Fresh perspective on startups, entrepreneurship, clean technology, venture capital, and policy.https://www.greengoldblog.com/en-ushttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/diverse-plants-yield-steadier-garden-portfolio-returns.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/diverse-plants-yield-steadier-garden-portfolio-returns.htmlDiverse plants yield steadier garden, portfolio returns.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 21:06:35 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/vc-investment-peaks-in-q2-favors-clean-energy-and-ai-startups.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/vc-investment-peaks-in-q2-favors-clean-energy-and-ai-startups.htmlVC Investment Peaks in Q2, Favors Clean Energy and AI Startups.Tue, 08 Sep 2026 21:06:35 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/investors-prioritize-sustainability-in-tech-firms.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/investors-prioritize-sustainability-in-tech-firms.htmlInvestors are still putting money into tech firms that can show a real sustainability edge, but they are less patient with broad claims and loose language.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 19:21:04 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/christian-plascencia-leads-gtm-s-elite-team-to-success.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/christian-plascencia-leads-gtm-s-elite-team-to-success.htmlA good go-to-market team can make a weak product look alive for a quarter. A strong one can do more than that.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 19:21:04 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/meta-exclusions-ineffective-for-ecom-growth-in-digital-scale.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/meta-exclusions-ineffective-for-ecom-growth-in-digital-scale.htmlThe problem is simple. A clean exclusion list looks smart, but it often fails to move the business.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 19:21:04 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/solar-and-wind-now-power-over-30-of-global-electricity.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/solar-and-wind-now-power-over-30-of-global-electricity.htmlSolar and wind are now doing more than many people expected. The clean power shift is no longer a side story.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 19:21:04 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/solar-energy-surpasses-coal-as-top-us-power-source.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/solar-energy-surpasses-coal-as-top-us-power-source.htmlSolar Energy Surpasses Coal as Top US Power Source.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 19:21:04 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/startup-funding-surpasses-50b-in-q2.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/09/startup-funding-surpasses-50b-in-q2.htmlStartup Funding Surpasses $50B in Q2.Tue, 01 Sep 2026 19:21:04 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/08/technology-acceleration-disrupts-markets-at-unprecedented-speeds.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/08/technology-acceleration-disrupts-markets-at-unprecedented-speeds.htmlThe hard question is simple: why does a promising technology now shake markets so fast?Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:54:15 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/08/energy-innovation-crucial-for-scale-up-in-renewable-sectors.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/08/energy-innovation-crucial-for-scale-up-in-renewable-sectors.htmlRenewable energy sources are the ones that refill on their own, or on a human time scale. That includes solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and bioenergy.Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:54:15 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/08/startup-governance-crucial-for-building-sustainable-companies.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2026/08/startup-governance-crucial-for-building-sustainable-companies.htmlStartup governance is crucial for building sustainable companies. That is the plain answer, and I think it is the right one for anyone who has seen how fast...Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:54:15 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2013/07/is-americas-aversion-to-risk_2.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2013/07/is-americas-aversion-to-risk_2.htmlAmerica is a nation that was born by people willing to take extraordinary risks. The settlers who came here put their lives on the l...Tue, 02 Jul 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2013/05/improve-your-entrepreneurship-find-your.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2013/05/improve-your-entrepreneurship-find-your.htmlAnyone who has been a parent knows that if we pay attention, we can learn a lot from our children. After years of being bot...Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2013/03/becoming-ceo-of-venture-backed-company.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2013/03/becoming-ceo-of-venture-backed-company.htmlYears ago when I was much younger and contemplating starting my own dot c...Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/12/networking-or-nyet-working.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/12/networking-or-nyet-working.htmlAs a venture capitalist, I end up attending my fair share of evening events and conferences. When my wife (who grew up in Russia) and I were dating, she asked me about what I do at these types of events. I told her that…Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/11/now-that-cleantech-hype-is-gone-real.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/11/now-that-cleantech-hype-is-gone-real.htmlThe bubble has burst. The hype and euphoria of 2008 and 2009 is a distant memory. Fueled in part by the externality of the handouts from the stimulus package, and the (now fleeting) spike of natural gas and oil prices,…Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/05/fingernails-on-chalk-board-pivot-and.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/05/fingernails-on-chalk-board-pivot-and.htmlAs a venture capitalist, I am exposed to all the latest fads in business expressions. When a word or phrase is hot, I ...Wed, 30 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/05/top-questions-to-ask-venture-capitalist.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/05/top-questions-to-ask-venture-capitalist.htmlYou landed your first pitch at a venture capitalist’s (VC) office. You’ve practiced the pitch and have your laptop fir...Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/03/top-questions-to-ask-venture-capitalist.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/03/top-questions-to-ask-venture-capitalist.htmlSo, you’re at a networking event and you get an opportunity to talk with a Venture Capitalist (VC) for just a few min...Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/02/shining-star-of-bi-partisan-cleantech.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2012/02/shining-star-of-bi-partisan-cleantech.htmlAmid all the negative publicity that Solyndra’s failure has brought to the Administration’s cleantech efforts, one cleantech progr...Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/12/cleantech-vc-who-is-unconvinced-of-man.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/12/cleantech-vc-who-is-unconvinced-of-man.htmlGo ahead -- call me a hypocrite. I claim to be a cleantech venture capitalist yet I tell you here and now that I am not convinced...Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/11/feeling-feeling-blue-about-green.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/11/feeling-feeling-blue-about-green.htmlThere are so many easy reasons to be a pessimist today: the world financial crisis, the discord and dysfunction in Washington, and ...Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/10/obama-cleantech-stimulus-bad-policy-bad.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/10/obama-cleantech-stimulus-bad-policy-bad.htmlThe Solyndra debacle is no surprise to this cleantech venture capitalist. The inherent conflict between trying to get money out of the U.S. Treasury as quickly as possible to stimulate the economy and, at the same time,…Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/09/top-5-things-cleantech-entrepreneurs.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/09/top-5-things-cleantech-entrepreneurs.htmlAfter decades of venture capital investment, growth and exit, the traditional focus areas of venture capit...Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/05/if-energy-were-free-and-unlimited.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/05/if-energy-were-free-and-unlimited.htmlAs soon as gas prices rise, our nation becomes focused on energy. When they drop again, it falls off most consumers’ radar. Yet the...Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/03/renewable-energy-standards-savvy-or.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/03/renewable-energy-standards-savvy-or.htmlState renewable energy standards have gained momentum over the past decade with 29 states having put in place various types of standard mandates and five more having implemented voluntary standards (34 total). Now the…Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/01/you-call-this-cleantech.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2011/01/you-call-this-cleantech.htmlInvest in a solar, biofuels, or LED lighting company, and nobody will question the company’s cleantech pedigree. Inve...Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/11/election-does-not-spell-cleantech-doom.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/11/election-does-not-spell-cleantech-doom.htmlWith the recent “shellacking” (as President Obama referred to the election results) of the Democratically controlled Cong...Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/10/meet-rodney-dangerfield-of-cleantech.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/10/meet-rodney-dangerfield-of-cleantech.htmlWind turbines stand tall and mesmerize with their motion. Solar cells bask in the sparkling sun. Meanwhile, hidden down in the dark dirty underworld, a compelling technology sits quietly and gets no respect. Once…Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/09/cleantech-stimulus-still-not.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/09/cleantech-stimulus-still-not.htmlThe stimulus bill along with the $31B cleantech element focused on grants and loan guarantees through the Department of Energy was passed into law over 18 months ago. About a year ago I wrote about how the cleantech…Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/06/cleantech-is-bunch-of-hot-air.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/06/cleantech-is-bunch-of-hot-air.htmlWhile renewable energy often captures most of the cleantech headlines, if anyone doubts why energy efficiency must play a significant ...Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/04/how-to-build-cleantech-company-without.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/04/how-to-build-cleantech-company-without.htmlWhile many cleantech companies require very large amounts of capital in order to get to market, there is a quiet group of cleantech companies bucking that trend. Companies like Heartland Biocomposites (Green Building…Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/03/cap-and-trade-right-debate-wrong.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/03/cap-and-trade-right-debate-wrong.htmlAs we have seen in just the past few years, fossil fuel prices can vary dramatically over very short periods of time. Creatin...Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/02/cleantech-economics-101-higher-fossil.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/02/cleantech-economics-101-higher-fossil.htmlWith all the complexities of cleantech policy and technologies, there is only one simple thing needed for an explosion of competitive clean technologies – increased price of fossil fuels. The amount of R&D expenditures…Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/01/will-2010-be-year-of-cleantech-revenues.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2010/01/will-2010-be-year-of-cleantech-revenues.htmlAs a “gearhead” (engineer) I must admit I truly enjoy looking at all the cool technologies being developed by cleantech companies. The prom...Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2009/12/feel-good-government-grants-leading.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2009/12/feel-good-government-grants-leading.htmlGrants for smart grid projects. Grants for battery manufacturing lines. Loan guarantees for renewable energy project development. Grants ...Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2009/11/cleantech-venture-capitalists-are-human.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2009/11/cleantech-venture-capitalists-are-human.htmlSectors like solar, biofuels and smart grid have received a significant overweighting of venture capital investment compared to other sectors. Is this because they are better investment opportunities or because venture…Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2009/10/human-capital-not-venture-capital.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2009/10/human-capital-not-venture-capital.htmlBuilding great businesses typically requires three key ingredients: phenomenal people, compelling technology and investment capital. Cleantech companies are no exception. While cleantech venture capital investments have…Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2009/09/cleantech-stimulus-not-very-stimulating.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2009/09/cleantech-stimulus-not-very-stimulating.htmlThe way the Obama Administration used the economic crisis to drive a major policy and spending shift regarding clean technologies was very deft politics. The cleantech stimulus (which represented over $45 billion of the…Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2009/09/green-gold-blog-launch.htmlhttps://www.greengoldblog.com/2009/09/green-gold-blog-launch.htmlAfter joining Access Venture Partners over two years ago and heading up our cleantech investments, I contemplated starting a blog. But the...Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT