Energy2025 Applications Period Closes
2025/01/27 23:59:59

The DeltaClimeVT business accelerator is a Vermont-based program serving startup and seed-stage ventures focusing on climate economy innovation across multiple industries.

As a proven leader in sustainability, Vermont offers participants access to a large number of entrepreneurial climate economy and energy experts throughout the program.

Our three immersive sprints help companies refine their vision, solidify their strategy, and enable rapid growth. Participants graduate with improved business plans, new tools to attract investors, and the potential to grow their business opportunities in Vermont and beyond.

Founder Stories

The Energy2025 Challenge

To be part of a competitively selected cohort of start-up and seed stage ventures offering innovative products and services aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing resilience in an effort to help Vermont meet its climate goals. We are seeking start-ups ready to deploy with customers and addressing the decarbonization of buildings, transportation, heating and industrial processes through electrification, thermal energy networks or other renewables, with a particular focus on load management. Ventures that address the energy burden for under-represented and low to moderate income populations are of particular interest.

This ninth DeltaClimeVT energy and climate business accelerator program is designed to accelerate the drive towards a zero-carbon future for Vermont, by helping Vermont’s utilities increase adoption of clean energy, smart building and electric vehicle technologies. Founders will work directly with Vermont utilities throughout the program to contribute to Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan (90% renewables/efficiency by 2050), Vermont’s Climate Action Plan, and Burlington’s Net Zero by 2030 goals.

We were particularly interested in services and technologies that have wide potential applicability in rural locations and that allow commercial and industrial businesses, low and moderate-income Vermonters, underrepresented populations and multi-family building residents to participate in the emerging low-carbon economy.

Examples of technologies or services could include but are not limited to:

  • Smart building technologies such as building controls, dynamic EV charging equipment, heat pump load management, storage;
    • Especially technologies that make electric panel upgrades more cost-effective, or smart panel devices that avoid the need for upgrades and/or help with managing loads;
  • Service models designed to manage and maintain heat pump, storage and other DER utility programs with assets in the field, to include customer enrollment;
  • EV charging companies at all scales, for various site applications including residential, multi-family, and utility managed Level 2 and 3 chargers;
  • Technologies that encourage the most cost-effective approaches to decarbonization when considering the whole system to avoid costly grid upgrades (e.g. ground source heat pumps, thermal energy network technologies and services);
  • Innovative carbon capture or carbon reduction or reuse technologies that might apply at smaller power generation facilities.

Important Dates

October 15, 2024
Application opens

January 27, 2025
Application deadline

February 11, 2025
Cohort selection announced

March 3 – 4, 2025
Energy 2025 Kick-off

March 7 – 27, 2025
Webinars and one-on-one meetings with facilitators

March 31 – April 3, 2025
Sprint 1, Burlington, VT

April 11 – 25, 2025
Webinars and one-on-one meetings with facilitators

May 5 – 7, 2025
Virtual sprint 2

May 16 – May 30, 2025
Webinars and one-on-one meetings with facilitators

June 9 – 12, 2025
Final sprint, Burlington, VT

June 12, 2025
Award Ceremony & Celebration, Burlington, VT

Accelerator Winners

ENERGY2024

The Energy 2024 winner, selected through a peer-review process, is Rock Rabbit receiving a $25,000 non-equity award. BED also awarded a pilot project Moduly. Additional Vermont companies and utilities are in talks with cohort companies to implement further pilot projects. Click to learn more.

ENERGY2023

The Energy 2023 winner, selected through a peer-review process, is ProsumerGrid receiving a $25,000 non-equity award. Pilot projects with Burlington Electric Department were also announced. Click to read the recap.

ENERGY2022

The Energy 2022 winner, selected through a peer-review process, is Halitra receiving a $25,000 non-equity award. Pilot projects with Vermont utilities were also announced. Read the recap here.

ENERGY2021

The Energy 2021 winner, selected through a peer-review process, is Neothermal Energy Storage receiving a $25,000 non-equity award. Three pilot projects with Vermont utilities were also announced. Read the recap here.

ENERGY2020

The Energy 2020 winners, selected through a peer-review process, include Pecos Wind Power receiving a $25,000 non-equity award, Medley Thermal receiving a $15,000 non-equity award, and Wex Energy receiving a $10,000 non-equity award. Plus five pilot projects with Vermont utilities announced. Read the recap here.

ENERGY2019

$25,000 Winner – Onboard Data of Massachusetts. Burlington Electric Department Pilot Project Winners: EV Match, Go Together and DCC. Green Mountain Power Pilot Project Winner: EV Match. Read the recap here.

AG & FOOD TECH2018

Winners – AgHelp of Michigan and Ceres Greens of Vermont. Read the recap here.

ENERGY2017

Winners – Emrgy Inc. of Georgia and A.F. Mensah of New Jersey.

“It’s just incredibly humbling, to say the least. The corporate partners and the mentors of the DeltaClimeVT program have been incredibly generous with their time. I’ve never experienced anything like that. Everyone said yes to having a conversation. And then they were very candid about providing feedback, even if sometimes it wasn’t always the feedback you wanted to hear but it helps make your company better and it helps make you develop a product that’s better so that’s been incredible. We’ve been in a few accelerators – this has been the best by far.”

Aimee Gotway BaileyFounder & CEO, Rock Rabbit, Energy 2024 Winner

“This is the best accelerator that we have participated in. Specifically, this program has a unique curriculum that’s designed to create a collaborative competition and allow us to sit across the table from electric utilities, planning directors and CFOs.”

Marcelo SandovalCo-founder, CEO, Chief Scientist, ProsumerGrid, Energy 2023 Winner

 “The DeltaClimeVT program is unique because sponsors are actual customers that are looking to fund pilot projects. The learning that we garnered from our cohort peers was invaluable and the resulting friendships will be long-term. The curriculum from ecosVC has equipped us with tools that we will continue to adapt as we move from lab to pilot to commercialization. We are grateful to VSJF for allowing us to participate.”

Thor JensenHalitra, Energy 2022 Winner

DeltaClimeVT

By The Numbers

8
Cohorts
62
Companies
131
Participants
126
Mentors

“This program clearly demonstrated that there is no better place in the United States to convene startups, investors, and industry leaders to solve important climate problems than Vermont.

Emily MorrisEmrgy, Energy 2017 Participant

Industry expertise, a network of established climate economy enterprises, and access to potential partners and growth capital are available to all DeltaClimeVT participants.

Participants are guided through the world-class ecosVC curriculum, designed to test assumptions, expose and remediate business vulnerabilities, prepare for significant investment, and provide a platform for rapid scale. All cohort Members will have the opportunity to forge meaningful relationships with high quality investors and potential customers.

DeltaClimeVT cohort members take part in a three-month intensive training. The accelerator consists of three sprints with homework, webinars and one-on-one time with facilitators in between. The program is centered around the ecosVC Lens of the Market® ACCELERATED curriculum, designed to ensure participating startups produce the a well-grounded case for their business and are able to articulate a compelling plan for success to investors.

Active engagement and peer-mentoring by participants is an essential part of the program and a final award of $25,000 will be provided to a peer-selected company. In prior programs, over half of participating companies have been selected by Vermont utilities and other sponsors to conduct product pilots after the end of the program.

Vermont offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to access services, networks and growth capital, in a state known for its high quality of life. Vermont was recently ranked the #1 state to move to thanks to growing professional opportunities. In-person DeltaClimeVT sprints are held in Burlington, the state’s largest city, which sports a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem supported by:

  • innovative companies willing to pilot new, groundbreaking products and services
  • growing incubation and co-working infrastructure
  • an active lending and investment community
  • like minded companies eager to help and partner
  • regular entrepreneurial meetups and events
  • robust technical and professional services
  • multiple higher educational institutions

The undesirable fact that climate change will have a large effect on the way we all live our lives and how we interact with each other has created an opportunity for innovative entrepreneurs to develop products and services that aim to mitigate the risks and deal with the consequences of climate change.

The Climate Economy includes:

  • Food Systems
  • Water Quality
  • Renewable Energy
  • Energy Efficiency
  • Clean Technology
  • Green Building
  • Sensor Technologies
  • Data Management
  • Resource Recycling
  • Storage Technology