Alternative Energy Grabs The Attention Of Top Venture Capital Firms

Venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins is anxious to fund promising alternative energy business plans.

The venture capital folks that specialize in green businesses got together in March 2006 in San Francisco, looking for alternative energy businesses. ("Green businesses" are those that deal with renewable resources.)

There were over 500 attendees, a big increase from earlier years.

The keynote speaker was John Doerr, the highly respected member of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a major venture capital firm. He gave a rousing speech.

Mr. Doerr was more than a little concerned about the rampant growth in population of major cities throughout the world. "We will suffocate, and overrun, and pollute and poison our planet to death,'' he said. He noted that there are eight cities the size of Manhattan being built every year, mainly in China. John Denniston, Mr. Doerr's partner, joined him in the presentation.

The gentlemen presented two solutions to the planet warming conditions that are so threatening: 

(1) implement sensible policies, including a market for trading carbon emissions credits. Such a market would give credits to countries that pollute less than their pre-set limit, and allow them to sell those credits to other countries that want to pollute more than the limit, and

(2) more state and federal subsidies to help support alternative sources of energy, and consumption.

He encouraged other venture capital firms to join in the battle, lauding Entrepreneurship, the real strong suit of the US and of Silicon Valley. He was emphatic that companies need to search for ways to reduce the vast amounts of energy consumed by cars, industrial pumps and other energy hogs.

And when companies have found the way, go straight to Kleiner Perkins -- collect your millions and do some good for the planet at the same time.  Your business plan can help get you there.