested in alternative fuel companies in 2009, according to a report from cleantech analysis firm Lux Research.

While investing in alternative fuels across the board fell, investments in biofuel companies that can produce a diverse number of products from typical feed stock rose to an all-time high of $698 million in 2010. That’s because the investment community … Continue Reading

Has cleantech investing lost its glamour? Khosla Ventures loses two partners

Two partners are leaving storied cleantech investment firm Khosla Ventures, as excitement has started to peter out in the once-buzzing clean technology space.

Khosla Ventures partners Jim Kim and Alex Kinnier have followed former partner Gideon Yu in leaving the cleantech investing firm. The turnover has clouded the future of clean technology investment firms, which are exposed to higher risk and lower returns now that the initial excitement has died down.

“Not unlike most sectors, … Continue Reading

Market tantrum scares cleantech investors

Cleantech companies might not be feeling the sting of today’s market frenzy any worse than the rest of the pack. But for those companies, which typically require massive capital investments, a sustained downturn could crunch down on the sector’s badly-needed cash flow.

A number of prominent investors and sector analysts painted a gloomy picture when contacted by VentureBeat, citing cleantech’s more intense up-front costs.

The NASDAQ composite index fell nearly 7 percent for the day. … Continue Reading

Kleiner Perkins leads slower Q2 cleantech investing

Investments in clean technology projects fell 10 percent in the second quarter this year to $1.83 billion when compared to $2.03 billion in the second quarter of 2010, according to research firm Cleantech Group.

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers led venture capital firms in the number of fundraising rounds. The venture capital firm participated in a total of 12 rounds, including those of electric bus manufacturer Proterra and iControl Networks. Draper Fisher Jurveston had the … Continue Reading