The GS Beyond Energy Innovation Challenge celebrates purpose-driven startups that address persistent and emerging energy transition problems. The winner of the challenge will receive a $100,000 cash prize, the top three semi-finalists will receive special consideration for a pilot project with GS Group and the top five startups will be invited to pitch energy industry leaders and investors in a virtual event. Presenting companies receive one-on-one mentorship and coaching from Energy Transition Ventures, GS Beyond, GS Futures, Investors, and industry experts as well as exposure to over $1 billion in venture capital.

The U.S Department of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) has issued a $13 million solicitation for Assisting Federal Facilities with Energy Conservation Technologies (AFFECT). This funding opportunity seeks new energy projects that will aid federal facilities improve the efficiency of their operations and reduce their carbon footprint.

The competition is a competitive prize for early-stage cleantech startups to win $50K cash (non-dilutive) and admission to our incubator program. Finalists will be invited to pitch at our annual Urban Future Summit in front of an esteemed jury. This year’s judges will be investors from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Generation Investment Management, and Energy Impact Partners.

The For ClimateTech Global Innovation Challenge aims to rally innovators and partners towards building a global movement to source and develop the most impactful and equitable early-stage climate tech solutions across four sectors key to reducing global emissions: Energy, Buildings, Food & Agriculture, and Transportation.

With a final prize of $10,000 USD for each challenge winner, all applicants will receive resources to better understand and tap into the NY State climate tech ecosystem, while select applicants will be invited to meet with a mix of climate tech,
environmental, and industry leaders to receive immediate solution feedback, input, and additional resources. Challenge finalists will have the opportunity to participate in the V4C Bootcamp with a chance to then be selected for the 6-month
V4C Venture studio + accelerator program!

Note: Challenge finalists will automatically be considered as an applicant for the V4C program and invited to the V4C Bootcamp, entering them into further stages of the selection process for joining this year’s cohort. If you did not apply for the V4C Program but are selected as a finalist for the Challenge, we’ll ask that you fill out the additional application questions later on.

This four-year global competition invites innovators and teams from anywhere on the planet to create and demonstrate solutions that can pull carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere or oceans ultimately scaling massively to gigaton levels, locking away CO2 permanently in an environmentally benign way. Solutions will be scientifically evaluated across multiple criteria such as; amount of CO2 removed, life cycle analysis of the removal process, energy efficiency, land footprint and sequestration capabilities. Any carbon negative solution is eligible: nature-based, direct air capture, oceans, mineralization, or anything else that sequesters CO2 permanently. More details to be announced on April 22, 2021.

The Department of Energy (DOE) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding opportunities are now open for FY2021. Please see the list below of Offices that are offering funding opportunities:

• Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
• Office of Fossil Energy
• Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
• Office of Fusion Energy Sciences
• Office of Electricity
• Office of High Energy Physics
• Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Office of Nuclear Energy
• Office of Environmental Management

The detailed list of Funding Topics is available here and the full Funding Opportunity Announcement is available here.

ADL Ventures has launched a wildfire ignition prevention challenge with PG&E. The initiative is seeking hard tech innovators that might be able to help PG&E harden its grid. The winner of the challenge will receive consideration for a demonstration or development contract through one of several PG&E innovation programs.

The Diageo Sustainable Solutions program is calling upon innovators to share their ideas and solutions for growing brands and businesses sustainably.

Diageo Sustainable Solutions will invest time and experience, resources and assets where relevant, and fully fund proof of concept pilots that are selected from the breakthrough innovations. Innovations in energy, water, packaging, and agriculture will be prioritized.

The short online application is due December 16, 2020, and a shortlist of applicants will be determined by December 22, 2020. A virtual pitch day will be hosted in January 2021 and successful pilot proposals will be chosen by the end of January 2021. Up to a 6-month pilot of collaboration will be available to develop ideas and demonstrate a proof of concept within the supply chain.

Each pilot will be sponsored by a Diageo Business Unit lead, with a dedicated Technical support team (from Diageo and supply chain partners). Successful pilots will be considered for scaling within the Diageo Supply Chain.

The Department of Energy (DOE) American-Made Challenge is seeking innovators, visionaries, and enthusiasts from across a variety of industries to propose innovative solutions that will encourage the development of new ideas to cut the costs, timelines, and risks associated with hydropower development.

The key challenges that the Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) is seeking to address are listed below:

• Geotechnical Site Assessment: Activities performed to obtain information needed to design and construct a hydropower foundation system
• Foundation Design: Process of using information from the site assessment to perform analyses and develop a cost-effective foundation system that meets the project design criteria
• Foundation Construction: Activities performed by the contractor, from mobilization through project commissioning, to fully develop the foundation system.

Furthermore, the prize seeks solutions that are low head (less than 30 feet, new stream-reach development (NSD), and applicable to soil foundations. Please note that superstructures, including dams, are excluded from the prize scope.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs encourage U.S. small businesses to engage in high-risk, innovative research, and technology development with the potential for future commercialization. The program is administered by the Energy Department’s Office of Science and awards projects in technology areas across the entire department. It is part of the larger SBIR program across the federal government, which is administered by the Small Business Administration. Learn more about these programs’ past awards in solar energy.

SBIR/STTR Phase I awards are up to $200,000 for six months to one year. For help with the application process, visit this webpage on how to apply for a funding opportunity announcement (FOA).

Watch the CEBN webinar recording about the solar innovation funding opportunities here.

The L.A. New Mobility Challenge is a major global startup competition focused on innovative, zero-emission solutions for the challenges of urban mobility. The fourth edition of the Challenge invites startups and early-stage companies from around the world to address two critical issues in the urban mobility landscape: Solutions for Transporting Goods in Urban Environments, and Solutions for Transporting People in Urban Environments.

Interested companies should apply by October 30, and semi-finalists will be invited to pitch their concepts to our esteemed judges at CoMotion LA LIVE: November 17-19.

To be eligible, companies must be less than five years old, have revenue of less than $5 million, and have a product in pilot, beta or prototype stage.

The Grand Prize Winner receives:

• A trip to present at SparkLabs Korea DemoDay16 in 2021, the largest accelerator demo day in the world. Over 2,500 people attend these half-day events twice a year. (Includes 1 economy fare ticket and a 3-night five-star hotel stay.)
• Three month mentoring from 2-3 of SparkLabs Partners or Venture Partners.
• The right to join Urban Movement Labs as a partner, alongside mobility luminaries like Lyft, Waymo, Verizon, and Avis Budget Group.
• Access to UML’s team of experts, resources, and data.
• The opportunity to network with other partner companies and organizations.
• The right to an accelerated incubator, including previewing applicable technology to UML stakeholders for potential deployment in an LA Urban Proving Ground.
• Promotion to the greater UML community.
• Intros to key stakeholders at the UK’s Department for Transport’s Future of Transportation Strategy Team or other team, as relevant.
• Intro to the Connected Places Catapult, Zenzic and UK testbeds.
• Connection to relevant universities such as Warwick and Cranfield.
• Support from London & Partners, including access to Transport for London.
• Socially-distanced in-person gathering to celebrate winners (potentially at British Consul General’s Residence or British Consulate).
• Recognition by UK senior leadership.
• Conversations with and case studies from similar companies that have set up in the UK.
• Intro to Satellite Applications Catapult, Innovate UK, or CCAV, as relevant.
• Possibility to connect with opportunities and offers in other regions of the UK including Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
• Promotion of winning company in CoMotion NEWS.
• Exposure to the LACI team and opportunity to apply for its world-class startup incubation programs.
• LACI to make introductions to three curated investors.

Prithvi Ventures is an impact-driven early-stage Climate fund set up to protect our earth and its inhabitants – पृथ्वी / Pṛthvī means “earth” in Sanskrit. To protect our Prithvi, we invest in industries that remove/ reduce the rising GHG emissions. We invest in boring problems with interesting solutions that redesign the way some of the largest industries consume energy and resources. We focus on Capex heavy technologies that are carbon negative, and resource-intensive processes from the supply chain, be that in food, fashion, beauty & more. Investing in ClimateTech presents not only an opportunity for a financial return but is also a chance to help protect our environment, public health, and the overall sustainability of how we live on our Prithvi.