Seattle’s CleanTech Alliance and Portland-based VertueLab have announced the 2020 cohort of environmentally-focused startups for its Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator.
The 15-week program targets early stage companies for “cleantech-specific” instruction, mentoring, and support in business planning, manufacturing products, and building a customer base. Participants are from startups that address energy use, toxic chemical removal, biofuels, waste reduction, and other green-leaning technologies.
The companies will participate in the CleanTech Innovation Showcase on July 15 and end the program at September’s Fuel 2020 where the teams will share their technologies.
Alumni from last year’s program include Seattle’s BlueDot Photonics, which offers a coating for solar panels that increases efficiency; Olympia, Wash.-based Hexas Biomass, a startup focused on creating a sustainable wood substitute; and Sironix Renewables, a Seattle company developing safer, plant-based chemicals for use in industrial consumer products. Sironix was also a participant in GeekWire’s 2019 Elevator Pitch series. The accelerator launched in 2015.
The 10 startups for the 2020 accelerator, as described by the cohort:
- Aquagga (Seattle and Fairbanks, Alaska): Developer of energy-efficient system that destroys contaminants and converts aqueous mixtures containing PFAS, pharmaceuticals, microplastics, pesticides or other toxins into clean water.
- Chapul (Salt Lake City and McMinnville, Ore.): Developer of modular insect farms that process diverted agricultural waste streams into dried insect larvae for food and fertilizer and also reduces agriculture water usage.
- EarthUp (Kenmore, Wash.): Developer of a software platform that allows employers to baseline the environmental impact of employees and engage them to reduce carbon footprints and track reduction over time.
- FlexCharging (Redmond, Wash.): Provider of an EV charging app that helps drivers and utility partners understand charge sessions, utility rates and schedules, keeping energy costs low and the electric grid balanced.
- Industria (Portland): Developer of SaaS tools designed to help environmental professionals collect and communicate findings in a thoughtful, elegant and expeditious way to better serve clients and the environment.
- Matidor Technologies (Vancouver, B.C.): Developer of an intuitive collaboration platform that helps the field service industry organize location-based projects on a live-updating map with easy visualization, team collaboration and management.
- NULIFE GreenTech (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan): Developer of a catalyst that removes oxygen from biofuels so they can be refined, allowing governments around the world to meet their clean fuel mandates.
- Regenerated Textiles (Seattle): Maker of shipping-container sized textile waste recycling machines that convert end-of-life clothing and textiles into brand new market grade fiber.
- LeapFrog Design (Bend, Ore.): Developer of a sustainable, scalable system for treating and recycling household greywater using plants and natural materials.
- Voltaic Marine (Beaverton, Ore.): Developer of a technology to bring electric vehicle mass adoption to the marine Industry.
