ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scale For ClimateTech announced today that it is bringing three different offerings together to help innovators speed the manufacturing and availability of new hardware technology that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and address the urgent need to mitigate the impact of climate change. These resources include a free virtual Manufacturing Bootcamp, a new comprehensive online learning portal, and a new funding program that offers financial support of up to $75,000 per project. Applications to attend the interactive virtual bootcamp or to apply for funding are now open. Early-stage climate tech hardware companies—located anywhere—are encouraged to apply.
Hardware startups working to bring new technologies often lack the resources to set up high-volume manufacturing. This makes it difficult to design a prototype that’s reproducible for scaling production at the quality and cost that’s needed, and to properly vet suppliers and manufacturing partners. These challenges often result in risks, waste, higher production costs, and significant delays in the availability of solutions that will help combat climate change.
Scale For ClimateTech is a free manufacturing accelerator administered by non-profit entrepreneurship catalyst NextCorps and impact innovation company SecondMuse, and supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The program helped more than 67 companies accelerate their manufacturing, raise more than $414 million in funding, and generate more than $33.5 million in product revenues, collectively.
Scale For ClimateTech’s virtual Manufacturing Bootcamp will bring these resources directly to hardware ClimateTech startups via a condensed four-day bootcamp—to be held November 7 -10, 2022— and cover key concepts provide companies with the framework, mentorship, and networking required to build a roadmap for advancing their manufacturing success.
“We need to get more products manufactured in volume to reduce potential climate impacts and support a more sustainable future,” added Shelby Thompson, Senior Program Manager Program Director with Scale For ClimateTech and program lead for SecondMuse. “The global network and tools we’ve built and tested over the last five years can get climate tech hardware companies on the right track, from the start, to speed availability and their potential impact.”
“NYSERDA is excited to support more hardtech, climate tech companies through the fall Scale for ClimateTech bootcamp,” says Katie MacDonald, Director of Technology-to-Market at NYSERDA. “This program offers best in class educational resources that will enable climate impactful companies to reach manufacturing production, and market, faster in service to New York State’s Climate Act goals.”
In addition to daily workshops, teams will get access to Scale For ClimateTech’s new online learning platform Learn.ForClimateTech.org. The comprehensive site is designed to help founders assess their manufacturing readiness, develop manufacturing roadmaps, access video tours of manufacturing facilities, tools and templates complete with instructions, and lists of vetted suppliers and manufacturers in New York State.
To address the challenge of raising enough capital to launch manufacturing, Scale For ClimateTech also is offering Manufacturing Expertise-in-Residence (MEIR) grants. Companies must be at the prototype stage of development and contribute 20 percent of the financial commitment to their project. MEIR will fund the other 80 percent up to a maximum of $75,000. To be eligible, projects should be designed to be executed within one to five months, have a quantifiable impact on reducing GhG emissions, a clear goal of increasing speed to market with use of the fund, and provide a demonstrable benefit to New York State. Potential eligible companies include innovations and processes that broadly reduce energy consumption, increase resource efficiency, directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions or enable the transition to a sustainable and decarbonized economy.
“There are far more companies working on climate tech solutions than there is available support to help them succeed,” said Mike Riedlinger, Managing Director of Scale For ClimateTech and program lead for NextCorps. “As one of only five programs in the U.S. that is focused on helping growth-stage entrepreneurs with manufacturing, our goal is to offer virtual resources and support to make this type of programming and resources more widely available.”
Applications to enroll for the Manufacturing Bootcamp are open until Oct. 21. Interested companies can apply here. Applications for project funding through MEIR are accepted on a rolling basis. For more information, visit forclimatetech.org/meir.
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