Mercom - Smart Grid Q2 2013 Funding and M&A Report
Executive summary
- The Smart Grid sector remains in a rut in terms of venture capital (VC) funding. In Q2 2013, VC funding came in at $50 million in 10 deals.
- Except for one quarter (Q3 2012), VC funding has remained in the $50-70 million range with 9-12 deals for almost two years.
- Even though the number of deals is consistent compared to the last few quarters, this is one of the lowest funding quarters in the last four years.
- Venture funding in smart grid companies was at its highest levels between Q4 2009 and Q2 of 2011, right after the government announced stimulus for smart grid and smart meters.
- By technology group, Smart Grid Communications grabbed the largest share of the pie. Home and building automation companies totaled the most deals in the sector ($33 million in five deals), followed by grid optimization companies ($17 million in three deals) and advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) and security companies with one deal each.
- There were three M&A transactions in Q2 2013. Only one transaction was disclosed for a resulting total of $107 million. Last quarter, there were four transactions, of which only one was disclosed for $11 million.
