California Sustainable Energy Entrepreneurial Development (CalSEED) Initiative
Investing in the Next Generation of Clean Energy Technologies
California Clean Energy Fund dba CalCEF Ventures
Recipient
Oakland, CA
Recipient Location
9th
Senate District
18th
Assembly District
$26,353,379
Amount Spent
Active
Project Status
Project Update
In 2020, grants totaling over $7 million have been awarded to 34 entrepreneurs throughout the State for a range of projects including a low-cost, high performance hydrogen electrolyzer and a transparent solar control coating that can be painted directly onto rough surfaces and achieve a 50% reflection in heat energy. Almost 100 entrepreneurs have been awarded $150,000 small grants under CalSEED - constituting $21,450,000 awarded in total - with $5.4 million of that amount awarded to underrepresented groups. Ten Prototype Awards for an additional $450,000 each have been awarded under CalSEED - given as follow-on funding to CalSEED entrepreneurs whose technologies have the strongest impact and commercial potential.
The Issue
Clean energy entrepreneurs have trouble securing very early stage funding for potential breakthrough technologies even if those technologies would merit significant follow-on funding after the proof-of-concept is completed. Additionally, entrepreneurs with technology concepts often do not have adequate access to the mentoring, technical consulting, and business services that they need to successfully bring their technology to market.
Project Innovation
The CalSEED Initiative helps develop California's next generation of clean energy entrepreneurs, providing seed funding as well as mentoring, technical consulting, and business development services to support energy entrepreneurs and research teams in their quest to develop breakthrough solutions that will benefit electric ratepayers in Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric service territories. Entrepreneurs receive funding in two stages. Concept Awards provide funding of up to $150,000 and are conducted through open solicitations; Prototype Awards provide funding of up to $450,000, but are only available to companies who have received a Concept Award.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
addresses a critical gap in the early technology development phase where small amounts of funding can have a significant impact in bringing new ratepayer-beneficial innovations to market by providing seed funding as well as mentoring, technical consulting, and business development services to support energy entrepreneurs and research teams in their quest to develop breakthrough clean energy solutions.,'46977
Economic Development
The CalSEED Initiative fills important niche in the energy innovation space by providing initial small grant funding to energy entrepreneurs to prove out their technology concept. The results can be used to attract private sector interest and funding for their energy technology venture. In total, CalSEED awardees have leveraged their grants to raise an additional $65.8M in follow on funding from public and private sources.
Key Project Members
Joy Larson
Sarah Chester
Subrecipients
University of California - Davis
The Regents of the University of California, San Diego
Center for Sustainable Energy
Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
Elemental Excelerator
Umberg Zipser LLP
Greenlining Institute
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Build Momentum (d.b.a. Momentum)
Match Partners
The Regents of the University of California, Davis
California Clean Energy Fund dba CalCEF Ventures
Umberg Zipser LLP
Greenlining Institute
Build Momentum (d.b.a. Momentum)
