Flywheel, a local accelerator for social impact startups, has teamed up with HCDC, Cintrifuse and Kroger to create a new program that will support startups working in the sustainability space.
SustainableCincy will be a virtual six-week pre-accelerator program designed to help early-stage businesses and nonprofits improve sustainability in Cincinnati and beyond. Up to eight startups will receive one-on-one coaching to help scale their business, as well as develop a path to scale and implement funding strategies.
"We recognized that not only is sustainability a growing movement here and everywhere else, but it's starting to change," Flywheel Program Manager Josie Dalton told Cincy Inno. "We wanted to find a way to support that space and that movement."
Applications are open for SustainableCincy's first cohort through Aug. 14. Startups will be evaluated based on potential impact and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: zero hunger; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; and responsible consumption and production.
SustainableCincy said that strong preference will be given to organizations led by women and people of color.
"We really believe that sustainability is one of those areas where Cincinnati has a right to win," Dalton said. "It touches every industry."
Flywheel has supported social impact startups through its Elevator accelerator since 2016. A few years ago, it relocated to Union Hall in Over-the-Rhine, just down the hall from another local startup organization, Cintrifuse.
"It gave us more access to types of individuals excited about the startup scene," Flywheel Executive Director Bill Tucker said. "And we collaborate heavily with them on a number of different programs."
Over time, Flywheel has connected with other organizations big and small throughout Cincinnati. Dalton said Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation approached Flywheel with the idea of a suitability program.
"Big companies like Kroger look to startups as a source for innovation," Dalton said. "And startups can really benefit from making connections with those companies."
Procter & Gamble announced earlier this month that it created a plan to have its global operations be carbon neutral for the decade. Other large corporations have made similar commitments.
By structuring SustainableCincy as a preaccelerator, organizers hope startups can collaborate with large companies to help them achieve their sustainability goals.
"With an accelerator, you're looking for something that's already in the making, but a pre-accelerator allows us to help model synergistic solutions," Dalton said.
Sustainability may be a global goal, but Cincinnati is among the best places to develop these solutions, according to SustainableCincy's organizers.
"When you think about 'Why Cincinnati,' you think about assets in this community that can make a difference in the world," Tucker said. "And the organizations here have a capacity to bring together stakeholders across everything that's green."
