Amory Lovins to keynote Green TEA 2008

Amory Lovins to Present Keynote Address at Second Annual UC Davis Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy

Program Agenda and Key Faculty Also Announced

DAVIS, CA--(Marketwire - April 22, 2008) - The University of California at Davis (UC Davis) Center for Entrepreneurship announced today that Amory Lovins, co-founder, chairman, and chief scientist, Rocky Mountain Institute, will be the keynote speaker at the second annual Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy, to be held July 7-11, 2008, at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences in Incline Village, Nev. The Center also announced that the Academy's faculty will include experts from the nation's top venture capital firms, law firms, and research institutions. The Academy's agenda will include sessions covering the first critical steps of entrepreneurship, such as intellectual property, incorporation, building a team, and market validation, teaching students how to move their research on sustainable technologies out of the laboratory and into the marketplace.

Lovins, who will speak on the evening of July 9, is a world-renowned energy consultant and physicist, as well as an author, speaker, and MacArthur Fellow. In 1979, he co-founded Rocky Mountain Institute, an independent, market-oriented, entrepreneurial, nonprofit, nonpartisan "think-and-do tank" that focuses its research on advanced resource productivity and innovative business strategies that lead to "abundance by design." Lovins is also a member of the Board of Advisors for UC Davis' Energy Efficiency Center.

The Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy is in its second year. It provides doctoral students, post-docs, and research faculty in science and engineering with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to move their ideas out of the laboratory and into the marketplace. Applications for participation in the Academy are currently available at http://entrepreneurship.ucdavis.edu/green/apply.html. The deadline for applications has been extended to May 16. All admitted students will receive scholarships from the Kauffman Foundation to cover the program's room, board, and tuition. PG&E has agreed to sponsor two fellowships to provide both room, board, and tuition and travel for doctoral candidates, post-docs or research faculty working on research in sustainable technologies.

The five-day program will cover the basics of entrepreneurship, with sessions focusing on networking, intellectual property, market validation, elevator pitches, development strategies, business plan presentations, and the logistics of building a team and establishing an organization. Time will also be set aside for networking and mentoring sessions with faculty, lectures from entrepreneurs about their own experiences, group presentations, and social hours. Further details about the program can be found at http://entrepreneurship.ucdavis.edu/green/schedule.html.

The Academy's faculty will be drawn from the venture capital community, including venture capitalists from American River Ventures, CalCEF Clean Energy Angel Fund, DFJ Frontier, MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures, Nth Power, Physic Ventures, and Sierra Angels; the legal community, including attorneys from Morrison|Foerster; and the research community, including representatives from National Instruments, San Diego Gas & Electric, and the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center.

"I expect Amory Lovins to be a top draw for students and faculty alike," said Associate Professor Andy Hargadon, director, UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship. "We're lucky to have outstanding faculty and partners dedicated to this summer's Academy, and I hope the students' plans will reflect the valuable input they receive from their mentors."

About the UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship

The UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship serves as a nexus for entrepreneurship education and research -- and as a springboard for entrepreneurial initiatives on the UC Davis campus.

To accomplish this, the Center brings science, engineering and business students and faculty together with experienced entrepreneurs, investors and corporate leaders in a highly collaborative environment that blends effective theory with hands-on participation and solution-driven innovation. The Center is a Center of Excellence within the Graduate School of Management.

Under the direction of Associate Professor Andrew Hargadon, the Center provides researchers and MBA students with the necessary skills, resources and network support to turn their ideas into action. Whether for profit or for social benefit -- or both -- the Center's programs enable students to envision a better world and make it a reality.

For more information, please contact Nicole Starsinic, assistant director, at nstarsinic@ucdavis.edu or visit http://entrepreneurship.ucdavis.edu/.