BOSTON - Cleantech Open Northeast (CTONE), the northeast region of the nation’s largest cleantech startup accelerator, has welcomed 40 startups from across the northeast and around the globe into its 2022 cohort, NECEC announced today. Selected from a pool of 58 applicants, this year’s cohort is motivated and ready with very relevant solutions to improve the environment and combat climate change.

“If you want to know what the world’s going to be doing in 10 years, look at what Cleantech Open Northeast is doing right now, because this is the launchpad for society-changing new ideas,” said NECEC President Joe Curtatone. “Thanks to the strength of the universities and labs throughout the northeast we get a diverse, brilliant mix of people who are truly committed to making a positive difference. I am beyond excited to see what this new group has in store for us.”

“This is the fifth cohort that I will be shepherding through the Cleantech Open accelerator. Each year, we improve on the last, and the startups are the beneficiaries,” said Cleantech Open Northeast Senior Director Beth Zonis. “This year’s cohort will build on the environmental impact measurement work that we began last year. We are excited to get to know all of the entrepreneurs and to support them on their entrepreneurship journeys.”

The 2022 cohort includes startups from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia as well as other international locations (Germany, India, Nigeria, and South Africa). Ventures participating in the 2022 cohort represent a range of cleantech sectors, including energy generation, energy distribution and storage, chemicals and advanced materials, information and communications technologies, transportation, green building, agriculture, water, and waste. A full list of participating companies is available here. 

“Cleantech Open Northeast, through their successful startup accelerator, will enable new technologies and solutions that will address pressing climate concerns, to build a diverse clean energy workforce, and help us reach net zero emissions faster and more effectively,” said MassCEC CEO Jennifer Daloisio. ”MassCEC is pleased to partner with Cleantech Open Northeast again this year to help this cohort accelerate their progress toward commercialization.”

“NYSERDA is excited to see another round of innovative thinkers chosen to participate in the Cleantech Open Northeast 2022 cohort so that they can contribute to the clean energy technologies needed to usher in a green economy in New York and beyond,” said New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) President and CEO Doreen M. Harris. “I congratulate the 40 startups and look forward to the work that they will do to help fight climate change by scaling up critical climate solutions and, ultimately, improving the health and wellbeing of future generations to come.”

CTONE’s six-month accelerator will remain virtual throughout 2022. During the program, startups will access training through webinars and business clinics, gain insight from expert mentors, build connections with strategic investors, angel groups, and venture capital firms, and receive products and services from in-kind sponsors. This year, we are continuing the work we started with the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute – this focused on enabling startups to measure their greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential. An increasing number of investors are focused on companies that can demonstrate a significant environmental impact. This is a great first step. Building on the work that we have started with Browning the Green Space and others, Cleantech Open Northeast will also continue to help startups build diversity, equity, and inclusion values into their companies. 

Each year, the accelerator program culminates in a regional pitch competition where startups showcase their ventures before a panel of judges that select four regional winners to each receive a $10,000 cash prize. In 2022, thanks to a grant from the Sire Foundation, CTONE will offer a 2022 Carbon Sequestration/CCUS Prize for the second year, as well as a new 2022 Cleantech Open Ag/Food/Land Use Prize. These are for startups that complete the annual accelerator. The regional winners and finalists will continue on to compete for the national grand prize at the Cleantech Open finals.

Cleantech Open Northeast is supported by Regional Premier Sponsors MassCEC and NYSERDA. In 2022, Cleantech Open Northeast added several new additional sponsors: Citi, National Grid, and Xylem; and new in-kind sponsors: Genome Foundry at Concordia University and Temple University Small Business Development Center.

About Cleantech Open Northeast

Cleantech Open Northeast is part of the global Cleantech Open accelerator and is managed by NECEC as the on-the-ground affiliate. Cleantech Open is the world’s oldest and largest cleantech accelerator and is dedicated to providing entrepreneurs and technologists the resources needed to launch a successful cleantech company. Its mission is to find, fund, and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental, and economic challenges. Cleantech Open provides the infrastructure, expertise, and strategic relationships that turn clever ideas into successful global cleantech companies. Since 2005, Cleantech Open has supported more than 1,800 alumni companies. Between 2005 and 2015 they awarded more than $5 million in cash and services, and companies raised more than $1.2 billion in external funding. Fueled by a network of more than 2,000 volunteers, Cleantech Open unites the public and private sectors in a shared vision for making America’s cleantech sector a thriving economic engine. For more information, visit cleantechopen.org.

About NECEC

NECEC is the premier voice of businesses building a world-class clean energy hub in the Northeast, helping clean energy companies start, scale, and succeed with our unique business, innovation, and policy leadership. NECEC includes the Northeast Clean Energy Council, a nonprofit business member organization, and NECEC Institute, a nonprofit focused on industry research, innovation, policy development, and strategic communications. NECEC’s innovation program includes Cleantech Open Northeast, the Northeast affiliate of the national cleantech accelerator Cleantech Open, and Cleantech Navigate, which provides cleantech startups with curated connections to mentors, test sites, customers, corporate partners, and investors. NECEC brings together business leaders and key stakeholders to engage in influential policy discussions and business initiatives while building connections that propel the clean energy industry forward. Visit NECEC.org.