They also beyond the framework of a personal production

With a record (for Silicon Valley) 11.5 unemployment rate and 200,000 jobs lost since the beginning of the crisis, the region is still in crisis. Is it to say that entrepreneurship and innovation funding are now values of the past Certainly not. "Is always during the economic crises that emerge the most innovative companies", said Ken Wilcox, the pattern of SVB Financial Group, which has just published a very encouraging report on the dynamism of local start-ups. So three quarters of them are planning to hire this year, even if access to venture capital is harder than before. Paradoxically, even if the software sector and the Internet (especially in the field of mobile) applications remain the most funded, are green start-ups in Silicon Valley, resulting in much of the renewal seems.

Earlier this year, Better Place, which is deploying stations of standard exchange of batteries for electric cars, 350 million dollars with a single stroke and now prepares its introduction on the stock exchange, in a still very unfavourable context.

End of may, it is the seat of one of the most emblematic Solar Silicon Valley start-up, Solyndra, that Barack Obama has come to announce a new federal plan to stimulate investment in these technology start-ups and the creation of highly skilled jobs in the "clean tech". At the time, since the beginning of the year, investors in venture capital in the region are looking with renewed fervour green start-up into their capital. And now, they are more afraid to explore new areas, beyond the sectors already well funded as solar power or batteries. For example, last April with dozens of investors gathered in a large hotel in Palo Alto to listen to young entrepreneurs who talk about their start-up projects in... agriculture.

Grow on its roof

Mini-capteurs planted in the ground and connected in wireless network for more efficient watering of soils through non-toxic pesticides for the environment, the opportunities to focus on really new projects have not failed.

One of the most original is undoubtedly that of Cityscape Farms. Based in San Francisco, the start-up offers city dwellers to develop urban farms on their own roofs. The solution is to combine two methods. The first, the time, to grow without land, on a neutral substrate fed by nutrients. They are made by the second method, which is to combine the hydroponic aquaculture. These are fish, high in a jar connected to the cultures that produce nutrients needed.

The VCs engine

These urban farms grow very quickly in California, in various forms, under the pressure of a movement of the population claiming a food both healthy and cultivated organically. They also beyond the framework of a personal production. The giant of the great distribution, such as Safeway and Whole Foods, are increasing programs to assist small farmers - urban or not - so that they provide their food locally, stores with products meeting the criteria of sustainable development.

Generally, these are 'clean tech' start-up as Cityscape or Solum - founded by Stanford students who have developed a technology to measure in real-time the nutritional quality of the soil - which stimulate venture capital in Silicon Valley, and even in the United States. According to the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), these investments have almost doubled in value in the first quarter of this year than in the fourth quarter of 2009. "Despite the uncertainty that still exists at the macroeconomic level,"clean tech"investments, with biotechnology, will be the main engine of venture capital in 2010", provides Mark Heesen, President of the NVCA.