Wisconsin firms to present at Cleantech venture capital event

Wisconsin firms to present at Cleantech venture capital event

Madison, Wis. – Companies that operate in the clean technology industry are becoming more attractive investment targets, and two Wisconsin firms soon will have the opportunity to impress the 600 investors that are expected to attend the annual Cleantech Venture Capital Forum in San Francisco.
Orion Energy Systems of Plymouth and Best Energies of Madison are among 20 emerging clean technology companies that will present company overviews during the annual event. The forum is organized by the Cleantech Venture Network, which has more than 1,300 affiliate investor members worldwide, and has raised more than $700 million for presenting companies since 2002.
Competing for a share of that investment capital will be Orion Energy Systems, a privately held firm that manufactures energy-efficient lighting solutions for manufacturing, commercial, and education clients, including 76 of Fortune 500 companies.
In October, Orion announced that it had received $5 million in capital from the Technology Transformation Venture Fund, a fund managed by the Columbus-based investment advisory firm Custer Capital, and the Capvest Venture Fund of New Albany, Ohio with offices in Madison and Sussex, Wis.
Also attending will be Best Energies, a privately held firm that develops key technologies for the creation of distributed energy solutions based on local renewable bio-resources. The company is building an 8-million gallon biodiesel production facility in Cashton.
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