Forbes Mag's Most Promising Companies List Includes Green Companies

Amidst the hamburger outlets and online survey providers that won coveted spots on Forbes Magazines’ America’s Most Promising Companies list are a bunch of interesting green companies.

They demonstrate the variety of innovative ideas that are successfully making it in the market these days. 

#10 on the list is Opower, which makes software that allows homeowners to track and manage home energy consumption. It sells the software to utilities which use to increase energy
efficiency among their customer base.

Founded in 2007, the company is backed by $65 in
venture capital from well known firms such as Kleiner Perkins, Accel Partners, and New Enterprise Associates. It won the #5 spot on the Wall St Journal’s Top Cleantech Companies list.

#57 is North American Power, which is establishing itself as a renewable energy utility, supplying electricity to some of the east coast from wind and water.

Founded in 2009, it got a $5 million mezzanine loan from a single confidential investor in August 2011.

#58 is Bridgelux which makes LEDs and sells them to lighting fixture manufacturers. The company has raised over $200
million in venture capital, including $60 million in August for its breakthrough technology to bring the cost of LEDs down.
 

#59 is Telogis, which makes web-based software that determines optimal routes for fleets as well as monitoring driver behaviors like idling and excessive braking. Customers interested in increases fuel efficiency of their fleets include AT&T, Coca-Cola and the FBI.

Founded in 2001, Telogis raised $2.9 million in angel funding in February 2011.

#60 is Packsize, which makes machines that create custom, form-fitting shipping containers, reducing
packaging volume 30-40%. They give the machinges to customers for free – they pay for
Packsize’s "z-fold" corrugated cardboard. Overstock.com, Ikea
and Ethan Allen are among their customers.

#67 is ABSMaterials, which makes Osorb, a "reactive glass" that
separates pollutants and other molecules from water and air.

The company sells the glass to customers or charges them for the
number of gallons treated. The founder, which has founded 14 companies has raised $11 million in venture capital for this venture, which started in 2009.

#68 is E-cycle, which recycles mobile phones and tablets for use in developing countries. The company is entirely self-financed and has been operating since 2005.

#70 is Energy Xtreme, which makes a vehicle anti-idling device that stores excess power from the alternator, reducing fuel use and carbon emissions. It sells them to customers that include the US Army and AT&T.

#95 is CODA Holdings, which makes electric cars and lithium-ion batteries for vehicles. It’s first car, the CODA 2012 sedan
goes on sale this year for $40,000. Founded in 2008, Coda
has raised over $200 million in capital and its CEO spent 30 years at General Motors.

#97 is Sapphire Energy, which has been working on substituting algae for crude oil since 2007. Its "green crude" can be refined into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, and is currently running on $100 million raised from Bill Gate’s venture capital firm, Cascade Investments, Welcome Trust, Venrock (Rockefeller Family), and ARCH Venture Partners, plus another $100 million in funding from the federal government. 

After maiden commercial airline flights in November on a blend of algae biofuels, Sapphire Energy is building
a plant to produce more of the "green crude oil" to replace fossil
fuels in diesel and jet fuels.

Here’s the complete Forbe’s list: