Boulder Innovation Center Named Newest Member Of The Clean Energy Alliance
Online, February 24, 2011 (Newswire.com) - The Boulder Innovation Center has joined the Clean Energy Alliance (CEA), a national association of Clean Energy Business Incubators founded by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in 2000. Membership in the CEA deepens the Boulder Innovation Center's commitment to the Clean Tech industry and establishes the Boulder Innovation Center as one of the leaders in early stage Clean Tech incubation. CEA membership provides access to a nationwide network of incubators who will share best practices and techniques with the goal of enhanced support for early stage Clean Tech companies.
Through this relationship, the Boulder Innovation Center is leveraging its network of 200+ Clean Tech advisors/mentors, created in support of commercializing inventions from the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines as well as Clean Tech startups from the Denver/Boulder area, into the national need to provide support to emerging clean technology companies.
"We are proud to be part of CEA," said Tim Bour, BIC's executive director. "It's significant because it marks the greater evolution of Clean Tech economic development in Colorado. By being part of the national effort to support startup businesses in the fields of Clean Tech and renewables, Boulder, CU, NREL and Colorado's role continues to rise in national prominence."
David Specca, CEA's chairman and the assistant director of the Rutgers EcoComplex, said: "We're very excited to welcome our Colorado colleagues into the Clean Energy Alliance. The BIC and our other new partner, Rocky Mountain Innosphere, in Fort Collins, Colo., will be great additions to our network of geographically diverse and broad-based incubator facilities. We will continue to welcome clean energy business incubators, as well as companies that share the objectives of the Clean Energy Alliance, to strengthen the development, demonstration, and commercial deployment of new clean energy technologies at local, regional, and national levels."
"The growth of CEA is evidence of the importance of the incubation and mentoring process to the commercial development of clean energy technologies in the United States," said James F. Groelinger, CEA's executive director. "Through the relationships and systems that are, and will be, offered by CEA, the members can avail themselves of leading-edge techniques and best practices for fostering the growth of new commercial clean energy businesses. As a result, the entrepreneur clients will have unprecedented support and the opportunity to develop reinforcing and complementary relationships that are critical to success."
About the Boulder Innovation Center
The Boulder Innovation Center is one of America's premier entrepreneurial support organizations. With its highly specialized team of mentors and advisors, the BIC defines a new model for business incubation across key industry sectors holding the most promise for the community, global economies and the environment. Located in one of the most dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystems for early-stage companies, the BIC blends the resources of business and academia to optimize opportunities for the technologies and companies of the future. For more information, please visit: www.boulderinnovationcenter.com.
About the Clean Energy Alliance: The Clean Energy Alliance (CEA), founded by NREL, is an expanding national association of leading business incubators and other entities dedicated to providing technical, business, and financial services tailored to the needs of the clean energy community. CEA member incubators are located across the country. CEA's mission is to be the preeminent - and prominent - national entity focusing on clean energy business incubation, entrepreneurial mentoring and development, and technology commercialization. See www.cleanenergyalliance.com