Maurice Gunderson, Senior Partner, CMEA, to Serve as Keynote Speaker at GreenTech 2008

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Entretech (www.entretech.org), the leading non-profit association supporting the growth of technology companies in Greater Los Angeles, announced today that Maurice Gunderson, Senior Partner of CMEA Ventures (www.cmeaventures.com), will present the keynote address at GreenTech2008 (www.greentech2008.com) on Friday, June 6, 2008.

Gunderson will offer an informed perspective on greentech investment opportunities. “It’s been suggested that there’s a cleantech-greentech-energy bubble,” said Gunderson. “Even if there is, this doesn't reduce the magnitude of real underlying opportunities that do exist.” Gunderson believes that materials are the basis for 80% of energy advances (from new batteries of all kinds, IC engines, nuclear power, sensors, thermoelectrics). He will discuss basic market drivers and trends in materials science and technology that point to breakthroughs and future potential in greentech. Gunderson will also discuss the positive and negative role government agencies play in the advancement of energy production.

GreenTech will feature emerging companies with advanced clean technologies in the areas of solar power, wind energy, hydropower, biofuels from cellulosic sources, nuclear power, new materials from renewable sources, and fuel cells. The program will showcase smart young companies emerging from Caltech, UCLA, USC, and elsewhere, that have innovative technologies with breakthrough potential over the next 3-5 years. It will also include a Venture Capital panel that will highlight investment opportunities in the rapidly progressing green technology sector.

In addition, Entretech recently announced that CMEA Ventures will serve as the exclusive VC sponsor of GreenTech 2008. “CMEA is pleased to be the exclusive VC sponsor of GreenTech as we believe the conference provides enormous investment and networking opportunities on the cutting edge of environmental issues and potential resolves, especially as consumers, investors, and governments realize the importance of their choices for the future of the environment.” CMEA portfolio company NuScale, a developer of modular nuclear power generation technology, will also be presenting at GreenTech 2008.

GreenTech is hosted by Entretech and Materia (www.materia-inc.com), a green technology Caltech spin-off commercializing Nobel Prize-winning research, and supported by partners Caltech, UCLA and USC. For more on GreenTech 2008, including speaker background, program information, and registration details, please visit www.GreenTech2008.com, or contact Stephanie Yanchinski, Executive Director of Entretech, at 626-356-9933 or info@greentech2008.com.

About CMEA Ventures (www.cmeaventures.com)

CMEA Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on energy & materials, high technology, and life sciences investments. CMEA believes that the most successful venture backed companies are science focused and have experienced teams intent on winning. As a result, CMEA's portfolio companies typically have cutting edge, highly differentiated, and often multidisciplinary technology at their core, with founding teams of the highest caliber.

CMEA invests in both early and late stage ventures, and has a strong network of corporate, investment, and entrepreneurial relationships that it leverages on behalf of its portfolio companies. The firm currently manages six funds representing investments in excess of $1 billion. CMEA has been an early stage investor in many leading Silicon Valley high technology companies, including Entropic (ENTR), Flextronics (FLEX), Magma (LAVA), Maxygen (MAXY), Monogram Biosciences (MGRM), Silicon Spice (BRCM), Symyx (SMMX), and Syrrx (purchased by Takeda).

About Materia, Inc. (www.materia-inc.com)

Materia was founded in 1998 to commercialize olefin metathesis catalyst technology. This market-enabling, Nobel Prize-winning, green chemical technology enables chemical compounds to be synthesized with greater efficiency, under less stringent reaction conditions, and with reduced byproducts and hazardous waste. Metathesis has been accepted as an emerging “green technology” platform and has been broadly adopted by the pharmaceutical, chemical, and polymer industries. As stated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences when awarding the 2005 Nobel Prize, “metathesis is an example of how important basic science has been applied for the benefit of man, society, and the environment.”

About Entretech (www.entretech.org)

Entretech is the leading non-profit association supporting high tech companies in Greater Los Angeles with critical and practical business development resources and connections. Our mission is to grow the technology cluster in the L.A. region, and support such growth in Southern California as a whole. Entretech empowers entrepreneurs to build new businesses through capital, education, people, and strategic partners. Through a dedicated relationship with the California Institute of Technology, UCLA and USC, Entretech provides opportunities to new technology companies forming tomorrow’s high tech industry.