SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 2, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Wall Street Journal today announced its second annual Top 10 venture-backed, clean technology companies ranking. The Next Big Thing survey, developed using proprietary data from Dow Jones VentureSource, is based on several predictive indicators and seeks to identify green companies that have the capital, executive experience and investor knowledge to succeed in green business.
The results were announced at The Wall Street Journal's fourth annual ECO:nomics Conference at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, Calif.
"The Clean Tech industry is waiting for its 'Netscape' moment – the moment when a new idea proves powerful enough to explode onto the marketplace," said Alan Murray, deputy managing editor of the Wall Street Journal. "Many of these companies may ultimately fail – that's the nature of the venture business. But we think at least one has a chance of making it big."
Appearing on the "The Next Big Thing: Top 10 Cleantech" list are three solar cell companies – Suniva Inc. of Norcross Ga., eSolar Inc. of Burbank, Calif., and Miasole of Santa Clara, Calif.; two power supplies companies – SeaMicro Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif. and Boston Power Inc. of Westborough, Mass.; and New York-based Recycle Rewards Inc., an incentive-based recycling service program for communities.
The Next Big Thing: The Top 10 Clean Technology Companies include (in order):
- Recycle Rewards Inc. – New York, N.Y.
- Suniva Inc. – Norcross, Ga.
- eSolar Inc. – Burbank, Calif.
- Miasole – Santa Clara, Calif.
- OPOWER Inc. – Arlington, Va.
- GreatPoint Energy Inc. – Cambridge, Mass.
- SeaMicro Inc. – Santa Clara, Calif.
- Boston Power Inc. – Westborough, Mass.
- Luxim Corp. – Sunnyvale, Calif.
- Sapphire Energy Inc. – San Diego, Calif.
Dow Jones VentureSource, owned by Dow Jones & Company, publisher of the Journal, calculated the rankings by applying a set of financial criteria to some 500 U.S.-based venture-backed businesses in clean technology valued at less than $1 billion. Dow Jones VentureSource tracks more than 48,000 venture-backed companies in the U.S., Canada, Europe, China and India, as well as over 14,000 private investment firms world-wide.
From bio fuel companies to solar cell energy companies, all were analyzed according to four criteria:
- The board ranking: the track records of success for the venture-capital investors who sit on the company's board;
- Total equity: the amount of capital raised by the company over the last three years, in comparison to its peers;
- Executive ranking: the track record of success for the company's founders and chief executive;
- Valuation ranking: the recent growth in the value of the company in the past 12 months ending Nov. 30.
Dow Jones reporters and editors who cover the venture capital industry also provided their perspective and expertise beyond the numbers.
On March 10, the Journal will publish the rankings of venture-funded companies across all industries – The Next Big Thing: The Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies, which will identify companies valued at less than $1 billion that are most likely to succeed.
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Founded in 1889, The Wall Street Journal is the world's leading business publication. Boasting more than two million subscribers, the Journal is the largest newspaper by total paid circulation and has the largest individually paid circulation of any U.S. newspaper. The Wall Street Journal franchise, with a global audience of 3.8 million, also comprises The Wall Street Journal Asia, The Wall Street Journal Europe and The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, the leading provider of business and financial news and analysis on the Web with more than one million subscribers and 26 million users per month. WSJ.com is the flagship site of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, which also includes MarketWatch.com, Barrons.com and AllThingsD.com. The Wall Street Journal Radio Network services news and information to more than 375 radio stations in the U.S. The Journal holds 33 Pulitzer Prizes for outstanding journalism, and, in 2009, was ranked No. 1 in BtoB's Media Power 50 for the 10th consecutive year.
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CONTACT: Media Contact: Ashley S. Huston Dow Jones & Company (212) 416-2025 ashley.huston@dowjones.com