Greentech Funding Roundup: Lunera, Solix, Genomatica, NanoSteel, Water, More

There was a small streak of VC funding in greentech in the last week. Here’s the list.

Aqwise (Israel) raised $4.5 million from Triveni Engineering & Industries, AHMSA Steel Israel, Altos Hornos de Mexico, Elron Electronic Industries and Israel Cleantech Venture Funds for industrial and municipal waste water treatment (from Globes).

 

Lunera (Redwood City, Calif.) raised $3.4 million of a $4.5 million round, according to an SEC filing. Previous investors include The Westly Group, RCG Ventures, and Navitas Capital. The firm looks to replace fluorescent fixtures in commercial buildings with LED-based luminaires. 

 

EnergySavvy (Seattle, Wash.), a developer of energy efficiency software, raised $3 million. Pivotal Investment led the round with Summit Capital and Northwest Energy Angels.

 

Genomatica (San Francisco, Calif.), a developer of sustainable chemicals, raised $41.5 million in a D round of funding and withdrew its $100 million IPO registration. Investors included Versalis, Alloy Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Mohr Davidow Ventures, TPG Biotech, VantagePoint Capital Partners, and Waste Management. Genomatica was founded in 1998 and has created a technology platform that can analyze masses of potential biochemical reactions to come up with the best, fastest and/or cheapest way to create several precursor industrial chemicals, namely, butanediol (BDO), a precursor to spandex and other polymers.

 

PlasmaSi (Fremont, Calif.) just raised $300,000 for silicon deposition of solar cells, according to an SEC filing.





Solix BioSystems (Fort Collins, Colorado) raised a $31 million round C led by existing investor I2BF Global Ventures to produce omega-3, beta-carotene and the pigment astaxanthin from bioreactor-based algae. Solix once eyed algae-based biofuels produced in bioreactors, but has retreated from that mirage, as have most of the firms with that aspiration.

 

NanoSteel (Providence, Rhode Island), a producer of nano-structured steel materials, raised funding from GM Ventures for materials that could allow reduced automotive weight and improved fuel efficiencies.

 

Epuramat (Luxembourg) closed the first tranche of a $10.3 million round B led by Bright Capital along with Chaux de Contern and I2BF Global Ventures. The startup provides water and wastewater treatment systems based on an oil-water separation system.