The schools will be built using ModCell’s renewable, carbon capturing materials that lower heating costs by up to 85 per cent, whilst any energy used on lighting, computers and other technology will be reduced even further using the PassivEnergy energy management system. The first school is scheduled for completion in September 2010 and will be an exemplar of how Zero Carbon Schools will be delivered.

ModCell® is one of the first products to make large-scale, carbon-negative building a commercial reality. The ModCell® system utilises the excellent thermal insulation qualities of straw bale and hemp construction to form prefabricated panels, made in a local Flying Factory™. This allows super-insulated, high-performance, low energy ‘passive’ schools to be built using renewable, locally sourced, carbon sequestering materials.

The BSF programme is the biggest-ever school buildings investment programme, with the aim being to rebuild or renew every school in the UK.

“BSF provides an enormous market opportunity for ModCell and PassivSystems and the recent £600m Somerset County Council selection of its preferred bidder for its schools shows just how big,” explained Craig White, of ModCell. “The combination of our two companies’ technologies makes for an extremely compelling proposition, enabling schools to reduce their carbon emissions drastically.”

Once the schools are constructed, PassivSystems will supply its energy management system, PassivEnergy into every classroom, the first time occupancy management has been used in schools. PassivEnergy works using sensors and actuators that connect to a building’s heating, hot water and electrical appliances and manages them via an online account.

PassivEnergy also has an innovative ‘Adaptive Occupancy Control’ function to further optimise energy use, which will learn about a school’s working day and automatically adjust and control energy consumption accordingly.

“Adding PassivEnergy to the ModCell® Renewable Schools’ super efficient building system will make these first schools a blueprint for any further schools intent on lowering carbon emissions,” said Colin Calder, CEO of PassivSystems. “A school’s energy needs will vary on an hourly basis and from classroom to classroom and PassivEnergy will learn and manage those requirements to significantly reduce energy use.”

ModCell and PassivSystems finalised the agreement to work together on the Clean and Cool Mission to San Francisco, which took place last week. The mission saw 19 leading UK clean tech companies spend a week in San Francisco taking part in a range of activities designed to help them open up their business to the US market.

Ian Gray Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board said:

“We are delighted to hear that Clean and Cool Mission has brought together two of the UK’s clean tech Companies to develop a joint offering into the Building Schools for the Future programme. The mission was a huge success with companies reporting a high success rate in establishing new contacts, starting valuable interactions with venture capitalists and forming new and exciting collaborations, such as the partnership between ModcCell and PassivSystems. The unique combination of high energy efficiency, use of renewable materials, and the ability to capture and store carbon in the structure, that the ModCell renewable School offers combined with the energy control that PassivSystems delivers, are a very exciting prospect for the market.”

Click here to download the full press release

This is the third trade mission I’ve been involved with, and I’ve jotted down a dozen things I’ve learned. ‘Takeaways’, as they say;

1. There is a certain urgency created by being somewhere for one week only. You can’t be palmed off with a meeting in a month’s time. Why should an investor meet you on Thursday? Because by Friday, you’ll be gone.

2. A group attracts attention, which benefits everyone. I’ve lost count of the number of times when someone has said ‘Oh, I heard about you guys’. As news of the mission reached the media, several companies reported unsolicited approaches. Being part of the group is a great conversation starter, as you point out friends and colleagues around the room.

3. You can have a series of conversations with people. For example, we have been travelling with several journalists (from the Guardian, Wired UK and Spectator Business) and there isn’t the pressure to go into pitch mode at every opportunity. You know you will be able to follow up in a couple of hours, and to share your story as it unfolds.

4. There’s (just) time for two meetings with the same person. Lots of the companies have been following up Tuesday’s pitches with Thursday or Friday meetings. Some have been back to see Arup, or to arrange a formal interview with a journalist, met over brunch at the weekend. Two meetings in one week back home would seem over-keen. On a mission, it’s par for the course.

5. The competition element adds credibility. People are impressed when they hear that over 140 companies applied to attend the Clean and Cool Mission. It gives them confidence that an hour spent with our group will not be time wasted.

6. A blend of funders works well. The backing of the British Government goes down well here in the US. Back home, this can trigger eye-rolling and tutting, which may be silly and naive, but it’s true. The people we are meeting are smart enough to realise that UK Trade and Investment plays an important role in brokering valuable connections. They recognise the significance of the Technology Strategy Board (our lead sponsor) and this goes down well.  The companies fund their own plane tickets and accommodation.  We use the sponsor’s money to add value to the week. 

7. Work hard play hard. The people we’ve been meeting are driven, and they love to have fun. Sometimes it’s easier to build relationships over pub quizzes than formal meetings.

8. Wall to wall doesn’t work. I must admit that one of the days this week was too full. The days which work best are ones where we have at least a few clear hours to do our own thing. Some take the opportunity to rest or catch up with work, others pack in impromptu meetings. The energy when we reunite is fantastic.

9. Leverage the social networks of local friends. Susan MacTavish Best’s brunch worked well because she invited her own contacts. The farewell drinks at the Consul General’s house had over forty influential, hand-picked guests. The events which work best are the ones where we join forces to pull the list together.

10. Skills develop as the week goes by. Sitting around the enormous table at City Hall, I was aware of just how much clearer our ‘elevator pitches’ had become in only three days. Following Kevin Surace’s master class in dealing with Silicon Valley VCs, the changes in presentation style and substance were obvious.

11. Opportunities emerge within the group. Already, several companies have agreed to work together. In every case I have heard about, they had not met before the mission.

12. A ‘hive mind’ emerges. As we get to know each other, we can help each other. Meeting a VC who doesn’t invest in your particular area? Allow me to introduce you to someone I think you’ll love. The entrepreneur you’re talking to is after press coverage? Have they met the Business Week reporter, standing in the far corner?

As I prepare to leave for the airport, I believe in the value of trade missions more than ever. I also believe, despite the nonsense talked by some naysayers, in the value of public-private collaborations. Without the significant private cash of Orrick, BP Alternative Energy, and the Clean Tech Group, we wouldn’t have had a Clean and Cool Mission. Without the Technology Strategy Board being first to sponsor, we could not have begun planning. The introductions brokered by UKTI have made the trip worthwhile. If this is the last mission I’m involved with, I’ll be disappointed and more than a bit surprised. Thank you for tuning in, and watch this space!

Oli Barrett

We’ve been to Arup, Autodesk, City Hall and Better Place….

Clean and Cool Mission

The masterclass provided the companies with an insight on what it takes to successfully operate in California; from advice on banking to tips on the culture. We had a range of helpful advice on legal issues from Lou Soto of mission sponsors Orrick, banking from Matt Maloney of Silicon Valley Bank, working in the California culture from Julia French of Covered Communications, the help available to UK companies trying to do business in the US from Jaclyn Mason of sponsors UKTI, and on communications in the US environment from Fran Lowe of Lime Street Studios

A very solid introduction full of useful tips of immediate use to the companies.

Common themes were:

The need to be physically present to do business in Silicon Valley. You need to have a US business entity in place, and if you are going to succeed the top management team need to be based in the area. The network is key. A constantly repeated phrase was “you need to be part of the ecosystem”.

Understand that venture capital is not a banking relationship. You are going to work very, very closely together, so you had better like each other. Personal relationships matter.

The financial crunch has had a big impact on venture capital. Funds are smaller, and deals are fewer. A lot of companies in cleantech were invested in 4-5 years ago, trying to bridge the ‘valley of death’, and those continue to be supported. This has left an early stage funding gap with projects getting stuck in the lab for longer. Investors are looking for capital efficiency and more reluctant to invest in projects with high capital requirements.

Make sure that you get the message across in the very short window of attention that you have. It is not about the technology but the problems you can solve. Tailor the message to the audience, explaining to them why this is important and why they should care?

Find a way to address the questions in the VC’s mind:

• Market risk – is there a big enough market for this product to be interesting?
• Execution risk – can you deliver the market?
• Team risk – do you have the right people to deliver?
• Finance risk – how much money is it going to take to get there?

Julia French gave a ‘top 5′ list of things to remember that made everyone think. Her top 5 was:

1. e-mail – this is a fast paced culture. You do not have 2 days to get back to people, you have 20 minutes. Speed is critical. In your messaging focus on who, what, when, where and why? Then what are you offering and what do you want? Know the coffee shops so you have a place to meet.
2. Sometimes British companies are so well organised it seems suspicious. Provide the ‘we are British’ context so that people can understand where you are coming from. “If they can’t map you, you fail”.
3. Don’t be afraid of ‘no obligation’ conversations. People need to know you. Not every conversation needs to be about business.
4. Be more relaxed. Otherwise you can appear to be insecure.
5. Put your business model on the first slide. You actually have proven business models, many people looking for funding don’t.

Then on to visits to HP Labs and Serious Materials. At HP there was a lively discussion about the way in which HP is building sustainability into its business model, and how such a large company keeps focus both on ruthlessly cutting costs and delivering product and creating innovative ideas and producst that are right at the edge of what is possible. Many of the companies on the mission look forward to to having to solve that particular problem.

At Serious Materials CEO Kevin Surace explained how his company brought innovation to construction products that have remained the same since the 19th Century with low embodied carbon, low impact and very high performance drywall panels, and also how you have to be responsive to the market – switching to high performance windows for the replacement market when the new build market for drywall collapsed. He also gave his views on how venture capital works in the Valley in a brilliant off the cuff talk that could have been titled ‘Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Venture Capital But Were Afraid to Ask’.

The panel discussion followed one of the emerging themes of the week – future cities, with a distinguished panel peering into the future. Tom Cheshire from Wired has provided an excellent overview of the debate in his blog.

Finally, we reached the long anticipated networking party for yet more discussion. The highlight of the evening was definitely the pub quiz with Oli Barrett as Quiz Master. Congratulations to the Bar Flies for edging the victory, to which my own knowledge of late 1940’s kitchen appliances made some small contribution.

Richard Miller
Technology Strategy Board

So why have 19 UK businesses joined the Clean and Cool Mission to San Francisco and what do they hope to get out of it?

Click on the video below to see why:

(Apologies for the ’singing in the rain style’ problem with the vid and sound  sync – we are looking into it )

We have made it!

 The Clean and Cool mission companies have pitched to a number of top venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. Having had the opportunity to get to know the businesses, it was a really important morning for me. I sat rooting for everyone as they made the most of their five minute pitching window.

It was like being in the room on the UK TV programme Dragon’s Den. It really brought it home to me that we should be proud of the UK clean tech sector and the pioneering businesses that are at the vanguard of this emerging market.

Click on the links below to see the reaction of some of the companies once the pitching session was over:

There were nine prominent venture capitalists in the room at the Orrick Building at Menlo Park. Orrick kindly hosted the event as sponsors of the mission. Two venture capitalists gave us their impression of the pitches:

So a successful event and the first time that the businesses will really have felt under pressure to perform this week. The good thing is that as things get underway, collaborations and opportunities are starting to emerge and I feel quite confident that by the time that we are on the plane home to the UK we will have some new success stories to tell.

When I was previously here in 1995-97 Clean Tech was on the fringe. Being on the Faculty at Stanford University as the Geothermal Program Manager, I was seeking ways to make green power more economical and hence mainstream. I had a great time but it felt as though the green power community was small, and there was certainly no real interest in reducing energy demand. 

13 years on, and it is amazing. If anything the sentiments of the California industry leaders we have met thus far on the mission suggest that energy efficiency is the “next big thing”. I am excited at the prospect of working with the Clean Tech thought leaders here and helping. The mission of Breathing Buildings is simple – to have the biggest impact as humanly possible in reducing energy consumption in buildings … worldwide. A simple vision, but not simple to achieve, and we certainly won’t do so by just staying in the UK. Some say there is a war on climate change. In the words of MacArthur, “I will return” -  but this time in the mainstream of energy efficiency and not on the fringe.

“It’s a very real set of partly related technologies and approaches, broadly in the fields of energy generation and storage, energy efficiency, air and water quality and so on.”

Writing after our first business day in San Francisco, Scott mentions the ‘Doing Business in the US’ session, hosted by law firm and mission sponsor Orrick.

“We start with a couple of hours of ‘master class’ briefings designed to hone our skills in communicating with potential investors, legal organizations, technology partners and so on. The sessions are fascinating and boost our confidence as we know we’re communicating in the same language as our contacts in the US. Certainly not as Churchill said: “Two nations divided by a common language”.”

Follow Scott’s story over here on Business Zone.

Writing for Director Magazine, Martin has been sharing some of his thoughts about the Clean and Cool Mission;

 

Many of the great travel writers say that the journey is as important as the destination. For air travellers I doubt this is the case anymore. At the airport, you are probed and detected. A free government massage might be attractive to some but I find it quite disturbing. And no, we don’t fly business class. Equity at this stage in a start-up has better uses. Even though it is already dark when we arrive, the city is spectacular. You see the Bay Bridge lit up and the downtown buildings just being American: tall and confident.

Clean & Cool seems to have grown out of the original UK Web Missions to California’s Silicon Valley. You can imagine that when a Web mission came to California everybody was into the latest digital communications. With Clean & Cool you have a bunch of engineers who care about bubble physics, building materials, diamond semiconductors, or in the case of my business, Aquamarine Power, wave energy.

Read the rest of this entry here on Director Magazine’s site.