Altira Invests in Energy Efficiency - Transformative Energy Technology Funding For Battery and Energy Management Software Companies

DENVER - Altira Group LLC, a pioneer and leader in venture capital and private equity funding for energy technology companies, today announced a pair of significant investments totaling US$17.5MM in the renewable energy sector.

Continuing to demonstrate its commitment to helping meet global energy demand, Altira made lead investments in two strategic companies, EPS Corp of Costa Mesa, CA and Lilliputian Systems, Inc. (LSI) of Wilmington, MA.

“Even in this demanding economic climate, our national energy challenges remain,” said Dirk McDermott, Managing Partner for Altira Group LLC, a Denver-based venture capital firm. “We believe that many of these challenges will be solved by technological advances across the entire energy value chain. There are good innovative companies out there which offer great investment opportunities and we are investing in them.”

Leading the investment in EPS Corp with US$10MM, Altira secured participation from its partners bringing the total round to US$30MM. EPS is the leading energy intelligence company that develops and implements analytic, efficiency and clean solutions for Fortune 500 companies. The EPS Way(TM) is an innovative, three-step strategy that follows three simple tenets: 1) Measure and control what you have, 2) Repair and replace what is inefficient, and 3) Shift to new and alternative energy options. The company’s suite of services target the industrial manufacturing sector, and its product and services support industry leaders in the food and beverage sector nationwide.

“Providing entrepreneurs an opportunity to solve our energy challenges is very rewarding,” said Jim Newell, Partner at Altira. “EPS can change the way we address energy problems, offering a solution to every facet of electricity and thermal production, measurement, and consumption. They offer solutions immediately available today to address our national energy challenges.”

Altira also led the US$28MM funding for LSI with US$7.5MM, helping ensure the timely commercial launch of Lilliputian’s products. Lilliputian Systems, Inc. (”Lilliputian”) has developed the world’s first Personal Power(TM) solution for consumer electronic devices. The Company’s breakthrough solution delivers the only viable, small form-factor battery replacement that provides the enormous run-time improvements demanded by today’s devices, delivering a 5-10x run-time improvement (or a 10-20x improvement on a weight basis) at a fraction of the cost.

The technology is based on highly efficient, solid oxide fuel cell and MEMS-based technology, and runs on high energy fuels like butane. The technology is reliable, safe (approved for use on aircraft) and environmentally friendly. The extended run-time and “instant recharge” features of the butane cartridges allow Lilliputian’s product family to provide essentially infinite power to the user.

“Finding solutions for our energy challenges today is a priority for Altira,” said Hull McKinnon, Principal at Altira. “Features and functions for consumer electronics devices are demanding power at an increasing rate and current battery technologies are barely keeping up. The Personal Power solution is the kind of disruptive technology that will address this problem and change the US$50BN consumer electronics market.”

About Altira Group

Altira Group LLC (www.altiragroup.com) is a Denver-based private equity and venture firm that has profitably invested in energy technology companies for over 13 years. Their portfolio includes companies in both the traditional and renewable energy sectors. Altira pursues opportunities to commercialize transformative technologies that drive efficiency and productivity gains throughout the energy value chain, while reducing the carbon footprint.

Altira is currently investing out of its fifth fund. The typical initial investment in a portfolio company is in the US$5-US$15 MM range, with follow-on investments as warranted. Altira seeks investment opportunities led by experienced and dedicated management teams who are commercializing new energy technologies with high growth potential.

Source: Altira Group LLC

Jeff Blanc, +1-415-252-1703, jeff at square1strategy.com, for Altira Group LLC