We look forward to investing in, and supporting, extraordinary people and businesses that address the consequences of climate change, increasing demand for low carbon energy, and stress on the Earth’s natural resources. We believe innovative solutions to these global challenges will benefit society and offer outstanding investment opportunities.

Leveraging a 37 year friendship and business partnership between the principals, Roger Strauch and Dan Miller, The Roda Group is committed to sharing its collective wisdom, extensive network of contacts, and financial resources to build the businesses with which we are associated.

The Roda Group's most recent investments:

Gridtential Energy, Inc., based in San Jose, California, has developed an advanced energy storage design that enables the use of an automated, scalable manufacturing technology. The combination of a well-established battery chemistry with a manufacturing process from another industry is expected to produce batteries with significantly better performance and lifetime at a cost that is less than half that of existing products. The company will initially target existing markets for stationary and traction applications. As the technology matures, its favorable cost/benefit ratio is expected to support the emerging renewable energy and electric vehicle markets.


Inventys Thermal Technologies, based in Vancouver Canada, has developed a post combustion CO₂ capture technology for power plants including natural gas facilities. They are confident that they can capture CO₂ for $15 a metric ton (capture only), which is a fraction of the cost of existing solutions. The current market for our captured CO₂ will be Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). The company recently secured $9 million dollars in Canadian and British public financing for pilot plant facilities - which are the size of a car, rather than a one to two acre chemical plant. Other key aspects of the Inventys VeloxoTherm™ Low Pressure Thermal Swing process are:

• Low parasitic load (~5% — cost of heat and power included in $15/mt figure)
• Uses structured adsorbent that does not have a wear out mechanism.
  
• Small size that can be retrofitted within existing plants

mOasis, based in Mountain View, California, has developed a polymer based soil amendment that increases water and nutrient retention around the roots of plants - it is a hydrogel. Other key attributes include low cost, non-toxic, and extended life span. About a dozen well regarded California farmers and agricultural institutions have tested the product and the initial results are indicating an increased crop yield of 25% with 25%+ less irrigation water! This hydrogel has been approved for sale by the EPA and offers a compelling value proposition to farmers.

Recent Public Exchange on the New York Times Website:

30 October 2012 - Recent Public Exchange on the New York Times Website: Two Views of a Storm in Climate Context

The Roda Group is the largest investor in Solazyme (NASDAQ: SZYM).
Latest News:

6 March 2013 - Solazyme's CEO Presents at Raymond James 34th Annual Institutional Investors Conference (Transcript)

6 February 2013 - Solazyme and Mitsui Enter into Multi-Year Agreement to Jointly Develop a New Suite of Tailored Algal Oils

Recent Public Talks:

"Diary of an Entrepreneur" Roger Strauch delivers A. Richard Newton Distinguished Innovator lecture at University of California, Berkeley on November 29, 2011.

"Boom or Bust" Dan Miller addresses the Climate One audience at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on November 22, 2011.

"The Ride of a Lifetime" Roger Strauch delivers commencement speech to 6,500 University of California, Berkeley, College of Engineering graduates, their families and friends on May 14, 2011.