Kleiner Perkins boosts greentech, health commitments

Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers tonight announced three new greentech and pandemic preparedness and global health commitments. In all, the firm has doubled its commitment to global greentech innovations to $200 million, introduced the KPCB Prize for greentech policy innovators to recognize outstanding policy entrepreneurs, and has backed three ventures with its Pandemic Preparedness Fund.

“The largest trend on the planet is urbanization as the number of people living in megacities triples from 2 billion to 6 billion,” said Partner John Doerr in a prepared release. “We’re already backing 11 Greentech ventures with breakthrough technologies in biofuels, solar cells, fuel cells, storage, energy management and conservation. And we look for many more.”

The firm said that its KPCB Prize for greentech policy innovators will award $50,000 to policy entrepreneurs. The prize is in addition to the $100,000 KPCB Prize for green innovation announced in May.

Also, Kleiner Perkins announced that its $200 million Pandemic Preparedness Fund has backed three ventures to combat global infectious disease. They are Biocryst, Novavax and an undisclosed rapid diagnostic technology company.

Of note is that Kleiner Perkins—which uses the term “greentech” to describe deals that the venture and energy industries typically calls “cleantech”—announced its funding plans today at the Clinton Global Initiative annual conference in New York. Also in New York today, the Cleantech Venture Network launched its three-day conference.