EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

DATE: 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, 2013

PLACE: Blau Auditorium, Ross School of Business, 701 Tappan St., Ann Arbor

EVENT: Michigan Clean Energy Venture Challenge

Robot helicopters for bridge inspections. Smart home-lighting systems. Two-seat electric vehicles. These are three of the products from green energy startups that will compete this week for more than $100,000 in prizes at the CEVC. Now in its fifth year, the competition encourages student technologists from colleges and universities across Michigan to transform clean tech ideas into viable ventures.

Winners will be announced at the Feb. 15 awards ceremony, which features speaker Don Runkle, CEO of EcoMotors, a Michigan-based startup that designs and manufactures eco-friendly combustion engines. The top four teams will also pitch their ideas to attendees.

“It’s been exciting to witness the extraordinary progress of the teams and their ideas over the past six months and the evolution of the CEVC itself over the last few years,” said Doug Neal, executive director of the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship, which administers the competition. “We’re committed to contributing to the acceleration of the state’s entrepreneurial success. It’s great to see talented student entrepreneurs from such a large number of Michigan universities and colleges involved in the challenge this year.”

Seven U-M teams are among this year’s semifinalists. They are:

• TerraWatt Solar, which provides residential solar system consultations and designs.
• Recraft, which designs and services water systems that generate biodiesel.
• A2B Bikeshare, which enables communities to independently implement bike sharing.
• Sky Specs, which has designed a robotic helicopter that flies itself and carries cameras and sensors to inspect bridges and other structures.
• conDUCT Solutions, which increases the potential for LEED certification for building owners by generating electricity from high-rise waste streams.
• Precision Water, which has developed a system that lets users dispense exact amounts of water from their faucets.
• Spray-n-Stretch, which has developed a method to fully recover shrunken clothes using a fabric friendly spray and a simple garment stretcher.

This year, 22 teams from 10 Michigan colleges and universities have advanced to the Feb. 14 semifinals, almost double the number of schools represented in last year’s competition. Each team participates for the full six months of the challenge and receives mentorship, up to $2,000 in prototype funding, intensive training on lean business formation, and critical feedback on their ideas from experts in the field.

“More than a funding vehicle, the CEVC is designed to give students entrepreneurial tools that can be applied during the competition and beyond. Our hope is to create a statewide cohort of entrepreneurs with the potential to turn Michigan into a clean energy hub,” said Amy Klinke, assistant director for small business initiatives at the Center for Entrepreneurship and one of the contest’s directors.

Past first- and second-place winners include PicoSpray, a U-M team whose small-engine fuel injection system for motorcycles, mopeds and lawn mowers was recently featured in Fast Company, and 2012 Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition winner Algal Scientific, a U-M and Michigan State University team whose technology removes nutrient pollutants from waste water while producing algae that could be used as fuel, fertilizer or bioplastic.

The competition is part of a national effort encouraging young entrepreneurs to develop greener energy solutions through President Obama’s Startup America campaign. The winner of the Michigan contest will advance to a regional competition in the spring in Chicago, and eventually could have a shot at a national grand prize in Washington, D.C., this summer.

A total of 13 prizes will be awarded on Friday. In addition to a first- and second-place prize, there will be six category awards, including best resource conservation, energy efficiency, and for the first-time this year, app- or computer-based program. Five special achievement awards will be given to best prototype, most disruptive, best team assembled, best pivot(s) and judges’ choice.

Beyond U-M, students from these colleges and universities are participating: Western Michigan, Wayne State, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Central Michigan, Grand Valley State, Kettering, Northwood and Oakland.

SPONSORS: Baker College of Flint, DTE Energy, MASCO Corporation Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Dow Corning, Google and Next Energy. U-M partners include the Ross Energy Club, Energy Institute, Center for Entrepreneurship and MPowered.

INFORMATION: http://micevc.com

U-M Sustainability fosters a more sustainable world through collaborations across campus and beyond aimed at educating students, generating new knowledge, and minimizing our environmental footprint. Learn more at sustainability.umich.edu.