In partnership with the Tandon School of Engineering, the eight environmental startups selected to participate in Innovate UK’s Global Incubator Program gathered in Brooklyn last week to kick off the six-month market entry program.
Tandon’s Urban Future Lab — a non-profit innovation hub that aims to build networks among climate tech startups — works closely with the U.K.-based companies to spearhead the program, starting with last week’s event from Sept. 15-19. The lab was founded in 2009 to advise climate-focused companies on navigating the market by providing them with access to mentors, connections to funding and a head start in the New York City and national markets.
Fredric Clerc, UFL’s interim managing director, wrote in an email statement to WSN that representatives from each startup participate in two intensive, weeklong in-market visits, where they partner with key climate tech stakeholders. During the two visits, the UFL facilitates high-level meetings and hands-on learning to give the startups a clear roadmap to succeeding in the U.S. market.
“The foundation of this program is customer discovery and market validation,” Clerc wrote. “Our hope is that each company walks away with impactful insights, whether from customer conversations, pilot discussions or regulatory learnings, that properly inform their next steps.”
The U.K.-based companies selected for the program — Bioledger, Ceraphi, Electron, Fellten, GyroPlant, HiiROC, Senze and UrbanChain — focus on different forms of sustainability. Gyroplant developed a reusable “GyroCup” in place of single-use products, reducing waste in indoor farming while supporting plant growth. Bioledger, on a mission to “raise the standard of sustainability assurance,” developed a software to simplify compliance with U.S. and EU fossil fuel regulations.
“These eight companies stood out because they combine technical excellence with real commercial traction and are ready to engage deeply with potential U.S. partners, customers and regulators,” Clerc wrote.
In the six years that the incubator program has been running, it has worked with 35 U.K. climate tech companies to successfully establish U.S. operations through the UFL partnership. Alumni companies have gone on to secure partnerships with major utilities, Fortune 500 companies and government agencies.
The public relations team at Fellten, which designs and develops electronic battery systems, wrote in a statement to WSN that the company’s product, “Charge Qube,” is catered towards the rapidly growing demand for quick-charge electric vehicles.
“We’re finding that the level of support, the introductions being made, and the way the sessions are structured are very practical,” Fellten’s PR team wrote. “Even at this early stage, we’re identifying pathways that could shorten time to market for some of our products.”
Contact Rebecca O’Reilly at [email protected].
