About the Forum

For more than a decade, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Industry Growth Forum has been the nation's premier clean energy investment event. The Forum features presentations from 30 emerging clean energy companies, provocative panels led by thought leaders, one-on-one meetings, and organized networking opportunities.

2012 Agenda
2011 Program
2011 Agenda
2011 One-on-One Company Descriptions

Read testimonials from past attendees.

Clean Energy Startup Company Presentations

NREL's Industry Growth Forum is the perfect venue for growing companies to prepare, refine, and present their businesses to a wide range of investors. Each year, the best presenters are awarded cash prizes and commercialization services from NREL. Collectively, companies who have presented at the Forum since 2003 have raised more than $4 billion in growth financing.

NREL recruits entrepreneurial companies ranging from top-tier startups to university and laboratory spinouts, as well as emerging cleantech companies from across the country and overseas. While the majority of the presentations are early venture, we also include seed and later-stage investment opportunities. Entrepreneurs attend to:

• Understand leading investors' strategies and secure financing
• Receive on-on-one mentoring from investors and the nation's premier business incubators
• Refine their strategies through detailed feedback and dialogue with the expert investor panel
• Compete to win the Clean Energy Venture Award

To view these presentations, please see the 2011 Industry Growth Forum presentation archives.

Investment, Partnership, and Networking Opportunities

The NREL Industry Growth Forum attracts leading cleantech venture capital and investment banks and draws business development executives from global energy companies looking for strategic investments and partnering opportunities. They attend the Forum to:

• Meet with top clean energy growth companies and identify investment and partnering opportunities
• Network with their peers and make new connections
• Get a "big picture" overview of the emerging industry and the issues affecting technological innovation, capitalization, and commercialization

One-on-One Meetings

Clean energy venture capitalists, investors, and strategic partners schedule private one-on-one meetings with startup companies to be held during the Forum.

NREL's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center

NREL is the United States' primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. The Industry Growth Forum is a program of NREL's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC). The IEC fosters an ongoing and extensive connection with the early-stage business community to stimulate an innovative and entrepreneurial cleantech environment, facilitate robust access to capital for investors, and accelerate the commercialization of clean energy technologies.