The Innovators Program is a core LACI (Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator) accelerator program serving early-stage cleantech startups in Southern California. Funded by the California Energy Commission’s Regional Energy Innovation Cluster (REIC), the program aims to support early stage entrepreneurs in launching their venture in California’s growing cleantech innovation ecosystem.

-Monthly opportunity updates and curated resources email
-Check-in’s with LACI expert every other month
-Lunch & Learns: Curriculum development opportunities
-Visibility in LACI’s network and ecosystem
-Discounted access to the La Kretz Innovation Campus (LKIC)

Startups must:
-Have a cleantech solution that addresses one of our three priority areas: Clean Energy, Zero Emissions Transportation and Smart & Sustainable Cities: Circular Economy.
-Be early stage: as early as pre-seed or pre-prototype, with a proof of concept.
-Own or license a novel proprietary technology.
-Operate out of one of the four counties in our Southern California territory.

Third Derivative is a joint venture of the world-renowned energy think-and-do-tank Rocky Mountain Institute and the premier global clean energy startup accelerator network New Energy Nexus. They are a next-generation accelerator with committed venture capital, a curated ecosystem of global corporations, and unparalleled market, regulatory, and policy insights.

By linking together startups, corporates, investors and our own technical experts, they’ll “accelerate the rate of change” (a.k.a. the third derivative) for how the world takes climate tech innovations from the lab to the market. Their vertically-integrated accelerator model will find, hone, fund, and scale promising energy technologies to achieve larger, faster reductions in greenhouse gas emissions globally.

They are looking for startups who are working to drive the energy transition, including those at the earliest stages of commercialization. There are only two criteria for applicants: 1) the startup must intend to be a for-profit entity, and 2) the startup must have at least two full-time employees at time of application.

ARPA-E seeks to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with commercial air travel at minimum economic cost by developing elements of an ultra-high efficient aircraft propulsion system that uses Carbon Neutral Liquid Fuels (CNLFs). Since these fuels generally either have lower specific-energies (kWh/kg) or are projected to have higher cost than traditional fossil-based jet fuels, ultra-high conversion efficiency is critical for the economic viability of this approach. An electrified propulsion system framework postulated by ARPA-E could potentially leverage multiple sources of stored energy (e.g. CNLF, batteries, etc.) to facilitate emerging propulsion concepts (e.g. distributed propulsion) and enable net-zero carbon emissions for long range, narrow-body, commercial aircraft.

The objective of the Range Extenders for Electric Aviation with Low Carbon and High Efficiency (REEACH) program is the development of one element of the electrified propulsion system framework: a system for the conversion of chemical energy contained in energy dense CNLFs to electric power for aircraft propulsion and hotel loads.

The Aviation-class Synergistically Cooled Electric-motors with iNtegrated Drives (ASCEND) program supports the development of novel lightweight and ultra-efficient electric motors, drives, and associated thermal management system (collectively referred to as the all-electric powertrain) that will facilitate net-zero carbon emissions in the single-aisle, 150-200 passenger commercial aircraft segment. This FOA represents part of a wider ARPA-E effort in the development of enabling technologies for long-range (≥ 2,800 nautical miles), carbon neutral commercial aviation. The goal is to reduce the emissions from commercial aviation by developing cost-competitive systems for the efficient conversion of the chemical energy of carbon-neutral liquid fuels (CNLFs) to delivered electric energy, which is then further converted to thrust via propulsors driven by electric motors and associated motor drives. The focus of the ASCEND program is the development of an all-electric powertrain as the prime mover for long-range, narrow-body aircraft such as the Boeing 737. Current electric powertrains do not have high enough power density and efficiency to enable competitive and fully decarbonized aviation for the narrow-body class of aircraft.

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.