Hatchery business Feed Resource Recovery has received the 2nd place (student) prize in the 2006 Ignite Clean Energy Business Presentation Competition.

Ignite Clean Energy Competition provides training, mentoring, coaching, $125,000 in prizes and services to clean-energy entrepreneurs, with one overarching goal - to build a thriving clean-energy industry in Massachusetts.

Feed Resource Recovery, which uses food and other organic wastes to produce biomethane and a highly effective organic fertilizer, is led by MBAs Shane Eten and John Gingrich and advised by Mentor Jeff Behrens, former CEO, Telluride Group. Feed took home a $5,000 cash award, $25,000 in office/incubator space, and $5,000 in legal services:

Ignite was started in 2005 by the Energy Special Interest Group (ESIG) of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge.  Reaching the Finals stage in the 2006 Ignite Clean Energy competition (www.IgniteCleanEnergy.com) wasn't easy, as each team had to survive two elimination rounds against almost 40 other start-ups. The Finalists, selected by 47 judges, from 29 teams that made the first cut to compete in the Semi-Final round at UMass/Lowell in April, spent many hours over 4 weeks absorbing feedback from judges and honing their business presentation skills. To win an invitation to the Finals, these teams made a compelling case to energy venture capitalists, CEOs, and industry experts that they have the right stuff to build new clean energy tech companies - helping to create one of the fastest growing industry clusters from Boston to the Berkshires. Many of the student teams faced the added challenge of taking their final exams while preparing for the Ignite Clean Energy Finals.

The entire event is geared to educate the teams and introduce them to the network of investors, including the well-established Boston venture capital community, and industry experts that can help these early stage companies grow.

The Finals judges were:

-- Cary Bullock, President and CEO, GreenFuel Technologies Corp.

-- Mark Farber, VP Strategic Planning, Evergreen Solar Inc.

-- Pamela Winer Goldberg, Director, Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, Tufts University

-- Daniel P. Goldman, CFO, New Energy Capital Corp.

-- Kenneth Mabbs, Senior Managing Director, FA Technology Ventures

-- Chuck McDermott, General Partner, RockPort Capital Partners

-- Peter Rothstein, President, Allegro Strategy

-- Deb Shufrn, Director, Massachusetts Department of Business and Technology.

The Ignite Clean Energy competition is designed to help new business leaders create a compelling story for raising funds from government, angel, and venture capital investors; teach entrepreneurs superior business plan presentation skills; and encourage networking among entrepreneurial participants, investors and industry leaders.

The Ignite Clean Energy Competition is sponsored by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Foley Hoag LLP, Mintz Levin, The University of Massachusetts/Lowell's Commercial Venture Development, Cummings Properties, Rich May Law, RockPort Capital Partners, Maniv Energy Capital, Business Wire, and Constellation NewEnergy.

The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge, http://www.mitforumcambridge.org , is a volunteer, non-profit organization based at MIT whose mission is to promote and strengthen the process of starting and growing innovative and technology-oriented companies.

For more information on the Ignite Clean Energy Competition and on the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge, please visit www.IgniteCleanEnergy.com or call 508-698-6810.