San Francisco has long been known as a center for social advocacy, sustainability, and progressive thinking. When it comes to environmental issues, the San Francisco Bay Area is a leader on the global stage and a desirable locale for new CleanTech businesses. In fact, the Bay Area holds the largest concentration of clean technology investors in the Unites States as well as an abundance of business opportunities for clean technology companies targeting the US and Asia. We are active in launching international CleanTech companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, and in this blog, we’ll feature some tips that a new company can use to launch in the land of opportunity.

Go Where the Action Is

San Francisco regularly hosts the CleanTech Forum, an annual gathering of the global CleanTech innovation community and comprehensive three-day program that offers CleanTech businesses exclusive opportunities to network, learn, and get deals done. This gathering is ideal for startup entrepreneurs looking to meet with innovation leaders, interact with corporate representatives, and garner attention (and financial investment) from leading venture and growth capital firms as well as angel investors looking to make a sustainable impact and financial return.

The CleanTech Forum has brought together clean technology’s most influential leaders since 2002, and is the ideal place for “next generation” technologies to market their services. The next CleanTech Forum will take place January 22-24, 2018, and the theme of the event will be, “Charting the Future, Connecting the Globe.” Should you be interested in attending the conference and need assistance in prepping to maximize your business’ impact, please feel free to reach out to us.

Implement a Core Local Team

To maximize your market traction, consider appointing a San Francisco-based manager that can manage communications, build business connections, and take investor meetings. If you are able to host a C-level executive locally, that is even better. While this is not absolutely necessary, having an acting local manager or executive will allow your business to market and execute key businesses strategies, make the proper connections and partnerships, navigate regulatory barriers, and potentially secure investor interest and funding.

Create a High-Profile Campaign

Once you have created your world-changing clean technology, it’s time to capture the attention of business entities that matter. As with any startup business, strategic positioning, brand development, and web presence is the first step toward defining your unique niche. Once your business has carved out a market position, it’s imperative to put together a high-profile digital PR and partnering campaign to drive communications, networking, and partnering opportunities. For advanced strategies that involve maximizing crowdsourcing, community engagement and/or media outreach, please feel free to reach out to us for consultation services.

As the leading city in clean technology adoption, San Francisco offers a payroll tax exemption for businesses that engage in clean energy technology. San Francisco’s tech-savvy business community, enlightened local leaders and world-class academic institutions make the City an ideal setting for incubating and developing new environmentally friendly technologies.

Should you be interested in any of our startup launch or consulting services, please reach out for more details.