A Scary Good Month For Climate Tech Founders
How does a ghost manage its startup?
Boo-tstrapped…👻
Last Chance To Enroll in Scale For ClimateTech’s Manufacturing Bootcamp. Apply by October 28!
Our team wanted to recognize it has been a busy month for climate tech innovators as conferences and events have returned to mostly in-person. To create some breathing room, we have decided to extend the deadline to enroll in Scale for ClimateTech’s Bootcamp till October 28, 2022 at 11:59 PM EDT.
From November 7 to 10, Scale For ClimateTech is hosting a free, four-day virtual bootcamp for companies to engage with vetted manufacturers, supply chain experts, and technical advisors to build a more resilient and robust production process, and to hear about funding opportunities that are available. The sessions (approximately 3-hour commitment daily) are catered to companies with a works-like or looks-like hardware prototype that addresses the climate crisis, Apply here by October 28, 2022.
Find Funding
Scale For ClimateTech’s Manufacturing & Expertise-in-Residence (MEIR) program is offering up to $75K in project-matched funding for the manufacturing of solutions that address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. See if you qualify for funding and start your application here.
Win up to $25K through the FORGE Product Development Grant (FPDG) for historically marginalized leaders in cleantech. The goal of the grant is to remove barriers to scaling and manufacturing, providing the necessary funds for a specific product development challenge critical to the company’s ability to scale and/or reach the marketplace. The successful grant application will pinpoint that challenge and articulate how the grant funds will be used to overcome the roadblock.
Learn more and apply here.
Applications to Become an Activate Fellow Are Closing Soon!
The two-year Activate Fellowship provides early-stage hard-tech science entrepreneurs the funding, technical support, networking, community, and time they need at the outset of their entrepreneurial journeys.
Activate Fellows receive:
- A yearly living stipend of $80,000 to $110,000 with a health insurance stipend and travel allowance. Each project also receives $100,000 of research support at a host laboratory and access to at least $100,000 in additional flexible capital.
- Access to research facilities in Berkeley, CA; Boston, MA; New York, NY; or other qualified host laboratories anywhere across the U.S. in the Activate Anywhere Community.
Get info and apply here by October 31, 2022 at 11:59 PDT
CIV:LAB Now Accepting Grant Applications For Community Based Climate Solutions
CIV:LAB, a grantmaking network that channels global funds and resources directly to local climate initiatives, is currently accepting applications for Climate Fund I in New York City. Unrestricted grants between $10-$100k will go to nonprofits/NGOs, community-based organizations, government programs, academic programs, and early-stage startups in the climate technology, climate workforce development, and climate education spaces.
For more information or to apply for a grant, visit: https://civ-lab.org/. Applications are due by December 2, 2022.
Cohort News
e-Zinc Works with Silicon Valley Bank and Secures $7 Million Venture Debt Facility
e-Zinc, a zinc battery company, announced earlier this month that it has closed a $7 million venture debt facility with Silicon Valley Bank. e-Zinc will use the funding to further progress its commercialization efforts and execute on high-value commercial pilot projects that provide in-field validation for its batteries.
Read more about the announcement.
Heat Inverse Awarded $1 Million SBIR Phase II Funding for Passive Cooling Films
Heat Inverse, a clean cooling company based in Ithaca, NY, won a $1 million grant from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Read more about the win in Rev: Ithaca Startup Works most recent blog post here.
Caporous Technologies Awarded a $256K STTR Phase I Grant
Caporus recently announced the company’s selection for an STTR Phase 1 grant that will expand the company’s work on electrode materials and roll-to-roll process compatibility with an integrated, continuous manufacturing process for multilayer capacitor products. Read the full abstract and about the support from the NSF STTR Program here.
Mars Materials, Gencores, Holocene, and RockFix Selected to Join Breakthrough Energy’s Fellows Program
Breakthrough Energy (BE) Fellows, a climate accelerator founded by Bill Gates, announced its second cohort of Fellows. Of the 30 teams selected to join the BE Fellows, 4 of the teams are from the Venture For ClimateTech program. Congratulations to the following teams and founders!
Mars Materials: Aaron Fitzgerald, CEO and Co-Founder, and Kristian Gubasch, VP of Feedstock Development & Co-Founder
Gencores: Jules Thiery, Founder and CEO
Holocene: Anca Timofte, CEO and Co-Founder
RockFix: Co-Founders Allen Liang, Melissa Wen Jia Zhang, and Gustavo Marquez
Read the full announcement here.
Ashlawn Energy Announced as Finalist at NYS Innovation Summit’s Commercialization Competition
FuzeHub is holding its annual Commercialization Competition this week where companies across New York State are competing to win up to $150K as a part of the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund. Ashlawn Energy, developer of a vanadium redox flow battery, was named one of the four finalists in the Clean Tech & Renewable Energy category.
Read the full announcement here.|
Atrevida Science Selected to Join MassChallenge’s Blue Tech Cohort
MassChallenge, a Massachusetts based non-profit organization supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, announced its Blue Tech Cohort of innovators focused on solutions in the maritime industry. Atrevida Science, developer of flexible turbine blade technology and load management systems, was selected to join the six-week program.
Read the full announcement here.
Program Updates
Energy Catalyst Technologies Wins $20K Manufacturing Roadmap Pitch Competition at the S4C’s Innovation Showcase
More than 100 people from the climate tech ecosystem came together in New York City earlier this month for an innovation showcase aimed at supporting climate technologies and advancing a more robust and equitable climate future across North America and beyond.
Scale for ClimateTech and the Consulate General of Canada in New York hosted the daylong event that centered on 17 startup presentations, product demos, and the Manufacturing Roadmap Pitch Competition to a select audience of investors, potential customers, and other ecosystem players.
For most Canadian participants, it was the first stateside climate tech event they attended since the US and Canada lifted COVID border restrictions in September, and served as a strong reminder of the power of in-person connection.
Manufacturing Roadmap Pitch Competition
Five finalists from across North America competed for the $20K Manufacturing Roadmap Pitch Competition, judged by a panel of investor and industry experts. Energy Catalyst, an Albany based manufacturer of high efficiency geothermal heat pumps, took home the $20K prize for its scalability, market fit, and team dynamic.
What’s the Consensus?
The answer to last month’s question, “What job posting platform have you had the most success with when hiring for a position?” is… Indeed, with 40% of the vote. Here’s the breakdown:
