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| Cleantech Forum | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cleantech Forum |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Technology conference |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location | Various (San Francisco, San Diego, London, Geneva) |
| First | 2002 |
| Organizer | Cleantech Group |
Cleantech Forum Cleantech Forum is an annual technology conference series focused on venture capital-backed clean technology innovation, convening entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, and policymakers. Founded in the early 2000s, the Forum developed alongside platforms such as TechCrunch, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, SXSW, and World Future Energy Summit, positioning itself at the intersection of Silicon Valley financing, European Commission energy policy, and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations. The Forum has been held in cities including San Francisco, San Diego, London, and Geneva and organized by the Cleantech Group.
The Forum functions as a market-facing convening for innovation in sectors represented by companies such as Tesla, Inc., Siemens, General Electric, Vestas Wind Systems, and First Solar. Program elements mirror formats used by Davos-adjacent gatherings like the World Economic Forum annual meeting and investor summits such as the Milken Institute Global Conference. Sessions draw speakers from institutions including the European Investment Bank, U.S. Department of Energy, International Energy Agency, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and corporate R&D teams from Apple Inc., Google LLC, and BP plc. Sponsors and partners have included multinational financiers like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and development organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation.
Launched in 2002 by the Cleantech Group and early backers from Kleiner Perkins and DFJ Growth, the Forum emerged as part of a post-dotcom era pivot toward energy efficiency and renewable energy investment narratives championed by figures like Vinod Khosla and John Doerr. Through the 2000s it paralleled growth tracked by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and policy shifts from the Kyoto Protocol to national incentives like the U.S. Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Feed-in Tariff schemes in Germany. After the 2008 financial crisis the Forum adapted to emphasize later-stage funding alongside early-stage incubation models used by Y Combinator and Plug and Play Tech Center. In the 2010s it incorporated discussions influenced by reports from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and frameworks such as the Paris Agreement.
Typical formats include keynote addresses, panel discussions, startup showcases, corporate innovation workshops, and investor roundtables, reflecting session templates similar to TED Conference and Mobile World Congress. The Forum’s startup competitions have showcased companies later associated with Bloom Energy, NIO, ChargePoint, Proterra, and Sunnova Energy International Inc.. Workshops have featured corporate venturing units like Shell Ventures, TotalEnergies Ventures, and Chevron Technology Ventures, and public-sector programs spotlighting agencies such as California Energy Commission and UK Research and Innovation. Executive briefings often incorporate analysts from McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group.
Attendees span venture capital firms (for example Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital, Andreessen Horowitz), strategic corporate investors (for example Siemens Venture Capital, ABB), government delegations from entities like Department of Energy (United States), philanthropic funders including UN Foundation, and academic researchers from institutions such as Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, and ETH Zurich. Startup cohorts have drawn CEOs, CTOs, and founders whose firms later received investments from firms like SoftBank, Temasek Holdings, and BASF Venture Capital. Media coverage frequently comes from outlets including Reuters, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist.
The Forum has been credited with facilitating deal flow and partnerships that contributed to scale-ups in solar, energy storage, electric mobility, and energy efficiency technologies, linking investor interest similar to that tracked by PitchBook and Crunchbase. Notable outcomes include corporate innovation partnerships, mergers and acquisitions involving firms like Johnson Controls and A123 Systems, and visibility for policy proposals later echoed by bodies such as the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy. The event’s network effects have supported ecosystem formation in regions highlighted by Cleantech Open accelerators and influenced procurement pilots with utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric and Iberdrola.
Regional editions and thematic tracks have addressed markets and challenges in North America, Europe, and Asia, aligning with summits like Asia Clean Energy Summit and regional initiatives such as Mission Innovation. The Forum’s thematic programming has included sessions on solar photovoltaic deployment, offshore wind development, energy storage technologies, electrified transportation, circular economy models found in programs by Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and carbon management approaches referenced by International Maritime Organization regulations. City-focused editions have engaged municipal leaders from San Francisco and London alongside investors targeting regional portfolios.
Critics have pointed to a commercialization bias favoring venture-scalable models and later-stage capital, echoing critiques leveled at venture capital-centric conferences and accelerators such as TechCrunch Disrupt and Demo Day formats. Environmental groups and some academics have questioned the Forum’s emphasis on market mechanisms over regulatory and systemic interventions advocated by scholars at University of California, Berkeley and activists associated with Friends of the Earth. There have been debates over sponsor influence, corporate greenwashing similar to controversies involving ExxonMobil and Shell plc, and whether investor presentations overstate technology readiness compared with peer-reviewed assessments by National Renewable Energy Laboratory and International Energy Agency analyses.
Category:Technology conferences Category:Environmental conferences Category:Cleantech Group