Startup Programs
From Lab to Market
NENY is a comprehensive ecosystem to support battery and energy storage innovators and startups in their technology development and commercialization journey from the lab to proof-of-concept, scaling, manufacturing, and market launch.
NENY innovation programs are made possible by partners Binghamton University, Koffman Southern Tier Incubator, Activate Global, The Clean Fight NY, New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST), and The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (RFSUNY).
Join us in New York State to take advantage of various accelerator programs, funding, and other support opportunities.
Programs for Startups
The NENY ChargeUp Accelerator is open to startups developing innovations in the battery and energy storage. The program helps companies advance their investor readiness through an expert-driven rigorous curriculum, supplemented with key industry connections and resources. ChargeUp companies receive a $25,000 participation stipend, connections to investors, and follow-on funding opportunities, including up to $100,000 for technical development.
Learn More about the ChargeUp Accelerator program
The Clean Fight’s program, Energy Storage Capital Challenge, focuses on aligning capital to accelerate innovative energy storage projects in New York State.
What makes this unique? This is not about pitching your project to individual investors. Instead, we’re bringing together the capital stack to collaboratively workshop your project and financing strategy.
The Challenge is supported by NENY, along with NYSERDA, and is conducted in collaboration with New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST).
Who Should Apply
We’re looking for energy storage projects currently in development in New York State, post-site control but pre-financial close. In particular:
Innovative or First of a Kind. Projects that include a novel element – be that technology, business model, use case, etc
Experiencing a financing gap. Has an immediate capital challenge that is currently underserved in the New York market
Broader applicability. The challenges experienced by the project must not be atypical, to ensure that the potential solutions can have broader benefit
Learn more about the program and companies awarded.
Throughout the year, in partnership with the NSF Interior Northeast I-Corps Hub, NENY offers a number of customer discovery courses, supplemented by funding of $3000-$5000 per team. Check out these hybrid courses with in-person opportunities at conferences.
Clean Energy I-Corps @ the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit: Through the experiential course, clean energy innovators and entrepreneurs will learn about customer discovery and product-market fit of their innovations by directly connecting with relevant stakeholders, including potential customers and partners, at the in-person ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit.
I-Corps @ The Battery Show North America Hybrid Course: Through the experiential course, clean energy innovators and entrepreneurs will learn about customer discovery and product-market fit of their innovations by directly connecting with relevant stakeholders, including potential customers and partners, in person at The Battery Show North America.
Your clean energy startup can work with regional student talent from premier New York State colleges and universities, with the program covering student stipends for participation, at no cost to the company. The program enables companies to select students based on their technical needs.Apply to join the experience!
The NENY Technical Assistance program provides funding to battery startups and small businesses to cover the costs associated with testing, prototyping, and certification services through qualified providers to advance the development and commercialization of their technologies.
Eligible companies can receive up to $100,000 per RFP round, and up to $150,000 per calendar year.
The program runs in cycles on a competitive RFP basis.
Activate and New Energy New York (NENY) partner to offer an entrepreneurship fellowship to innovators in the battery and energy storage space. The Activate Fellowship provides early-stage science entrepreneurs with funding (>$200k), technical resources, industry experts, and invaluable support from a network of scientists, engineers, operators, and fellow entrepreneurs.
Fellows join an in-person community in New York or work remotely via the Anywhere community, while receiving a living stipend for two years, plus additional funding for their startup (through grants and optional SAFE notes).
NENY offers additional support to fellows working in energy storage, including:
- Access to premier battery development, testing, and pilot manufacturing resources, through Binghamton University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST).
- Paid student interns from premier NYS universities.
- Additional funding through business development microgrants and technical assistance vouchers.
The Clean Fight with NY-BEST and Binghamton University brings an accelerator program that focuses on bringing together growth-stage startups and customer partners to quickly scale solutions to speed the energy transition in New York state. Launching a new cohort in 2024, this 1-year accelerator will focus on speeding the adoption of ready-to-deploy battery solutions in New York state. Learn more or sign up for updates on upcoming programs with The Clean Fight.
The Charge-Up Gap Funding Program support clean energy innovators and startups in key gap areas of incorporation, intellectual property protection, and grant proposal preparation with educational sessions coupled with micro-grant funding.
Innovation Coalition Partners
