The Diageo Sustainable Solutions program is calling upon innovators to share their ideas and solutions for growing brands and businesses sustainably.

Diageo Sustainable Solutions will invest time and experience, resources and assets where relevant, and fully fund proof of concept pilots that are selected from the breakthrough innovations. Innovations in energy, water, packaging, and agriculture will be prioritized.

The short online application is due December 16, 2020, and a shortlist of applicants will be determined by December 22, 2020. A virtual pitch day will be hosted in January 2021 and successful pilot proposals will be chosen by the end of January 2021. Up to a 6-month pilot of collaboration will be available to develop ideas and demonstrate a proof of concept within the supply chain.

Each pilot will be sponsored by a Diageo Business Unit lead, with a dedicated Technical support team (from Diageo and supply chain partners). Successful pilots will be considered for scaling within the Diageo Supply Chain.

Prithvi Ventures is an impact-driven early-stage Climate fund set up to protect our earth and its inhabitants – पृथ्वी / Pṛthvī means “earth” in Sanskrit. To protect our Prithvi, we invest in industries that remove/ reduce the rising GHG emissions. We invest in boring problems with interesting solutions that redesign the way some of the largest industries consume energy and resources. We focus on Capex heavy technologies that are carbon negative, and resource-intensive processes from the supply chain, be that in food, fashion, beauty & more. Investing in ClimateTech presents not only an opportunity for a financial return but is also a chance to help protect our environment, public health, and the overall sustainability of how we live on our Prithvi.

The COVID-19 crisis is an especially challenging time for small business owners. In an effort to better help businesses navigate this crisis, the CEBN has compiled a list of financial relief resources. We will continue to update the list of resources as new information becomes available. Please send any additional relevant resources to CEBN staff should you be aware of any.

Each year, this accelerator finds 15-20 companies that best fit their mission and fund each company up to $1 million to improve systems that impact people’s lives: energy, water, food & agriculture, mobility, and the circular economy.

Each year Women Founders Network creates a unique opportunity for Female Founders. What makes their pitch competition different than other fast pitch competitions is the valuable leadership and in-kind sponsorships that offered as part of the program. This individualized attention allows the top women entrepreneurs to become pitch-ready in a way that sharpens their plans to scale their companies and makes their business more appealing to Angel and VC investors.

An enduring challenge to ARPA-E’s mission is that even technologies that achieve substantial technical advancement under ARPA-E support are at risk of being stranded in their development path once ARPA-E funding ends (averaging $2.5M over three years).

The SCALEUP FOA builds upon ARPA-E-funded technologies by scaling the most promising. Stranding promising ARPA-E-funded technologies in their development pathways leaves substantial intellectual property developed with American taxpayer dollars vulnerable to adoption by foreign competitors, who can and do capture it for continued development – and economic benefit – overseas. This harms national competitiveness, as U.S. industries often lose the lead on the development, scaling, and manufacturing of technologies necessary to compete in rapidly evolving global energy markets. These scaling energy technology projects will meet ARPA-E’s statutory direction to achieve the above goals by “ accelerating transformational technological advances in areas that industry by itself is not likely to undertake because of technical and financial uncertainty”.^[2]

• Facilitate networking between members, advisors and their external stakeholders;
• Create new business opportunities for members;
• Share awareness of, and access to, sources of funding;
• Share knowledge and best practices about business and impact
• Create new visibility opportunities for members, locally and internationally.

Generate is a leading sustainable infrastructure platform delivering affordable, reliable resource solutions to companies, communities, and cities. Founded by some of the renewable energy industry’s leading visionaries, Generate builds, owns, operates and finances sustainable resource infrastructure that adhere to what they call the 4 D’s: Decentralized, Decarbonized, Digitized, Democratized.

Cleantech Open is an accelerator that supports entrepreneurs and corporate innovators by providing resources needed to grow a successful cleantech businesses. Applicants receive world-class mentoring, hands-on training investor meetings, startup-corporate matching, and showcasing at both the regional and national levels and networking opportunities in addition to cash prizes. Major judging criteria include team, technology and market.

At Clean Energy Ventures we’re beating back climate change through energy innovation. We fund disruptive, capital-light technologies and business model innovations that can reshape how we produce and consume energy. Each startup we invest in has the potential to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions between our investment and 2050. Beyond funding, we provide hands-on guidance through dedicated leadership coaching, strategic marketing, IP development, and active board participation. Our collection of 19 Venture Partners guide our startups and enhance our value with their deep technical and operating experience.

Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) offers a two-year fellowship for innovators focusing on clean energy and science technologies. Through an annual call for innovators, four to six individuals will be selected to join CRI. Program participants will receive the financial and technical support needed to perform early-stage research and development (R&D) that may launch energy or manufacturing businesses in the future.

• Fellowship stipend of $115k per year for two years plus healthcare benefits
• Non-dilutive funding for de-risking technological innovations
• Access to technical experts, facilities, and unique capabilities at Argonne National Laboratory
• Networking access to business experts, investors, mentors, and corporate partners
• Argonne takes no equity stake