Cleantech was the watchword of the week, with much of the news concerning algae-based biofuels and energy efficiency. Read on to get that and the rest of last week’s biztech news.
—The new executive director of the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB), José Olivares, outlined some of the technical challenges that must be solved before algal biofuels production can become an economically viable industry. Olivares came through San Diego to meet with members of the NAABB from UC San Diego, HR BioPetroleum, and Kai BioEnergy.
—Fallbrook Technologies, the San Diego startup developing an energy-efficient, continuously variable transmission, provided new information in a recent fling about the financial risks and funding requirements the company faces. Fallbrook filed for an IPO in February.
—The San Diego company that Barry Sandrew started in 2001 as Legend Films specialized in providing digital colorization technology for the motion picture industry. But the company has recently reinvented itself as Legend 3D, and now focuses on visual special effects and 3D technology for Hollywood. With studio demand for 3D “dimensionalization” exploding, Legend 3D has 260 employees at its San Diego headquarters and another 700 in Patna, India, and plans to add another 500 there in coming months.
—After securing a $100,000 grant to get life sciences entrepreneurs to talk with teen-agers about their technology innovations and startup companies, Connect CEO Duane Roth is looking for additional funding to do the same thing with high-tech entrepreneurs. The idea behind the grant from the Biogen Idec Foundation of Cambridge, MA, is to get young people excited about studying science, technology, engineering, and math.
—Some 1,200 people and more than 70 companies turned out for San Diego Gas & Electric’s 5th Annual Energy Showcase at the downtown convention center. I found a few local startups that are developing innovative technologies.