Bloom Energy IPO?

Bloom Energy IPO?

By
Monday, February 22nd, 2010

So Bloom Energy was featured on 60 Minutes last night. Now what?

Well, apparently the piece has incited fuel cell and IPO fever - neither of which may be justified.

A spot on 60 Minutes is great, and draws plenty of national attention. After the airing, Bloom Energy related keywords were occupying five of the ten hottest Google searches in the country.

And the results, quite frankly, were disturbing. I even found one article claiming Bloom could be publicly listed by this Wednesday.

Of course, that would be comparable to a virgin birth, since Bloom hasn't even filed the necessary paperwork yet.

If you really want to stay on top of new and exciting cleantech companies like this one, perhaps you should read these pages a bit more frequently.

I squashed the Bloom Energy IPO rumors back in November. And I got the info directly from the horse's mouth, John Doerr... the billionaire venture capitalist who's backing the venture.

Here's what I had to say then:

According to Doerr, the main hurdle facing cleantech is its capital intensity.

He said it took $25 million and 3 years to bring Google to an initial public offering (IPO).

Compare that to Bloom Energy, a Doerr-backed fuel cell company. Bloom has already gobbled up $250 million and seven years. Doerr said it'll be nine years before they think about an IPO, even though it has "substantial revenues and orders."

According to Doerr, there is simply more "capital required to grow a great green company." And that's what has delayed major investment - both public and private - thus far.

So no, there's no Bloom Energy stock symbol just yet. But we'll be sure to pass news along should they file for an initial public offering (IPO). If you want to learn more about the company, here's a link to their site.

Call it like you see it,

Nick Hodge

Nick


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Editor's Note: From solar and wind to geothermal and biofuels, Green Chip readers want to know which renewable energy resource will take over where fossil fuels leave off. The answer is...all of the above!

There is no one single solution to today's energy crisis. However, the combination of all viable renewable energy resources, coupled with energy efficiency, conservation and smart grid development will not only lead us to energy independence and a cleaner, more sustainable energy infrastructure — but also to what will soon prove to be the greatest investment opportunity of the 21st Century.





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Comments:

Comment by Bigsby on 2010-02-22
Why the countdown on company website?

http://www.bloomenergy.com/
Comment by Doogle on 2010-02-23
60 Minutes got IPO wrong? No retraction?
Comment by Nick Hodge on 2010-02-23
60 Minutes made no mention of an IPO. They said the company was taking the technology public. The company is simply coming out of stealth mode, hence the countdown on their website.
Comment by Nick Hodge on 2010-02-23
60 Minutes made no mention of the IPO. They said the company was taking the technology public. The company is simply coming out of stealth mode, hence the countdown on their website.
Comment by David Bowles on 2011-03-02
I was amzed by the 60 minutes show on CNBC last night. To think, that within 10 years we may be energy independent. This is why we need people in math and science doing basic research. I hope to buy some stock of Bloom Energy when it comes to market in a few years.
Comment by gilbert Ryan on 2011-03-09
The IPO is still at a minimum 12 months away. The energy concept is a pure winner.
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