Dubois

Denis Du Bois: “Excitement…fear. Opportunity…risk. Urgency… indifference.” Pacific Northwest Cleantech Open Co-chair Byron McCann opened last night’s regional awards ceremony with a dramatized series of opposites.

It fit, because the theme of the evening was contrast and anachronism. The region’s hottest new technologies were showcased in Seattle’s second-oldest theater. Our governor headlined the ceremony for a cleantech business plan competition that blossomed with no state financial support.

“We must all make these choices,” McCann continued. “Urgency is critical. The one commodity we don’t have a lot of is time.”

The Cleantech Open is about accelerating innovation to address climate, economic, and security issues, he said.

About 200 people crammed into the ACT Theatre to see which three startups were selected as finalists. There was as much excitement in the air during the cocktail reception as during the ceremony itself.

Entrepreneurs and investors crowded around the semifinalists’ exhibits to see prototypes. Everyone engaged in energetic networking.

The finalists are Green Lite Motors, Hydrovolts Inc., and LivinGreen Materials.

I saw their 20-minute pitches at an investor forum before the gala, and all three are richly deserving of their prizes.

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