LA Cleantech Incubator
Nonprofit, Public-Private Partnership | |
Industry | Cleantech |
Founded | 2011 |
Founder | City of Los Angeles |
Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, United States |
Key people |
Fred H. Walti II, President & CEO Neal Anderson, COO Ian Gardner, CSIO , Erik Steeb, VP Programs |
Website |
laincubator |
LA Cleantech Incubator (LACI) is the City of Los Angeles's official cleantech business incubator established to accelerate the commercialization of clean technology and job creation in the Los Angeles region.[1] LACI's staff of entrepreneurs, market specialists, and researchers combined with its 60+ mentor/advisor network provide expert advice on a full range of issues facing early to growth stage companies, including CEO coaching, financial modeling, business development, IP, and more. The organization is run "by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs" and pursues public objectives by harnessing private methods and resources.[2] In 2014, LACI was ranked by UBI Global as the Number 6 university-affiliated business incubator in the world out of 800+ incubators in 67 countries.[3]
History
LACI was founded in 2011 to empower the City of Los Angeles' primary economic strategy, which is to drive the innovation and growth of Los Angeles' green economy. LA Cleantech Incubator was funded by the CRA/LA and the LADWP for the City of Los Angeles and is a result of the Clean Tech Los Angeles (CTLA) alliance among the Mayor's office, the University of Southern California, the University of California at Los Angeles, the California Institute of Technology, the Art Center College of Design, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, the Los Angeles Business Council, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, LADWP, and the CRA/LA.[4]
At LACI's official launch night, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said, "The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator is an important investment in the future of our great city. LACI will have an important role in developing new profitable businesses and creating jobs right here in LA. With this project, we take a big leap forward, toward a stronger and more sustainable economy that will help distinguish LA as a center of innovation and prosperity." [5]
Company
LACI is located in Los Angeles' Cleantech Corridor in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles. Situated in a four mile long strip between the Los Angeles River and Alameda in the eastern part of downtown, the Cleantech Corridor is the cornerstone of the city's green economy strategy.[6] Startups apply to become an LACI Portfolio Company online through a process that includes an analysis of the applicant's business model, interviewing the management team, reviewing financials, and checking references.
Management
- Fred H. Walti II, President & CEO
- Neal Anderson, Chief Operations Officer
- Ian Gardner, Chief Strategy & Investment Officer
- Erik Steeb, VP Programs
- Michael Swords, VP Partnerships
- Amanda Sabicer, VP Development
- Ben Stapleton, VP Facilities and Operations
- Bob Musselman, Chief Executive In Residence
Strategic Imperative
LACI's Strategic Imperative is to move "the country off of its dependence on foreign fuels...California has already put its stake in the ground with AB 32, requiring all utilities to get 33% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020. And Los Angeles is ahead of every major city by achieving almost 20% of its energy from renewable resources by 2010. The new strategic imperative is to focus the private and public sectors on the processes and technologies regarding the sustainable consumption of our natural resources." [7]
Portfolio Companies
- 360 Power Group, advanced generators
- California Lithium Battery, lithium ion battery system
- Chai Energy, consumer energy efficiency through a simple, mobile app
- CURRENT, alternative energy lifestyle store
- Ecoponex, closed loop, net zero urban farm
- Envi, waterless car detailing, ondemand
- FreeWire, an advanced network of mobile EV chargers
- GOmeter, smart meters for home water systems
- Green Way Laboratories, non-toxic, green cleaning products
- GRID Logistics, mega port goods movement
- Hive Lighting, energy efficient plasma lighting
- Hollywood Electrics, electric motorcycles and EV performance kits
- Isidore Electronics Recycling, e-waste with a social mission
- Juicer Electric Motorbicycles, handcrafted e-bikes
- Nextility, commercial solar water heating
- Perception Robotics, sensing systems for industrial equipment
- Pick My Solar, solar online marketplace
- Repurpose Compostables, compostable consumer bioplastics
- Revoterial, sustainable, non-toxic materials
- XELNT, efficiency recovery for HVAC systems
- Cleanmag, magnetic material technology for the clean up of the water-borne oil spills
La Kretz Innovation Campus
The La Kretz Innovation Campus is a cleantech center for cleantech innovation and commercialization activities [8] that is expected to open in the summer of 2015.[9] The 60,000 square foot campus[10] will host a variety of cleantech companies and municipal bodies,[11] as well as a research and development facility and a work force training center.[12] LACI will move its operations into the La Kretz Innovation Campus upon completion of construction.
References
- ↑ "Green LA Plan". Los Angeles Mayor's Office. May 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ↑ http://laincubator.org/services
- ↑ http://laincubator.org/blog/2014/09/18/laci-ranked-as-top-10-global-incubator/
- ↑ "LA to Launch Cleantech Incubator". socaltech.com. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ↑ "Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator Officially Launches". PR Newswire. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ↑ "LA City Officials Launch First Clean Tech Incubator Downtown". Southern California Public Radio. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ↑ "Strategic Imperative". LA Cleantech Incubator. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ↑ "L.A.'s Clean Tech Incubator: Anchoring a Greentech Cluster". The Planning Report. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ↑ Harris, Ian (13 January 2012). "LA Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and La Kretz Innovation Campus moving forward as planned". LA Cleantech Incubator. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ↑ Vaillancourt, Ryan (28 October 2011). "The Man Behind the Cleantech Incubator". Los Angeles Downtown News. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ↑ Guzman, Richard; Regardie, Jon; Vaillancourt, Ryan (17 February 2012). "LA Kretz Innovation Campus". Los Angeles Downtown News. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ↑ "La Kretz Innovation Campus". LA Cleantech Incubator. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
http://www.cleanmag.gr/homepage/