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Join us at Greentown Houston to celebrate our third ACCEL cohort!

Join us at Greentown Houston on Sept. 18 as part of Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week for an opportunity to celebrate ACCEL, an accelerator program for startups led by BIPOC and other underrepresented founders from Greentown Labs and Browning the Green Space (BGS). 

Greentown and BGS know the climatetech industry must change the status quo to equitably position founders from all backgrounds to lead startups that will address climate change, support the development of diverse workforces, and fiercely advocate for the deployment of clean technologies in historically underserved communities.

​Join the third ACCEL cohort for a showcase featuring their technologies, what they’ve accomplished in the first six months of the program, and where they’re headed next. At this event, you’ll also have the opportunity to network with industry leaders who are passionate about and building an inclusive and sustainable future.

Meet the Year 3 Cohort

• Andros Innovations (Cambridge, MA) has developed a revolutionary reactor that produces ammonia more cheaply, cleanly, and safely than traditional methods do. Its founder is Laron Burrows.
• Carbonext (Houston, TX) is leveraging a proprietary, off-the-shelf 3D-graphene technology to develop integrated solutions with carbon-coated silicon anodes to address current challenges in the graphite ecosystem, as well as lithium-battery anodes. Its founder is Olanrewaju Tanimola.
• FAST Metals (Worcester, MA) has developed a hydrometallurgical-recovery process capable of extracting iron, aluminum, scandium, titanium, and other rare-earth elements from industrial tailings such as bauxite residue—also known as red mud—which is produced as a waste byproduct in the primary extraction of aluminum. Its founders are Sumedh Gostu and Anthony Staley. 
• Inductive Robotics (Austin, TX) deploys autonomous robots that deliver EV charging directly to parked vehicles in commercial parking facilities, using a subscription-based model. Its founders are Madhav Ayyagari and David Alspaugh.
• PLASENE (Houston, TX) offers an innovative platform that converts plastic waste into liquid fuel and low-carbon hydrogen by leveraging proprietary catalysts and modular, scalable, pre-engineered units. Its founders are Sohel Shaikh, Alper Gulludag, and Romolo Raciti. 
• Respire Energy (Boston, MA) is redefining energy storage with a safe, low-cost, and long-duration metal-air battery designed for microgrids. Built with non-flammable and earth-abundant materials, it delivers eight-plus hours of reliable energy storage and backup power. Its founders are Dave Hsu, Xiaowei Teng, and Candy Wong.
• Tato Labs (Brooklyn, NY) is developing scalable, innovative, bioplastic products and packaging solutions that leverage potato starch, protect and preserve the natural ecosystem, and minimize plastic waste. Its founder is Mecca McDonald.
• Thola (Portland, ME) provides an on-demand marketplace for commercial-building sustainability and safety management, with a mission to decarbonize old buildings. Its founders are Nneile Nkholise and Lerato Takana.

About ACCEL

ACCEL is a year-long program that combines acceleration with a curated curriculum, incubation through a Greentown membership, and extensive mentorship from Greentown and BGS’s networks of industry experts. The program is designed to bolster startups led by BIPOC and other underrepresented founders as they develop critical climatetech solutions by offering access to funding, networking connections, resources, and opportunities that structural inequities put out of reach. Learn more about ACCEL here.

About Browning the Green Space

Browning the Green Space is a coalition of leaders and organizations, primarily in the New England region, that share the passion to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) in clean energy. Their goal is to increase the participation and leadership of Black and Brown people and of women (collectively, “underrepresented groups”) in the clean energy space and beyond (e.g., wasted food, water, agtech) in the Northeast. Learn more about Browning the Green Space here.

Register Now

If you have questions or need to request accommodation, please reach out to Greentown Labs’ ACCEL Program Manager, Rachel Cerato (rcerato@greentownlabs.com) and Events Manager, Benita Mahanta (bmahanta@greentownlabs.com).

Please note: By registering for this event, you consent to your name, title, and company/organization being shared with other event attendees. You consent to your image or likeness being used in content associated with the event. You release Greentown Labs and all partners from any and all liability stemming from any event-related incident.

Venue Information

We have free parking available on a first-come first-served basis. Please enter the Greentown Houston parking lot from San Jacinto St, as this is the only vehicle entrance currently open. This is a one-way street, so please use caution when entering. We’re also a short walk from the Houston METRORail Red Line Wheeler stop.