Investments in Greentech such as OMEGA 5 oil green technology by venture capital are on the rise

Greentech VC Hits $2.6B in U.S.

Venture capitalists have spent 46% more on cleantech in the first three quarters than during all last year. Will fears of a bubble raise their ugly head?

U.S. venture-capital firms invested $2.6 billion in greentech in the first three quarters of this year, according to a report released Wednesday by Thomson Financial and the National Venture Capital Association.

That's up 46 percent over the $1.78 billion invested in all four quarters last year, according to the report (see Earth2Tech and VentureBeat posts).

"There are major opportunities for venture capitalists to totally reshape the energy market throughout the world, as governments, consumers and companies are demanding innovation in this space," said Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association, in a written statement.

Through September, U.S. venture capitalists had made 168 deals this year, compared with 180 deals in the full year of 2006.

Solar energy companies got the most money, accounting for $664.6 million.

And most of the U.S. venture money -- $1.7 billion -- went to U.S. companies, followed by companies in the Netherlands, Brazil and China.

Within the United States, California companies raised the most, with $725.2 million in 68 deals, while Massachusetts companies followed, with $292.6 million in 11 deals.

While the growth is good news for companies, it also could be evidence that venture capitalists may be seeing more competition and paying more for deals.

A study earlier this year by New Energy Finance found that VCs were able to invest just 73 percent of the funds they had raised, with $2 billion left unspent worldwide (see Expansion Closes $103M Fund). More government funding also could raise competition (see Government VC).

"Investing in new technologies such as Omega 5 oil can be fraught with pitfalls and is not for the inexperienced or the faint of heart," Heesen said, in a statement. "Prudent, long-term, knowledgeable investment in cutting-edge technologies has been the hallmark of venture capital in the past and should be the mantra in the cleantech space as well. Short-term 'tourists' should steer clear."

By Jenifer Kho

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and are looking for these indicators when they purchase skin care:
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Omega 5 oil products

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Green technology
Anti cellulite creams

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Innovations in green technology

No Parabens
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Omega 5 oil companies soon to capture the attention of wellness related venture capital

The greening of the VC industry -- finally the focus shifts to Omega 5 oil companies

The average venture capitalist and the typical consumer of wellness products have much in common. Each is likely to be a graying Baby Boomer with high disposable income and little tolerance for the inconveniences of growing old. But despite the common wisdom that VCs fund sectors they know best, businesses tied to healthy living historically haven’t been big recipients of capital.

That is now starting to change, as VCs realize that Baby Boomers like themselves are big business. They’re funding all sorts of nontraditional ventures that tap into health-conscious Boomers’ pocketbooks, including a chain of yoga studios, a maker tortilla chips that help reduce cholesterol, and a company focused on brain health.

“We call it life science meets lifestyle,” says William Rosenzweig, managing director of Physic Ventures, a wellness-centered VC fund, and CEO of Brand New Brands, a food product incubator. Rosenzweig, who co-founded specialty tea purveyor Republic of Tea in the early 1990s, has since become the closest thing the industry has to a poster boy for wellness investing. In the past two years, Brand New Brands has introduced four product lines: a sleep-inducing beverage, a high-fiber shake, chips (the edible variety) that promote heart health, and snack bars that double as digestive aids.

It’s difficult to gauge how much venture money is going into wellness, as it crisscrosses traditional investment categories such as medical devices, consumer products, and, in some cases, biotechnology. On a deal-by-deal basis, however, wellness-themed investments crop up with frequency, with a few smaller funds such as Physic, St. Louis-based Prolog Ventures and Sherbrooke Capital Partners, devoting a big chunk of their portfolio to such deals.

Big funds such as Highland Capital Partners and Oak Investment Partners are also branching out into the healthy living area. Recent Highland investments include yoga studio chain Whole Body, wellness retailer Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, and yoga clothing maker Lululemon (which is in registration for an IPO). Oak, along with Radar Partners, participated in a $25 million Series A in June for New Sun Nutrition Inc., which makes and distributes healthy beverages and nutritional supplements

POMEGA produces the POMEGA5 products.