Summer Send-Off & Climate Week Kickoff
Welcome to For ClimateTalk – For ClimateTech’s monthly newsletter highlighting upcoming opportunities for climate innovators, thought leaders, and community connectors.
Momentum Meets Opportunity at Climate Week
September 21, 2026 | Newlab, Brooklyn, NY
Cohort 6 is bringing bold technologies and solutions to the world’s biggest environmental problem. Through Venture For ClimateTech, these teams built significant momentum:They refined their business models, plugged into the New York State ecosystem, and positioned themselves to turn breakthrough climate technology into scalable business. Now, that momentum meets opportunity. Through V4C’s established network of partnerships, mentorship, and investment connections, these teams are ready to move from proven concept to proven market. Meet them at ClimateWeek NY and hear more stories of momentum from guest speaker Doreen Harris,president & CEO, NYSERDA. Learn more and register here to join us at our Innovation Showcase.
Climate Week Happy Hour: Drinks, Food & Connection
Join Venture For ClimateTech and ClimateTech Expertise Network on Tuesday, September 22 from 5:00–7:00 PM during NYC Climate Week (NYCW) for libations and productive conversations with founders, investors, and other influencers building the future of climate tech. Space is limited for this RSVP-approved event. Submit your RSVP on Luma to request an invite. Approved guests will receive confirmation with event details.
Funding Opportunities
NYSERDA Seeks Projects Advancing Cleaner Fuel Technologies
NYSERDA has launched an $8 million competitive funding opportunity to support projects that develop, pilot, and demonstrate cleaner fuel technologies and infrastructure across New York State. Funding is available for both product development and pilot demonstrations focused on large-scale alternative fuel resources and fuel production, storage, and distribution systems. The initiative aims to accelerate solutions that reduce emissions, provide backup power, and help decarbonize sectors that are difficult to electrify.
Learn more and apply by visiting the link here.
Deploy Your Climate Technology at Brooklyn Army Terminal
Applications are now open for Pilots at BAT, a program that gives climate tech companies access to real-world urban infrastructure at the Brooklyn Army Terminal to test, validate, and demonstrate their solutions. Supported by a $100 million investment from New York City, the program also provides participants with coaching, workspace access, and connections to industry partners throughLos Angeles Cleantech Incubator.
Applications close August 28, 2026. Learn more and apply here.
Funding Available for Environmental and Energy Innovations
SyracuseCoE’s Innovation Fund is now accepting applications from current and new SyracuseCoE Partner companies seeking to overcome research and development barriers on the path to commercialization. The program provides up to $7,500 in funding to support potentially transformative innovations in environmental and energy systems.
Learn more and apply here.
Take Your Product from Prototype to Production
Bringing a hardware product to market is challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. The NextCorps Manufacturing Accelerator is a free, nine-week virtual program that helps companies move from prototype to production with expert guidance, industry connections, and funding opportunities
The program is designed for startups and early-stage companies developing:
- Advanced materials
- Medical devices
- Hardware innovations within labs
- Any hardware prototype ready for manufacturing
Join the info session on September 23 to learn more, and apply by September 30. The accelerator starts on October 7.
Cohort News
For ClimateTech Alumni Innovia GEO Pilots New Geothermal Solution in Buffalo
For ClimateTech alumnus Innovia GEO is testing a new shallow geothermal heating and cooling system in Buffalo, NY that could dramatically reduce installation costs and make geothermal energy more accessible for a wider range of buildings. Backed by NYSERDA through the For ClimateTech and NextGen Buildings Innovation Challenges, and piloted with Buffalo Geothermal, the technology uses significantly shallower drilling than traditional geothermal systems, helping to remove adoption barriers and accelerate deployment while improving building performance.
Read more about the pilot and Innovia GEO’s path to commercialization at WGRZ.
Voltpost Expands Across Westchester County
Venture and Scale For ClimateTech alumn Voltpost is bringing its innovative lamppost EV charging technology to Westchester County, with new installations in Larchmont and planned deployments in Yonkers and Rye. By retrofitting existing lampposts and utility poles into Level 2 charging stations, Voltpost is helping communities expand EV charging access faster, at lower cost, and with minimal disruption.
Read more about Voltpost’s expansion and innovative charging technology here.
Venture For ClimateTech Alumni SpadXTech Showcases Sustainable Materials Through Fashion
Venture For ClimateTech alumn SpadXTech recently collaborated with designer Jill Palese and the Newport Restoration Foundation on Fashioning Resiliency, an exhibition exploring the intersection of sustainability, science, and fashion. The project highlights how SpadXTech’s bio-based materials can help reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry while demonstrating the real-world potential of climate-focused material innovation.
Read more about the collaboration and how climate tech is shaping the future of sustainable fashion here.
Community Opportunies
New Program Helps Small Businesses Become Procurement Ready
Many small businesses miss out on major contract opportunities simply because they don’t know how to navigate the procurement process. The new FLX Procurement Initiative’s Procurement Readiness Program, led by the Finger Lakes SBDC at SUNY Brockport, is designed to help entrepreneurs and startups build the skills, connections, and confidence needed to become approved suppliers and compete for enterprise-level customers.
Learn more about the program and apply here.
Manufacturing Insights & Opportunities
Discover the Innovation Driving New York Manufacturing
The magazine New York Makes 2026 highlights the people, programs, and partnerships strengthening New York State’s manufacturing economy. From workforce development initiatives and technology adoption to climate-tech commercialization and business growth, the publication showcases how manufacturers across the state are driving innovation, competitiveness, and economic impact.
Explore the stories, successes, and insights shaping the future of manufacturing in New York and see how organizations, educators, and industry leaders are working together to build a stronger manufacturing ecosystem.
Read the full publication: https://newyorkmep.org/mep-publication-2026/
The beat of progress is growing louder in Rochester. Feel it at Luminate Finals 2026.
On Wednesday, September 30, ten deep-tech startup teams will graduate from the Luminate accelerator—farther along in their commercialization journeys, and more deeply rooted in our region. Be a part of Luminate Finals 2026 to celebrate their progress and see who takes home $2M in follow-on funding to fuel their next steps.
Attend in person or online, vote live for the Audience Choice Award, and get a focused look at the new NSF-backed STELLAR laser innovation hub. Hosted as part of Optica’s FiO LS at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center.
Attend the 2026 New York State Innovation Summit
October 27–28, 2026 | Buffalo, NY
Join innovators, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, researchers, and industry leaders from across New York for two days of networking, collaboration, and technology innovation. The New York State Innovation Summit offers opportunities to discover emerging technologies, build valuable partnerships, and connect with organizations driving manufacturing and economic growth across the state.
Learn more and register here.