Dealwatch: Cleantech

November 28 - Dealscape Blog (The Deal) - Cleantech venture investing has hit a record high in 2007, according to data out Nov. 28 from Thomson Financial and the National Venture Capital Association, as U.S. venture firms poured $2.6 billion into 168 cleantech deals in the first nine months of the year. The year-to-date total is already 46% more by dollar volume than all of 2006 and the highest dollar volume ever, the report said.

While the three largest cleantech deals by U.S. firms in the first three quarters of 2007 were in overseas companies, California, Massachusetts and Texas unsurprisingly roped in the most dollars and deals stateside, while solar energy saw the most activity by subsector. The largest funding for a U.S. company, the report said, came in two rounds totaling $115 million for GreatPoint Energy Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., which converts coals, petroleum coke and biomass into clean natural gas, from Citigroup Inc.'s Sustainable Development Investments unit, AES Corp., Suncor Energy Inc., Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Dow Chemical Co., Advanced Technology Ventures, Khosla Ventures and others. The most active U.S. investors this year have been Khosla, DFJ and Kleiner Perkins, the report said. Read More.