Portland nonprofit VertueLab, which works with cleantech and startups fighting climate change, received a nearly $1 million federal grant to formalize partnerships with Washington research organizations and build out a network of support for early-stage clean energy hardware startups in the Pacific Northwest.
The money is from the Department of Energy and its Energy Program Innovation Clusters initiative. VertueLab led the effort to land this capital and create the Northwest Cleantech Innovation Network. The other partners in this newly created network are Clean Tech Alliance in Seattle, Washington Clean Energy Testbeds at the University of Washington, and Joint Center for Deployment and Research in Earth Abundant Materials in Everett, Washington.
“Clean energy entrepreneurs need specific tailored support and resources to test and scale their technology,” said David Kenney, president and executive director of VertueLab, in a written statement. “We're very thankful to be part of this grant award, as it recognizes both our track record of success and our innovative holistic approach to supporting climate tech entrepreneurs.”
The capital will be doled out over three years. The funding also means that VertueLab will be able to support startups outside of Oregon and expand to Washington, Idaho and Alaska, said spokesperson Cassidy Johnston.
VertueLab was created in 2018. It’s the next evolution of what was Oregon BEST, a state-backed signature research center launched in 2007 to support cleantech development. The group launched a Climate Impact Fund last year and has ongoing programs to support entrepreneurs including the Cascadia Cleantech Accelerator in partnership with the Clean Tech Alliance and a program to help entrepreneurs land federal grants through Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
With this latest grant money the SBIR/STTR support can now extend to other states and the group is hiring for that effort. Until now, the group has only been able to support Oregon founders, said Johnston. To date, the group has helped entrepreneurs access $9 million in federal funding.
The Clean Tech Alliance will also add new curriculum to its program thanks to this added funding.
The group is also hiring for a facilities navigator “to work with entrepreneurs to understand what facilities around the Northwest are available to them,” said Johnston. The coalition will help to funnel entrepreneurs to places that can help with prototyping and commercialization.
The Northwest Cleantech Innovation Network was one of 10 groups to receive this DOE grant funding. Across the country the government awarded $9.5 million to programs designed to strengthen the domestic clean energy ecosystem.
