Mayor Chuck Reed Presents Inaugural San Jose Prize for Green Vision Innovation to Winners of California Clean Tech Open

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed at a press conference today announced that the inaugural San Jose Prize for Green Vision Innovation will be awarded to the 2008 California Clean Tech Open winners. Announced last night at the Clean Tech Open’s third annual awards gala, the winners and runners up include: Over the Moon Diapers, Viridis Earth, BottleStone, Focal Point Energy, Power Assure, ElectraDrive, Porifera, NexChem, GroundSource Geo, Solar Red, Renewable Fuel Technologies, Energy Empowered, and Goose Networks.

“I am delighted to announce the San Jose Prize for Green Vision Innovation, which will help us meet our Green Vision goals of attracting and growing entrepreneurial and innovative companies,” said Reed. “Turning an idea into a global company is the Silicon Valley way. It’s our hope that winning the California Clean Tech Open and receiving the San Jose Prize is a key step in that journey.”

The San Jose Prize, the result of a strategic partnership among the City of San Jose, the San Jose Redevelopment Agency, the California Clean Tech Open, Environmental Business Cluster and the San Jose BioCenter, connects top clean tech entrepreneurs with San Jose’s world-class incubator programs. It is intended to accelerate bringing clean tech innovations to market and create a pipeline of top clean tech companies that have the potential to grow and create jobs in San Jose, critical factors in realizing the goals of San Jose’s Green Vision, the City’s ambitious plan to stimulate the economy and improve the environment.

According to Mayor Reed, the partnership between the California Clean Tech Open and the San Jose Prize for Green Vision Innovation is critical to helping solve energy and climate-change challenges, while expanding San Jose’s long-term ability to attract clean tech companies and create and retain jobs. Through this strategic partnership, San Jose aims to build relationships with leading entrepreneurs and investors across California, encouraging investment in the next wave of innovation.

The Prize includes a scholarship for free furnished office space at the Environmental Business Cluster, subsidized space at the BioCenter, and world-class business services through San Jose’s incubator program for one year. Services will include business planning, market analysis, and survey assistance; intellectual property assessment; operations structure development; as well as financing assistance, investor and customer presentations, and the design of marketing and sales collateral. Professional counsel will be provided by the Environmental Business Cluster staff and Advisory Board, volunteer mentors, as well as San Jose State University MBA student interns — many of whom are management employees within leading Silicon Valley companies.

“Earlier this year, the California Clean Tech Open competition announced the launch of our third annual competition inside the Rotunda at San Jose City Hall. It is fitting that our winners will have the opportunity to grow their clean tech companies in a city with a significant legacy of fostering and supporting new ideas and transformative innovations. We commend Mayor Reed and the City of San Jose for their efforts in helping to speed ideas to commercialization that will effectively address the world’s energy and environmental challenges,” said Michael Santullo, co-founder, California Clean Tech Open.

“For an early-stage company to survive and grow, especially in the current economic climate, it needs to conserve capital and avoid costly administrative overhead and other expenses that do not advance their company’s core mission. We are excited to be able to provide the supportive business environment needed for success and drive the aspirations of these emerging companies,” said Jim Robbins, executive director, EBC.

San Jose Prize Attracts Private Sector Support

Demonstrating the private sector support for the San Joes Prize for Green Vision Innovation, Adaptive Planning, a provider of on-demand budgeting, forecasting and reporting software applications, announced that it has pledged to provide the winners and other finalists of the San Jose Prize for Green Vision Innovation with $100,000 worth of in-kind software and services to support their rapid growth and continued business success. In addition, GlobalFluency, a worldwide communications services firm, will provide each of the winners with a consulting session, valued at $10,000 per session, to help mine their respective messaging and positioning.

“We are pleased to support the Clean Tech Open alongside the City of San Jose,” said William A. Soward, CEO of Adaptive Planning. “The impact that’s possible when forward-thinking companies and public institutions coordinate their efforts can far exceed what any individual organization can do on its own.”

“We understand the early stage importance of driving integrated communications solutions to amplify growing markets, activate investor and customer relationships, and build valued brands,” said Donovan Neale-May, president, GlobalFluency. “This is especially crucial in the burgeoning clean tech sector. Those that establish a strong market presence and brand identity today will be the inevitable brand choices of consumers and businesses tomorrow.”

For more information on the Clean Tech Open award winners please visit: www.cleantechopen.com

About the California Clean Tech Open

A non-profit organization, Clean Tech Open is an innovation catalyst, helping today’s clean-tech innovators become tomorrow’s viable clean-tech businesses. The core of Clean Tech Open is an annual regional business plan competition that provides clean-tech entrepreneurs and early stage companies with the training, services and insights they need to successfully go to market. To date, Clean Tech Open has assisted alumni companies in raising over $115 million in funding, as well as created hundreds of jobs in the clean tech market. Fueled by a one of a kind network of over 400 volunteers and in-kind sponsors, Clean Tech Open connects the public and private sectors with a shared vision for making the clean-tech sector a thriving economic engine. Past alumni start-ups include Cool Earth Solar, Aurora Biofuels, GreenVolts and Adura Technologies. To learn more, please visit: www.cleantechopen.com.

About the Environmental Business Cluster

The Environmental Business Cluster is a non-profit clean energy and environmental technology commercialization center located in Downtown San Jose, Calif. Through its varied services and multiple resources the Cluster assists emerging clean energy and environmental technology companies in reaching the market. The Cluster provides business assistance programs to resident and non-resident companies and aids in the formation of technology partnerships and industry networks. During its 12 year history, the Environmental Business Cluster has helped more than 120 businesses commercialize and market their products and services. It is the recipient of the National Business Incubation Association’s 2008 Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year, the organization’s highest honor that recognizes overall excellence in business incubation, and is awarded to the nation’s top incubator.

About the San Jose BioCenter

The San Jose BioCenter is a life science and emerging technologies incubator providing state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, specialized research equipment, and best-in-class business support services. Its mission is to provide entrepreneurs with that “Big Company Advantage” through facilities, equipment, resources, contacts and expertise they need to commercialize their technology. Established in 2004 by the Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose and the San Jose State University Research Foundation, and managed by Prescience International, the San Jose BioCenter is the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive suite of laboratory and business services in a biotech-ready facility. With a total investment of over $7.9 million in facilities and equipment, the San Jose BioCenter has evolved into the premier destination location for emerging companies and research scientists alike. For more information, visit www.sjbiocenter.com.

About San Jose’s Green Vision

On October 7, 2007, Mayor Chuck Reed introduced San Jose’s Green Vision, which sets 10 ambitious goals for environmental protection and economic development. This 15-year plan envisions: creating 25,000 Clean Tech jobs; building or retrofitting 50 million square feet of green buildings; installing 100,000 solar roofs (1/10 of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1 million solar roofs for California initiative); reducing per capita electricity use by half; becoming a zero waste city; recycling and reusing 100 percent of the city’s water; and moving to 100 percent renewable energy. San Jose, the nation’s tenth largest city, already is a leader in clean energy and solar innovation, with leading corporations such as SunPower, SoloPower, Stion, Nanosolar, Fat Spaniel, SunWize, Sopogy, and others headquartered in the city. Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors recently announced that it would locate its headquarters and new manufacturing plant in San Jose. For more information, visit www.sanjoseca.gov/greenvision/.

About the City of San Jose

From its founding in 1777 as California’s first city, San Jose has been a leader, driven by its spirit of innovation. Today, San Jose stands as the largest city in Northern California and the Capital of Silicon Valley — the world’s leading center of innovation. The city, the 10th largest in the U.S., is committed to remaining a top-ranked place to do business, work, live, play and learn. For more information, visit, www.sanJoseca.gov.