Founders

Lazard, one of the world’s preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms, operates from 42 cities across 27 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Central and South America. With origins dating to 1848, the firm provides advice on mergers and acquisitions, strategic matters, restructuring and capital structure, capital raising and corporate finance, as well as asset management services to corporations, partnerships, institutions, governments and individuals. For additional information, please visit www.lazard.com.

Prelude Ventures invests in highly innovative companies capitalizing on the significant market opportunities for advanced energy technologies focused on reducing the global economy’s carbon intensity. Founded in 2009 as an evergreen fund with a concentrated base of LPs, our fund has a high level of flexibility relative to the stage, size and structure of our investments. As a firm, we believe that successful investing in Cleantech requires backing exceptional management teams, establishing a long-term vision, taking informed risk, and having the necessary capital and patient time horizon to enable portfolio companies to develop on appropriate timelines. For additional information, please visit www.preludeventures.com.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is uniquely positioned to help companies and their financial partners realize the vast promise of the energy and clean technology field, and is actively advancing the interests of hundreds of emerging companies, mature energy technology and project development enterprises, and major public corporations seeking to be tomorrow’s energy and resources leaders. The firm’s traditional leadership in the technology sector makes it exceptionally well suited to serve as a strategic advisor to visionary companies at all stages of development. WSGR attorneys provide counsel to clients across a broad range of industry sectors, including advanced energy generation (such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, waste-to-energy, natural gas, cleaner coal, and hydrokinetic); battery and other energy storage technologies; energy efficiency; transmission, distribution, and smart grid; green building; bio-based chemicals; and electric vehicle, biofuels, and other transportation technologies. They also represent many of the leading venture capital firms, private equity firms, and energy project investors critical to the development and commercialization of those technologies. Moreover, the firm’s highly specialized team of energy and clean technology experts possesses top-tier expertise in everything from patents to project finance, government affairs to tax structures.  For additional information, please visit www.wsgr.com.

Sponsors

Deloitte is the leader in serving cleantech companies. Our multidisciplinary experience working with clients in a broad range of industries – energy, utilities, technology, manufacturing, and biotechnology – arms our practitioners with the insight to provide solutions to complex issues that cleantech companies face. To support innovation and the growth of cleantech companies worldwide, we advise clients on a broad range of audit and enterprise risk, tax, consulting, enterprise sustainability, and financial advisory issues. For more information, visit www.deloitte.com/us/cleantech.

Silicon Valley Bank is the premier commercial bank for companies in the technology, cleantech, life science, venture capital/private equity and premium wine industries. Named the top financial services company for cleantech companies in 2009 by the San Francisco Business Times, SVB provides a comprehensive suite of financing solutions, treasury management, corporate investment and international banking services to its clients worldwide. With a large concentration of cleantech clients, a deep understanding of the industry, its business models and inherent volatility, and as a cleantech advocate in Washington D.C., Silicon Valley Bank provides a level of service and partnership that measurably impacts its clients’ success. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., the company serves clients around the world through 27 U.S. offices and international operations in China, India, Israel and the United Kingdom. Silicon Valley Bank is a member of global financial services firm SVB Financial Group (Nasdaq: SIVB), with SVB Analytics, SVB Capital, SVB Global and SVB Private Client Services.  More information on the company can be found at www.svb.com.

Bringing together decades of business and investment experience, co-founders Tom Steyer and Katie Hall established Galvanize as an investment firm focused solely on climate solutions. Led by a world-class team of climate, investment, technical, policy, and communications leaders, Galvanize is purpose-built to catalyze the private sector and generate unstoppable momentum. More information on Galvanize can be found at galvanizeclimatesolutions.com.