Business accelerator launches new initiative for climate tech startups

Tampa Bay Innovation Center, an early-stage tech incubator headquartered in St. Petersburg, will focus its next startup accelerator program on emerging climate technologies.

The 12-week program will begin Jan. 9, according to a news release, and can accommodate up to 10 startups. It’s sponsored by Duke Energy and PODS Moving & Storage, whose support will provide a combination of mentoring, expertise, financial backing and other resources for TBIC and its startups. Financial support also comes from Pinellas County.

“These partnerships will provide a focus on helping startups develop technologies that have real-world applications and impact,” TBIC Chair Chris Paradies states in the release. “Many technologies in the industry simply don’t yet exist or are too costly for adoption.”

The accelerator program, the release states, will consist of weekly group workshops supplemented by one-on-one mentoring to help early-stage ventures with customer discovery, product road mapping, pricing, go-to-market skills and putting systems in place that are essential for startup success. Participating entrepreneurs and companies will benefit from TBIC’s network of mentors, as well as experts from industry partners in energy, manufacturing, science and other sectors.

“While Climate-Tech solutions are the focus of this program,” TBIC Managing Director Ken Evans states in the release, “the underlying tools and, in turn, the talent pool that is needed will draw from all the hottest tech disciplines, including artificial intelligence, augmented reality, big data, blockchain, robotics, and other evolving technologies.”

For more information and to apply, click here.