Sep 29 2008
The New England Chinese Information and Networking Association (NECINA) has announced its inaugural U.S.-China Clean Technology Exchange Conference, scheduled for Saturday, October 18 at the Radisson Hotel in Chelmsford, Mass. Coinciding with the launch of the NECINA CleanTech Forum (NCTF), the conference will feature speakers who are leading some of the most important clean technology initiatives in the U.S. and China.
The mission driving NECINA's CleanTech Forum and Technology Exchange Conference is to create alliances between and provide resources for Chinese- and New England-based entrepreneurs. These efforts will also help entrepreneurs who have achieved success in other industries understand how to apply their expertise to the emerging clean technology sector both here and in China.
"More than US$150 billion was invested in clean technology worldwide in 2007," said NECINA President Nick Ning. "China and the United States are at the forefront of this unprecedented market opportunity. Turning clean technology vision into successful products and companies requires drawing on the best and brightest entrepreneurs from both countries. Both the NECINA CleanTech Forum and Conference announced today provide the perfect means for this collaboration."
The October 18 inaugural NECINA CleanTech Forum conference -- offered at no cost -- will run from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., and feature keynote speakers with a global perspective on clean technology trends. Dr. Christina Lampe-Onnerud, founder and CEO of Westborough, Mass.-based Boston-Power -- recipient of the largest round of venture funding of any New England company in Q4 '07 -- will speak from her experience as a U.S.-based developer of next-generation portable power supplies with manufacturing facilities in China.
The conference will also feature a keynote by Mr. Arthur Chien, CFO of Canadian Solar. Canadian Solar Inc. went public on NASDAQ (under the ticker symbol CSIQ) in November 2006 and presently has a market capitalization of around US$1 billion. The company conducts all of its manufacturing operations in China. Educated in China and Canada, Mr. Chien has served as a senior financial executive in companies based in Canada, China and Europe. He will offer his perspectives on the solar industry in China gained in his work helping to lead Canadian Solar to deliver solar power products of uncompromising quality to customers worldwide.
The event will also feature two exciting start-up companies. Newton, Mass.-based GMZ Energy, represented by co-founder and MIT professor Dr. Gang Chen, is taking a path of high tech waste-heat recovery by pioneering nanotechnology-based thermoelectric materials. Boston, Mass.-based MTPV Corporation, represented by COO Mr. Bernard Ho, is developing an innovative way to directly convert heat and sunlight into electricity.
The conference will conclude with presentations on funding opportunities and strategies, and on regulatory perspectives. Mr. Wael Almazeedi, CEO and founder of BTU Ventures, Boston, Mass., will share his experience on partnership investment in China's energy industry. Dr. Jiong Ma, principal, Braemar Energy Ventures, Boston, Mass., will share what her venture firm looks for in energy investments. Finally, Mr. Paul Stimers, associate, K&L Gates, Washington, D.C., will speak on the implications of federal regulation on clean technology investment in the U.S..