Advancing novel carbon materials for high-performance industry, in partnership with one of the world’s largest energy and petrochemicals companies
Advanced carbon materials sit at the center of modern industry—enabling lightweighting in transportation and aerospace, enhancing energy storage for renewables, and replacing energy-intensive traditional materials across sectors. As industries face more demanding performance, cost, and durability requirements, materials innovation is becoming a primary driver of industrial transformation.
This open-innovation program is for startups developing novel carbon materials or formulations that enhance performance in key real-world applications.
What We’re Looking For
Greentown, in partnership with a global energy company with deep expertise in petrochemicals and materials science, is seeking startups developing innovative carbon materials that unlock new capabilities through changes in material structure, novel processing chemistries, or the use of abundant, cost-advantaged feedstocks.
This includes innovators who:
- Achieve breakthroughs in manufacturing pathways,
- Enhance carbon material properties,
- Make transformative improvements to existing carbon systems, or
- Develop entirely new classes of carbon materials.
These innovations must deliver measurable gains in performance, reliability, and scalability—all at a market-supported production cost for the targeted end market(s) and application(s).
View the full request for applications for more information about the corporate partner and program scope:
Benefits for Startups
Greentown Go programs offer startups unparalleled access to collaboration with corporates, alongside expert mentorship and extensive networking opportunities. Through Go Make 2027: Advanced Carbon Materials, your startup will have access to:
- A structured startup accelerator platform designed to facilitate validation activities and explore potential long-term collaborations with a global integrated energy and petrochemicals company, including:
- Demand-side collaboration, such as joint development or licensing
- Supply-side collaboration, such as purchase orders or service agreements
- Equity collaboration, such as investment or acquisition
- Mentorship, networking opportunities, and collaboration-focused programming from the Greentown community of climatetech startup experts
- Desk space within Greentown Labs and access to community programming and events for the duration of the program
- A needs-based stipend for each selected startup to support their participation in the accelerator
- Marketing and visibility through program participation (e.g. press release, event pitch opportunities, etc.)
Let’s redesign how we make everything.
The manufacturing sector is a major contributor of global greenhouse gas emissions—and to decarbonize the sector, we need solutions that transform how goods are sourced, produced, and managed at end-of-life.
In this program track, we bring startups and corporates together to accelerate the commercialization of technologies to revolutionize supply chains for everything from plastics, to batteries, and beyond. How do you want to shape the future of manufacturing?
Let’s Go.
Past Go Make Programs
Go Make Alumni
“Go Make 2023 was run with exceptional efficiency to ensure that all startup members were able to gain maximum benefit from exchanges with the corporate partner. The one-on-one exchanges were extremely useful to startups, as they facilitated the connections to the relevant business units within Shell that could potentially benefit from the novel technologies being developed. Establishing the connectivity to the right discussion partners within those various business units was absolutely key to the successful outcome of the program.”
“Nothing spurs actual action more quickly than doing a challenge. We have a lot of great things to say about how much the facilitation provided by Greentown Labs and the program makes it easier for us to plug-and-play into a startup ecosystem, in a way that we might not otherwise have the infrastructure to do. This is a great example of a multi-stakeholder approach.”