Green investing bounces back from recession
Venture Capital investment in green technology companies has jumped to tie pre-recessionary levels, according to a new report out of Greentech Media. With $1.9 billion spread over 112 deals, this year’s third quarter trounced figures from earlier this year, signaling a stronger than anticipated comeback for the sector, which took a beating during the economic downturn last fall.
To put the recent numbers in context: the second quarter this year saw $1.2 billion distributed across 85… Continue Reading
Amyris takes $24.7M for renewable biofuels
Amyris Biotechnologies, one of the best-funded companies deriving biofuels from synthetic microorganisms, has raised $24.75 million of a targeted $62 million third round of venture financing, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Emeryville, Calif. company has raised an impressive $120 million before now.
Both Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers have invested in Amyris — also setting it apart as one of the companies to watch in the… Continue Reading
Synthetic Genomics turns to palm oil with $8M investment
Craig Venter is famous for discovering and modifying microorganisms, but his biofuels company, Synthetic Genomics, plans to take the research a step further by sequencing the genome of the oil palm plant.
The company just raised $8 million from Genting Group, a Malaysian conglomerate, according to national newspaper The Star (credit to Earth2Tech for digging this up). Synthetic Genomics already had a partnership with Genting to work on palm oil, which is a major export in… Continue Reading
Amyris joins forces with Crystalsev to produce sugary fuels
A combination of rising food prices and environmental concerns has helped spark a backlash against biofuels. Once viewed as a key component of any successful climate mitigation strategy, biofuels — particularly those derived from food crops, such as corn ethanol — have seen their popularity wane in recent months as scientists and policymakers alike have come to realize that their costs may far outstrip their perceived benefits.
Brazil has arguably become the poster child for biofuel… Continue Reading
LS9 takes $15M to synthesize petroleum alternative
LS9, a Silicon Valley startup that hopes its technology may one day help replace petroleum, has taken $15 million more in funding.
The San Carlos, Calif. company uses synthetic biology to modify microorganisms in order to produce high-energy fuels, including to power cars (see our previous coverage).
According to the company’s own projections, it is two to three years from commercializing and selling a synthetic fuel. LS9 recently recruited president Robert Walsh, who brings several decades of… Continue Reading
Roundup: Biogenerics bill in limbo, clashing data on health IT benefits, the RNAi boom, and more
House-Senate confrontation set over biogenerics – Late last month, a key group of senators reached agreement on legislative provisions that would authorize copycat versions of biotech drugs, which are typically complex proteins manufactured by genetically engineered cells (see details here and here). These provisions would finally put biotech drugs — which don’t face cut-rate competition once their key patents expire — on a par with traditional pharmaceuticals, and have been a long time in coming. They’re… Continue Reading
Genetics roundup: The secrets of DNA, peering into Watson’s genome — and yawning, and more
What secrets lurk in the heart of DNA? – Didn’t the Human Genome Project answer that question? Think again. Last week, scientists involved in a project called Encode reported on a detailed analysis of one percent of the genome, and the findings have undercut a host of conventional wisdom about how genes and DNA work. Most notably, the Encode study suggests that much of the genome — the long stretches of seemingly inactive genetic “letters” surrounding… Continue Reading
Synthetic Genomics searches for alternative fuels, valued at $200M
Synthetic Genomics, the company started by controversial human genome entrepreneur Craig Venter, has raised financing at a whopper valuation even before it has produced its first viable product.
The company, based in Rockville, Md. is using Venter’s background as an expert in sequencing genes and applying it to finding new kinds of alternative energy sources.
The company announced last week that it had raised an undisclosed second round of financing from a group strategic investors, including the… Continue Reading