New ideas that may transform the utilities industry.
Rodrigo Prudencio is a principal at Nth Power LLC.
Venture capital investments have tended in the past to focus on advances in computing, software, biotechnology, and semiconductors. Small investments led by venture capital firms hatched companies such as Apple, Google, Ebay, Amazon, Genentech, and Advanced Micro Devices-plus several others that never became household names.
But the growth and earnings potential when disrupting long-established industries or creating new economic sectors forms a key part of the excitement and appeal of the high-risk investment strategy at the heart of venture capital. As energy technology venture capital emerges, it is causing investors and entrepreneurs alike to sit up and take notice-and take action.
Defining Energy Technology
Energy technology encompasses a variety of inventions, innovations, and applications that serve a widely diverse set of energy consumers, producers, and specialized service providers. To better understand the markets, it is useful to divide energy technologies into four distinct categories. Each represents a segment with existing markets, established channel participants and customers, and opportunities to create significant investor value.