Greentown Labs, one of the largest climatetech startup incubators in North America, is focusing its attention on the domestic offshore wind industry.
The Somerville-based incubator is launching Greentown Go Energize 2023, a program to scale startups developing environmental and digital solutions in the offshore wind industry. The program will be run in partnership with Vineyard Wind and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
“We had such an appreciation for how hard the whole industry has to work to create this industry from scratch,” said Katherine St. James, senior director of programs at Greentown Labs. “Anything we can do to help that industry grow responsibly, grow faster, is going to help us meet our collective decarbonization goals.”
In 2020, Greentown Labs worked with Vineyard Wind and MassCEC to host the Offshore Wind Challenge. The three companies in that six-month program focused on developing marine mammal monitoring technologies in the offshore wind industry.
Go Energize 2023 is funded by Vineyard Wind. MassCEC and Vineyard helped define the program’s areas of focus, St. James said, and will help select and mentor the startups.
Greentown Go Energize 2023 is looking for startups working in several areas of the offshore wind industry.
“When we say wind, sometimes people think, ‘Oh, you’re looking for new turbine designs.’ And it’s so much more than that,” St. James said.
St. James said the program is looking for startups in two categories: Environmental and digital solutions. Environmental solutions include technology like bird- and bat-deterrent systems and drones for subsea inspection, mapping and biodiversity measurements. Digital solutions focuses on the efficient collection of environmental data and extending the life cycle of turbines.
Interested startups should have a technology readiness level of 3 and higher and be actively commercializing or looking to commercialize within the offshore wind industry, St. James said.
Four to six startups will be selected for the program, St. James said, which will take place in-person at Greentown Labs.
As part of the program, startups will have desk space and a membership at Greentown Labs. The startups will also receive $70,000 in non-dilutive stipend funding and access to offshore wind developers, NGOs, scientists, and others in the offshore wind industry. Greentown Labs said the “highly structured” program will also include mentorship, networking opportunities, and educational programming from the incubator’s community of experts.
Applications for Go Energize 2023 are due April 4. Greentown Labs will select its participants by a June 8 program kickoff event.
