A total of 19 UK-based clean technology companies got a taste of the Silicon Valley venture capital world yesterday, as part of the 2010 Clean & Cool Mission.

The companies were given five minutes each to pitch their business models and innovation to investors from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bessemer Venture Partners, Nth Power, and O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures (OATV), among others.

“Five minutes is long enough to know if you’re interested or not,” OATV Managing Director Mark Jacobsen told the Cleantech Group. His firm has invested in one of the presenting companies, AMEE.

AMEE recently closed a €4 million ($5.5 million) Series B round (see M&As swing to solar this week).  The company specializes in accurate calculations of carbon and greenhouse gas impacts, with a Web-based search engine. The company’s technology is OEMed inside other software applications to allow for data collections that have an audit trail, CEO Gavin Starks said.

In addition to attending the Cleantech Group’s Cleantech Forum XXVI — San Francisco this week, companies on the first-time mission were looking to explore how to succeed in the U.S. market and meet Silicon Valley’s movers and shakers. More than six months ago, the companies were selected among 140 applicants, some of which were invited to apply and others that participated in an open application process.

The Clean & Cool Mission was sponsored by the UK government-funded Technology Strategy Board, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, BP, the Cleantech Group, Arup, UK Trade & Investment, and Enterprise UK.

Robert Markus Feldmann, a partner who heads Deloitte's cleantech practice in Europe, spoke about why U.S. firms should invest in British talent and the benefits of “marrying” Silicon Valley expertise with traditional industries from Europe that apply to cleantech. He said European companies are often closer to certain markets and have specific industrial and complexity know how that can open new opportunities.

For a complete list of the presenting companies, visit the Clean & Cool Web site. Here are some of the highlights:

• Cambridgeshire-based Isentropic specializes in utility scale pumped heat electricity storage, using thermal techniques, said CTO Jonathan Howes. The pre-revenue company said the technology has no geographical constraints, is compact, low cost and can demonstrate a round trip efficiency of 72 percent to 80 percent. Howes said the technology helps to solve the problem with renewable sources being intermittent and power distribution networks reaching capacity. The company has sufficient funding to last for the next 18 months.
• Edinburgh-based wave energy developer Aquamarine Power's CEO Martin McAdam said his company has “survived the winter.” Established in 2005, the company has deployed its hydro-electric Oyster device off the coast of the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It is looking to launch its next device possibly off the Oregon coast as it works on bringing down its cost (see Aquamarine Power secures first £10M for wave energy tech). McAdam said he is currently seeking $40 million to take the company to having a commercial product offering in the near-shore market.
• Leeds-based Xeros CEO Bill Westwater said his company is going after the commercial laundry market with its technology that replaces the majority of water used to do laundry with small polymer beads that can be re-used and recycled (see Cleaning up the laundry industry). “The conventional laundry industry has been trying to reduce water and electricity for a long, long time, but right now they are in a salami slicing exercise,” he said. “Xeros changes the game in terms of washing.” The company is preparing to raise a Series B round, come mid-2010.
• “We’re about making more with less, making LED lighting affordable, and we believe it’s a massive opportunity,” said Juice Technology’s CEO Ian Turner. The company develops LED lighting fixtures and systems for OEM clients including its energy-efficient J-Net power distribution and control system. The company has a joint venture called JuiceWorks in North America with U.S. decorative residential lighting company Generation Brands, and recently signed a supply contract with German office lighting systems manufacturer Wila. Juice is currently looking to raise £2 million ($3.1 million) in the UK to develop its technology, while its JV is looking to raise $5 million to do the same in North America, Turner said.
• Oxfordshire-based Nexeon is developing a new class of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The company said it has patented a unique way of structuring silicon so that it delivers extended cycle life and increases battery capacity (see Nexeon raises £10M for lithium-ion batteries). CEO Scott Brown said the company is looking to generate revenue based on a licensing structure, technology transfer model, as well as supply chain contracts. The company isn’t seeking funding at the moment, raising about $25 million to date as well as government support, but could consider an IPO or acquisition “at some point,” he said.
• With offices in Glasgow and Boston, Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES) makes an integrated suite of building simulation tools that allows users to quantify, optimize, and verify building performance, with a focus on energy efficiency, mitigating climate change, and conserving natural resources. The company is working with partners including Airbus, Toyota, and David Langdon, as well as a special relationship with Wal-Mart, supporting its design team in developing high efficiency stores. IES founder and CEO Don McLean said once the company further proves the abilities of its technology, it plans to seek funding or trade partnerships.
• Cambridge-based Breathing Buildings, a spinout from the University of Cambridge, was formed to develop and commercialize a low energy controlled ventilation system, which uses the principles of natural mixing ventilation in winter and natural upward displacement ventilation in the summer. The company’s technology is applicable in buildings other than skyscrapers. Breathing Buildings is currently seeking incumbent ventilation partners as well as financing.