Congress established the Small Business Innovation Research / Technology Transfer (SBIR and STTR) programs to support scientific excellence and technological innovation through the investment of Federal research funds in critical American priorities to build a strong national economy.  Federal agencies with large research and development budgets set aside a small fraction of their funding for competitions among small businesses only. Small businesses that win awards in these R&D programs keep the rights to any technology developed and are encouraged to commercialize the technology. DOE’s Phase 1 Release 2 includes funding for topics at the Offices of:

• Electricity
• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
• Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation R&D
• Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
• Nuclear Energy

This lab call represents the combined effort of fourteen different U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program offices and the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT). This solicitation offers an opportunity for private industry to partner with DOE’s National Labs to advance energy-related National Lab-developed technology toward commercialization and to reduce the barriers to commercializing lab-developed energy-related technologies and IP. The intent is to increase the volume and speed to which energy-related lab-developed technologies make it to market from an improved lab commercialization ecosystem.

For Year 2 of the ACCEL program, we’re seeking applications from innovative startups at TRL 1-4 with founding and executive teams that are primarily made up of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) leaders who are developing climate solutions for the electricity, transportation, buildings, manufacturing, agriculture, and resiliency + adaptation sectors.

This year-long program combines acceleration with a curated curriculum, incubation through a Greentown Labs membership, and extensive mentorship from Greentown and Browning the Green Space (BGS)’s networks of industry experts. Greentown and BGS know the climatetech industry must change the status quo to equitably position you to lead startups that will address climate change, support the development of diverse workforces, and fiercely advocate for the deployment of clean technologies in historically underserved communities.

The Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) announced a $38 million funding opportunity focused on cross-sector technologies for industrial decarbonization. Through this funding opportunity, IEDO seeks high-impact, applied research, development, and pilot demonstration (RD&D) projects that will help drive the transformational cross-sector technologies and innovations required to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the industrial sector. The projects selected for this funding opportunity will advance a clean and equitable energy economy, bolster the technological and economic competitiveness of domestic manufacturing, and boost the viability and competitiveness of U.S. industrial technology exports.

Topic Areas

• Topic 1 – Electrification of Industrial Heat
• Topic 2 – Efficient Energy Use in Industrial Systems
• Topic 3 – Decarbonizing Organic Wastewater and Wet Waste Treatment

Are you a Climate Tech innovator looking to commercialize your hardware product? Apply to the 2023-2024 Scale For ClimateTech (S4C) program. Through the S4C program, supported by NYSERDA, and administered by SecondMuse and NextCorps, innovators receive dedicated support throughout their manufacturing process in order to gain confidence in their path to market and scale up production to meet demand. Innovators receive dedicated support throughout their manufacturing process in order to gain confidence in their path to market and scale up production to meet demand

NextEra Energy Investments, LLC (NEI), an indirect and wholly owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc., is holding a Seed Competition. Startups have the potential to receive up to a $500,000 seed capital investment, with such investment documentation terms to be negotiated between the potential winner and NEI. The Seed Competition is intended for entrepreneurs solving critical problems within Cybersecurity, Data & AI, Decarbonization and Energy Transition who want to work with NextEra and its subsidiaries to innovate for a better tomorrow.

A signature program of NYCEDC’s Venture Access NYC initiative, the Founder Fellowship is designed to improve access to capital and networks for underrepresented founders across all tech-enabled sectors. Each year, the Founder Fellowship supports a diverse community of New York City tech startup founder teams with much-needed access to resources and networks to help them grow their companies. Selected teams are placed in Founder Fellow cohorts led by NYCEDC’s program operators. All Fellow teams receive unique value and offerings including:

• Individualized work plans to identify key needs and interests
• Cohort convenings to discuss challenges and receive business administration support
• Connections to capital providers and potential collaborators
• Access to mentors and advisor network

This six-month fellowship empowers women and people of color to cultivate their technical and professional skills within the gig economy at mHUB. Fellows are offered unparalleled resources at mHUB’s cutting-edge innovation center in Chicago, including access to $6M worth of prototyping equipment, professional and technical development workshops, and a diverse innovation ecosystem.

In its 29th year, the Industry Growth Forum (IGF) is the premier event for climate tech and cleantech  entrepreneurs, investors, and experts from industry and the public sector to build relationships, showcase innovative technologies, and identify disruptive business solutions. Presenting companies are chosen from applicants vetted by a selection committee of more than 100 climate tech and cleantech investors and industry experts. This rigorous screening process provides beneficial feedback to startups that apply. The top 40 companies are invited to present.

The APEX Accelerators program, formerly known as Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP), under management of the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), plays a critical role in the Department’s efforts to identify and helps a wide range of businesses enter and participate in the defense supply-chain. The program provides the education and training to ensure that all businesses become capable of participating in federal, state, and local government contracts.

Breakthrough Energy Fellows (BEF) flagship program, the Innovator Fellowship, is designed to accelerate the development of promising early-stage climate technologies. The Fellowship is a full-time commitment for innovators committed to commercializing their climate technology. Typically, Innovator projects have raised less than $2,000,000 in dilutive funding and are legally incorporated prior to program start date of September 2024.

The Explorers Fellowship offers funding for developing breakthrough climate solutions that are earlier stage, higher technical risk, and may not yet be ready to incorporate. Explorers’ projects are typically in a university lab or research entity, and are overseen by professors, faculty members, or full-time researchers who can remain in position for this part-time opportunity.

Powered by Launch Tennessee, InvestTN manages two equity capital programs totaling $58M for Tennessee-located early-stage startups: Regional Seed Fund and Technology Fund. Startups at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A or B stages are eligible for an initial investment of $25k to $3M.