Cleantech Open and Ignite Clean Energy Agree To Combine

The nation's two largest cleantech business competitions have announced they are joining forces.

The MIT Enterprise Forum's Ignite Clean Energy Competition (ICE) and the Cleantech Open—have agreed to combine resources and efforts to establish the largest international cleantech business plan competition. Together, the two competitions have welcomed nearly one thousand contestants, spawned over 200 successful cleantech companies, and have helped create thousands of green jobs.

Given considerable private, federal and state capital committed to the industry's growth in the United States in 2009 and 2010, interest in the national Cleantech Open, which now operates in five regions across the United States as well as internationally through its Global Cleantech Ideas competition, is expected to skyrocket.

The new partnership will also create the largest business competition for cleantech innovation in the United States, with coast-to-coast national coverage.

Faegre & Benson LLP is a platinum sponsor of the Rocky Mountain and Upper Midwest Cleantech Open regional competitions and the inaugural legal sponsor in each geographical area.