GreenTech Consulting logo
 
GreenTech Consulting - Management
 

Management

    

Joel A. Balbien, Ph.D., CFA
Managing Director, GreenTech Consulting

Joel is an accomplished and visionary executive with a proven success in managing the commercialization of CleanTech, Life Sciences, Semiconductor technologies in both Fortune 500 and Hi-Tech startup companies. His investment and management background spans more than two decades including financial and strategic planning positions of increasing responsibility at Unocal Corporation (NYSE:CVX), and Pacific Enterprises, (now Sempra Energy NYSE:SRE). He was a co-founder and Managing Member of a Los Angeles based venture capital fund, and from 2005 - 2007 served as CEO of Kreido Labs and Biofuels. Joel has served on the board of directors of several successful startups including Transilica, Sonics, Clean Energy Systems, and was a Board and CEO Advisor for Continuous Computing Corporation and Clinical Microsensors.

Two of his clients are members of the 2009 Global 100 Most Sustainable companies in the world. Joel is currently serving in an interim CFO role at two startups, (i.e., Tensorcom and IPPLEX), which are pushing the frontiers of low power and high performance wireless communications. Over the past 3 years he has served as an advisor at Larta Institute, where he has developed & managed commercialization assistance and professional services programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, and Department of Energy. He has also mentored numerous NIH, USDA, NSF, and TATRC SBIR grantees including several cutting edge health care and CleanTech companies.

Dr. Balbien is a Distinguished Lecturer at the Marshall School of Business at USC. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. from Caltech, Chartered Financial Analyst credential from the CFA Institute, and BA from the University of California, San Diego. Joel is an active member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Specialties

  • Advising CleanTech and Life Sciences companies on sustainability initiatives, financial and business planning, investor presentations, recruitment of the team, R&D management, prototype and/or pilot plant development, business partnerships, M&A, raising capital, and executing on strategic partnerships
  • Market Research
  • Competitive Intelligence
  • Assisting companies in litigation support, administrative law and regulatory proceedings

Clients

  • ABS International (Advanced Biofuels)
  • Bluefire (Cellulosic Ethanol)
  • BASF
  • iVisit and IPPLEX (Telemedicine and Wireless Unified Communications)
  • Larta Institute (Global Professional Services Firm)
  • Regenesis (Environmental Remediation)
  • Sekisui Chemicals, Ltd
  • Sempra Utilities (Corporate Venture Capital)
  • TechNavi (International Business)
  • Tensorcom (Ultra-Low Power/High Speed Wireless Communications)
  • Topanga Technology (Advanced Lighting)

Partners

  • Applied Power Concepts
  • National Institute of Health (NIH)
  • National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • US Department of Energy
  • US Department of Agriculture
  • NEDO (Japan)
  • Silicon Valley Bank