Sierra Energy is expanding its operations by establishing the Sierra Energy Research Park (SERP) to provide additional research and development space for entrepreneurs and innovators. The 4.5-acre SERP site will be developed for Sierra Energy's office and R&D needs including its FastOx gasification technology. Rob White will lead SERP as Executive Director to address the space and resource needs of startups. SERP will build on the existing Area 52 incubator and aims to support 25-30 companies in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, robotics and renewable energy. UC Davis officials commented that SERP will provide additional resources for university startups and complement existing collaborations.

1. Davis Company Expands Investment in
Community Resources for Entrepreneurs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (OCTOBER 10, 2016): Davis, CA ­— A local alternative energy company
is growing explosively, adding staff and expanding operations to create brand new opportunities
for the surrounding community. Mike G. Hart, CEO of Sierra Energy, is announcing the formation of a
new business unit to expand its research and development (R&D) space to accommodate companies
and entrepreneurs throughout Northern California. This effort is an expansion of the existing Area 52
program, an industrial incubator and makerspace.
The new R&D space, Sierra Energy Research Park (SERP), is located in South Davis, just off the bike
path that circles the UC Davis arboretum. The new SERP business unit will initially focus on the
development of the 4.5-acre site for Sierra Energy’s use as both office space and for R&D for Sierra
Energy’s FastOx® gasification technology: a system that cleanly recycles waste, recovering the energy
trapped inside.
Rob White, Sierra Energy’s chief strategist (and former chief innovation officer for the City of Davis, and
founder/CEO for the i-GATE Innovation Hub in Livermore, California), will lead the effort as Executive
Director.“The opportunity to expand Sierra’s current R&D facility is a major turning point in addressing
the needs of entrepreneurs and researchers throughout Northern California. Very few off-campus
facilities have the location and capability to address the immediate needs of innovators who need
space to create prototypes,”he explains.
Area 52, an incubator and makerspace focused on advanced manufacturing and rapid prototyping, is
also located at the SERP campus. Area 52 allows start-up companies to build and test new technology
using expensive equipment and machinery usually out of reach for most entrepreneurs, including the
equipment Sierra Energy is using to develop FastOx gasification.
Sierra Energy is expanding the incubator with an accelerator program, intending to host 25 to
30 companies in various business sectors including medical devices, smart agriculture (agtech),
robotics, unmanned vehicles (including drones), and renewable energy. UC Davis alumni and veteran
entrepreneurs Mike Hart and Tim Keller, SERP’s Director of Innovation, are thrilled to provide a natural
place to grow for new talent coming out of UC Davis. Hart elaborates,“Sierra supports the creation
of regional partnerships by establishing R&D facilities for innovators who need space for rapid
prototyping and technology development.”
Continued on the next page...
Contact: Rob White
RWhite@SierraEnergy.com
925-337-5929

2. “UC Davis is a world leader in research and technology development, investing close to $1 billion
annually across all fields of research,”adds Dushyant Pathak, who is Associate Vice Chancellor of
Research and Executive Director of Venture Catalyst, at UC Davis. “SERP builds on our existing
collaboration with Area 52, and its focus on technologies that mirror the strengths of UC Davis will
provide additional resources for university startups.”
Paul Gruber also joins the company as Vice President of External Partnerships. Gruber’s previous
experience as the Executive Director of UC Davis’Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways (STEPS),
a research consortium focused on understanding and promoting alternative fuels and vehicles, is
already proving critical to the development of Sierra Energy’s expanded facilities and programs.
“Paul’s deep understanding of the transportation industry will be instrumental in framing how FastOx
gasification can be leveraged to develop Sierra Energy’s R&D facilities and programs, including special
emphasis on creating and distributing low-carbon and carbon-negative fuels,”White said.
Hart, White, Gruber, and the team at Sierra Energy hope that these enormous undertakings will make
Davis and its surrounding area a hotbed of innovation beyond simply playing host to the University.
White explains,“We hope that SERP will fill a growing need, providing regional entrepreneurs with the
same benefits and access to capital and markets long enjoyed by Bay Area entrepreneurs.”
###
Sierra Energy is a waste gasification and renewable energy company based in Davis, CA. Their FastOx
gasifier, derived from the steel-making blast furnace, transforms nearly any form of waste into clean
renewable energy. Sierra Energy is currently building its first commercial system in partnership with
the U.S. Army and the California Energy Commission at Fort Hunter Liggett in California. For more
information, visit www.SierraEnergy.com.
Contact: Rob White
RWhite@SierraEnergy.com
925-337-5929