Out in Climatetech: A Fireside Chat with Rachel Kyte
2021-06-22 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Tuesday, June 22 | 11 a.m. CT / 12 p.m. ET | Virtual Event
Presented by the Pride at Greentown affinity group, we invite members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies to join us via Zoom for a conversation with Rachel Kyte, dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a longtime climate leader. Attendees will hear Rachel share her perspective on LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace and how the climate and LGBTQ+ rights movements are connected.
Speakers:

Rachel Kyte, Dean at the Fletcher School at Tufts University
Meghan Powers, Senior Research Associate at Kula Bio (Moderator)

Investor Speaker Series: Spotlight on Houston
2021-06-17 15:00 - 16:30 (America/Chicago)
Thursday, June 17 | 3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET
Join us virtually or in person at Greentown Labs Houston on Thursday, June 17 at 3:00pm CT for our next installment of our Investor Speaker Series.
A rapidly unfolding energy transition will require a robust early-stage investment community to fund the creation of new technologies—and Houston is home to this type of vibrant investment ecosystem. Hear from leaders of this community and how they are approaching investing in the companies and technologies that will power the energy transition.
In-person attendees are invited to join us for a happy hour following the panel discussion at Greentown Houston!
Panelists:

Neal Dikeman, Partner, Energy Transition Ventures
Hossam Elbadawy, Managing Director, SCF Ventures
Patti Melcher, Managing Partner, EIV Capital
Vidisha Prasad, Managing Partner, Adya Partners and Adya Ventures
(Moderator) Juliana Garaizar, Head of Houston Incubator and Vice President of Innovation

Fireside Chat: Saint-Gobain Program Flashback
2021-06-15 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York)
Tuesday, June 15 | 12 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. ET | Virtual Event
All interested startups are invited to join in on this event to learn how Saint-Gobain engages with startups during Greentown Launch programs! This discussion will feature the cohort from the last Saint-Gobain Greentown Launch program, InNOVAte 2019, and speakers will discuss how Saint-Gobain worked with their startups during the program and beyond.
The second half of this webinar will be a Q&A where companies can ask questions to Saint-Gobain, MassCEC, the InNOVte 2019 cohort, and the Greentown Launch team.
Want a preview? Check out features on each InNOVAte 2019 participant from during the program!

Inovues
Hyperframe
Techstyle Materials
Pre Framing Corp

Municipal Decision Making Processes with Respect to Climate Action
2021-06-02 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Wednesday, June 2 | 12 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. ET | Virtual Event
Last year we held a series of thought-provoking virtual sessions about municipalities at the frontlines of climate change. The Greentown Community got a taste of the challenges that municipalities face and the opportunities presented our endeavors. Beacon Climate working with a cohort of Tufts Students through the 180 Degree Program has taken that initiative a step further and conducted a study on municipal decision-making practices with respect to climate action and opportunities for the emerging climate-tech industry.
In this session, you will hear a summary of the study, along with a set of resulting ideas and recommendations to the Greentown Labs Community and participating municipalities at 12:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Opportunity for discussion and exchange will follow.
Moneer Azzam will be presenting the findings/recommendation and the researchers will be on hand for elaboration and discussion.
Lead Researcher: Matthew Oh, Economics
Researcher: Anna Wang, Biology & Computer Science
Researcher: Janya Gambhir, Computer Science & International Relations
Researcher: Ria Agarwal, International Relations
Researcher: Sara Siqueira, Cognitive Brain Science
Researcher: Sofia Chon, Economics
Researcher: Zach Singer, Quantitative Economics & Environment
Register here: https://greentownlabs.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0sdu-vqz8uH9C7HL0e5Shov71LwkcaGJLh

Innovation at Scale: Boosting Climatetech and Clean Energy Startups
2021-05-21 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Friday, May 21 | 1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET | Hybrid Event
Join Greentown Labs Houston for a virtual panel on incubating and supporting clean energy startups Friday May 21, 1 – 2 p.m. CT! This panel, featuring leaders from the regional climatetech innovation ecosystem and moderated by Greentown Houston Launch Director Juliana Garaizar, will discuss how to best set up startups for success and scale.
Topics of discussion will include: how incubators and accelerators support startups; how climatetech founders can find the resources they need; the role of technology in climate action; and opportunities for getting into climatetech. If you’re interested in investing in climatetech, starting your own venture, or just want to learn about the field, don’t miss out on this conversation!
This event will be hybrid, with in-person attendance at Greentown Houston limited and the panel being livestreamed. Limited-capacity in-person tours of Greentown Houston will take place after the event.

Carbon to Value Initiative Kickoff
2021-05-06 16:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York)
Thursday, May 6 | 3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET
Join us on Thursday, May 6 for the Carbon to Value Initiative Kickoff Event!
The Carbon to Value (C2V) Initiative is a multi-year collaboration between The Urban Future Lab (UFL), Greentown Labs, and the Fraunhofer USA TechBridge Program. This unique partnership is driving the creation of a thriving innovation ecosystem for the commercialization of carbontech — technologies that capture, convert and store carbon dioxide (CO₂) into valuable end products or services. The C2V Initiative is supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Consulate General of Canada in New York.
Join us as we welcome the first cohort of startups to this exciting new program, which will connect them with experts, resources, and programming to help them achieve their commercial and technical milestones!
At this virtual event, attendees will:

Hear pitches from the C2V Initiative’s inaugural cohort of carbontech startups developing technology and business innovations to capture, utilize and sequester carbon
Hear from carbontech experts
Have the opportunity to network with VIPs and executives from the Carbontech Leadership Council
Network with carbontech entrepreneurs, investors, students, and other climate champions

Agenda (tentative; all times ET):

4:00-4:05: Opening Remarks from UFL
4:05-4:15: How Carbontech Fits into NYSERDA Innovation Agenda (NYSERDA)
4:15-4:45: Lightning Presentations from C2V’s first-year cohort startups*
4:45-5:00: Keynote Speaker**
5:00-5:05: Closing Remarks from Greentown Labs
5:05-6:00: Networking (Remo)

* Selected startups to be announced
** Keynote speaker to be announced

The KAITEKI Challenge Kickoff Event
2021-04-15 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
April 15 | 5:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. ET
Join us on Thursday, April 15 for the KAITEKI Challenge Kickoff Event from 6:30-7:30 pm ET in partnership with Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (MCHC)!
The Greentown Labs KAITEKI Challenge is a six-month partnerships accelerator program for startups hosted by Greentown Labs, the largest climatetech incubator in North America, and MCHC, a global leader in chemicals and healthcare.
The program is focused on innovations that will enable sustainable consumption in daily life. The KAITEKI Challenge will foster deep ties and collaboration between MCHC and startups innovating in proteins, plastics, and packaging, with the goal of accelerating much-needed climatetech solutions.
After receiving 115 applications from startups around the world, MCHC and Greentown Labs have invited the program finalists to pitch at the KAITEKI Challenge Kickoff Event. Come hear from entrepreneurs on the cutting-edge of sustainable proteins, plastics, and packaging consumption leading up to the final selection of program participants at the end of April!
At this virtual event, attendees will:

Hear pitches from startups innovating in the sustainable consumption of proteins, plastics, and packaging
Learn about KAITEKI and how this concept is key to MCHC’s sustainability focus
Meet executives from MCHC and hear about the corporate’s innovation priorities
Network with climatetech entrepreneurs, investors, students, and other climate champions

The KAITEKI Challenge is part of Greentown Launch, Greentown’s flagship corporate partnerships accelerator, which enables forward-thinking corporates to mobilize the climatetech ecosystem to advance their sustainability goals, super-charge their external innovation strategies, and forge meaningful partnerships with industry-disrupting startups.

Inclusion: The Key to Building Strong Startups
2021-04-08 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Thursday, April 8 | 11 a.m. CT/ 12 p.m. ET
As the last workshop of our D&I series this quarter, we will revisit and build upon on key content from our first workshop, “Building a More Inclusive Startup.” Co-hosted by Greentown Labs and Aleria Research, this interactive webinar is geared toward helping companies, regardless of size and maturity, build stronger, more diverse, and ultimately more successful teams.
Learn more about:

Why inclusion is key to the success of your company
How you can create an inclusive culture and environment that will increase your company’s performance, create happier and more loyal employees, and help you attract and retain a more diverse team.

Join us to understand what inclusion really entails and how it can be accurately measured. We will be providing detailed tips and access to resources to help you grow a strong, successful, and valued team.

Careers in the Energy Transition: Making the Move
2021-03-31 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York)
Wednesday, March 31 | 12 p.m CT / 1 p.m. ET
Please join us on Wednesday, March 31 from noon to 1:30 p.m. CDT for an exciting virtual event focused on providing knowledge and networking for those interested in a career focused on the energy transition. Participants will select tables to join for 10-15 minute sessions, joining table hosts as they discuss careers, companies, educational opportunities and other resources relevant to working in the energy transition. In addition, Greentown members will discuss their exciting early stage companies, universities will describe their degree and certificate programs, recruiters will offer suggestions on how to present your credentials, and professional development organizations will explain the support they provide. A list of table talk leaders will be posted before the event.
In addition to these learning/networking sessions, participants will hear a fireside chat with Katie Mehnert, a Greentown member. An architect of culture change in energy, Katie is the Founder and CEO of ALLY™, the global community powering an equitable energy transition and addressing the energy workforce of the future. Katie has held global leadership roles with BP and Shell in safety and environment during periods of financial crisis, spills, divestment and globalization. Katie’s early career included consulting with Duke Energy, Entergy and Enron. Her corporate path drove her to entrepreneurship to help energy companies prepare for the looming talent shortage and workforce diversity needs to address energy poverty and climate change. In 2020, she was appointed an Ambassador to the United States Department of Energy, and in 2019, she testified before Congress on the clean energy workforce of the future. She’s published in Scientific American, Forbes, The Hill, CNBC, CNN and other international outlets. She is also the founder of Lean In Energy, a global nonprofit solely devoted to mentoring in the energy sector. Her book “Grow with the Flow, Embrace Difference, Overcome Fear, and Progress with Purpose” released in 2020.
The fireside chat will be moderated by Kay McCall, Executive Director of the Renewable Energy Alliance Houston. Kay began her career working in the oil and gas and conventional energy industries, then transitioned to renewable energy in 2008, when she became the CEO of a wind energy company. In addition to working with REAL Houston, Kay sits on the board of advisors of the Gutierrez Energy Management Institute at the Bauer College of Business (University of Houston), as well as the board of Global Affairs Associates, a boutique ESG consulting firm. Kay is passionate about building bridges between Houston’s oil and gas and renewable energy professionals to ensure that Houston leads the energy transition.
The table talks will precede and follow the chat with Katie. The event is free, but registration is required.

Climate Action New England: The Road to COP26
2021-03-31 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Wednesday, March 31 | 8 a.m. CT/9 a.m. ET
We cannot afford to wait to act against the threat of climate change. We must work together to protect our planet and people and ensure a greener, more resilient future for us all.
New England is playing a crucial part in this global green revolution.
Join the British Consulate-General Boston, Greentown Labs and the Consulate General of Italy in Boston on 31 March virtually to hear from regional leaders, business executives and those fighting on the front lines for environmental justice as New England helps pave the road to COP26 in Glasgow.
Each of us has a part to play. That’s why, in the run up to the summit, the UK is partnering with climate leaders globally to host regional events to move the needle on climate action.
With shared values, we are proud to partner with Greentown Labs, largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, along with the Consulate General of Italy on this event in New England.
Speaker information and panel discussion topics to be added shortly.

Bold Ideas 2020 Final Showcase Event
2021-03-25 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
About this Event

As we move toward a distributed, digitized, and decarbonized energy economy, energy storage has become more important than ever. Innovation in technology and business models will be crucial to this transition—and that’s where Bold Ideas 2020, a Greentown Launch program in partnership with Schneider Electric, comes in.
On Thursday, March 25, join us to virtually celebrate the culmination of Bold Ideas 2020—a corporate partnerships accelerator program that has supported four innovative startups focused on advancing energy storage. Attendees will hear the Bold Ideas 2020 participants speak about their technologies, what they have learned and accomplished over the past six months, and where they are headed next.
Learn about the startups below!

e-Zinc, based in Toronto, develops a low-cost, flexible, and long-duration electrochemical technology solution that stores energy in zinc metal.
Packetized Energy, based in Vermont, develops a platform solution to transform existing energy devices in homes and businesses into smart, valuable, and flexible energy resources.
Salient Energy, based in Nova Scotia, makes a unique zinc-ion battery with a water-based chemistry that is cheaper, safer, and longer-lasting than lithium-ion batteries.
Sensai Analytics, based in Massachusetts and Cork, Ireland, develops a prescriptive analytics engine that rapidly produces robust forecasting models for prescriptive maintenance, demand forecasting, and operations management.

Check out the Bold Ideas 2020 landing page for more information on this program!
Additional speakers to be announced.

Climatetech Intern Fair EnergyBar
2021-03-11 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York)
March 11, 4 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. ET

Calling all students and soon-to-be graduates! Please join us for a virtual edition of our annual Intern Fair, which focuses on connecting rockstar interns directly with Greentown Labs’ network of cutting-edge climatetech startups looking for bright and eager talent.

At this virtual internship fair, students from Greater Boston, Houston, and beyond can connect with Greentown startups and learn more about opportunities at their companies. Attendees will be able to connect via video, audio, and text-based chat during the fair, enabling the personal connection of in-person events in a virtual setting.

Learn about the companies that you will be connecting with here (this list will be continuously updated). To find the most up-to-date list of internships and other job opportunities, please visit our careers page.

How to Access the Event:

This year, the Intern Fair will be held 100 percent virtually using the platform Remo. A link will be sent directly to the email you register with including the event details—however, we recommend you take the time to build your profile or “business card” and connect your website, Linkedin, Calendly, or other important information in your profile to encourage follow-up engagement. Click here for a quick walk-through of this platform.

*NOTE: The event will end promptly at 6:30 p.m. ET. We will provide a five-minute warning before the event closes.

Helpful Information About Intern Funding Resources via MassCEC:

Many internships are able to be funded through MassCEC’s Clean Energy Internship Program. For those interested in interning with an employer, please visit MassCEC’s internship page for job seekers.

Six Ways to Prioritize Diversity and Inclusion In Recruitment
2021-03-11 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
March 11, 11 a.m. CT / 12 p.m. ET
When trying to increase their teams’ diversity, companies often struggle with the “pipeline problem”—the difficulty of finding employees with diverse backgrounds and identities, especially for certain highly skilled positions. In this workshop, Aleria Research will dive into why the pipeline problem is a myth and how the real roadblock is the way companies go about recruiting talent, combined with a lack of understanding of how their current state of diversity and inclusion hinder their hiring efforts.
Tune in to explore how diversity and inclusion (D&I) impact your ability to recruit talent, how to expand your talent pool to prioritize D&I, and more!

About Aleria Research:
Aleria Research is a nonprofit whose purpose is to conduct charitable, scientific research in areas related to D&I. Its mission is to demonstrate the value of D&I and foster greater inclusion and equality across society. Aleria Research’s work specifically aims to benefit women, underrepresented minorities, people with disabilities, and other disadvantaged and underserved communities by convincing the privileged majority of the value of becoming more diverse and more inclusive.
For more information, visit aleriaresearch.org.
About Greentown Labs:
As the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, Greentown Labs brings together startups, corporates, investors, policymakers, and many others with a focus on scaling climate solutions. Driven by the mission of providing groundbreaking startups the resources, knowledge, connections, and equipment they need to thrive, Greentown Labs offers prototyping and wet lab space, shared office space, a machine shop, an electronics lab, software and business resources, a large network of corporate customers and investors, and more. Greentown Labs’ 100,000-square-foot campus in Somerville, MA is home to more than 100 startups and has supported more than 300 startups since the incubator’s founding in 2011. These startups have collectively created more than 6,500 direct jobs and have raised more than $1 billion in funding.
For more information, please visit www.greentownlabs.com or follow Greentown on Twitter.

Offshore Wind Challenge Final Showcase
2021-02-24 17:00 - 18:15 (America/New_York)
Feb. 24, 4 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. ET
Join us to learn about the innovative technologies driving the responsible development of offshore wind, in partnership with Vineyard Wind.

The burgeoning offshore wind industry holds huge opportunities—the generation potential off the United States’ East Coast alone could power the entire country—but developers need to safely build around the movements and needs of marine life, which requires detection, data, monitoring, and real-time decisions. That’s where the Offshore Wind Challenge—in partnership with Vineyard Wind and supported by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center—comes in.
On Wednesday, Feb. 24, join us to virtually celebrate the culmination of the Offshore Wind Challenge—a corporate partnerships accelerator program that has supported three innovative startups focused on advancing marine mammal monitoring, specifically via offshore data collection, transmission, and analysis. Attendees will hear the Offshore Wind Challenge participants speak about their technologies, what they have learned and accomplished over the past six months, and where they are headed next.
Learn about the startups below!

SICdrone builds offshore-capable aerial drone systems that can fly in harsh weather conditions, eliminating weather delays for critical inspection and monitoring at sea.
Night Vision Technology Solutions is a high-technology provider of thermal and visible camera systems designed for offshore wind, search and rescue, threat detection, and situational awareness.
Open Ocean Robotics makes it cheaper, easier, and safer to understand our oceans using solar-powered, self-driving boats that travel oceans for months at a time while collecting ocean data. You can view photos from Open Ocean Robotics’ recent field tests here!

Check out the Offshore Wind Challenge landing page for more information on this program.

Building Together for the Future—A Sneak Peek into our Houston Incubator
2021-02-04 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York)
Feb. 4 , 4 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. ET
A celebration of building—building Greentown Houston, building community, and building connections across Houston’s cleantech ecosystem.
Tune into our EnergyBar on Feb. 4 to hear remarks from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner—recorded during his visit to the Greentown Houston building—about the incubator’s progress, see a 3-D tour of the incubator, and view a time-lapse video highlighting building progress to date. Attendees will also get to meet several of Greentown Houston’s inaugural members and newest partners, in addition to networking with climate champions from throughout Houston and Boston.
Greentown Labs is proud to be joining Houston’s thriving innovation ecosystem and is eager to find ways to engage the local community in order to drive economic development and opportunity for all. We look forward to conversations with our neighbors and fellow organizations about how we can build a sustainable, just, and thriving future together!

Building a More Inclusive Startup
2021-01-28 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Jan. 28, 11 a.m. CT / 12 p.m. ET
Starting off with the first of a series of four DEI workshops, this interactive event, co-hosted by Greentown Labs and Aleria Research, will provide you actionable frameworks, tools, and resources to empower your team to build a more inclusive startup.
Tune in to hear more on:

Why it is important to embrace diversity and inclusion (D&I) early on, rather than try to “fix it later”
Policies, benefits, and initiatives that will make your company more inclusive, increasing the satisfaction and retention of your team
How D&I will have a measurable impact on your startup’s growth and ability to succeed

About Aleria Research:
Aleria Research is a nonprofit whose purpose is to conduct charitable, scientific research in areas related to D&I. Its mission is to demonstrate the value of D&I and foster greater inclusion and equality across society. Aleria Research’s work specifically aims to benefit women, underrepresented minorities, people with disabilities, and other disadvantaged and underserved communities by convincing the privileged majority of the value of becoming more diverse and more inclusive.
For more information, visit aleriaresearch.org.
About Greentown Labs:
Greentown Labs is a community of climatetech and cleantech pioneers working to design a more sustainable world. As the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, Greentown Labs brings together startups, corporates, investors, policymakers, and many others with a focus on scaling climate solutions. Driven by the mission of providing groundbreaking startups the resources, knowledge, connections, and equipment they need to thrive, Greentown Labs offers prototyping and wet lab space, shared office space, a machine shop, an electronics lab, software and business resources, a large network of corporate customers and investors, and more. Greentown Labs’ 100,000-square-foot campus in Somerville, MA is home to more than 100 startups and has supported more than 300 startups since the incubator’s founding in 2011. These startups have collectively created more than 6,500 direct jobs and have raised more than $1 billion in funding. Greentown’s second-ever location will open in Houston, TX, in spring 2021.
For more information, please visit www.greentownlabs.com or follow Greentown on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Upcoming Event:
Want to learn more about D&I?
Register here for our next workshop on Feb. 25: Mythbusters: How to Counter Common Objections to D&I Efforts in Startups.

December Virtual EnergyBar: Wrapping Up an Unprecedented Year
2020-12-10 17:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York)
Please join us on Thursday, Dec. 10, for the final edition of our virtual EnergyBar networking event for 2020. At Greentown labs, we are ready to put a wrap on 2020, an unprecedented year for us all. Between the opening of our new community in Houston and a renewed national policy focus on climate action, we are looking ahead with optimism, hope and verve toward a collaborative energy transition in 2021 and beyond.
Entrepreneurs, investors, students, and friends of climatetech are invited to attend, meet colleagues, and engage in a community that is focused on climate action at work. As work from home evolves to our new normal, we want to ensure our broader community has an avenue to connect.
This event will succeed the ABC Career fair organized by the Renewable Energy Alliance of Houston. As such there will be no speaking program. We hope you can use this time to gather with like minded leaders, reflect on the year and make new plans for the next.
The event will be on Remo.co, where we regularly bring together many climate-focused professionals. On average, 75 percent of our attendees are able to make a new, meaningful connection. We hope you’ll join us, strengthen your own network, and learn something new about efforts to accelerate the energy transition!
About Virtual EnergyBar:
EnergyBar is Greentown Labs’ networking event devoted to helping people in climate technology meet and discuss innovations. Entrepreneurs, investors, students, and ‘friends of cleantech’ are invited to attend, meet colleagues, and expand our growing clean technology community.
This event will be hosted virtually on Remo.co which features virtual tables for organic conversation and networking. Attendees can engage in video conference with other attendees at tables of 2-6 individuals and seamlessly transition to other tables throughout the event.
Our attendees typically span a variety of disciplines within energy, efficiency, and renewables. In general, if you’re looking for a job in climate tech or energy, trying to expand your network, or perhaps thinking about starting your own energy-related company this is the event for you. Expect to have conversations about issues facing advanced and renewable energy technologies and ways to solve our most pressing energy problems. Suggested dress is business casual—but we all understand you too may be networking from home with all the quirks that includes.

Municipal Climate Voices: Who’s Leading the Charge
2020-12-02 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York)
This series brings together leaders and policymakers from municipalities, communities, and urban planning groups to discuss their efforts to build climate change resilience, with a focus on how climatetech startups can get involved.
Many municipalities embrace a “not early adopter” stance, focusing their resources on studies and consultants to navigate the climate crises for their constituencies. Then there are those cities and towns who are learning by doing. This includes specific endeavors to decarbonize, electrify, enhance mobility, bolster resilience and “districtize” heating & cooling. Many such efforts are weaving equity and climate justice into the fabric of these measures. These municipalities are the climate change leaders.
This event brings two authors who have recently published extensive works on municipal climate leadership. They will discuss the stories that they have researched, their findings – including COVID’s impact on plans – and how things might change under the Biden administration. This discussion is guaranteed to be a source of ideas, target customers and inspiration for the Greentown community and beyond.
This event will be hosted on Zoom.

Speakers:

Dr. Jacqueline Ashmore, Executive Director for Boston University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and a Research Associate Professor in the Departments of Earth & Environment and of Mechanical Engineering
Joan Fitzgerald, Professor of Urban and Public Policy at Northeastern University

About Our Speakers:
Dr. Jacqueline Ashmore is the Executive Director for Boston University’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and a Research Associate Professor in the Departments of Earth & Environment and of Mechanical Engineering. She is a clean energy and sustainability expert with fifteen years of experience in technology, business, and policy spheres. Her research covers the topics of integrated water management to support sustainable and affordable water supplies, and city actions to drive equitable climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. Ashmore has spoken at national conferences on topics that include public-private partnership opportunities for the water sector and the water utility of the future with a business model focused on efficiency. Previously, Ashmore was Engineering Program Manager at the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems, where she oversaw an $8MM U.S. Department of Energy funded program focused on the development and prototyping of an innovative residential solar system that can be installed quickly and safely to reduce soft costs.
Ashmore is a Board member of New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE), Browning the Green Space, and the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC). She was awarded the American Physical Society’s Andreas Acrivos Dissertation Award in Fluid Dynamics for her doctoral thesis.
Joan Fitzgerald is a Professor of Urban and Public Policy at Northeastern University. She focuses on urban climate action and strategies for linking it to equity, economic development, and innovation. In her fourth book, Greenovation: Urban Leadership on Climate Change (Oxford Univ. Press, 2020), she argues that the climate strategies of too many cities represent random acts of greenness rather than integrated and aggressive action. She points to leading cities in North America and Europe and offers strategies for lagging cities to accelerate their action. Her ongoing Climate Just Cities Project examines strategies for post-Covid urban climate action to place equity at the forefront. She blogs on inequality and urban climate action on Planetizen.

Building a More Inclusive Startup
2020-11-20 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Join us on Nov. 20 at 12 p.m. CT / 1 p.m. ET to learn how to foster diversity and inclusion at your startup!

About this Event

This interactive event, co-hosted by Greentown Labs and Aleria Research, will provide you actionable frameworks, tools, and resources to empower your team to build a more inclusive startup.
Tune in to hear more on:

Why it is important to embrace diversity and inclusion (D&I) early on, rather than try to “fix it later”
Policies, benefits, and initiatives that will make your company more inclusive, increasing the satisfaction and retention of your team
How D&I will have a measurable impact on your startup’s growth and ability to succeed

About Aleria Research:
Aleria Research is a nonprofit whose purpose is to conduct charitable, scientific research in areas related to D&I. Its mission is to demonstrate the value of D&I and foster greater inclusion and equality across society. Aleria Research’s work specifically aims to benefit women, underrepresented minorities, people with disabilities, and other disadvantaged and underserved communities by convincing the privileged majority of the value of becoming more diverse and more inclusive.
For more information, vis aleriaresearch.org.

Investor Speaker Series: European Venture Capital
2020-11-19 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Join us on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 12:30 p.m. ET for our next installment of our Investor Speaker Series. In this panel discussion with InnoEnergy and Sustainable Ventures, our panelists will share insights on the European climatetech funding landscape as well as strategies to engage meaningfully and secure capital from investors in this market.
This event will be hosted on Zoom.
Speakers:

Matias Torrellas, Portfolio Manager of InnoEnergy
Andrew Wordsworth, Founder and Managing Partner of Sustainable Ventures
(Moderator) Andrew Takacs, Sr. Director of Innovation at Greentown Labs
More speakers to be added closer to the event

Agenda:
Before the event, join us and the Netherlands Innovation Network Boston for an online pitch competition between 11 Dutch cleantech startups driving cutting-edge solutions to the US . Taking place from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.—Register here.

12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Panel Discussion
1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.: Audience Q&A

About the speakers:
Matias Torrellas is the Portfolio Manager of InnoEnergy, responsible for managing its overall equity portfolio. He has been with InnoEnergy since February 2015. Prior to that, he was Investment Director at CX Capital, managing a portfolio of over 200M€ of private equity positions and listed securities. Before that, he had an extensive career in banking, holding positions at Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers in London and New York. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, the CFA certification, and an Engineering degree from UPC (Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain).
Andrew Wordsworth is a Founder and Managing Partner of Sustainable Ventures which was established in 2011 with a vision of the world in which the twin challenges of climate change and resource scarcity are addressed by commercial solutions.
Since then, Sustainable Ventures has launched 8 companies (including E-Car Club, which created the UK’s first crowdfunding exit in 2015 when Europcar acquired a majority stake), invested in 21, and provided support services to over 150. They have created a unique ecosystem of support underpinned by their Workspaces sites near London Bridge, with a robust network of 450 entrepreneurs and innovators at its core. This forms Europe’s largest cluster of sustainability and cleantech start-ups.
Prior to establishing Sustainable Ventures, Andrew had over 15 years experience in the energy and climate change sector – including roles within Esso, Bain, Arthur D Little and as Managing Director of Carbon Trust Enterprises. Andrew holds an M.Eng from the University of Cambridge.

The Dutch Pitch for a Sustainable Future
2020-11-19 10:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for an online pitch competition between 11 Dutch cleantech startups driving cutting-edge solutions to the U.S.! This event is a unique opportunity to connect with award-winning, venture-backed cleantech innovators.

Hosted by the Netherlands Innovation Network and Greentown Labs, this competition is the culmination of a 6-week immersive program connecting these startups to Massachusetts in support of their goals to expand globally. Start connecting with the startups on Mentorjam here.

Keynote Speaker

Brian Panoff – Investment Director @ Shell Ventures
Judging Panel
Ariel Horowitz – Senior Program Director @ MassCEC
Mark Shu – Innovation Director @ Danfoss
Ryan Dings – Executive Vice President & General Counsel @ Greentown Labs
Dutch innovators you’ll meet at the event:
Caeli
Exxfire
Hardt Hyperloop
hello energy
IBIS Power
Overstory
Physee
REDstack
Semiotic Labs
Skytree
TWTG
Learn more here.

Advanced Cleantech Investing
2020-11-17 17:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Join us on Tuesday, Nov. 17 for our Advanced Cleantech Investing training program and networking event! This is a follow-up event to the first Cleantech Investing 101 training on Oct. 14.
We welcome everyone who is interested in learning more about cleantech investing through an educational based program to hear from top business leaders in the cleantech industry and meet other like-minded individuals. The event will cover information on term sheets, capitalization tables, exit strategy, and more, and will conclude with networking.
We hope you’ll join to strengthen your network and learn something new about efforts to accelerate the energy transition!
This event will be hosted on Zoom.
Tune in to hear more on:

Advanced Due Diligence
Valuation
Advanced Term Sheets
Capitalization Tables
Exit Strategy

Program Agenda (all times indicated in CT):

4:00 – 4:25 p.m. – An Introduction to Greentown Labs and Clean Energy Ventures
4:25 – 5:45 p.m. – Speaking Program
5:45 – 6:30 p.m. – Open Networking

Speakers:

Daniel Goldman, Clean Energy Ventures
Jean-Noel Poirier, Executive Managing Director of the Clean Energy Venture Group (CEVG)
James Garrett, Partner at Vinson & Elkins
Wes Watts, Partner at Vinson & Elkins
Devika Kornbacher, Technology Law Partner at Vinson & Elkins

The Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit
2020-11-05 10:00 - 2020-11-06 16:00 (America/New_York) | Hopin, https://hopin.to/events/greentownlabs-climatetech-summit/
Join us for the first-ever Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit on Nov. 5 and 6 for a deep dive into scaling climate action!

During these two days, you’ll engage with what we see as the pillars of climate action—technology, finance, policy, and justice—discover groundbreaking startups and their climatetech solutions, learn from industry experts, and forge the connections you need in order to take meaningful action on climate.

This collaborative, virtual summit will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, policymakers, startup support organizations, and other climate champions to chart a holistic approach to building a sustainable future for all.

Together, we can power the climatetech revolution.

Learn more about the event here.

Event link: https://hopin.to/events/greentownlabs-climatetech-summit/

Municipal Climate Action: Sustainability Officers
2020-09-30 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for the second event in our new series: “Municipal Voices: On the Frontlines of Climate Resilience and Justice.”

About this Event

This series brings together leaders and policymakers from municipalities, communities, and urban planning groups to discuss their efforts to build climate change resilience, with a focus on how climatetech startups can get involved.
The second installment of this series features sustainability officers from towns and cities in the United States. Sustainability directors have become increasingly influential in towns and cities, gaining more responsibility and authority. They continue to be champions for sustainability and resilience measures, but more than ever must also act as the honest brokers on all things sustainable. Their credibility and the success of climate resilience and justice projects rely on setting proper expectations, maintaining standards, vetting technologies and companies, and serving the town’s best interest.
This session is a great opportunity to learn how our community can best support them in this pivotal balancing act.
Speakers:

Jonathan Koehn, Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Boulder
Kate Hanley, Director of Sustainability, Concord, MA
Lara Cottingham, Chief of Staff and Sustainability Officer, City of Houston
Oliver Sellers-Garcia, Director, Office of Sustainability and Environment, City of Somerville

Jonathan Koehn
Jonathan Koehn serves as the Chief Sustainability & Resilience officer for the City of Boulder. Jonathan oversees the integration of the City’s climate, environmental and resilience efforts into Boulder’s overall sustainability framework. He works to support the community’s efforts to make Boulder an increasingly sustainable and resilient city by fostering partnerships and finding creative ways to solve problems. Jonathan’s multifaceted career includes substantial experience in the not-for-profit sectors and municipal government. He began his tenure in Boulder as the Environmental Manager for the city in 2006, and has continued to work with federal, state, regional and local governments and their constituencies domestically and internationally to develop strategic and tactical solutions to energy and climate challenges. Jonathan holds degrees in Environmental Science, Biology and Marine Sciences.
Kate Hanley
Kate Hanley is Director of Sustainability for the Town of Concord, MA. The Town has a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050. In her role, she is responsible for developing and implementing programs, policies and initiatives to achieve the Town’s climate and sustainability goals. Previously, Kate worked at Environmental Defense Fund in Boston where she managed EDF Climate Corps, a network of professionals united to advance climate solutions and the leading graduate fellowship program in energy and sustainability. Kate holds a dual degree from Clark University, MBA and M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy, as well as a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Lara Cottingham
Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department and the Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Houston. In addition to leading the Mayor’s Sustainability Office, Lara is the public face of ARA in the media as well as before City Council, industry stakeholders, and customers.
Prior to joining the City of Houston, Lara was a member of Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ Houston office, providing strategic counsel in sustainability and social responsibility issues for a broad range of clients across the energy sector. Lara worked in Washington, DC and served as Communications Director for the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Vice Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Caucus, as well as for congressional campaigns in Colorado, West Virginia, and Texas. She also produced a web-based reality show for CNN and served as a Government & Marketing Consultant for SXSW Interactive in Austin.
Lara attended the University of Texas in Austin where she graduated magna cum laude with degrees in History, Ancient History & Classical Civilizations, and Government. In 2013, she earned an MBA in Energy Finance and Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, where she co-founded the UT Energy Savings Fund.
Oliver Sellers-Garcia
Oliver Sellers-Garcia is the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) in Somerville, Massachusetts. OSE is responsible for sustainability of municipal operations, as well as policy, programs, and long-range planning for the community. He leads initiatives on climate, resource conservation, and environmental protection in Somerville. Recent and initiatives include the release of Somerville’s first climate action plan, municipal and residential energy efficiency, greenhouse gas accounting and modeling, solid waste reduction and diversion, and regional resilience planning. Somerville, located in the inner core of the Boston urban area, is the densest city in New England and in 2014 became the first city in Massachusetts to set a community-wide 2050 carbon neutrality target. Prior to joining the City of Somerville, he worked for eight years at the environmental consulting firm CDM Smith, helping clients around the country and the world integrate sustainability and climate change into physical and organizational planning. Sellers-Garcia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Columbia University and a Master’s in City Planning from MIT.

Urban Mobility: An International Roundtable
2020-09-29 09:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York)
Join us for an interactive virtual program featuring leading stakeholders in the fast-growing space of urban mobility.

About this Event

Please join InnoEnergy and Greentown Labs on Sept. 29 for an interactive virtual program of leading stakeholders to share trends and solutions in the fast-growing space of urban mobility – moving people and goods more cleanly and efficiently.
You will hear from European and U.S. experts on market trends, including InnoEnergy’s co-founder, Elena Bou, Director of Innovation, based in Spain, and Thematic Field Leader, Jennifer Dungs, based in Germany; market makers such as global multinationals addressing last mile delivery logistics; and investors and startups from the U.S. as well as some InnoEnergy-backed ventures such as ONO Motion, Kumpan, Scoobic, and Duckt.

Who Should Attend?

Investors committed to mobility ventures and/or opportunities to co-invest in Europe
Corporate and Municipal customers looking for solutions to last mile urban logistics
Startups in the U.S. and Europe interested in meeting investors and/or expanding to Europe
Mobility and micro-mobility enthusiasts interested in the latest trends

Hear from the Innovators
In addition to meeting new U.S. startups interested in expanding to Europe, InnoEnergy is excited to share some of our startups,including ONO (Berlin) and Scoobic (Seville), which are two-purpose-built vehicles for last-mile logistics. The charm is in their design – for specific use-cases, which result in an increased efficiency of nearly 30% (drops/hr). We also support a Micromobility venture called Kumpan – an e-moped with swappable batteries in a segment serving both the B2B and B2C market. Finally, Duckt, an e-scooter start-up from Turkey, which offers station-based charging for last-mile vehicles.

InnoEnergy’s Point of View on Urban Mobility
In part due to COVID-19, urban mobility is seeing dynamic and positive change. People are changing their behaviors and mobility patterns in favor of increased walking, biking, and shorter trips closer to home. Cities are re-imagining spaces once dedicated to private vehicles, instead converting car lanes to cycling and walking paths.
Nearly 70 new urban mobility initiatives have been announced in Europe, with new ones coming every week. Paris plans to convert 50 km of car lanes into cycle paths plus add another 650km of new cycle paths, Brussels is adding 40km plus an additional 3,000 bicycle parking racks, and Rome announced 150 km of new cycle paths to be created by September. Recent data from a June 2020 McKinsey report shows an increase in walking or biking along with a 14% decrease in weekly usage of public transport from last year attributed to COVID-19.
At InnoEnergy, we envision more efficient and ‘greener’ urban travel that is less congested and easier to navigate. Purpose-built mobility modes will move people and goods through an end-to-end user-centric journey. Journeys will involve multiple, seamless, mobility modes, designed for various use-cases. Cities will optimize mobility holistically across supply and demand and continuously monitor and manage flows across mobility modes.

Getting to Zero Emissions: What it Takes
The goal should be net-zero emission of greenhouse gases from mobility in our cities. And if we efficiently and conveniently switch modes away from private vehicles to sustainable modes, there is a potential savings of 7.6M T of CO2 emissions avoided and up to 560M person hours in congestion saved each year.
The time is now to create and support a guided approach to urban mobility. We will reach this goal with more sustainable technologies for purpose-built vehicles with:

Innovation in materials, production, and re-use,
Improvements in batteries and standardized, swappable/modular solutions,
New solutions to decrease operating costs and increase the pace of scaling, and
A coordinated approach among mobility players, cities, micromobility, and other urban mobility modes.

About EIT InnoEnergy:
EIT InnoEnergy is the largest sustainable energy accelerator and innovation ecosystem in Europe and recently opened its first U.S. office in the Boston area to accelerate the bi-directional deployment of innovation and capital. InnoEnergy is a Terawatt Partner of Greentown Labs .
If you are interested in learning more, please contact Mark Vasu, U.S. Operations Manager, InnoEnergy at mark.vasu@innoenergy.com.

EnergyBar: A Virtual Tour of Greentown Houston
2020-09-24 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York)
Sept. 24 | 4 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. ET
Come celebrate the announcement of Greentown Labs Houston’s location!

About this Event

Please join us on Thursday, Sept. 24 for the next edition of our virtual EnergyBar networking event! Entrepreneurs, investors, students, and friends of climatetech are invited to attend, meet colleagues, and engage in a community that is focused on climate action at work.
This EnergyBar is a celebration of Greentown Houston’s location—which will be announced on Sept. 22—and will feature virtual tours of the new space! Join us to preview the incubator’s floor plan and renderings.
We hope you’ll tune in to strengthen your network and learn something new about efforts to accelerate the energy transition! The event will be on Remo.co, where we regularly bring together many climate-focused professionals.
Speakers:

Juliana Garaizar, Launch Director of Greentown Labs Houston
Additional speakers to be added as they are confirmed!

About EnergyBar:
EnergyBar is Greentown’s networking event devoted to helping people in climate technology meet and discuss innovations. Entrepreneurs, investors, students, and friends of climatetech are invited to attend, meet colleagues, and expand our growing community.
This event will be hosted virtually on Remo.co, which features virtual tables for organic conversation and networking. Attendees can engage in video conference with other attendees at tables of two to six individuals and seamlessly transition to other tables throughout the event.
Our attendees typically span a variety of disciplines within energy, efficiency, and renewables. In general, if you’re looking for a job in climatetech or energy, trying to expand your network, or perhaps thinking about starting your own energy-related company, this is the event for you. Expect to have conversations about issues facing advanced and renewable energy technologies and ways to solve our most pressing energy problems. Suggested dress is business casual.

Greentown Labs Houston Location Announcement
2020-09-22 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Join us to hear where Greentown Labs Houston will open in Spring 2021!

About this Event

Sept. 22 | 10 a.m. CT / 11 a.m. ET
Greentown Labs is expanding to Houston, TX to accelerate the energy transition in the energy capital of the world. We hope you’ll join us on Sept. 22 to learn where our incubator will open and how this location will help us serve the city’s climatetech community.
Tune in to see and hear about:

Our new location
The space’s floor plan
Renderings and views of the incubator
Unique features and specifications
New Founding and Grand Opening Partners
Founding Startup Members

Investor Speaker Series: The Built Environment
2020-09-18 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Hear from investors on ways to fund your climatetech startup tackling the built environment.

About this Event

Join us for our Investor Speaker Series taking place virtually on Friday, Sept. 18 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. ET.
Speakers:

Sven Harmsen, Director, External Ventures, Saint-Gobain NOVA
Dina Routhier, Managing Director, Stanley Ventures
Kaustubh Pandya, Principal, Brick & Mortar Ventures

Advancing Sustainability Through Innovation: A Fireside Chat with Johnson Matthey
2020-09-17 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
Learn how Johnson Matthey is leveraging innovation to advance its commitment to addressing climate change and sustainability challenges.

About this Event

Sept. 17 | 9 a.m. CT / 10 a.m. ET

Sustainability is an integral part of Johnson Matthey’s strategy and governance, and Johnson Matthey organizes its sustainability efforts around six 2025 goals. Join Maurits van Tol (CTO) in a conversation moderated by Greentown’s Emily Reichert on how and why Johnson Matthey is leveraging innovation and technology as a core approach to achieving these goals and advancing its climate and sustainability leadership.

This conversation will provide insight into Johnson Matthey and its priorities as well as insight into the connection between sustainability leadership and innovation.

Bold Ideas 2020 Kickoff
2020-09-09 11:30 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Join Greentown Labs and Schneider Electric to kick off Bold Ideas 2020, hear from energy storage experts, and meet the program’s participating startups.

About this Event

Join us on Wednesday, Sept. 9 for the Bold Ideas 2020 Kickoff Event in partnership with Schneider Electric!
Bold Ideas 2020 is a six-month partnerships accelerator program for startups hosted by Greentown Labs, the largest climatetech incubator in North America, and Schneider Electric, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation in homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries.
Bold Ideas 2020 is built to advance innovative startups that can unleash energy storage capabilities and accelerate development of the New Electric World.Bold Ideas 2020 will provide startups a structured platform to explore potential partnership outcomes with Schneider Electric. In the process, it will connect them with experts, resources, and programming that will help them achieve their commercial and technical milestones.

At this virtual event, attendees will:

Have the opportunity to network with VIPs and executives from Schneider Electric
Hear pitches from startups working on energy storage performance improvement, long-duration storage innovations, and new digital applications and business models for storage assets
Learn about Schneider Electric’s innovation priorities, including the transition to the New Electric World in the face of daunting climate challenges
Network with climatetech entrepreneurs, investors, students, and other climate champions

Agenda (tentative; all times ET):
11:30-11:35am: Introduction from Greentown Labs
11:35am-12:15pm: Panel Discussion + Q&A

Jason Jacobs (moderator), host of My Climate Journey
Trish Starkey, VP of Commercial Operations at AlphaStruxure
Alicia Barton, CEO, FirstLight Power
Kavita Ravi, Managing Director, BlueWave Solar
Stanley Whittingham, Nobel Laureate and Inventor of the Li-ion Battery
Marilyn Waite, Climate and Clean Energy Finance Program Officer, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

12:15-12:30pm: Startup Presentations
12:30-12:35pm: Closing remarks from Schneider Electric
12:35-1:00pm: Networking
