The Greenhouse Accelerator is launching the Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub as the state becomes a hub for new clean energy investment, from electric vehicle plants to solar panel factories.
The public-private-academic partnership aims to propel cleantech innovation by providing access to talent, capital and resources. The Greenhouse Accelerator is an Alpharetta-based nonprofit that educates, advises and financially supports entrepreneurs in early-stage cleantech startups.
“Today, consumers’ high demand for climate-friendly solutions and significant investment by governments and corporations has established cleantech as an engine of economic growth,” Bernie Burgener, executive director of the Greenhouse Accelerator and founding member of the board of directors for the Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub, said in a press release. “As a result, our opportunity to serve cleantech innovators is broader than it was 12 years ago, and it is the right time for the organization to expand its scope."
A physical location is in the works for the Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub, said a spokesperson, but no details were immediately available about where it would be located or how much space it would occupy. Fundraising is now underway, according to the press release.
The innovation hub launches as venture capital funding for climate-tech companies slowed early this year along with the rest of the VC ecosystem, according to Pitchbook. Still, there is a lot of optimism for the industry, especially since the passage of federal climate legislation including the Inflation Reduction Act, which has helped spark massive projects around the country.
In Georgia, most of the recent economic development projects are centered around clean energy, from massive EV plants from Hyundai Motor Group and Rivian Automotive Inc., to sprawling solar panel factories from Qcells.
Broader efforts are also underway to build up the state’s clean energy ecosystem. For example, Georgia Tech is part of a group pursuing up to $500 million in federal funding for a new regional hub focused on clean energy manufacturing.
