As we continue to consume the world’s natural resources, we are left with diminishing clean air, water, and land. It is a common idea that new technologies, such as biofuels, solar energy, electric vehicles, and wind energy, will solve the global concerns of climate stability, oil security, and food supply.
At his SXSW Interactive 2012 panel, “Why Cleanweb Will Beat Cleantech,” Sunil Paul, founder of Spring Ventures, a multi-stage/multi-strategy venture fund that invests in novel information technology and cleantech companies, proposes there is a better, more powerful way to solve these problems.
Paul coined the term “Cleanweb” as the aggressive application of information technology–such as Twitter, Facebook, and other social media–to resource constraints, as well as accelerate cleantech deployment and restructure many diverse industries, including hotels, automobiles, agriculture and food, clothing, buildings, lighting, and renewable finance.
First involved as an investor in cleantech, then an Internet pioneer, Paul will explain how companies like AirBnB, Zipcar, Skype, Sungevity, and other businesses have already begun improving efficiency by reducing the need for fossil fuels, water, food, land, and other resources.
The creativity of entrepreneurs and investment from venture, corporate, and government funds are now producing profound breakthroughs as a result of forces such as the Internet, social media, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and other technological advances.
Paul has two goals with cleanweb: “First is to simply stretch the minds of entrepreneurs and challenge them to step up to the biggest challenges of our generation. Second, I hope many of these entrepreneurs will see value in Spring Ventures investing in their startups.”
In the face of so many concerns for how to create a sustainable future, it seems it would be beneficial for companies to explore new markets and market products, building new businesses that utilize information technology, and rely less on the world’s diminishing natural resources.