Sources inform ''Globes'' that a delegation of 40 representatives of 25 US and European cleantech venture capital funds will visit Israel on May 18-21. They will inspect Israeli energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water technologies.
The delegation is being organized by the California Israel Chamber of Commerce. It follows a meeting held last September in California between Israeli cleantech companies and investors and US companies.
The delegation includes representatives of Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla's Khosla Ventures, VantagePoint Venture Partners, Good Energies, Virgin Green Fund partner Shai Weiss, Silicon Valley Bank, CA Inc. (NYSE: CA), and Canaan Partners. Some of the participants are helping fund the visit. Israel Cleantech Ventures Funds and Ernst & Young Israel - Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer, the delegation host, are also funding it.
The delegation will meet Israeli cleantech companies at an Ernst & Young Israel conference. Some representatives will attend the cleantech panel of the annual Israel Venture Association High-Tech Conference.
California Israel Chamber of Commerce executive director Shuly Galili said that seed-stage start-ups, and not just companies with sales, will be among the companies presenting their wares to the delegation. She added, however, that most of the companies will be "companies that have already held their second or third financing rounds."
Consultancy firm Cleantech Group will advise the delegation.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 14, 2009
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2009