EatingWell Media Group and FreshDirect have launched a partnership to bring 8 healthy and tasty vegetarian meals to hundreds of thousand of New Yorkers.

This podcast is a recording of Jon and Andy on a conference call with a handful of bloggers, and is an extended Q&A focused on the background on carbon offsets and Brighter Planet's role in the carbon offset market. If you have 45 minutes to take a listen I heartily recommend it: Brighter Planet Blog: The Growl.

Hosted by FreshTracks Capital, the Vermont Peak Pitch '08 event will take place at the Bolton Valley on Friday, March 14. Peak Pitch brings together entrepreneurs and investors for a fun day of skiing, networking and fundraising. Save the date, and sign up now on the Peak Pitch website!

For those who have not yet seen the new Tech Crib blog, it is written by Dave Bradbury, the Director of the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET). It’s definitely worth a read and then a bookmark.

There was one theme that emerged time and again. Namely, sheer amazement at the number of interesting companies exhibiting and the fact that most were not well known. My job puts me in touch with optimistic entrepreneurs and high-growth Vermont companies every day so its not news to me that there are some fascinating things going on in the state.

Win Smith, president of Sugarbush Resort was the first speaker for Champlain College’s BYOBiz Spring 2008 Event Series on January 22nd at the campus’ Alumni Auditorium. Win told the crowd that “you gotta do what you love” and for Win, that means being on the mountain. Last season, Smith clocked 106 ski days, and he already has 51 under his belt this year.

Come join FreshTracks Partners and representatives of our portfolio companies at the first ever Vermont3.0 Creative Tech Career Jam.

The 17th annual Vermont Economic Outlook Conference is scheduled to for Friday January 11, 2008.

Cairn Cross, Co-Founder and Managing Director of FreshTracks Capital spoke at the Vermont Tiger Symposium on 11/30/07. During the symposium, Cross was interviewed by Mark Johnson from The Mark Johnson Show on WDEV RadioVermont.

The 15th annual Vermont Investors Forum was successfully held at the Stoweflake Resort on 11/2/07. 9 Vermont-based growth companies presented 15 minute powerpoint slideshows to a group of angel investors, venture capitalists and bankers throughout the day, and 8 "innovators" were given the chance to given their elevator pitch to the crowd in 2 minutes or less.

Brighter Planet Inc., a provider of online services and products to promote clean energy use, has closed a $3.2 million Series B round of venture capital to expand its web capabilities, company spokeswoman Alisa Conroy said.

FreshTracks led the transaction, with follow-on participation by existing investor TSG Equity Partners. In addition, SolarOne welcomes FreshTracks' Managing Director, Tim Davis, to its Board of Directors.

EatingWell's newest cookbook, EatingWell for a Healthy Heart is now available. Watch this WCAX story including a brief interview with the book's author Dr. Phil Ades and Jessie Price of the EatingWell test kitchen

"The Peak Pitch event is a cross between a speed dating and a sales meeting. Each of the 35 entrepreneurs or "pitchers" is given a numbered blue bib distinguishing him or her from the 15 green-bibbed investor/advisers, or "pitchees," who have come to listen to bids for products that range from organic kitty litter to a variety of green technologies.

A Vermont entrepreneur barely 21 years old is rapidly approaching the designation "serial entrepreneur" by merging the concepts of user-generated content and online collaboration into his new business, focused on web-based communities generating ideas for new products.

If executives are going to rely on the wisdom of the masses for business help, it’s probably time the masses get a little compensation for it. That’s the theory behind Kluster, the newest in a lineup of companies using the Web to channel the collective wisdom of strangers into meaningful business strategies.

What started out in a college economics class is now a fledgling business that helps the environment every time a consumer makes a credit or debit card purchase. Each time someone makes a purchase with a Brighter Planet affinity credit or debit card, the cardholder earns points that are then redeemed to help fund renewable energy projects, which in turn helps offset carbon emissions.

That would be Ben Kaufman, CEO of a Burlington (Vt.) software startup called Kluster. Kaufman has landed an entire room at TED—precious real estate—to demo his new social network. It's a Web site that brings people together to generate new ideas, products, and designs.

There is certainly some confusion among the public about the carbon offset world, and it is rare that we find a well-written piece explaining the nuances of distinguishing a premium, valuable offset from a non-valuable offset. NativeEnergy is often given kudos for their performance in this respect.

The site www.kluster.com, will serve as an online forum where a visitor can pitch an idea, like for a new product, have it assessed and shaped by other visitors --the potential market -- and developed.

*FreshTracks Capital II Announces its 4th Portfolio Company: SolarOne
*Brighter Planet Completes Series B Financing
*Seattle Mariners & Dave Matthews Band Team up With NativeEnergy
*Vermont Teddy Bear on WCAX
*NEHP Upgrades to New Facility

*Kluster lands hits in NY Times, cover of Entrepreneur Magazine and Mass High Tech
*Peak Pitch Bolton Valley 3/14/08 Wrap Up
*EatingWell Launches "Healthy Heart Cookbook"

*Join FreshTracks at Peak Pitch on 3/14/08
*Kluster Featured in Business Week. Launches New Platform at TED Conference
*BrighterPlanet Lands Coverage in the Wall Street Journal

*Join FreshTracks at Peak Pitch Vermont on Friday 3/14/08 at Bolton Valley
*FreshTracks Launches New Website
*NEHP Launches New Life Science Facility
*Vermont 3.0 Career Jam
*Kluster to Launch New Product Patform at TED Conference
*Vermont Teddy Bear Ramps Up for Valentine's Day
*Brighter Planet Ranked in Top Ten for Consumer-Friendly Credit Cards

*Brighter Planet Featured in the Boston Globe
*NativeEnergy Lands Press Hits in the NY Times & Boston Globe
*Cairn Cross Speaks at VT Tiger Symposium

*Brighter Planet Announces Partnership with Bank of America
*NativeEnergy Lands Press Hit in the NY Times
*EatingWell Featured in USA Today
*Enter to Win ISIS & Pearl Izumi Gear!

*Vermont Investors Forum at the Stoweflake - Friday 11/2/07
*Village Ventures CEO & Partner Fund Summit
*NativeEnergy Forms International Partnership With 3C

*ClearSource Merged with Wissahickon to Form Trident
*mophie Brand and Product Line Acquired by MStation
*FreshTracks Capital Update: Firm and its Relocation to Shelburne Featured in Business People Vermont

*Announcing the Third Investment out of FreshTracks' Second Fund: NativeEnergy

*Announcing the Second Investment out of FreshTracks' Second Fund: New England High Purity