ImpactAlpha, February 24 — Founders are using their proximity to communities and their own lived experience to build climate solutions. Local accelerators and incubators are giving them an early boost.
A half-dozen BIPOC founders will get access to funding and business development from a new year-long program, Advancing Climatetech and Clean Energy Leaders Program, or ACCEL.
The accelerator from Greentown Labs and Browning the Green Space will “build critical support infrastructure for entrepreneurs of color and accelerate the equitable development and distribution of climate solutions across all communities,” says Kerry Bowie of Browning the Green Space.
Returns on inclusion
Among the six startups in the cohort is Salem, Mass-based Active Surfaces, which is seeking to commercialize a paper-thin solar cell it claims can turn any surface into a power source. Cambridge, Mass.-based EarthBond connects households in Nigerian cities to low-cost and reliable solar power. Houston-based DrinKicks is repurposing food waste and recycled materials into sustainable goods, such as clothes and sneakers.
