Techstars Alabama EnergyTech announces 2021 class
Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator today announced its second class of startups selected to participate in the 2021 program. Ten startup companies from eight states and Canada make up the class, with the intensive, 13-week program beginning this week.
The companies specialize in technologies and business models to enhance the future of energy, including artificial intelligence (AI) for the power grid, renewable energy, consumer sustainability and weather prediction.
The 2021 cohort builds on the momentum of last year’s highly successful inaugural class, which saw teams collectively raise over $25 million in capital investment post-program. Several companies from the 2020 class have committed to maintaining a presence in Alabama, underscoring the state’s growing reputation as a great place for entrepreneurs to grow their business, said Nate Schmidt, managing director of Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator.
“Our announcement for last year’s class anticipated a future where Techstars would put Alabama on the map for energy and cleantech,” said Schmidt. “One year later, the results have exceeded our wildest expectations. We’re thrilled to build on the success of last year’s class with this new group of companies.”
Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator welcomes the following companies as members of the 2021 class:
- Noteworthy AI: Vehicle-mounted computer vision to inspect the electric grid, from Stamford, Connecticut.
- Accelerate Wind: Making wind energy generation affordable on commercial buildings, from St. Louis, Missouri.
- SolarFi: Looking to change urban planning and provide more access to solar-powered pods for e-scooter charging, public spaces and municipalities, from Boston, Massachusetts.
- Khepra: Getting petroleum out of the chemicals industry by electrifying the chemical reactors and replacing petrochemicals with waste-based alternatives, from San Francisco, California.
- Moduly: Smart energy-storage platform designed to address the issue between power utilities and the mass of the population, such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy overproduction and peak consumption times, from Montreal, Canada.
- Birdstop: Automated inspection and monitoring for physical assets, from San Francisco, California.
- Sustaio: The sustainable habit-building app makes adopting a climate-smart lifestyle easy and empowering, from Telluride, Colorado.
- Sunairio: Weather simulation for renewable energy prediction, from Baltimore, Maryland.
- HData: Automating energy regulatory data and business intelligence, from Joliet, Illinois.
- Flux Hybrids: A system to convert vehicles to plug-in hybrids at a price point that pays for itself, from Raleigh, North Carolina.
Over the next 90 days, these startups will receive seed investment and mentorship through Techstars’ worldwide network of business leaders, including Alabama’s business community, plus business coaching through the program’s educational components. “Our programming started early this year, with an amazing retreat at Lake Martin, attended by both classes” said Program Manager Brooke Gillis. Techstars culminates in Demo Day, a public pitch event where companies tout their ideas to potential investors and supporters.
“The Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator is bringing the brightest leaders and entrepreneurs in energy technology to our state,” said Tony Smoke, Alabama Power’s senior vice president of Marketing and Economic Development. “Building off the success of last year’s inaugural class, I look forward in anticipation to the new ventures, partnerships and technology that will come from this year’s class.”
The Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator is supported by Alabama Power, the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), the Alabama Department of Commerce, Altec, PowerSouth, the University of Alabama and Southern Research. These supporters have a key role in the accelerator process, with the common goal of growing the Alabama startup ecosystem.
For more information, visit the Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator program page at www.techstars.com.