The next class of clean-tech entrepreneurs is gearing up for an intense three months with Charlotte-based Joules Accelerator.
Joules, founded in 2012, kicked off its ninth cohort today with a group of six startups that Executive Director Bob Irvin said "are going to change the world."
Over the last three years, the accelerator program has worked with more than 37 startups that have generated $175 million in funding and created 400 jobs.
The startups in this cohort hail from across the United States, as well as from Germany and Canada. That includes Greenville, South Carolina-based Soteria Battery Group, which works to improve lithium ion battery safety using novel thin film materials.
Also chosen for the accelerator program are:
- Electric Fish of Freemont, California: Deploying DC fast chargers in difficult-to-reach locations for customers and fleets
- HeyCharge of Munich: Electric-vehicle charging solutions for cellular- and Wi-Fi-denied environments
- Moment Energy of Coquitlam, Canada: Battery management system solutions for second-life EV batteries
- Ribbit Network of Seattle: Developing the world’s largest grassroots, open-source carbon dioxide sensing network
- Shifted Energy of Honolulu: Grid balancing through monitoring, optimization and customer-friendly load control
The startups will be advised by corporations, municipalities and universities in the North Carolina Cleantech Corridor with the goal of creating jobs, pilots and new investment to improve the quality of life in the Charlotte region. Each of the six startups uses innovative technology solutions to meet climate goals. They will work virtually over the next 90 days to connect with the ecosystem, showcase their products and services, and land pilot projects with network partners, Irvin said in a news release.
“It is imperative that we deploy early-stage clean-tech innovation in partnership with corporations to meet North Carolina’s greenhouse gas emission goals," he said.
