Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator Doing Great Work

I just got off the phone with Fred Walti, the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, a terrific non-profit whose purpose is to foster the development of cleantech start-ups by offering flexible office space, CEO coaching and mentoring, and access to a growing network of experts and investment capital. I had come across a few of the participating companies through my connection with the Maverick Angels, and also through the Clean Business Investment Summit, where I function as a member of the board of advisors.

This is really a can’t-miss organization, as it has so much going for it:

• The support of the city, right up to the mayor’s office.  The city’s primary economic growth strategy is to drive innovation in clean technologies. The Los Angeles region is already the largest green economy in the nation. There is an unprecedented economic opportunity as the country rebuilds its energy and transportation infrastructure, shifting energy dependence away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable energy sources.

• The support of an enormous amount of higher education, in the form of USC, UCLA, and Cal Tech, not to mention the literal rocket scientists at nearby JPL.

• An economic upturn that is striking in its pace and strength.  In a period of just a few years, huge sections of a downtown that were terribly blighted have been converted to a beehive of new businesses and upscale condos.  This trend can only continue to expand.

I’m looking forward to sitting down with Fred and hearing more about his organization when I’m in his office next week.