K.R. Sridhar
Bloom box debut: More IPO than CO2
February 25, 2010: 12:10 PM ETThe long-awaited unveiling may have another goal in mind: to fuel investors' appetite for a public offering.
By Paul Keegan, contributor
A Bloom Box in the process of being installed
It was an awesome spectacle as product launches go: Speeches by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Colin Powell, a panel of top executives from Google, eBay, Wal-Mart, FedEx, Coca-Cola, and Cox Enterprises, video messages from Diane Feinstein and Michael Bloomberg, a heart-tugging slide show about saving the planet, and finally, after eight years and $400 million raised, the unveiling of the Holy Grail in a box -- clean, inexpensive full-cell energy!
"I would like to introduce to you the Bloom Energy Server," said Bloom CEO K.R. Sridhar to applause yesterday as colored lights bounced off the hulking black box on stage. "This is my baby, isn't she beautiful?"
So did they pull it off? Does the Bloom box live up to its hype? Let's let board member Colin Powell answer. He promised his wife he would install one of the energy-saving devices in their home instead of a conventional generator, he said, adding, "She's still waiting."
So are we.
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Bloom Box: Segway or savior?
Three critical questions Bloom Energy must answer to succeed.
By Paul Keegan, contributor
Now that Bloom Energy has come out of hiding on Fortune.com last Friday and on a recent episode of CBS's "60 Minutes," you'd think we'd all be able to start celebrating the invention of K.R. Sridhar's magic black fuel-cell box. The CEO claims it can provide abundant, cheap, clean electricity that will finally rid us of our dependence on MORE
Feb 23, 2010 10:50 AM ET -
Is K.R. Sridhar's 'magic box' ready for prime time?
The Bloom Energy CEO is finally unveiling his entry in the fuel-cell arena after years of playing it close to the vest.
By Paul Keegan, contributor
K.R. Sridhar looks nervous. The CEO of Bloom Energy, the much-hyped fuel cell start-up, sits in a conference room preparing to show off his magical "Bloom Box" for the first time in public. The 49-year-old scientist-turned entrepreneur has raised $400 million in venture capital for his MORE
Feb 19, 2010 4:33 PM ET
