FAQ
The Clean Fight NY is a not-for-profit accelerator helping growth-stage clean energy companies from around the world scale in New York to meet future energy and efficiency needs, while boosting economic opportunity and job creation for all. Powered by New Energy Nexus. Supported by NYSERDA and the U.S. Department of Energy. Our 2022 cohort is focused on high-impact battery and energy storage solutions that can help meet the future needs of a modern grid and a resilient, electrified world in a better way.
Our goal is to help growth-stage battery and energy storage companies from around the world scale in New York, at speed. We do this by helping build deep relationships with customer and capital partners who can enable rapid growth. We’ve designed the program to be as efficient and effective as possible, offering the following tailored benefits: no relocation for program; no equity stake taken; hands-on matchmaking with industry-leading customer and capital partners in a time-efficient format; up-to $100k per company to support capacity building, deployments or manufacturing in New York (but no funds are guaranteed); and, assistance navigating the New York market from top regulators, utilities and industry experts. There will be 8-12 companies per cohort. Find out more about how to apply here.
Companies accepted into the program are eligible to apply for up to $100k to support capacity building, deployments or manufacturing capabilities in New York. No funds are guaranteed. Specific details of how to apply and evaluation criteria will be provided during the program.
We are a not-for-profit and do not take an equity stake in the companies accepted to the program.
No, the accelerator program is open to growth-stage startups from anywhere around the world who are interested in scaling in New York. However, you must have an interest in seriously exploring establishing a principal place for business, manufacturing, or research and development in New York State. If you are successful in developing business or manufacturing agreements through the program, you must be willing to establish a presence in New York State.
No, the accelerator program does not require relocation. If you’re selected to participate, either the CEO, COO, and/or President of your startup are required to attend the summits in New York if they take place in person, or virtually should it be deemed necessary. Exact dates are to be confirmed, but the summits will take place November 2022; January 2023; and April 2023.
Additionally, you must have an interest in seriously exploring establishing a principal place for business, manufacturing, or research and development in New York State.
Our program is anchored in helping you to establish your business in New York State, or if you're already here, helping you to scale further. At the heart of the program is business development with our customer partners. At the first summit you will meet with our customer partners to mutually determine where there might be a good fit. Meetings at the second summit will be with the key influencers at the customer organization. Having the customer's team of decision makers in the room at the same time radically speeds the process of approval. At this summit you'll also meet our financing and investor partners. In between summits you will follow up with customer and capital partners, and our team will provide advice and help to move things along as you encounter road blocks. At the final summit you will look to finalize intentions with customer partners and share you solution with the broader market of customers and investors.
Programming will also take place at the summits to help you better understand the New York landscape. We'll look at the policy, regulatory, market, financing and incentives you should be aware of to be successful in New York. We also introduce you to the key influencers and gatekeepers in the industry to help you understand and unlock the market. In addition, we will connect you with manufacturing, supply chain and regional resources that can enable you to establish or grow capacity in New York State.
The programming will be tailored to the needs of the final cohort.
Time commitment averages 2-4 hours a week (between all your participating team members). This covers summits, programming, check-ins, follow-ups with customer and capital partners, working with support providers and cohort roundtables.
Summit 1: November 2022
Meet customer partners and the other cohort companies.
Learn about the NY landscape
Summit 2: January 2023
Continued conversations with customer partners.
Meet financing & investor partners.
Summit 3: April 2023
Share your solution and meet with the broader market of customers and investors.
Finalize/share progress achieved with program partners.
Meet with industry influencers.
The exact dates are to be confirmed.
We will decide if they will be in-person or virtual closer to the date, but plenty of notice will be provided. We hope to have at least one summit in person, maximum two. The health & safety of the group, and participants' individual circumstances will be taken into consideration.
No. You're free to work with other accelerators, customers or investors. We want you to be able to keep your options open so you can be as successful as possible. Our only ask is that if you are accepted into the program, you are able to dedicate the required time to get the most out of it.
The Clean Fight helps growth-stage companies scale in New York. We define growth-stage as companies that display broad market adoption (~$1M+ in annual revenue from a diversified customer set in the last year or other clear signs of market adoption). Additionally, companies must be able to demonstrate sufficient runway to participate in the program from November 2022-April 2023.
The Clean Fight is looking for battery and energy storage innovators with solutions that are ready to scale: products or services with proven efficacy, impact, and adoption that can quickly support a far bigger customer base. GHG impact, job creation, and speed of implementation are a few of our favorite things. Solutions that can ensure a just transition to a clean economy, ensuring the needs are met of underserved communities, are of particular importance.
We're interested in solutions across the entire value chain of energy storage, including:
Stationary storage systems
Transportation battery packs & systems
Battery materials
Battery cells & packs
Materials processing
Power electronics & controls
Business model & financing innovation
If you have a solution outside of these areas, we encourage you to apply if you meet our other criteria.
The Clean Fight looks to support companies who are interested in growing their business in New York City and/or New York State. Our customer partners have projects across both the city and the state. Our collaboration for the energy storage program with New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium
(NY-BEST) and Binghamton University not only brings great expertise, but also regional resources and networks in New York State, complimenting the strong resources and relationships of The Clean Fight in New York City.
We cannot win The Clean Fight without a diversity of talent, experience, and perspective bringing new solutions, approaches, and energy. We highly encourage diverse teams and those serving diverse communities to apply, including people of color, women, underserved communities, people with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQIA+, and underrepresented voices.
All applications are reviewed by our Evaluation Committee, which is composed of The Clean Fight team, technical experts, customer partners, and investor partners. We assess your application based on the following criteria:
GHG Impact: Potential to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions at scale
Job Creation: Potential to significantly create job opportunities in New York State
Talent: Experienced team with deep knowledge and a proven track record
Program Fit: Company goals and needs align with the goals and services provided by the accelerator
Offering: Best-in-class product or service that addresses an important market need
Demand: Operating in a market with deep demand and sufficient private capital interest
The Clean Fight NY will treat all application data as confidential information. We will share such data with our customer and investor partners in order to accelerate potential access to investment and deployment opportunities for your company. In your application, please do not disclose any proprietary information but be as clear as possible about your competitive advantage and differentiation.
May 24 - June 30, 2022: Qualifying Application Open
July 25: Invitation to Complete Full Application
August 12: FullApplication Due
September 12 - October 14: Financial Diligence and Finalist Interview w/ Judges
October 20: Final Selection
November 2022: Program Kick-Off & Summit 1
January 2023: Summit 2
April 2023: Summit 3
The Clean Fight is part of New Energy Nexus, which provides programming for climate tech startups around the world. If this program isn’t the best fit for you, we encourage you to join the New Energy Network, our open Slack community. You can find out about other programs and opportunities, and meet with thousands of clean energy entrepreneurs and supporters of clean energy innovation from around the world eager to learn and share.
For information on the program and our supporters, please read our launch press release. For more details on how to apply, program details, selection criteria and evaluation timeline, please read our application manual. If you have any additional questions, email us at q&a@thecleanfight.com.