SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 4, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Wall Street Journal today announced its first ranking of the Top 10 venture-backed, clean technology companies. The Next Big Thing survey, based on proprietary data from Dow Jones VentureSource, seeks to identify green companies that have the capital, executive experience and investor know-how to succeed in an increasingly crowded field. The results were unveiled at The Wall Street Journal's third annual ECO:nomics Conference currently being held in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Three makers of solar cells topped the list, including Solyndra Inc. of Fremont, Calif.; Suniva Inc. of Norcross, Ga.; and eSolar Inc. of Pasadena, Calif. Other notables on the Top 10 Cleantech list include two eco-friendly car makers — Fisker Automotive Inc. of Irvine, Calif., and Tesla Motors Inc. of San Carlos, Calif.— and Philadelphia's RecycleBank LLC, which provides rewards programs to motivate people to recycle.
"We're not saying all ten of these companies will be blockbuster successes," said Alan Murray, deputy managing editor and executive editor, online of The Wall Street Journal. "But we do think there's a good chance that one of these promising companies will be The Next Big Thing in Clean Technology."
The Next Big Thing: The Top 10 Clean Technology Companies include:
1) Solyndra Inc. – Fremont, Calif.
2) Suniva Inc. – Norcross, Ga.
3) eSolar Inc. – Pasadena, Calif.
4) RecycleBank LLC – Philadelphia
5) Boston-Power – Westborough, Mass.
6) Fisker Automotive Inc. – Irvine, Calif.
7) eMeter Inc. – Sun Mateo, Calif.
8) Serious Materials Inc. – Sunnyvale, Calif.
9) Silver Spring Networks Inc. – Redwood City, Calif.
10) Tesla Motors Inc. – San Carlos, Calif.
A team from research firm Dow Jones VentureSource (owned by Dow Jones & Company, publisher of the Journal) calculated the rankings, applying a set of financial criteria to some 350 U.S.-based venture-backed businesses in clean technology valued at less than $1 billion. Companies that make everything from fuel cell technologies to carbon-management software were analyzed according to four financial criteria: the track records of success for both a company's founders and management; track records for the investors on its board; the amount of capital raised in the last three years; and the percentage change in a company's valuation in the 12 months ended Nov. 30. Dow Jones reporters and editors who cover the venture capital industry also provided their perspective and expertise beyond the numbers.
On March 9, the Journal will publish its first ranking of venture-funded companies -- The Next Big Thing: The Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies, which will identify the firms across all industries, valued at less than $1 billion that show the biggest promise of take-off.
Dow Jones VentureSource tracks more than 38,000 venture-backed companies in the U.S., Canada, Europe, China and India, as well as over 14,000 private investment firms world-wide.
About The Wall Street Journal
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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