CHICAGO--March 19, 2013; The Clean Energy Trust today announced the slate of judges for the 2013 Clean Energy Challenge, a $310,000 business plan competition to take place April 4 in Chicago.
“The caliber of the judges at this year's competition really speaks to the hunger in the marketplace for new clean energy ideas”
This prestigious group of clean energy leaders and investors will select the winners at the third annual Challenge. Eight companies from four states will compete for the $100,000 early-stage prize. Nine student finalists will vie for the $100,000 Student Challenge prize. Cash prizes in both tracks are provided by the U.S. Department of Energy. In addition, all competitors are eligible for the $50,000 McCaffery Lakeside Prize, sponsored by McCaffery Interests.
"The caliber of the judges at this year's competition really speaks to the hunger in the marketplace for new clean energy ideas," noted Amy Francetic, Clean Energy Trust executive director. "Certainly the prize money and acceleration services are incentives for the finalists, but they are very excited by the opportunity to have their businesses evaluated by the most discerning minds in cleantech."
The 2013 Clean Energy Challenge Judges:
| Tom Brennan |
Arch Venture Partners |
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| Matt Brown |
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP |
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| Tim Brumbaugh |
GM Ventures |
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| Paul Cummings |
Honda Strategic Ventures |
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| Issam Dairanieh |
BP Ventures |
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| Rahul Das |
Intellectual Ventures |
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| Ira Ehrenpreis |
Technology Partners |
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| Tom Filarski |
Steptoe & Johnson LLP |
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| Declan Flanagan |
Lincoln Renewable Energy |
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| Mike Frerker |
Invenergy |
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| Gerd Goette |
Siemens Venture Capital |
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| Ashley Grosh |
Wells Fargo |
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| Michael Horowitz |
Robert W. Baird and Company |
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| Val Jensen |
ComEd |
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| Anand Kamannavar |
Applied Ventures |
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| Tom Kappel |
Danfoss |
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| Dick Kiphart |
William Blair |
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| John Krzywicki |
True North Venture Partners |
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| Adam Lerner |
McNally Capital |
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| David Marquardt |
Ernst & Young |
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| Matt McCall |
New World Ventures |
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| Ed Miller |
Joyce Foundation |
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| Steven Moffitt |
GE Energy |
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| Marc Neri |
Silicon Valley Bank |
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| Pin Ni |
Wanxiang America Corp. |
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| Mil Ovan |
Navitas Systems |
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| Armando Pauker |
Apex Venture Partners |
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| Mark T. Peters |
Argonne National Lab |
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| Jeff Phillips |
Renergy Capital |
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| Daniella Proske |
BASF Ventures |
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| Dan Radamski |
NextEnergy |
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| Mike Rehberg |
Dow Chemical |
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| Anna Remis |
Sidley Austin |
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| Craig Rigby |
Johnson Controls |
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| Susanne Roslon |
Abbott Laboratories |
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| Jimmy Samartzis |
United |
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| Rick Smith |
Ameren |
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| Sven Strohband |
Khosla Ventures |
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| Richard Stuebi |
Early Stage Partners |
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| Tim Stojka |
Agentis Energy |
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| Matt Trevithick |
Venrock |
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| Steve Vielmetti |
Johnson Controls |
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| Tracy Warren |
Battelle Ventures |
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| Steve Weiland |
KPMG Corporate Finance |
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| Dennis Welch |
American Electric Power |
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| David Wells |
Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers |
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| Rob Winner |
Seyfarth Shaw LLP |
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| Ed Woodbury |
McCaffery Interests |
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| Mark Zhu |
DTE Energy Ventures |
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| Matthew Zoerink |
UK Trade & Investment |
The 2013 Clean Energy Challenge sponsors include: United States Department of Energy, Advanced Energy Economy, Ernst & Young, GE, Joyce Foundation, McCaffery Interests, SC Johnson, United Airlines, Wells Fargo, Abbott Laboratories, Ameren, Invenergy, Missouri Energy Initiative, Nortech, Northwestern University, Purdue University, Skadden, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Missouri, Wanxiang America Corporation, Wisconsin Energy Research Consortium, ARCH Venture Partners, Applied Ventures, BP Alternative Energy, ComEd, Danfoss Group Global, DTE Energy, Dow Venture Capital, Exelon Corporation, Illinois Ventures, Johnson Controls, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, Lincoln Renewable Energy, Missouri Technology Corporation, New World Ventures, Next Energy, Renergy Capital, Sidley, Steptoe & Johnson, Technology Partners, True North Venture Partners, UK Trade & Investment, Venrock, Walgreens, Agentis Energy, Baird Capital, Case Western Reserve University Great Lakes Energy Institute, Dominion Community Foundation, EDP, Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, Ohio State University Office of Energy & Environment, Shaw Group, Silicon Valley Bank, University of Dayton and University of Missouri.
The Clean Energy Trust was founded by prominent business and civic leaders to accelerate the pace of clean energy innovation in the Midwest. The trust is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Joyce Foundation, the Chicago Community Trust, the Small Business Administration and donations from over 50 investors, corporations, universities and trade groups. For more information, visit www.cleanenergytrust.org.