Venture capital firms Braemar Energy Ventures and Lightspeed Venture partners led the Series C round for Solazyme, Inc., putting $57 million in fresh capital into the company. This brings total outside financing to above $76 million for the algae-derived biofuels company ... and shows yet another sign of life for private investment in green technology.
Solazyme uses microalgae biotechnology for the production of clean fuels, green chemicals, edible oils, and wellness products. The company seeks to "answer the increasing global demand for clean and renewable sources of oil" through sustainable and scalable technologies. The company's renewable oil production process relies on industrial fermentation, in which the algae consume nonfood biomass and industrial byproducts, which the algae converts to oil. End products include renewable diesel, biodiesel, and jet fuel.



