ACCEL Year 1 — 2023

Year 1 Cohort

Sneakers made from food waste. Ultracapacitors built with hemp sourced from Black and Indigenous farmers. Ultra-light solar panels you can place anywhere. These are just some of the groundbreaking climatetech solutions being developed by the inaugural ACCEL cohort. 
Learn about the startups below and check out their success during the program!

EarthBond

EarthBond (Cambridge, Mass.) leverages group financing and carbon accounting to lower costs and risk in the energy transition of Nigeria’s $14B fuel-based, off-grid generator market. Its founder is Chidalu Onyenso.

Read our full spotlight on EarthBond.

florrent

florrent (Amherst, Mass.) is developing “marathon runner” energy storage solutions called ultracapacitors made from hemp farmed by indigenous BIPOC farmers. Its co-founders are Jose LaSalleJoe Hastry, and Alexander Nichols.

Read our full spotlight on florrent.

DrinKicks

DrinKicks (Houston, Texas) is developing sneakers made from food waste and recycled materials in an effort to engage the sneaker enthusiast community in circularity. Its co-founders are Kristeen ReynoldsMichael Fletcher, and Kristen Lee.

Read our full spotlight on DrinKicks.

SpadXTech

SpadXTech (Worcester, Mass.) is reducing emissions in packaging, textiles, transportation, filtration, and more through its core and versatile material platform technology. Its co-founders are Lina M. González and Connor Crawford.

Read our full spotlight on SpadXTech.

frakktal

frakktal (Houston, Texas) is a materials company developing bio-based polymers for the replacement of fossil-fuel-based feedstocks across industries. Its founder is jhana porter.

Read our full spotlight on frakktal.

Active Surfaces

Active Surfaces (Salem, Mass.) unlocks dual land-use applications through its ultra-thin-film, flexible solar technology. Its co-founders are Shivam Bhakta and Richard Swartwout.

Read our full spotlight on Active Surfaces.

Founding Partners

Funders

Curriculum + Resources Partner

Get updates on ACCEL