For ClimateTalk – Wins at NREL and Venture For ClimateTech’s Inaugural Cohort
For ClimateTech’s monthly newsletter highlighting emerging innovations, company spotlights, and commentary from experts in the climate tech community.
Venture For ClimateTech Announces Inaugural Cohort
After a competitive selections process with 661 applications from 64 countries, Venture For ClimateTech is excited to introduce its 2021 cohort.
Each company in Venture For ClimateTech’s cohort will receive up to $125,000 in non-dilutive funding throughout the seven-month virtual accelerator.
Alchemr – Its validated, stable, and scalable water electrolyzers generate hydrogen at cost parity with fossil fuel-derived hydrogen (Boca Raton, FL).
Atrevida Science – Its Active Morphing Blades™ increase wind turbine energy output with flexible, aerodynamic shells that morph through actuation to achieve optimal shape as wind speeds change (Amherst, NY).
Clean Ocean Coatings – Its biocide-free antifouling coating for the commercial shipping industry improves ship fuel consumption and replaces current antifoulings that leach toxins, heavy metals, and microplastic into the ocean and waterways (Berlin, Germany).
Dynamic Air Cooling – Its emission and synthetic coolant-free technology offers a cleaner alternative for air conditioners and refrigerator systems (Elblag, Poland).
Flow Labs – It improves traffic flows, patterns, and traffic light signal management with AI software that fully automates the signal timing process (Oakland, CA).
Mars Materials – It places captured CO2 into plastics and carbon fibers by converting waste CO2 into acrylonitrile to drastically improve the resource intensive acrylonitrile production process used to create electronics, clothes, and carpets (Oakland, CA).
New Frontier Aerospace – It’s building a new vertical take-off-landing (VTOL) hypersonic aircraft using cleaner fuels to forge a greener future (Danville, CA).
Olokun Minerals – It’s working to provide sustainably sourced minerals for solar energy storage, applied road surface treatments, and a reliable source of power through captured brine waste from desalination plants (Laguna Beach, CA).
Polaris Renewables – It’s developing fully renewable non-isocyanate polyurethanes (NIPUs) to replace current commercial polyurethanes used in foams, coatings, and adhesives in footwear, fabrics, and outdoor gear (Potsdam, NY).
Seeds Renewables – Its inclusive investment platform and marketplace lowers the minimum investment in renewable energy projects where investors have full control of which projects their investments build while providing a competitive return on investment (Barcelona, Spain).
Voltpost – It transforms lamp posts into smart electric vehicle charging stations that are managed by a mobile application, accelerating electric vehicle adoption and decarbonization by providing cities with scalable curbside charging for drivers (New York, NY).
Innovator Spotlights
Electro-Active Technologies and Opus-12 Are Top Presenters at National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) Industry Growth Forum
Congratulations to Electro-Active Technologies, which won the NREL Industry Growth Forum’s Emerging Markets Outstanding Venture award for its modular system to convert food waste and renewable electricity into affordable, renewable hydrogen. Electro-Active Technologies competed against ten other startups in the Emerging Markets track.
And congratulations to Opus-12 for winning the NREL Industry Growth Forum’s People’s Choice award where conference attendees voted for their favorite presenter from all 40 presenting companies to select the winner. Opus 12’s device converts CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuels that are cost-competitive with conventional products.
Read the full announcement here.
Ekostinger, Skyven, and Enertiv each receive $500K from NYSERDA Co-Investment fund
EkoStinger, Skyven, and Enertiv received $500k each from NYSERDA’s co-investment fund in non-dilutive matching investments for helping to decarbonize New York State.
EkoStinger developed the Stinger System to improve the aerodynamics of semi-trailers to reduce fuel consumption and increase vehicle lifespan (Rochester, NY).
Enertiv developed a platform that captures and leverages building data to digitize and improve building operations (Brooklyn, NY)
Skyven helps manufacturers capture lost heat and upcycle it back into the process, cutting CO2 emissions and saving on fuel (Richardson, TX and Binghamton, NY).
Read the Governor’s full announcement here.
NEWS
The For ClimateTech Global Innovation Challenge Winners Announced!
For ClimateTech’s Global Innovation Challenge received 137 applications from 29 different countries. The Challenge aimed to identify the most impactful and equitable solutions in climate tech to provide early funding and connect founders to further support and pathways to success. The winners are:
Alchemr – Offers validated, stable, and scalable water electrolyzers that generate hydrogen at cost parity with fossil fuel-derived hydrogen (Boca Raton, FL).
Clean Ocean Coatings – Created a biocide-free antifouling coating for the commercial shipping industry to improve ship fuel consumption and replace current antifoulings that leach toxins, heavy metals, and microplastic into the ocean and waterways (Berlin, Germany).
Mars Materials – Places captured CO2 into plastics and carbon fibers by converting waste CO2 into acrylonitrile and drastically improving the resource intensive acrylonitrile production process used to create electronics, clothes, and carpets (Oakland, CA).
Each winner receives $10,000 USD; tailored one-on-one feedback with Lisbeth Kaufman, North America Lead for Accelerators and Incubators for Amazon Web Services; and media recognition for their solution.
Separately, the winners of the Challenge were invited to join Venture For ClimateTech’s inaugural cohort.
Urban Energy Selected as a Finalist for American-Made Solar Prize
Urban Energy, the company behind urban rooftop solar solutions, was selected as a Finalist for the American-Made Solar Prize, winning $100,000! The American-Made Solar Prize is a $3 million prize competition designed to energize U.S. solar manufacturing through a series of contests and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources across the country.
“I really think our work so far with Scale For ClimateTech influenced DOE/NREL’s estimation that we have the support we need to be successful.”
-Ilona Wilcox, Co-founder & COO, Urban Energy
Announcement of contest winners will take place in September 2021. Read the full announcement here.
Canary Media Features KIGT for its Equitable Solutions in Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure
KIGT, which engineers and installs intelligent EV charging stations, was highlighted by Canary Media for its solution to ensure fair and equal access to charging stations.
“Can you imagine going to a gas station and someone telling you, ‘You need a bank account’?”
-Paul Francis, CEO of KIGT
Paul Francis and KIGT are bringing real solutions to EV infrastructure. Check out the full article!
UES and AMPLY Power Partner to Deliver Vehicle-to-Grid-Ready Electric School Buses & Trucks
The partnership combines Unique Electric Solutions’ re-powering technology to transform ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles to electric, complete with Rhombus Energy’s Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) system, and AMPLY’s Charging-as-a-Service solution.
This powerful alliance allows fleets to take advantage of all of the benefits of electrification with less upfront capital and less risk. The economics of V2G will be on display in the Logan Bus project. By integrating these solutions into AMPLY’s Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) model, the project is set up to capture the cost reductions beyond what electrification via repowering can bring.
Opportunities
Job Board
Actasys, commercializing a unique sensor cleaning technology for the automotive and transportation industries, is seeking:
- Electrical Engineer RDD – Power and Controls Specialty
- Washer and spray systems RDD engineer
- Actuation RDD Engineer
Imprint Energy, developers of ultrathin, flexible, printed batteries, is seeking:
- Battery Engineer
- Senior Process Engineer
- Process Lead
- Process Engineer
- Polymer Engineer
You can find full descriptions and apply here.
Nuravine, an IoT indoor farming automation company, is seeking an Embedded Firmware Engineer. Anyone interested can send their resume to alex@nuravine.com.
Urban Energy, an urban rooftop solar solution company, is seeking a Construction Manager. Learn more and apply here.
WexEnergy, developers of easy and affordable window insulation, is seeking a Senior Product Engineer. Find the full job description and how to apply here.
The Urban Future Prize Competition Application Closes May 3rd
This year, the Urban Future Prize awards $50,000 cash prizes to three entrepreneurs who are building world-class startups that contribute to a more resilient and sustainable planet.
Now in its fifth year, the annual competition and summit brings together climate tech founders, investors, and policy experts.
Applications close May 3rd, 2021. Learn more and apply here.
New NYSERDA Funding Program - Clean Transportation Prizes
The Clean Transportation Prizes program is part of an $85 million commitment to accelerate the transition to a clean transportation future in New York State’s disadvantaged communities.
Challenges and prizes include:
- Clean Neighborhoods Challenge – Up to three $10 million grand prizes will be awarded to innovative projects that address air pollution reduction at scale in disadvantaged communities. The Clean Neighborhoods Challenge submission deadline is Tuesday, August 24, 2021.
- Electric Mobility Challenge – Up to three $7 million grand prizes will be awarded to projects that demonstrate innovative safe and convenient electric mobility options that help to solve disadvantaged community transportation needs. The Electric Mobility Challenge submission deadline is Wednesday, August 25, 2021.
- Electric Truck & Bus Challenge – Up to three $8 million grand prizes will be awarded to projects that demonstrate electrified solutions to the deployment of medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles or their replacement through other electrified transportation modes. The Electric Truck & Bus Challenge submission deadline is Thursday, August 26, 2021.
To learn more, attend an educational webinar hosted by NYSERDA throughout the month of May.
Program Updates
Scale For ClimateTech at NREL Industry Growth Forum
Scale For ClimateTech was proud to have four of our participating cohort companies presenting at the NREL Industry Growth Forum. Congratulations to Combined Energies, Electro-active Technologies, Power to Hydrogen, and Opus 12 for excellent presentations.
Congratulations again to Electro-Active Technologies, which won the NREL Industry Growth Forum’s Emerging Markets Outstanding Venture award, and Opus-12 for winning the NREL Industry Growth Forum’s People’s Choice award.
Program Updates
Inaugural Cohort Announced at NREL Industry Growth Forum
From Agtech to Accelerator With Zoe Welz
Staff spotlight: Meet Zoe Welz, program manager for Venture For ClimateTech. Watch the Forward Faster episode to learn about Zoe and the incredible value she brings to the Venture For ClimateTech program. Watch the full episode here.