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Companies include those working to develop cleaner building materials, electric transportation options, and address waste issues
BOSTON – Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) today announced $4.2 million in funding for 24 clean energy and climatetech companies and researchers. The funding will support clean energy and climatetech innovators in 15 cities and towns throughout Massachusetts, including Amherst, Boston, Cambridge, Concord, Holyoke, Lowell, Milton, Quincy, Somerville, Spencer, Springfield, Tyngsboro, Woburn, Woods Hole, and Worcester.
The grants are awarded through MassCEC’s AmplifyMass, Catalyst, Diversity in Cleantech – Early Stage (DICES), InnovateMass, and IncubateMass Programs. Catalyst, DICES, and InnovateMass Programs are additionally supported by MassVentures.
“Massachusetts is the most innovative state in the country – the place where big challenges like climate change are solved with bold ideas and cutting-edge technologies,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Climatetech businesses are already producing groundbreaking solutions in Massachusetts, but it’s our goal to be the global leader in climate innovation. We’re going to do that by providing entrepreneurs and early-stage companies with the resources they need to stay, scale, and succeed here.”
“The growth of the climatetech sector is an economic development opportunity for every city and town in Massachusetts,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “These companies will need space to grow and people to hire, and our communities have the attractive real estate and talented workers that startups are looking for as they scale their businesses.”
“Whether it’s electrifying how we get around or cleaning up energy-intensive industries, climatetech innovators are developing the tools that will cut greenhouse gas emissions, build resilient infrastructure, and improve quality of life,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “MassCEC’s Emerging Climatetech team has a proven track record of helping researchers and entrepreneurs optimize these solutions and bring them to market.”
“From Western Mass. to Woods Hole, the innovations we need to meet the global climate challenge are being developed here in Massachusetts,” said Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO Dr. Emily Reichert. “It’s MassCEC’s job to make sure that these climate leaders have the resources they need to turn their technologies into successful businesses that make a difference around the world, creating good jobs and stimulating our local economies here at home.”
“These deep technology projects demonstrate how Massachusetts globally leads in climatetech innovations,” said MassVentures President and CEO Charlie Hipwood. “These awards are critical for these organizations to develop and demonstrate technical viability of their technology and to accelerating them to impact the climate change.”
AmplifyMass supports academic researchers and companies who need cost-share or adder funding for federal/non-federal prime awards. The Catalyst Program issues grant funding to researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of their climate technologies, while DICES awards projects led by applicants who are underrepresented in the climatetech industry or face economic barriers entering the environmental or entrepreneurial landscape. The InnovateMass Program provides grant funding and technical support to teams deploying new clean energy technologies or innovative combinations of existing technologies with strong potential for commercialization.
Since 2015, AmplifyMass has awarded $60 million to 135 academic research projects and startup companies. Awardees have raised over $270 million in follow-on fundraising. Since launching in 2010, Catalyst and DICES have awarded $11.6 million to 196 companies and research teams. Past awardees have raised over $852 million in follow-on funding. Including this latest round, InnovateMass has awarded over $17 million in funding to 93 demonstration projects across Massachusettssince its launch in 2013, leveraging over $21 million in other private and public investment.
As a complement to the grants and support for technology developers, MassCEC also recently awarded $730,000 from its IncubateMass Program to six Massachusetts-based incubators focused on supporting climatetech innovators – Berkshire Innovation Center (Pittsfield), Greentown Labs (Somerville), InnoVenture Labs (Beverly), Launchpad 11 (Boston), SeaAhead (Cambridge), and the UMass Lowell iHub (Lowell). Six of these recently MassCEC-awarded grantees have also been supported by sponsored incubators, demonstrating the impact an incubator can have on the success of a startup. Greentown Labs has incubated Feon Energy, Clean Crop Technologies, Inc., florrent, Inc., and Optigon, Inc. TheUMass Lowell iHub has supported Highland Park Technologies LLC and Z-Polymers.
AmplifyMass Awardees:
atdepth MRV (Cambridge, MA) – $150,000 to develop measurement systems that enable marine carbon dioxide removal.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Dr. Buonassisi) (Cambridge, MA) – $300,000 to study a novel type of solar panel material.
Optigon, Inc. (Somerville, MA) – $299,000 to develop quality control tools for clean energy technologies ranging from solar panels to batteries, and beyond.
Planck Energies, Inc. (Boston, MA) – $137,500 to develop an environmentally friendly roof coating that passively cools buildings.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (Woods Hole, MA) – $250,000 to improve offshore wind resource assessments.
Catalyst/DICES Awardees:
ECR Consulting, Inc. (Quincy, MA) – $75,000 to develop green methanol as an alternative and cleaner marine fuel.
Envirowerks, LLC (Spencer, MA) – $75,000 to retrofit large freight trucks into hybrid electric vehicles.
EQORE (Concord, MA) – $75,000 to develop a smart energy storage solution to reduce energy use during times when the electrical grid is experiencing high demand.
Helix Carbon (Milton, MA) – $75,000 to develop carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion technology that can sustainably produce commonly used chemicals.
JaccPro dba eSki (Worcester, MA) – $75,000 to develop an electric jet ski.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Dr. Fikile R. Brushett) (Cambridge, MA) – $75,000 to develop a prototype of a new battery that revolutionizes the charging speed and safety of batteries.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (Dr. Patrick S. Doyle) (Cambridge, MA) – $75,000 to develop a pilot-scale reusable water treatment system that is more effective and sustainable.
Pixelframe (Cambridge, MA) – $75,000 to develop sustainable, reusable concrete blocks for modular construction of buildings.
Polyose Bio (Cambridge, MA) – $75,000 to develop a technology that uses insects to break down food waste and make it into high value chemicals.
Western New England University, (Dr. Bart Lipkens) (Springfield, MA) – $75,000 to develop a new type of filter for making medicine that has less of an impact on the environment.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, (Dr. Mehdi Mortazavi) (Worcester, MA) – $75,000 to develop more efficient production of green hydrogen for use as fuel in heavy-duty transportation.
InnovateMass Awardees:
Clean Crop Technologies, Inc. (Holyoke, MA) – $350,000 to demonstrate its system that reduces food waste by removing pathogens from seeds.
Embue (Worcester, MA) – $334,640 to test its peak electricity load management system in multifamily buildings.
Feon Energy (Woburn, MA) – $350,000 to scale its proprietary battery technology production for high-performance electric vehicle batteries.
florrent, Inc. (Amherst, MA) – $244,916 to test its bio-derived carbon material to create effective back-up power systems.
Highland Park Technologies LLC (Boston, MA) – $250,000 to test its prefabricated recladding technology to enhance the energy efficiency of residential buildings.
Matcha Electric (Boston, MA) – $335,000 to test its electric vehicle charging solutions at multifamily properties.
Suryatech EV Power LLC (Tyngsboro, MA) – $91,000 to test its hybrid solar power electric vehicle charger and battery.
Z-Polymers (Lowell, MA) – $300,000 to test its stronger-than-steel fiber which holds promise to become an eco-friendly alternative to the carbon fiber used today in vehicles.
About the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is a state economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy and climatetech sector across the Commonwealth to spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits, and secure long-term economic opportunities for the people of Massachusetts.
Since 2010, MassCEC has awarded over $650 million in programs and investments and attracted more than $2.5 billion in private and federal capital.