Highest Wind named "Company of the Year"

Quite unexpectedly, we were named "Company of the Year" at the Speed Venture Summit last night.

As one of forty seven companies seeking investment from twenty three investment groups, we'd just spent the previous three hours "pitching" our companies for just twelve minutes each with as many as six different investor groups. The investors then voted for their top five favorite companies. Halfway through a glass of red wine at the reception afterwards, I was somewhat relieved to not hear our name announced as one of the five. But when one of the five didn't approach the podium, Highest Wind was announced as the sixth favorite company. All five of us then had one minute to tell our story to the three hundred plus people in the audience, after which they cheered for their favorites. Happily, they cheered loudest for Highest Wind.

You can read about it here. http://www.speedventuresummit.org/

Speed dating for Highest Wind

While it sounds a little improbable, apparently it's pretty effective.

Highest Wind has been selected as one of the startup companies to present at the upcoming Speed Venture Summit.

See the press release about our selection.

This event connects startup companies with investors in speed-dating style - fifteen minute face-to-face chats across a table. Just enough time for us to both feel the 'chemistry' or not, and arrange follow-on meetings (or receive that emergency bail-out call from our wingman). After a few hours of this, the most popular startups then do a public presentation to the crowd with applause measured to choose the audience favorites.

Sounds wild.

Union Leader news story

More press about Highest Wind.
A mostly accurate article about us in the Union Leader newspaper.

On the hot-seat at the NHHTC "Entrepreneur Forum"

We've been selected to take the hot-seat at the first of the season New Hampshire High Tech Council's (NHHTC) "Entrepreneur Forums" on September 23rd in Manchester, NH starting at 6pm.

This is the same event we attended last April, but at that time we performed the two minute "Skydive Pitch" to rave reviews. (Blow a 20 mile per hour wind in people's faces and they seem to enjoy it.) This part of the Forum event is a bit more serious.

A week before the event, I submit our business plan to three reviewers selected by the NHHTC from the New England business community - including competitors, investors, academics, etc. At the event I have fifteen minutes to give our dog-and-pony show to the assembled crowd and reviewers. I then get grilled for thirty minutes by the reviewers. I've attended a few of these and they can get pretty intense. If you've ever wondered what it's like to pitch a business idea to venture capitalists, this is a pretty close approximation.

If you're not a Venture Capitalist, this may be your only chance to see the Highest Wind dog-and-pony show designed specifically for investors. Anyone can attend the NHHTC Entrepreneur Forum - just sign up and pay your thirty bucks. Good food, a very interesting crowd, and a chance to see the Highest Wind investor pitch (before we no longer need it).

I hope to see you there.

Highest Wind selected as MIT "Ignite Clean Energy" semi-finalist !

June 12th, 2009.

Highest Wind LLC was selected as a semi-finalist in the MIT Enterprise Forum's 2009 Ignite Clean Energy business presentation competition.

Highest Wind was selected as one of thirty semi-finalists from a field of more than two hundred entrants. Competitors entered teams under one of sixteen categories including; High Efficiency Vehicles, Energy Efficiency, Green Building/Sustainable Design, Hydro, Solar, and Alternative Fuels and Biofuels, among others. Highest Wind entered in the Wind category.

Ten finalists will be chosen from the thirty semi-finalists in September 2009. A single winner of a cash and services prize, of amounts yet to be announced, will be selected in November.

Highest Wind LLC is developing Energy Glider(TM) systems - small-scale, on-site distributed wind energy technology that harvests the stronger and steadier winds a thousand feet above the ground to cost-effectively help power rural organizations in low-wind locations where wind turbines are not cost effective - half our planet.

Ursula Schwuttke joins as VP of Biz-Dev

Ursula Schwuttke has joined Highest Wind LLC in the role of Vice President of Business Development.

Highest Wind LLC is a New Hampshire based startup company developing for manufacture, renewable energy systems that harvest the stronger and steadier winds a thousand feet above the ground to provide cost-effective electrical power for low-wind areas encompassing more than half our planet.

"With her education and mix of experience with both NASA and high-tech startups, Ursula is quite a catch and we're extremely pleased to have her." said Dimitri Cherny, founder and CEO of Highest Wind.

Ursula spent 14 years with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and during that time earned her PhD in electrical engineering from USC. While at JPL in the early 90s, she developed real-time data visualization software that she then licensed and spun off to start High Tower Software. After leading High Tower for six years, Ursula started Partners in Algebra Achievement, a non-profit educational organization that provides tutoring and mentoring to economically disadvantaged community college students in Southern California. Ursula splits her time between southern California and southeastern Florida.

"When I first learned about Highest Wind I had to laugh - energy gliders sounded like a crazy idea. But after reading the business plan and seeing what they'd developed so far I realized that this company is onto something very exciting with huge market potential. More than anywhere else, Highest Wind will allow me to leverage my experience, skills and personal interests to make the largest positive impact on the planet."


Highest Wind's Energy Glider(TM) systems are designed for use by rural businesses, farms, ranches, wineries and golf courses in the western world. In the developing world, Energy Gliders hold the potential to lift millions of people out of what Thomas Friedman of the NY Times describes as "Energy Poverty".

For more information on Highest Wind, email contact@highestwind.com

The power trailer is making power

We did a running test last week on the power trailer Rev-4, and today on Rev-5. I'd thought a bicycle would be effective but we learned pretty quickly that a man running (me) can produce a lot more power than a man on a bicycle. Bicycle = 12 volts. Running = 72 and 77 volts (about 296 watts for a few seconds - almost half a horsepower).



If you look closely, the ski poles you might notice on the April 8th test are being used as guides to keep the tether centered on the capstan. Notice they're not there on the April 13th Rev-5 test.

The voices are Bruce - watching the volt meter and lights, and Dana running the camera. That's me, Dimitri, pulling the tether.

Highest Wind selected as Runner-Up

Highest Wind was selected as one of the ten runners-up in Startup Nation's "Elevator Pitch" contest. Click here to see the two minute video we entered.

Runners-up were selected by a jury of experienced professional investors.

Highest Wind hits the Press!

Mass High Tech published a story about Highest Wind on March 9th.

Highest Wind harnesses wind power with kites.

Mostly accurate. It's been picked up by a couple of other news sources since then.

World of Renewables

The Nashua Telegraph's "Granite Geek" Blog