TN VC in silicon-production

Knoxville-based Innovation Valley Partners, an affiliate of Battelle, has invested with Battelle and others in Ampulse, a Golden, Colo.-based provider of new technologies for silicon production. PV-tech.org reports it.

Sundquist aide to Battelle board

Former former Tennessee Deputy Governor and Sundquist Administration Chief of Staff Alex Fischer, 41, has been named to the board of directors of Battelle Memorial Institute, one of the nation's largest R&D organizations, and a key ally of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee. Fischer is Battelle SVP for business and economic development. Before joining the corporate offices of Battelle, Fischer was director of technology transfer and economic development for UT-Battelle, the partnership that manages the Oak Ridge lab. During the Sundquist Administration, Fischer also served as commissioner for economic and community development. A native of Hendersonville near Nashville, Fischer earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at UT-Knoxville.