Startups Undeterred Despite Weak Economy

Hyperion Power Generation, Wattbot and Planar Energy Devices were among the startups seeking funding at the Dow Jones Alternative Energy Innovations conference in Redwood City, Calif. this week.

Some companies at the conference said fund raising was going slower than usual (see Funding Roundup: Closing Deals in Tough Times).

But according to a survey released Tuesday by law firm DPA Piper, technology executives believe clean technology will be a "bright area" amid the economic turmoil because it helps to address higher fuel costs and energy supply challenges.

The survey also found that venture capitalists are more optimistic than the rest of the technology industry about the extent of the financial crisis, with only about half saying they expect it will be as severe as the "tech bubble burst" of 2000, compared with two-thirds of tech executives.

Here are a few of the startups that hope to translate that optimism into cold cash to grow their companies:

Page 2: Hyperion Power Generation

Page 3: Wattbot

Page 4: Planar Energy Devices