Showing posts with label Isaac Berzin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isaac Berzin. Show all posts

Monday, November 2, 2009

Jerusalem event highlights U.S.-Israel energy cooperation

On Sunday, November 8th, hundreds of young professionals will gather in San Francisco for the Jewish Response to the Energy Challenge conference featuring cleantech entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers.

The conference will be broadcast to several cities around the world, including Jerusalem, where organizers have arranged for their own simulcast event on the U.S.-Israel Partnership for Clean and Secure Energy Solutions.

Dr. Isaac Berzin, Director of the Institute for Renewable Energy Policy at IDC Herzliya (and Founder of Greenfuel Technologies) will give the keynote address.

Dr. Berzin will be followed by a panel discussion featuring:
Congratulations to Beata Sheyer and Lisa Wolf, both new immigrants to Israel, for putting together such an interesting program.

Related Posts:

Conference to highlight Jewish community's response to energy challenges

Isaac Berzin addresses 130 people at Cleantech Israel meetup

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Shai Agassi named to Time 100 list of world's most influential people

Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO of Better Place, the electric car infrastructure start-up, was named today to the Time 100, a list of the world's most influential people.

This is the second year running that a leader of Israel's cleantech industry has been named to the Time 100. Isaac Berzin, founder of GreenFuel Technologies and the Institute for Alternative Energy Resarch at IDC Herzliya, made the list in 2008.


Agassi was born in Ramat Gan, Israel and graduated from Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, where he received a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

Better Place has raised more than $300 million and is partnering with utilities and governments to install its electric vehicle infrastructure in Israel, Denmark, Australia, Portugal, Ontario, Hawaii, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Better Place's primary R&D center is in Israel.

Alan Salzman, CEO of VantagePoint Venture Partners, a major investor in Better Place, says that Agassi is "the closest we've seen to a Steve Jobs of clean tech — visionary, technologist, businessman. What's it like working with him? Exhilarating, exhausting, challenging, gratifying. He recently turned 41. Wonder what he'll do after transporting us to a better place?"

Agassi was also recently profiled in the New York Times Magazine.

Related Posts:

Better Place and Haifa to cooperate on electric car infrastructure

Better Place raises €103 million, names new Danish CEO

Better Place appoints Israel CEO, declares Israel as primary R&D center

Isaac Berzin, Israel's "Green Giant"

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

CleanIsrael Cleantech Startup Showcase

On December 15th, the CleanIsrael Network will host its first Cleantech Startup Showcase, featuring presentations by 5 Israeli startups from the energy, water, and green technology sectors.

The presenting companies are Agam Energy, Emefcy, High Check Control, Phoebus Energy, and SOVNA.

The event is sponsored by Amit, Pollak, Matalon & Co. and organized in conjunction with IDC Herzliya's new Institute for Renewable Energy Policy and Applied Research (IDC IREP), founded by Dr. Isaac Berzin.

This the first event of its kind for the CleanIsrael Network. Founded last March by the author of this blog and Gene Dolgin, an analyst at Israel Cleantech Ventures, the group grown into a network of 650+ cleantech-related entrepreneurs, investors, academic researchers, service providers, and government officials. CleanIsrael's regular networking events host speakers from industry-leading organizations such as Better Place, Cleantech Group, Israel Cleantech Ventures, and Sindicatum Carbon Capital.

More than 150 people have already registered to attend the event in Israel. For more information, and to register, click here.

There will also be a live web cast of the event to several North American groups, including the Boston Israel Cleantech Alliance, California Israel Chamber of Commerce, Texas-Israel Chamber of Commerce, and the law offices of Gowlings in Toronto and Ottawa. Click here to register for the event in Boston.

Several of the participating companies should be familiar to readers of this blog and observers of Israel's cleantech industry.

Emefcy, co-founded by serial entrepreneurs Eytan Levy and Ronen Shechter, who previously founded wastewater treatment company AqWise, has already received venture funding from Israel Cleantech Ventures. Emefcy, which is developing products that produce electricity from wastewater treatment by leveraging Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology, was featured in Jerusalem Post. Greentech Media detailed Levy's efforts to raise $3.5-5.0m in a Series A funding round during the CICC Cleantech Tour of Silicon Valley last month.

Phoebus Energy, which received a first round of venture funding from Terra Venture Partners in 2007, is developing a hybrid heating unit to more efficiently produce energy for institutions such as hotels, hospitals, and factories. Phoebus, and its CEO, Yoav Ben-Yaacov, were featured in Israel21c earlier this year.

SOVNA, a startup that installs vertical micro wind turbines atop high-rise buildings, was previously called ALT-E and was featured in Ha'aretz earlier this year. Erez Ella, a noted Israeli architect whose projects include the Museum Plaza in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of Sovna's co-founders and also participated in the CICC Cleantech Tour of Silicon Valley last month.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Launching the Boston Israel Cleantech Alliance

I moved from Tel Aviv to Boston last month to begin working as an associate in the Business Law Department of Goodwin Procter LLP, a law firm with a substantial Clean Tech Practice.

Boston, like Israel, is emerging as a leading hub for cleantech research, development, and entrepreneurship. The Boston Israel Cleantech Alliance will be working to connect cleantech investors, entrepreneurs, academic researchers and government officials in both places, and the group is helping organize a number of upcoming events.

Israel Cleantech Investor Conference

On October 28, 16 Israeli cleantech venture capital funds and startups traveled to New York and Boston to meet with private equity, venture capital, and angel investors.

Participating startups included Aquapure Technologies Ltd., Aquatal Ltd., Cequesta Water Ltd., CheckLight Ltd., Coriolis Wind Ltd., CQM Technologies Ltd., En Gibton Ltd., Engineuity Ltd., EPC Wastewater Solution Ltd., Leviathan Energy Ltd., and RealiteQ Ltd.

The Israeli cleantech funds were: AquAgro Fund LP and its parent Gaon Agro Industries Ltd., BDB Technologies & Hi-Tech Investments Ltd., Israel Cleantech Ventures, MIYA, Precede Technologies Ltd., and Whitewater Technology Group.

In Boston, each participant made a 10-minute presentation in the morning and had an opportunity to meet one-on-one with investors like North Bridge Venture Partners and Atlas Venture in the afternoon. A formal reception in the evening included a presentation by Booky Oren, CEO of MIYA and Chairman of WATEC 2009, and a keynote address by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

You can read press coverage of the events in the Jerusalem Post and Globes and view photos online.

Environmental Symposia Featuring Experts from Ben Gurion University

On November 12, three professors from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will be in Boston to give presentations on their respective cleantech-related fields of expertise. Prof. David Faiman, who is also CTO of ZenithSolar, will speak about solar energy; Prof. Isaac Meir will discuss "green" architecture; and Prof. Zeev Wiesman speak about biofuels.

You can find more information about the lunchtime and evening symposiums and RSVP at the Boston Israel Cleantech Alliance meetup page.

Biofuels: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - A Presentation by Dr. Isaac Berzin

Dr. Isaac Berzin is the founder of Cambridge-based GreenFuel Technologies -- a venture-backed developer of algae-based biofuels -- and the founding director of the Institute for Alternative Energy Policy at the IDC in Herzliya, Israel. Earlier this year, Dr. Berzin was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in politics, business, and science.

Back in June, I had the honor of hosting Dr. Berzin at a CleanIsrael meetup event in Ramat Hasharon.

On November 20th, Dr. Berzin will speak to an audience of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and graduate students at Harvard Business School. The event is sponsored by Goodwin Procter LLP and Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), in collaboration with the HBS Business & Environment Club, Harvard Kennedy School's Israel Caucus, MIT-Israel Program, and the New England Israel Business Council. You can find out more and RSVP at the event's meetup page.

Shai Agassi, CEO of Better Place

Shai Agassi of Better Place is scheduled to visit Boston on December 3rd and 4th. Stay tuned for more details.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Isaac Berzin addresses 130 people at Cleantech Israel meetup

Israel's cleantech community was out in force this morning in Ramat HaSharon. Approximately 130 investors, entrepreneurs, service providers, and "high-tech refugees" attended the latest Cleantech Israel meetup, where they had an opportunity to network and hear a presentation by Dr. Isaac Berzin.

To get a participant's perspective on the event, check out Karin Kloosterman at TreeHugger and Tali Aben's blog post.

What started three months ago in a coffee shop in Herzliya seems to have grown into something much larger. It has been an honor and a pleasure to be involved in the group's founding and development, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

As I announced at this morning's meeting, the group is now going "global" with the establishment of the Boston Israel Cleantech Alliance. Please check out the web site and contact me if you want to get involved.

Related Posts:

Michael Granoff speaks at Cleantech Israel event

Cleantech Israel group meets in Herzliya

Highlights from first Cleantech Israel meetup event

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Isaac Berzin to address Cleantech Israel group

Dr. Isaac Berzin, the founder of Boston-based GreenFuel Technologies, will be the featured speaker at the next Cleantech Israel event on June 17.

Dr. Berzin, now a Senior Fellow at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, was recently named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in politics, business, and science. He will discuss his experience at GreenFuel Technologies, which produces algae-based biofuels, and his plans to establish an Institute for Alternative Energy Policy in Israel.

For more information about GreenFuel Technologies, check out this video:



The event is sponsored by Terra Venture Partners. Please RSVP online.

Related posts:

Isaac Berzin to establish Institute for Alternative Energy Policy

Isaac Berzin, Israel's Green Giant

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Isaac Berzin to establish Institute for Alternative Energy Policy

Dr. Isaac Berzin, founder of Greenfuel Technologies and a member of 2008 Time 100, is profiled by Karin Kloosterman in the latest edition of Israel21c.

In the interview, Dr. Berzin discusses his plans to establish an Institute for Alternative Energy Policy in Israel. The institute will be located at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, where Berzin is now a senior fellow, and will collaborate with the U.S.-based Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS) and National Energy Technology Laboratory.

Dr. Berzin will be the featured speaker at the next Cleantech Israel event on June 17. If you are interested in meeting Dr. Berzin and learning more about his vision for Israel's cleantech future, I encourage you to join the group and RSVP.

See also: "Looking for a few green men" (Jerusalem Post)

Related posts:

Isaac Berzin, Israel's Green Giant

Global map of cleantech startups includes five Israel-related companies

Monday, June 2, 2008

JTA: "Israeli firms invest in clean tech"

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) just published a lengthy article on the cleantech scene in Israel. JTA articles are often republished in local Jewish newspapers around the world, and it is nice to see Israel’s cleantech sector getting publicity in the Diaspora.

I am quoted in the article -- as the author of this blog and an organizer of the Cleantech Israel meetup group -- alongside industry players including Dov Raviv (CEO of MST), Yael Cohen-Paran (Director of the Israel Energy Forum), Yossi Abramowitz (Chairman of the Arava Power Company), Prof. David Faiman of Ben-Gurion University, and Dr. Isaac Berzin (Founder of GreenFuel Technologies).

The entire article is available online. Here is the section that includes my quote:

"Turning Israel into a center for clean technology could build new bridges between Israel and Diaspora Jews, says Jonathan Shapira, a recent American law school graduate living in Tel Aviv who organizes monthly meetings for entrepreneurs interested in clean tech and writes a blog on the subject.

As an example, Shapira cited the business park for renewable energy firms being built in the Arava with funding from Toronto's Jewish community.

"Rather than just making a charitable donation, people are helping create the infrastructure for economic growth and a cleaner environment in Israel," Shapira said."

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Isaac Berzin, Israel's "Green Giant"

Dr. Isaac Berzin, founder of Greenfuel Technologies, was recently profiled in Ha'aretz.

Berzin and Greenfuel have developed a revolutionary technology to produce biofuels from algae that are bred on gases emitted by power plants.

Time Magazine included Berzin in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008, and Fortune Magazine also published a flattering article about the company, which has raised tens of millions of dollars in venture capital. Just last week the company raised another $13.9 million from Access Private Equity, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Polaris Venture Partners.

Berzin, a senior faculty member at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, is now busy establishing an Israel-based international institute to formulate an alternative energy policy. With the thriving market for growing algae as a source of energy - more than 250 companies and universities are engaged in this sphere - Berzin has decided to focus on setting policy. "I want Israel to become an international center of knowledge in the realm of alternative energy. The world is looking for solutions in this sphere, and in my view Israel is in a very special position. The toolbox that is needed to create solutions of this kind is here."

Related content:

Global map of cleantech startups includes five Israel-related companies


Jennifer Fonstad -- DFJ Tamir Fishman Ventures

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Global map of cleantech startups includes five Israel-related companies

Earth2Tech, a web site that provides cleantech news and analysis, has posted a map of 101 cleantech startups around the world, with useful information (investors, technology, etc.) broken out for each company.

No fewer than five Israel-related companies are on the list, including water disinfection company Atlantium Technologies; photovoltaic developer Pythagoras Solar; fuel-cell maker CellEra; electric car infrastructure developer Project Better Place; and biofuel company GreenFuel Technologies.

Project Better Place and GreenFuel Technologies are based in the U.S., but both companies were founded by Israelis and are engaged in R&D in Israel.

Project Better Place was founded by Shai Agassi and the company announced that it will roll out the first nationwide electric vehicle recharge grid in Israel by 2011.

GreenFuel Technologies was founded by Israeli chemical engineer Isaac Berzin during his postdoctoral studies at MIT in Boston. The company is developing an innovative process to recycle carbon dioxide or smokestack emissions to produce biofuels and feed. GreenFuel is collaborating with AlgaTech of Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava to make the process cost effective.

This is an impressive showing by Israel's growing cleantech cluster, especially considering that only two companies in all of Europe were included in the Earth2Tech list.