Marlborough clean-tech firm attracts investment

Marlborough clean-tech company Carbonscape has secured a ‘‘sixfigure’’ investment from Beijingbased company Clearworld Energy.

Carbonscape director Nick Gerritsen said that the company had two new directors on its board following that investment, Clearworld’s Mike Ashburn and San Francisco-based investor Benjamin Chen.

Ashburn moved from Beijing to Christchurch in February last year. He, Chen and Clearworld official Alex Westlake attended their first Carbonscape board meeting last week.

Carbonscape uses microwaves to turn waste from forestry into high value carbon products. Clearworld Energy invests in green and clean- technology companies. Mr Ashburn said Carbonscape’s technology was ‘‘game-changing’’ and would have global market potential. He and Westlake were pleased to be on board in what was Clearworld Energy’s first NZ investment.

‘‘New Zealand is a particularly productive place for ideas. I did expect to find some interesting things when I came here.’’

During the new board’s meeting in Picton, it mapped out areas to focus on during the next five years.

Mr Gerritsen said the company would be pushing to make its first revenue. ‘‘Marlborough is not yet recognised as a hotbed for worldchanging technology, but it might be.’’