Autodesk launches cleantech grant program

Green building firm Serious Materials firm received an Autodesk grant.

Engineering and design software maker Autodesk (Nasdaq: ADSK) is looking to get on board with emerging cleantech startups.

In July, the San Rafael–based company launched the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program, through which it plans to offer “seed grants” consisting of software packages—each worth $150,000—to up to 100 early-stage startups by 2010.

The goal is to propel ideas to market speedily and cost-effectively, according to Autodesk, which is also a sponsor of the Clean Tech Open. Leading up to the program’s launch, the company had already given grants to 13 startups, including green building firm Serious Materials and Syncromatics, a California-based maker of bus-tracking systems. For Sunnyvale, Calif.–based Serious Materials, the software has shortened products’ development time by allowing it to digitally model its prototypes, says Kevin Surace, the company’s CEO.

Meanwhile, Autodesk is in the midst of an expense reduction plan, including facilities closure and layoffs. For the first quarter of FY2010, the company reported $426 million in revenue, a 29 percent decrease from the previous year.