Clean energy company LanzaTech has been named the North American Company of the Year in the 2014 Global Cleantech 100.
It got to that from 5995 companies being shortlisted to 327 and then to a finalist list of 100, it's PR says.
This is the fifth time LanzaTech has been successful and it was the Asia Pacific Company of the Year in a prior awards. The company now is truly global, its PR says. Although it is headquartered in the US, it still is proud of its NZ roots.
LanzaTech pocketed more than $14 million in grants from various NZ government agencies before decamping to the US earlier this year.
A $60 million funding round on March 26 cemented foreign investor control (Silicon Valley-based Khosla Ventures is now the largest shareholder).
A recent rule change means recipients of Callaghan Innovation grants now have to pay the money back if they are sold offshore within two years.