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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

National Competition

The second annual National Competition Event of the National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition (NCEBPC) is planned to take place in Washington, D.C. June 11-12th. A public day for anyone to attend will be held on June 12th on the George Washington University campus in Washington, DC. As details are finalized, they will be posted online – so check back often, or subscribe to our news updates and receive major updates by email.

As the second year is well underway, our regional competitions have all announced their winners:

The U.S. Department of Energy's NCEBPC is part of the White House's Startup America Initiative to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation. Importantly, this competition embodies the Energy Department's commitment to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in clean energy technology.

By bringing together venture capitalists, thought leaders from the energy industry and government, and the nation's most promising young minds, the competition connects these student-led teams with the resources and expertise their startups need to succeed.

2012 National Competition Event

On June 13, 2012, NuMat Technologies from Northwestern University was announced as the grand prize winner of the Energy Department's inaugural National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition for their plan to commercialize a nanomaterial that stores gases at lower pressures, effectively increasing design flexibility and reducing infrastructure costs. NuMat Technologies won $100,000 in prize money, as well as legal, financial, technical, and commercialization assistance that was custom-tailored to their business.

From nearly 300 student-based teams from across the country, six finalist teams from the regional competitions (one finalist team from each region) pitched their business plans to a panel of expert judges at the National Competition Event. The teams were judged on clean energy impact, solution creativity, execution and financial strategy, market and customer knowledge, and team composition, chemistry and commitment.

SolidEnergy Systems, with their battery technology innovation, was announced as runner-up to NuMat, and Navillum Nanotechnologies was voted as the fan favorite. Learn more about the other 2012 finalist and runner-up teams by visiting the links below:

Events

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