Green Tech Shake-Up Sparks Surging Demand for Liquidation Bargains, Says Tiger Group Executive
The secondary market for industrial assets is seeing a sharp increase in auctions featuring equipment from financially distressed green-tech startups, according to Tiger Group Managing Director Chad Farrell.
As startups in sectors such as solar energy, sustainable packaging, experimental foods, and electric vehicles struggle with funding shortfalls and market challenges, their high-value CNC machines, industrial robots, specialized tools, and intellectual property (IP) are hitting the auction block—creating unique opportunities for buyers.
“Some of these companies simply run out of capital, while others fail to meet market expectations or deliver on disruptive technology promises,” Farrell notes in an opinion column for ABL Advisor. “This has opened the door for well-established players in sustainability, as well as mainstream manufacturers, to acquire top-tier assets at liquidation pricing.”
Growing Secondary-Market Demand
Tiger Group’s recent $10 million auction of assets from EV manufacturer Lightning eMotors underscores the strong interest in these liquidations. The sale attracted:
🔹 40,000 page views
🔹 309 registered bidders
🔹 3,371 bids on 644 lots
Other major Tiger Group auctions of sustainability-focused companies include:
✅ Lemnature Aquafarms – A Chapter 7 bankruptcy sale of assets from its $14 million plant-based protein production and R&D facilities in Florida.
✅ Aqua Hydrex – A Chapter 7 liquidation of green energy technology aimed at hydrogen extraction via electrolysis for industrial and transportation decarbonization.
✅ Romeo Power – A turnkey sale of its 215,000-square-foot EV battery assembly plant in California to Mullen Automotive.
✅ Veloce Energy – An auction of assets and IP from the grid-edge tech startup specializing in EV charging, commercial solar arrays, and industrial energy storage.
“Some bidders were interested in proprietary battery energy storage systems, while others focused on conventional industrial assets like welders, forklifts, transformers, inverters, and test equipment,” Farrell explains.
Navigating Specialized Liquidations
Despite the strong demand, Farrell notes that some ultra-specialized assets from ambitious startups can be more challenging to sell. Proprietary and custom-built machinery may represent 20-30% of liquidation inventories, requiring targeted buyer engagement.
“That said, many sustainability-focused startups own premium industrial assets—such as CNC machines, laser welders, and robots—that are in pristine condition, often still in the box, with significant resale value,” he adds.
Looking Ahead: Expanding Green Tech Liquidations
As demand grows for secondary-market bargains, Farrell encourages lenders and disposition firms to deepen their expertise in the green-tech sector. Tiger Group’s latest liquidation—Northvolt Ett Expansion AB—illustrates this ongoing trend.
“We are currently accepting offers on $82 million of unused EV battery manufacturing equipment in Belgium and South Korea,” Farrell reveals. “These assets are still in their original crates and boxes, offering tremendous value to buyers.”
📢 Full article available at: ABL Advisor
