ORIOL PASCUAL

Bringing sustainable solutions to market var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-26084632-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[oriolpascual]

Barcelona’s Social Entrepreneurship Scene Reviewed

This past October I was invited by Hong Kong's Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation to participate at their annual 10 Day Fest; a multi-sided event with a focus on social innovation.

There, I was asked to explain the current social entrepreneurship scene in Barcelona; the actors, the history, the trends, what works, and what seems to need some improvement.

All this has been summarized extremely-well in an article at SOCIA.HK.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

[oriolpascual]

SCIENCE-BASED ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT IQS TECH FACTORY

Entrepreneurship, the process of launching a business, has matured tremendously. In the last decade or so we learned that to successfully bring new products and services to the market it requires much more than luck. We though that successful products and services were basically developed by gifted people that happened to be at the right place at the right time.

Today we know that although there's a bit of luck involved, there's also a lot of methodological work. Entrepreneurship is now seen more as a question of applying a methodological process. This  shift in theory and practice has been popularized and promoted by many, including renowned people like Bill Aulet, Steve Blank, Ash Maurya, and Alex Osterwalder.

Simultaneous to this shift, a relatively new breed of businesses that use IT as a basis, have emerged. This breed of businesses bring many advantages when compared to traditional industrial ventures; low-capital required to launch, high scalability potential, zero-marginal cost, and quick adaptability to market needs.

These two trends combined have resulted in the democratization of entrepreneurship. This is; the tools, the methods and processes are widely available, mostly for free, for anyone with the required energy, to give it a try. Everyone can start a potentially-high-growth business!!

This has lead to the general belief that entrepreneurship today means digital, quick high-growth, and an exit strategy that will make everyone involved wealthy.

This is all well, and actually the current entrepreneurship hype is mainly driven by this kind of entrepreneurial ventures. However, we tend to forget that there is also another kind of entrepreneurship. The kind that requires taking the long road right from the beginning. We're talking about science-based entrepreneurship.

Science-based entrepreneurship requires the development of a unique technology, material, molecule, or artifact. When compared with IT-based ventures, science-based entrepreneurship is capital intensive, and development times take much longer. Moreover, it might involve production processes, handling of raw materials, and the need to fulfill all sorts of complex regulations.

Science-based entrepreneurship translates into industrial and processing sectors like pharma, chemistry, food, robotics, medical devices, biotech, nanotech, packaging, precision engineering, energy, and power systems.

It is science-based entrepreneurship that has brought humankind to the next level, decade after decade.

That's why I'm glad to lead the center for science-based entrepreneurship: IQS Tech Factory. For the last year or so, I've been working together with IQS (a 110 year-old scientific and technical academic Catalan institution) to design how a center for science-based entrepreneurship would look like. Since March this year (2015), IQS Tech Factory has left the design phase and entered the development phase. Today, IQS Tech Factory is a reality.

Located in Barcelona, IQS Tech Factory's goal is to promote and support entrepreneurship of scientific and technical basis. With this, we aim to contribute to the development of new industrial, and transformative ventures.

If you want to know more about IQS Tech Factory, you might want to visit the website, subscribe to the newsletter, become a Meetup group member, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

[oriolpascual]

Cleanweb for Development: Enablers

Cleanweb, the digitalization of cleantech has been emerging as an industrial sector able to create environmental, user, and economic value. More specifically, 2014 can be defined as the year in which Cleanweb went from startup scale - in some cases born out of hackathons - to be recognized by big players as a solid an interesting sector to get involved with. 

Just in 2014, the following events illustrated well this: 

Nest was acquired by Google by 3.2$Bn

The Climate Corporation was acquired by Monsanto

Opower filed for an IPO, and went public

These are great news for the Cleanweb community, since it validates the idea that we are into something relevant.

I believe that Cleanweb does not only represent a great opportunity for developed nations, but is specially relevant for developing ones. In that regard, I recently participated in the production of a publication for the World Bank under the title “Cleanweb for Development: An Introduction”.

Aside of framing what are the opportunities that Cleanweb can offer, here we highlighted the enablers for Cleanweb to take place in developing areas. Those include:

Capitalization of freely available open data provided by local and national governments;

Use of software as means to deploy Cleanweb solutions which can be developed quickly and at a low cost;

Availability of proven models existing in other parts of the world that can be easily adapted and replicated;

Involvement of local communities of developers, engineers, students, and business experts through hackathons where solutions are developed;

Potential to use peer-to-peer models and social lending that enable communities and empower individuals, rather than centralized structures.

Some examples of the potential of Cleanweb for Development are currently being gathered by World’s Bank Megawatt Challenge.

Are you aware of Cleanweb products and services originating in developing areas? Let us know in the comments, or add them yourself to the open database of Cleanweb startups.

FREE DOWNLOAD - CLEANWEB FOR DEVELOPMENT: AN INTRODUCTION

[oriolpascual]

Cleanweb at CitiSense 2014

As part of the Smart City Expo World Congress, the World Bank organized CitiSense 2014 Conference on November 16th and 17th, 2014 in Barcelona. 

I had the honor of co-organizing and moderating a session on the opportunities that ICT and open data offer to develop innovative solutions for improved resource efficiency. Of course, I took the opportunity to introduce cleanweb to the audience.

The panelists included, by order of appearance:

Anna Lerner (World Bank) - Introduction to the session 

Oriol Pascual (Oriolpascual.com) - Introduction to Cleanweb 

Kat Borlongan (Five by Five) - Open data for energy sector innovation

Matt Gee (The University of Chicago) - Data analytics for energy & resource efficiency 

Sonny Masero (GALOS) - State of the Cleanweb industry in UK 

Jorge Zapico (Green Hackathon) - Green hackathons: bottom-up development of solutions 

Roman Zinchenko (Greencubator) - Incubating resource-efficient innovative solutions

[oriolpascual]

Cleanweb E-book

-> GET THE FREE E-BOOK <-

CLEANWEB: OPPORTUNITIES IN THE INTERSECTION OF THE INTERNET & SUSTAINABILITY

This ebook covers the following: 

What is Cleanweb, and what are its origins

How the digitalization of green is bringing opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, and corporations

How to identify and understand existing Cleanweb business models 

All ideas are illustrated with many example of Cleanweb companies. 

Get this always evolving e-book for free in your mailbox, and receive updated content by signing here.

-> GET THE FREE E-BOOK <-

[oriolpascual]

Spark: 5 Reasons Investing in Energy Efficiency is Sexy (and how to do it) http://t.co/VKJfDSSfrh

[oriolpascual]

6 CLEANWEB BUSINESS MODELS DEPICTED

TAKEAWAYS

The combination of ICT and resource efficiency can lead to business solutions that create environmental value

So far, six Cleanweb business models have been defined

There are plenty of opportunities to develop businesses that create a positive impact though ICT

CLEANWEB BUSINESS MODELS

Cleanweb companies are characterized by having ICT and network-based technologies as core to their offering, having a resource focus, having a business model, and being scalable. In this post, we aim to describe six business models that Cleanweb companies are built upon. This list is a first attempt to define how Cleanweb companies are creating and capturing value.

The six Cleanweb business models described here are:

Customer Engagement Platforms

Collaborative Financing Models

Decision-Making Tools

Loyalty Programs

Peer-to-Peer Sharing Resources

Data Monitoring & Management

By no means is this an exhaustive list. What you find here – like in the rest of this Cleanweb series – is the result of anecdotal observation and my personal interest in setting the boundaries of this emerging field. The list presented here most probably will evolve as the field matures and we learn more about it. Contribute to this discussion by leaving your comments and suggestions below.

Let’s review these six business models one by one.

1. CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT PLATFORMS

Best represented by Opower, in customer engagement platforms the Cleanweb company partners with utilities to create customer value through visualization of user data in ways that is meaningful and actionable for the user. This might be complemented with management tips that aim to improve resource efficiency.

For instance, in partnership with utilities, Opower delivers energy reports to final users where their energy performance is benchmarked against other users with similar profiles in terms of house size, number of family members, and quantity of home appliances. As result, energy consumption becomes understandable and meaningful, resulting in promotion of energy efficiency.

Customer engagement platforms contribute to create environmental value by achieving resource efficiency – i.e. energy and water. Big data analysis and complex algorithms are required to produce such comprehensive reports. This kind of solution is only possible through the power of ICT.

Customer engagement platforms base their revenue model on a recurring fee to utilities in exchange for increasing customer loyalty though actionable information.

Companies like Opower, Effipeople, Tendrill, Dropcountr, Quinzee, Enerbyte, and WaterSmart, amongst others, embrace this model.

2. COLLABORATIVE FINANCING MODELS

Collaborative financing – also known as crowdfunding – is based on the collective effort of individuals who network and pool their money, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations. Within the Cleanweb arena, collaborative financing models have been applied to the financing of energy-related projects – i.e. renewables and energy efficiency. For instance, Mosaic offers to small investors the opportunity to finance renewable energy projects by allocating relatively low amounts of money – i.e. $1,000-$2,000 – in return for guaranteed fixed-interest rates.

A similar model has recently emerged in relation to improved energy efficiency in buildings. For instance, Spark Fund recently announced the use of a collaborative financing approach to support the implementation of energy efficiency technology in buildings, resulting in energy savings that are used to pay back to lenders with an interest generated through those savings. This model can be defined as crowdfunding for ESCO.

Here, ICT is used to build a marketplace that connects both supply – selected renewable and energy efficiency projects – and demand – investors/lenders. For such a model to work, the platform has to provide a framework ensuring that economic transactions are safe, and that project development is transparent.

Collaborative financing models accelerate the adoption of clean technology like photovoltaic and wind, as well as the implementation of energy efficiency solutions.

Similarly to existing crowdfunding platforms – think Kickstarter and Indiegogo – revenues are mainly generated in the form of transaction and success fees.

Collaborative financing models are the basis of companies like Mosaic, Tangerine Power, Milk the Sun, Green Crowding, ECrowd, and Spark Fund. Just recently, Solar City announced that is adding this approach to their existing offering.

3. DECISION-MAKING TOOLS

For renewables like solar and wind, technology has reached enough maturity to dramatically reduce the cost of energy production. As result, cost optimization in the renewable energy value chain has shifted from technological efficiency to other areas like customer acquisition and production forecast.

Companies like QuickSolar or Geostellar use satellite images like the ones provided by Google Maps to simulate the potential of PV projects. The user – a private person, or an installer – introduces the address of a candidate property for a PV installation, and the system calculates the number of solar panels that could be installed, how much power can be generated, the efficiency of the installation, its costs and the return of investment. This results in a dramatic reduction of customer acquisition time and costs.

At the other end of the renewable energy value chain, companies like Nnergix use weather data to accurately predict production forecasts for solar and wind installations. This is especially relevant for utilities-owned installations that on a daily basis have to report this information to national energy authorities with the aim to manage network capacity. A failure to accurately provide a production forecast results in economic penalties for the utilities. Nnergix’s solution addresses this issue and helps them save money.

Decision-making tools like the ones described here take the form of software as a service (SaaS) addressing inefficiencies in the value-chains of renewable energy projects. As such, the revenue model takes the form of pay-per-use or recurring subscription.

Cleanweb companies like QuickSolar, GeoStellar or Nnergix accelerate the adoption of cleantech by reducing entry barriers and improving overall value-chain efficiency.

4. LOYALTY PROGRAMS

The quantified-self movement is fueling a revolution in the way we manage our houses, businesses, the environment, and ourselves. Sensors help us track all sorts of activity with a great level of detail, including movement, exercise, and energy consumption.

Loyalty programs reward individuals based on their sustainable actions like saving energy and water, producing renewable energy, or using public transport. Here, Cleanweb companies turn a specific activity into a unit of virtual currency that can be exchanged for sustainable products and services. Cleanweb loyalty programs connect sustainable behavior with brands.

For instance, Berlin-based startup Changers sells a portable solar panel and auxiliary battery kit that can be used to charge gadgets like smartphones, cameras, or tablets. On top of delivering a superior product, Changers’ battery pack keeps track of the amount of renewable energy generated, just like Nike+ or Fitbit tracks a user’s activity. This data is uploaded to the Changers online platform. For each Wh of clean energy generated, Changers provides a virtual currency to be used at their marketplace to acquire sustainable products at a discount.

Loyalty programs make use of ICT to build a community, keep track of user performance, manage data, enable game dynamics, and to connect users with brands at the marketplace.

The power of this Cleanweb business model is in enabling behavioral change towards more sustainable practices, and as result improves resource efficiency.

Cleanweb loyalty programs work like existing traditional loyalty models, for instance, charging brands to access a user base, or by collecting a transaction fee every time an item is redeemed.

We find examples of Cleanweb loyalty programs applied to a variety of areas, including renewable energy (Changers), sustainable transport (PlaytoRide), green and civic activities (CiviClub, Ecotastic), and recycling (Recyclebank).

5. PEER-TO-PEER SHARING RESOURCES

It is only recently that we are starting to visualize the potential of a network-based economic system where decentralization of assets and resources leads to an efficient use of those. It is what we know as Collaborative Consumption, as defined by Rachel Botsman, or the Sharing Economy.

Here, individuals access functionality like housing or transportation being offered by other individuals that own underused assets. It is about having and providing access to idle functionality. Airbnb exemplifies well this model: property owners rent out apartments and rooms directly to other individuals.

The Internet has been key to fuel this business model, which is based on a marketplace approach allowing interaction between supply and demand.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing of resources tends to result in increased resource efficiency. Not all companies within the Collaborative Consumption movement have a positive impact on resource efficiency – only those that make use of idle functionality like space, transportation, and material-based functionality do.

P2P sharing of resources platforms follow the same revenue model of other online marketplaces; the platform charges a transaction fee to the supply side. Some platforms complement this with additional revenues streams specific for their niche, like insurance contracts or delivery fees. Companies with a business model based on P2P sharing of resources include Airbnb, SocialCar, Relay Rides, and Sidecar.

6. DATA MONITORING & MANAGEMENT

Here, we call data monitoring & management to the combination of hardware and software developed to monitor and manage items like energy, water, pollution, or noise. Typically, the hardware component consists of a sensor or combination of sensors, while a monitoring platform allows one to keep track of the sensor’s readings. In some cases, such readings trigger actions or notifications.

For instance, the Nest thermostat combines a variety of sensors that together result in higher energy efficiency wherever it is installed. Temperature, humidity, presence, and light sensors are packed in one piece of hardware that adjusts room temperature from learned patterns based on time of the day, activity in the room, and received light. A software platform allows the user to manage remotely the thermostat, as well as to keep track of energy consumption patterns.

In the field of transportation, companies like Automatic and MetroMile help users drive more efficiently and save fuel. In this case, the sensor takes the form of a Bluetooth onboard diagnostic tool – OBDII – that is plugged to the car’s computer system, providing real-time data to a smartphone application.

In the environmental monitoring arena, open source platform Smart Citizen collects environmental data like temperature, pollution, temperature, noise, and light. Its open API allows the development of a variety of applications.

In this case, technology takes the form of sensors, with connectivity between those sensors via middleware and software that allows visualization of data and system management.

Data monitoring and management systems have an impact on improving resource efficiency, as well as accelerating the adoption of cleantech.

Provably, of all Cleanweb business models identified, this is the one offering the most variety of revenue models. Initially, the selling of hardware seems the most obvious one. However, in most cases, hardware is a requirement to provide services in the form of subscription. In those cases, hardware might be provided for free, while revenue is generated though services.

Data monitoring and management Cleanweb companies include: Nest, Valta, Envirocar, Automatic, MetroMile, Smart Citizen, Driblet, and BN Star.

NEXT STEPS

In this post we saw how ICT can lead to business solutions that create environmental and user value. This is pretty unique within the environmental arena, since traditional environmental solutions have been lacking either the user and/or business dimension. So far, six business models have been identified, but we believe this is only a fraction of them. Do you have suggestions on how to improve this list? Let us know in the comments section below.

Next post will focus on specific business models, exploring each of them in more detail.

GET MORE POSTS LIKE THIS ONE, SIGN IN OUR MAILINGLIST

You might be also interested in

What Does It Take to Be a Cleanweb Company?

3 Ways Cleanweb Creates Environmental and Business Value

Open Cleanweb Company Database (+150 examples, contribute with yours)

DOWNLOAD this post as PDF

Illustrating image: Geostellar, a Cleanweb company

[oriolpascual]

Tech Incubators Focus on Keeping Europe Green

“It’s very hard to run a privately run business incubator in Europe and be profitable,” said Oriol Pascual, a cleantech consultant whose firm, Enviu Barcelona, works with two incubators in the Spanish city. In the United States, he said, “every time you have a new round, you have 300 candidates, you pick 20” new companies. In Europe, “if you get 30 or 40 or 50, you are lucky,” he said, perhaps because risk-taking is less a part of the business culture.

[oriolpascual]

An Introduction to Cleanweb

  Read more about Cleanweb here:

What Does it Take to be a Cleanweb Company?

3 Ways Cleanweb is Creating Environmental and Business Value

6 Cleanweb Business Models Depicted

GET MORE POSTS LIKE THIS ONE, SIGN IN OUR MAILINGLIST

[oriolpascual]

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A CLEANWEB COMPANY?

TAKEAWAYS

Cleanweb is a subcategory of cleantech; it shares its principles, but has enough particularities to be considered a category in its own right

Cleanweb solutions are characterized by network-based technologies (i.e. ICT) as core element 

Cleanweb creates the most impact in the form of a company. That is, it creates and captures value, and it is scalable

I recently joined The Cleanweb Initiative as community leader for Spain. This post is part of my exploration of a model with large business and environmental opportunities. If interested in cleanweb, like our Facebook page, and get informed about our upcoming meetups.

INTRODUCTION In the last few years, a new form of cleantech has emerged that is capturing the attention of entrepreneurs, investors, and the overall environmentally-oriented business community: cleanweb. This new form of cleantech is in its early days - the term was coined in 2012 by Sunil Paul & Nick Allen - and a lot is still to be learned: i.e. what works, what doesn't, where are the low-hanging fruits, and what are the long-term models that create environmental and business value.

In this series of posts we aim to draw the boundaries of this emerging field. Previously, we explored 3 ways in which cleanweb is creating environmental and business value. Here, we frame cleanweb as a cleantech subcategory and describe the elements that make a company, a cleanweb company.

CLEANWEB, A CLEANTECH SUBCATEGORY Cleantech refers to technology-based solutions that deliver certain functionality, at lower environmental loads than traditional solutions. One might say that the aim of cleantech is to improve resource efficiency. Traditionally, this has been done through engineering and design - i.e. industrial, mechanical, and civil engineering. Cleantech solutions include, amongst others: renewable energy generation, i.e. solar, wind, hydro; water treatment; waste management technologies; and zero emission mobility.

Cleanweb, specifically focuses on the application of network-based technologies - i.e. Internet and mobile applications, Internet of things, big data - to engage consumers on making better use of resources, improving environmental performance, and disrupting traditional cleantech financing models.

Ultimately, cleanweb uses technology to reduce environmental burden and therefore shares the underlying foundations of cleantech solutions. It is for this reason that it can be considered part of the cleantech vertical. Moreover, cleanweb solutions have enough particularities to be considered a category in its own right. As result, it can be argued that cleanweb is a cleantech subcategory.

ELEMENTS OF A CLEANWEB COMPANY We just argued that cleanweb is a cleantech subcategory, but what are the defining factors that determine that a cleanweb company, is in fact a cleanweb company? We have identified 4 baseline elements that define a cleanweb company:

Network-based technologies are core to the solution: ICT and network-based technologies are key for the solution to provide environmental and/or business value. This might involve sensors, web and mobile applications, and big data amongst others. A cleantech company with a website or an app used to communicate with its prospects, or to offer their products and services, does not qualify. In these cases, ICT is a relevant element, but not fundamental for the solution.

Resource-focus: cleanweb companies address resource-related issues, including energy, water, air, land, materials, and food, amongst others. This might be done by helping consume resources more efficiently, making environmental data meaningful, and/or by creating financing models that increase adoption of cleantech. 

Have a business model: cleanweb companies have a clear business model where value is created and captured. Projects that capitalize on ICT to improve resource efficiency, but lack a business model, are also necessary and might have a place within public sector and research circles. However, we’d like to argue that cleanweb creates most impact when it takes the form of a company. 

Are scalable: scalability and replicability is intrinsic to cleanweb due to the characteristics of software-based solutions. This has been discussed earlier in relation to the advantages of cleanweb vs cleantech.

NEXT STEPS In this post, we claim that cleanweb is a subcategory of cleantech. Moreover, we identified the 4 elements that define a cleanweb company, namely: network-based solutions as core element, a focus on resources and aim to reduce environmental burden, the presence of a solid business model, and its scalability potential. What’s your take on this? What other elements you think should be taken into consideration? Let us know in the comments section.

In an upcoming post, we will explore how cleanweb companies create and capture value. We've identified 6 business models that cleanweb companies are building their proposal upon. Till then, we invite you to follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page, as well as check out our growing database of cleanweb companies, and help us make it grow by adding yours.

GET MORE POSTS LIKE THIS ONE, SIGN IN OUR MAILINGLIST

You might be also interested in

3 Ways Cleanweb Creates Environmental and Business Value

6 Cleanweb Business Models Depicted

DOWNLOAD this post as PDF

Illustrating image: Dropcountr, a water cleanweb company

[oriolpascual]

3 WAYS CLEANWEB IS CREATING ENVIRONMENTAL & BUSINESS VALUE

TAKEAWAYS

Cleanweb, a cleantech sub-category, capitalizes on the potential of IT and network-based technologies and platforms - i.e. Internet, social media, mobile - to develop solutions that reduce the environmental burden associated with a given activity. 

Typically, cleanweb solutions take the form of a web or mobile app, might involve big data, and have the potential to disrupt existing markets. A combination of hardware and apps are also possible.

There are plenty of opportunities to develop business and environmental value within cleanweb framework. This is only the beginning.

A growing database of cleanweb companies is available (add yours) 

I recently joined The Cleanweb Initiative as a community leader for Spain. This post is part of my exploration of a model with a large business and environmental opportunities. If interested in Cleanweb, like our Facebook page, and get informed about our next meet ups. 

INTRODUCTION TO CLEANWEB What do Opower, Changers, and Mosaic all have in common? They all belong to a new breed of companies that capitalize on the potential of network-based technologies to engage consumers in making a better use of resources, improve environmental performance, and disrupt traditional cleantech financing models. Here, we review how cleanweb solutions create value, which existing industries contributed to the rise of cleanweb, and its advantages in relation to traditional cleantech.

It is only recently that the spread and democratization of information and communication technology (ICT) is having a clear impact on the development of solutions for environmentally-related issues. We call this, cleanweb. The term was first coined by SideCar founder Sunil Paul and by Nick Allen on a 2012 MIT Technology Review article titled “Inventing the Cleanweb”. Here, cleanweb is defined as “a form of clean tech that takes advantage of the Internet, social media, and mobile communications to alter how we consume resources, relate to the world, interact with each other, and pursue economic growth”

So far, cleanweb solutions pay attention to three domains: energy (i.e. efficiency, management, financing, smart homes), water (i.e. efficiency, management), and mobility (i.e. efficiency, parking optimization, and car sharing). Some examples exist in other areas like waste management, although it is still anecdotal.

CLEANWEB CREATES VALUE More specifically, cleanweb refers to the use of network-based technologies and platforms with the aim to efficiently reduce environmental burden. Cleanweb solutions capitalize on the power of network-base technologies to create value by:

Helping consume resources more efficiently 

Making environmental data meaningful 

Disrupting cleantech financing models 

The following three examples - Opower, Changers, and Mosaic - illustrate this. Opower is an American startup that creates value both for utilities and its clients, and at the same time helps reduce energy consumption using social behaviour science. At Opower, they realized that the most efficient way to influence energy consumer behaviour is by showing people how they perform in relation to their neighbours (Alex Laskey, Opower co-founder at TED). When you realize that you are 20% less efficient than your neighbour that lives in a house of similar characteristics, you start to wonder what it is that you are doing wrong. Opower is a great customer engagement tool for utilities (they show that care for their clients) and creates value for energy users that for first time have a driver to improve their energy efficiency. Opower helps consumers consume resources more efficiently.  Changers is a Berlin-based startup offering a solar charger for your gadgets, with a social network included. With less than 100 gr. of weight and the size of a folio, the Changers flexible solar panel charges an auxiliar battery in only 4 hours that hosts enough juice to fully power 2 iPhones. Moreover, the battery pack tracks the clean, renewable energy produced and uploads the data to a personal profile online a la Nike+. Game dynamics and social network elements motivate users to keep producing renewable energy. Moreover, each Kwh of clean energy produced is equivalent to a virtual currency that can be used at the Changers marketplace to acquire sustainable products and services. Changers makes environmental data meaningful to users, and rewards sustainable behaviours.  Mosaic connects small investors with high-quality renewable energy projects with a return on investment. Typical renewable energy projects require large investments that only established accredited investors can have access to. As result, deployment of renewable energy projects has been limited to the availability of capital and interest from such investors. Mosaic takes advantage of the Net to connect hundreds of small investors in search of a return of investment, while helping deploy renewable energy technologies. With this model, Mosaic is disrupting traditional cleantech financing and democratizes investments in renewable energy projects.   So far, the environment has been a burden for business. The challenge has been to reduce that burden and, in exceptional circumstances, achieve a win-win. Cleanweb is all about win-win. In fact, it is a win-win-win, creating value for the environment, consumers, and businesses. This is new in the environmental arena.

As we can see, digital solutions dominate the cleanweb arena. Moreover, combinations of hardware and software are also found (i.e. Changers), where typically hardware is used to acquire data (i.e. sensors) or to frame a user interface. Here you can find a database of existing cleanweb solutions. Don’t hesitate to add examples of cleanweb companies you are aware off. 

ORIGINS OF CLEANWEB

Cleanweb originates from the merging of three existing industries; cleantech, Internet of things, and sharing economy (aka collaborative consumption):

Cleantech: Technological developments that provide certain functionality at a reduced environmental burden when compared to traditional approaches. It takes the form of hardware and large engineering projects;

Internet of things: Communication between devices in a network fashion. These objects might include sensors with the capacity to acquire data (i.e. environmental, consumption, use, etc.);

Sharing economy: Business models based on maximizing the use of idle functionality through, amongst others, peer-to-peer agreements. This typically results in re-restructuring of existing markets. For instance, what Airbnb is doing for the hospitality business, or GetAround for car rentals. 

Cleanweb sits right in the middle of these three, by now, well-established industries. It can be considered as a form of cleantech since it is technology-based and aims to make a more efficient use of resources, while exploiting the potential of network solutions and (big) data, and contributing to new business models and restructure existing markets.

ADVANTAGES OF CLEANWEB VS CLEANTECH As a result of combining the three mentioned frameworks, cleanweb has a series of advantages when compared to traditional cleantech:

Agile development: One of the characteristics of software, is its potential for lean and agile development. It allows one to validate, test, and improve the solution in short-term cycles, especially when compared to traditional cleantech. This is probably the biggest contribution of cleanweb to cleantech: bring the advantages of Web and app development. 

Capital light: Software development costs are (very) low, when compared with traditional cleantech, and keep on getting lower over time. In its initial phases, cleanweb solutions can be bootstrapped and require very light investments of capital. This is very attractive to investors.

Low-risk: The combination of the previous two advantages, namely agile development and capital light, leads to a low-risk business activity. This is best illustrated in the many cleanweb hackathons where software and business developers join forces in a three-day gathering to start developing such solutions. 

Scalability: Cleanweb solutions are highly scalable when compared to traditional cleantech. As we saw with Mosaic this is not only true for software-based solutions, but cleanweb can also bring scalability to traditional cleantech through innovative financing models.

NEXT STEPS In this first post, we have seen that cleanweb is a new form of cleantech that takes advantage of information technologies to create both business and environmental value. In upcoming posts, we will review why the cleanweb is emerging especially now, and what the business models are around cleanweb. In the meantime, we invite you to like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, and contribute to the database of cleanweb companies.

GET MORE POSTS LIKE THIS ONE, SIGN IN OUR MAILINGLIST

You might also be interested in:

What Does it Take to be a Cleanweb Company?

6 Cleanweb Business Models Depicted

DOWNLOAD this post as PDF

[oriolpascual]

Entrepreneurship & Clean Tech in Barcelona

Clean tech & Entrepreneurship in Barcelona from Oriol Pascual

I've been asked to draw the clean tech and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Barcelona, In relation to the Interreg IVC project Cleantech Incubation Europe. Here is the result. 

UPDATE: here the video of the presentation, including slides. 

[oriolpascual]

Final Proposals La Casa de les Idees

[EN] Yesterday, the City of Barcelona organized an event to give public recognition to the 10 finalists of the open process La Casa de les Idees. Check the website to review the list of finalists, as well as a video sumarizing the process (in Catalan). La Casa de les Idees is a project design and executed by Enviu and Roots for Sustainability.

[CAT] Ahir, la Ciutat de Barcelona va organitzar un esdeveniment de reconeixement públic als 10 finalistes del procès obert La Casa de les Idees. A la pàgina web podeu trobar una llista de les propostes finalistes, així com un vídeo resumint el procés. La Casa de les Idees és un projecte dissenyat i executat per Enviu i Roots for Sustainability.

[oriolpascual]

After sailing over 40,000 nautical kilometers, over the course of 100 days, the entrepreneurs and community established on the ship says goodbye. But not before taking stage in front of hundreds in the beautiful port city of Barcelona. This video captures the last days of Unreasonable@Sea! 

I'm proud to have contributed to this by organizing the activities for the lasts days of the trip, like the final event shown here. 

[oriolpascual]

[oriolpascual]

A lot can be learned from recent best practices in business incubators. Dallas Kachan looks at what cleantech and greentech incubators and accelerators should know.

[oriolpascual]

Structuring Funding for Impact Startups

Paul Hudnut (@BOPreneur) recently gave this presentation during the 2013 edition of the Unreasonable Institute in Boulder (CO). It's a great overview of how startups can fund themselves, and what are the implications in case of exit. Special attention is given to the so-called impact-startups.