Today we released preliminary 2Q 2012 results from the i3 research platform showing worldwide clean technology venture investment in the quarter totaled $1.61 billion.
Measured by dollars invested, cleantech venture investment fell 14 percent compared to the previous quarter ($1.88 billion) and was off 25 percent from 2Q11 ($2.15 billion). Of this quarter’s deals, 59 percent (92) were Series B or later rounds, accounting for 90 percent ($1.59 billion) of all money invested during the quarter.
“Despite headwinds facing the sector and global economic instability, we continue to observe top tier funds such as Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, NEA, and others actively investing into cleantech,” said Cleantech Group CEO Sheeraz Haji. “While some may be ducking ‘cleantech’ as a label in North America, growth in technologies addressing resource and energy challenges remains strong and both corporate and investor interest remains high.”
The leading sector in the quarter by amount invested was solar ($253 million), followed by transportation ($252 million) and energy efficiency ($243 million). Energy efficiency and solar were the most popular sector measured by number of deals, with 35 and 22 funding rounds respectively. Water, 17 deals totaling $135 million, and biofuels, 14 deals totaling $229 million, also had strong showings for the quarter.
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