Craig Miller, CEO of ACG Chicago, told LEDs Magazine says that the event has been planned in conjunction with ThinkEquity LLC, an investment bank with a strong presence in the “green technology” area. “ThinkEquity has been integral in developing the agenda and panels, and their expertise in the cleantech areas as an investment bank has been extremely helpful,” says Miller.
“This is ACG Chicago’s fifth conference in the cleantech area (see details) and follows the format of our highly successful program on lithium ion batteries, which has evolved into a national alliance and development effort in that sector,” adds Miller. “We look to our 1000+ members here in the Midwest (out of 13,000 globally) to drive investment and awareness in these new areas of economic and corporate development for over 30 programs annually.”
SPEAKERS
- “The Move Toward Solid State Lighting” - Bruce Pelton, Director of Engineering, California Lighting Technology Center
- “The Perfect Storm, a Disruptive Technology” - Chuck Berghoff, Chief Executive Officer, OptoElectronix
- “The Market Outlook for High Brightness LEDs & Solid State Lighting” - Bob Steele, Director, Strategies Unlimited
IN-DEPTH PANELS
Enabling Adoption, Downstream LED Opportunities and Challenges
Participants:
Acuity Brands, Inc., iLight Technologies, LedEngin, Inc., Nexxus Lighting, Inc., Renaissance Lighting, Inc.
An incandescent light bulb generates only 15 lumens/watt, emits over 90% of energy as heat and lasts 1,000 hours. With lighting accounting for 22% of US electricity consumption, LED light fixtures have enormous potential to reduce energy use while delivering the end user longer life, reduced maintenance, better light, innovative applications and significant cost savings/ROI. While LED technology has now evolved to a point enabling significant adoption, integrating the technology into end user fixtures and applications remains a difficult undertaking of far-greater complexity than screwing in an Edison light bulb. The companies on this panel are at the forefront of different LED lighting applications and will discuss the current opportunities and challenges they face in the market today.
Advances in LED Technology
Participants:
BridgeLux, Inc., Intematix, Luminus Devices, Inc., Lynk Labs, Nuventix, Inc.
Inefficient, legacy lighting technology is 100 years old. The Light Emitting Diode (“LED”) represents the most significant advancement in lighting since the invention of the light bulb in 1879. This disruptive technology has evolved from simple red indicators in the 1970s to 50,000+ hour, 100+ lumen/watt white LEDs today. LED cost has fallen by 10x while performance has increased by 20x per decade and is on track to become the most efficient light source created. A highly engineered semiconductor device, LEDs require advanced materials innovation and packaging and power, thermal and optical management components to achieve maximum performance. Panelists companies represent different LED components, technologies and approaches and will discuss cutting edge advancements in the field.
Investment and Consolidation in Advanced Lighting
Participants:
American River Ventures, Applied Ventures, LLC, Doll Capital Management, Sierra Ventures, Vantage Point
The lighting industry is experiencing revolutionary period of investment and consolidation largely driven by LED and other efficient lighting technologies. According to Cleantech.com, efficient lighting has received $420mm (LED $354mm) of venture investment since 2007, accounting for 26% of all energy efficiency venture investment. In addition, rapid innovation has driven acquisition activity – often at premium valuation multiples – as large traditional lighting companies race to deliver LED products or risk obsolescence. How should investors approach this rapidly advancing sector and what opportunities exist? Are there other areas in addition to LED? This Tier I venture panel of experienced Advanced Lighting investors will share their thoughts on investment and strategic activity in the sector.
