CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwire - March 8, 2010) - On March 11, the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge will present a session on how investors, entrepreneurs and businesses can engage with the sustainability revolution that continues to grow within communities across Massachusetts and beyond. The session will feature a keynote presentation by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers clean tech investor, and former Oracle Corporation President and COO, Ray Lane. Lane will discuss challenges posed by sustainability and climate change and the enormous opportunities in the energy industry. He will also share his thoughts on how the science, business and policy of climate change will converge and what that means for investors and entrepreneurs.
Following Lane's presentation, Dan Goldman, EVP and CFO of Great Point Energy, will lead a panel of thought leaders to discuss institutional sustainability investment, policy development and the science of climate change. The in-depth conversation will further explore the opportunities of innovation, jobs and new markets that are created by the energy industry. The panel will feature Peter Huybers, a climate scientist and assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University; Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres; and Peter Rothstein, senior vice president of the New England Clean Energy Council.
Keynote speaker:
Ray Lane is a managing partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), where he is focused on helping entrepreneurs with technological and market insight, organizational development and managing growth. Since joining KPCB, Lane has led several investments for the firm in enterprise and consumer technology, as well as clean and alternative energy, including Ausra, GreatPoint Energy, Fisker Automotive, Th!nk NA and Elance. Before joining KPCB, Lane was president and COO of Oracle Corporation, the second-largest software company in the world. Lane was elected to the Academy of Distinguished Graduates of West Virginia University, where he earned his bachelor's degree, and also served as a director of the WVU foundation board and currently serves on the University's Board of Governors. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Mellon University as its chairman.
Panelists:
Peter Huybers is a climate scientist and assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University. He has developed several influential theories that explain global climate change on various time scales. Much of his research focuses on the Pleistocene, which spans from about 1.8 million years ago to the end of the most recent ice age, some 12,000 years ago. Huybers received a B.S. from West Point and a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also completed an NOAA Postdoctoral Fellowship at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Mindy Lubber is president of Ceres, a U.S. coalition of investors and environmental leaders working to improve corporate environmental, social and governance practices. In addition to her role at Ceres, Lubber also directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR). She has held leadership positions as the regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Green Century Capital Management and was the senior advisor and communications director to former Governor Michael Dukakis.
Peter Rothstein is SVP of the New England Clean Energy Council and leads the Council's Energy Innovation Consortia project and other innovation-stage initiatives, including the Council's Clean Energy Fellowship Program. Rothstein has many years of venture, entrepreneurial, executive and deal experience across the cleantech venture market. Previously, he was part of the Flagship Ventures team, a leading seed and early stage venture capital firm in Cambridge.
Moderator:
Daniel Goldman is EVP and CFO of GreatPoint Energy, where he brings more than 20 years of energy industry experience. Prior to joining GreatPoint, Goldman was co-founder, CFO and board member of New Energy Capital Corp. He has also held senior management positions at InterGen and Arthur D Little, and co-founded Minuteman Wind, Clean Energy Venture Group and Environmental Entrepreneurs in New England.
When:
Thursday, March 11, 2010
5:30pm: Networking mixer
6:15-8:00pm: Program
8:00-9:00pm: Networking reception
Where: Building E-51, Tang Center, Wong Auditorium, 70 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA
Registration and information: http://www.mitforumcambridge.org/iseries/Sustainability_Revolution.html
Pricing: Forum members: $25, Non-members: $40. Students from all universities are free with college ID. Pre-registration is encouraged.
Contact Information:
MIT ENTERPRISE FORUM OF CAMBRIDGE CONTACT:
Trish Fleming
MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
617-253-8240