SEATTLE and PORTLAND, Ore. — The Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator today announced its 2018 cohort of eight Pacific Northwest clean technology startups that will receive cleantech-specific training in business planning, customer discovery, manufacturing and sustainability planning over the next 15 weeks. The accelerator also announced a rebrand and launched a new website.
Hosted by CleanTech Alliance in Seattle and Vertue Lab (formerly OregonBEST) in Portland, the Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator is now in its third year helping early-stage startups speed their path to market through curriculum, mentorship and business connections. In 2017, the program received a $500,000 i6 Challenge grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) to expand its curriculum. To see the accelerator’s refreshed brand, visit the new website.
“We’re particularly pleased to welcome these companies to the first cohort that will experience our recently expanded Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator curriculum,” said David Kenney, president and executive director of Oregon BEST. “We now have a one-of-a-kind program, and we look forward to seeing them apply the experience to advance their cleantech ventures to address global environmental challenges.”
Past participants include SmartVineyard, a Portland startup with a precision agriculture technology that is helping vineyard owners and farmers reduce irrigation and increase yields, and ZILA Works, a Renton, Wash., company that recently pressed the world’s first bio-epoxy resin snowboard.
“The success of companies from past Cascadia CleanTech Accelerator cohorts is inspiring and demonstrates that mentoring and support in a startup’s development pays off—sometimes in a big way,” said J. Thomas Ranken, president and CEO of CleanTech Alliance.
This year’s accelerator program kicked off in May and will culminate in September with a pitch session and awards ceremony. All teams will exhibit at the CleanTech Innovation Showcase on June 25 in Seattle as well as at Vertue Lab’s annual event on September 26 in Portland.
The eight members of the 2018 cohort are:
- Algotek (Eugene, Ore.) – Producer of a 100 percent natural, fully biodegradable polymer solution for replacing toxic and environment-harming plastics.
- Bladerunner Energy (Bend, Ore.) – Developer of a scalable (0.5kW to 5.0kW) micro-hydro solution that harnesses the power found in the natural flow of water.
- Drive Zero (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) – Developer of a mobile app that enables drivers to track mileage and automatically invest in local carbon offsets.
- Hive Battery Labs: (Seattle) – Developer of process technologies for lithium-ion battery production that lowers EV manufacturing costs.
- Sironix Renewables: (Seattle) – Producer of environmentally-friendly, plant-based detergents with fewer chemicals and higher concentrations.
- STARS Technology Corporation (Richland, Wash.) – Producer of a micro/meso-channel process technology, developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, that enables lower cost hydrogen for fuel cells and other solar/renewable energy augmented, low-carbon fuels and chemicals.
- Wheyward Spirit (Eugene, Ore.) – Developer of a process that utilizes the excess whey from local artisan cheese producers to make a craft vodka with significantly reduced water and carbon footprints.
- WHYGrene, Inc. (Seattle) – Creator of the CryptoJoule, a sustainable energy-based cryptocurrency that forms the optimal peer-to-peer universal currency with a joule as the unit of measurement.
About CleanTech Alliance https://www.cleantechalliance.org/
CleanTech Alliance represents more than 300 member companies and organizations across the greater Northwest region. Founded in 2007 by business leaders, the organization facilitates the generation and growth of cleantech companies, jobs, products and services to advance the cleantech economy. CleanTech Alliance offers a range of business services and benefits uniquely designed to help businesses gain visibility, access services at a lower cost and benefit from public policy. For the latest news and updates, follow CleanTech Alliance on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Vertue Lab http://oregonbest.org/
Vertue Lab funds and supports innovative cleantech startups across Oregon. As an economic development catalyst, Oregon BEST connects startups with state and federal resources while preparing these startups for follow-on investment through a series of focused programs. Oregon BEST provides leadership and leverages its expertise, resources, and relationships to achieve impact beyond its scale. It was founded in 2007 as an independent nonprofit supported by the Oregon Innovation Council and Business Oregon.
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