Amber Nystrom is an entrepreneur on a mission. She's surrounded by hundreds of venture capitalists with an estimated one billion dollars to invest in clean technology.

These innovators are searching for a match.

Phil Pascal, Entrepreneur: "We don't want a lot of investors. We want the right investor."

ABC7's David Louie: "You're looking for that marriage made in heaven?"

Phil Pascal: "Correct, yep, speed dating."

Speed dating aptly describes what's happening here -- quick introductions, a short time to get acquainted, sizing up the other person, and trying to figure out if there's a potential, long-term relationship.

The 15-minute chat Josh Becker had with Amber Nystrom sounds promising. Becker manages a $50 million dollar fund to invest in green technology. Nystrom is looking for a partner to help launch a new kind of credit card that channels a portion of the transaction fee toward mitigating carbon emissions.

Josh Becker, New Cycle Capital: "This is a great first impression. This has gotten me very excited. In all these situations, I'm sure this is going to be a hot company, and in this day and age, we don't have that much time to make a decision."

Venture capitalists are in search of that next great idea. Whether it's re-using waste oil, a new generation of solar panels, or dry wall made out of recycled food waste. But they admit they're not throwing money at entrepreneurs the way they did during the dot-com boom. More often than not, they say no.

Amber Nystrom, Tendris: "Rejection is actually not a bad thing because you've engaged someone, and as an entrepreneur, I know that I've done my task, which is to do the best job that I can possible up until the point that they say yes or no."

Rejection truly is reality. One venture capitalist told me they may look at 100 deals, but only one or two will actually get funded.

>> MORE: Venture Capitalists Gather At Clean Tech Forum

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