Biofuels 2.0 - Stanford/MIT Venture Lab
Biofuels 1.0 focused on using traditional techniques to derive ethanol from food crops. While many companies saw initial success, increases in the cost of food combined with falling oil prices sent ripples through the entire biofuels industry. A new generation of startups, Biofuels 2.0, is once again tackling the opportunity in liquid fuels. Some innovative technologies also offer alternatives to the use of fossil fuels for plastics, fertilizers, and commercial chemicals — creating additional ways to leverage investments and diversify markets.
Armed with lessons learned, new business models, advancements in biotechnology, and an evolved understanding of how to minimize and control social and environmental impacts—all eyes are set on claiming a substantial portion of the global $3 trillion+ petroleum-based fuels market.
A panel of industry leaders, including early-stage biofuel CEOs, will discuss whether biofuels 2.0 can really provide sustainably better solutions, and how a new generation of companies are going from Garage to Gargantuan.
* Sustainability of business models, scaleability, and environmental impacts
* Opportunities for small, bootstrap startups in the biofuels value chain
* How failures in biofuels 1.0 are creating new opportunities in 2.0
* Counterpoint: The dark side of the revolution
* How to know if a company is sustainable
* Exit strategies and cheap oil: What models are most viable? What do VCs think about Biofuels 2.0?
* Industry partnerships: How best to use them to scale
* Informatics and genomics: Exponential drivers for development
This event is co-sponsored by BayBIO.org, the voice of the Bay Area biotechnology community, and CleanTech.org, the preeminent local investment community focused on game-changing technologies.
Participants
- Jim Lane, Editor/Publisher of the BioFuels Digest
- Jack Oswald, CEO of SynGest
- Eric McAfee, CEO AE Biofuels
- David Berry, MD, PhD, Partner, Flagship Ventures (Co-founder LS9, Joule Biotech)
- Paul Bryan, PhD, Biofuels VP-Technology, Chevron Energy Technology Co.
- Leandro Vetcher, Co-founder & VP Business Development, Green Pacific Biologicals
For more information or to register: click here.
Biofuels
For a reality check, "biofuels" were recent;y reviewed by the state of Florida and the conclusion
drawn was that algae production of burnable fuel might be accomplished economically, while the
other crop-based sources have little long-term value, especially given their demand for land, nutrient
resources, trasnportation energy, etc.
The reportr is titled: "Transitioning from 1st Generation to Advanced Biofuels". Attached is a
summary graph displaying the bad news for biofuels, especially in comparison with laternatives,
such assolar-electric and safe nuclear. The asterisk indicates that all energy uses are included
in thenuclear & solar area esttimates, not just vehicular/heating fuel.