As the country moves forward towards clean energy and climate conscious activities, Cleantech Open Northeast will be posting news of our alumni throughout the year. We want to highlight these visionary companies and celebrate the successes they experience as they work towards a better, healthier future for all of us. Alumni startups participating in the Cleantech Open Northeast are especially well-positioned to have real potential for global impact. Read about these companies’ successes and transformative, necessary work below.

*This blog will cover the entire year, so come back often to see the latest updates! 

**The years in parenthesis indicate when the startups participated in the Cleantech Open accelerator.

Featured Alum of the Month

Active Surfaces (2023)

• Shiv Bhakta, founder of Active Surfaces, has made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. (article)
• Active Surfaces was announced as a participant in the "Saint-Gobain Go" program at Greentown Labs (article)
• The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center invested $75,000 in Active Surfaces to develop its light weight and flexible solar panels to be used on more difficult-to-install building surfaces. (article)
• Active Surfaces secured $5.6 million oversubscribed pre-seed round. (article)

Adhesion Technologies (2023)

• The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center invested $75,000 in Adhesion Technologies to develop its sustainable and cost-competitive wood adhesive made from corn ethanol waste. (article)

Advanced Silicon Group (2015)

• Advanced Silicon Group won a SBIR Targeted Technologies(START) grant from MassVentures. (article)

AeroShield Materials (2019)

• AeroShield Materials received a voucher from the DOE Office of Technology Transitions to support and accelerate clean energy technology adoption. (article)
• AeroShield Materials was selected to join the 5th cohort of Scale for ClimateTech. (article)
• AeroShield Materials received a $14.5 million ARPA-E SCALEUP award to scale the manufacturing of its transparent aerogels. (article)

Aclarity (2018)

• Aclarity won the Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year PFAS award. (article)
• Aclarity was shortlisted for the 2024 Breakthrough Technology Company of the Year award. (article)
• The Heritage Group's HG Ventures invested in Aclarity.  (article)
• Aclarity was listed in a statistical ranking by TIME and Statista on America's top 250 sustainability-focused companies. (article)

Amplified Industries (2018)

• Amplified Industries won the Digital Wildcatters Ultimate Startup Battle. (article)

Aquasaic (2023)

• Aquasaic was selected as one of the extraordinary startups for Year 2 of the Advancing Climatetech and Clean Energy Leaders Program (ACCEL). (article)

Blackburn Energy (2014)

• Blackburn Energy was listed in a statistical ranking by TIME and Statista on America's top 250 sustainability-focused companies. (article)

BlocPower (2013)

• BlocPower has partnered with the City of Cincinnati and Green Umbrella as they advance the building electrification component of the city's decarbonization strategy. (article)
• CEO Donnel Baird was recognized as one of Crain's 2024 Notable Leaders in Sustainability. (article)

BlueIQ (2023)

• BlueIQ's OpenEar Hydrophone was featured in the first Ocean News & Technology Magazine of 2024. (article)
• BlueIQ was selected as a finalist for the MassChallenge Resolve '24 Awards. (article)

change:WATER Labs (2017)

• change:WATER Labs won first place at the 2024 Harvard Deep Tech Global Pitch Competition. (article)
• change:WATER Labs did a TED Talk about their technology. (article)

Clean Valley (2022)

• Clean Valley wrapped up a recent funding round with an earmarked $1.5 million. (article)

Ecolectro (2017)

• Ecolectro was listed in a statistical ranking by TIME and Statista on America's top 250 sustainability-focused companies. (article)
• Toyota Ventures invested in Ecolectro. (article)

Ecotone Renewables (2021)

• Ecotone Renewables CEO, Dylan Lew, was recognized for his outstanding achievements by Carnegie Mellon University. (article)
• Ecotone Renewables was selected as Startup of the Year by the 2024 Startup Boston Community Awards. (article)

Elateq Inc. (2020)

• Elateq was elected into the Activate Cohort 2024. (article)

EMPEQ (2016)

• EMPEQ was named one of the world's 100 most promising energy startups of 2024 by the German Energy Agency (dena) and World Energy Council in the prestigious SET100 list of 2024. (article)
• EMPEQ was selected for the Energy 2024 cohort for DeltaClimeVT climate economy accelerator, facilitated by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. (article)
• EMPEQ was named one of Central New York's best places to work for the second year running.  (article)
• EMPEQ won Top Honors at Smart Cities Connect Startup Challenge. (article)

Feedback Solutions (2019)

• Feedback Solutions was one of the 15 teams selected to be a part of the Uptake Alliance inaugural startup cohort. (article)

Finsulate (2021)

• Finsulate was selected to participate in the Dirigo Labs accelerator program. (article)
• Finsulate won 1st place at the Greenlight Maine Competition. (article)

florrent (2022)

• florrent is creating energy solutions to support a just energy transition, Activate produced an article about florrent's founder and their climate justice conscious company. (article)

Flux Marine (2019)

• Flux Marine added their third 100% electric boat into their lineup. (article)

GenH (2010)

• GenH was selected to join the 5th cohort of Scale for ClimateTech. (article)

Grain Ecosystem (2022)

• Grain Ecosystem was selected as Most Likely to be the Next Unicorn by the 2024 Startup Boston Community Awards. (article)

GreenBlu (2016)

• GreenBlu was listed in a statistical ranking by TIME and Statista on America's top 250 sustainability-focused companies. (article)

Harmony Desalting (2020)

• The Bureau of Reclamation awards $300,000 to Harmony for desalination and water purification research, Pitch to Pilot program (article)
• Harmony Desalination is part of a Circular City team led by Innocorps Research Corporation, which is pioneering off-grid integrated utilities, demonstrating the world's first off-grid mobile wastewater recycling system powered with renewable energy and carbon-neutral heat (article)
• The Innovation for Defense Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program recently awarded the Circular City team a $2-million grand prize in the Pop up city contest, to build more efficient green energy, water, and waste management solutions for camps used by the Canadian Armed Forces (article)

HiT Nano Inc (2022)

• HiT Nano was selected into the Activate 2024 Cohort. (article)

Husk Power Systems (2008)

• Fast Company listed Husk Power Systems as #1 for most innovative companies in energy in 2024. (article)
• Husk Power Systems was recognized by S&P Global for their contribution to the rural communities of Global South in their economic journey through Husk's renewable energy platform. (article)
• Husk Power Systems is considering an IPO. (article)

Hydronic Shell Technologies (2021)

• Hydronic Shell Technologies developed modular facade panels that integrate HVAC systems, enabling the modernization and decarbonization of old buildings without displacing residents. (article)
• Hydronic Shell Technologies was featured at the 2024 Summer Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) Startup Pitch Competition by Department of Energy. (article)

Incentivize (2023)

• Incentivize was invited to an event at the White House to recognize its achievements in the EV industry. (article)

Innovia GEO (2021)

• Innovia GEO joined an exclusive founder community hosted by MaRS Discovery District. (article)

Magnomer (2018)

• Magnomer's Magmark SS coatings for PETG shrink sleeves have been prequalified by How2Recycle (article)

Metalmark Innovations (2018)

• The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center invested $136,262 in Metalmark to demonstrate its commercial air purification system to improve indoor air quality and to reduce HVAC energy with the Chariho Regional School District in Rhode Island (article)

MicroEra Power (2016)

• MicroEra Power was selected to join the 5th cohort of Scale for ClimateTech. (article)
• MicroEra Power made it onto the 2024 Climate Insider's list of 10 sustainable startups to learn about in the built environment. (article)

MOBY (2022)

• MOBY won the prestigious J.M. Kaplan Innovation Prize. (article)

Moduly (2021)

• Moduly was selected for the Energy 2024 cohort for DeltaClimeVT climate economy accelerator, facilitated by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. (article)

Natel Energy (2006)

• Natel Energy won Hydropower Solution of the Year, awarded by CleanTech Breakthrough. (article)

Onvector (2018)

• Onvector completed a pilot test of the technology on Joint Base Cape Cod under a grant from the US Air Force. They successfully combined a plasma vortex with regenerative ion-exchange technology developed by ECT2. (article)

Osmoses (2021)

• Osmoses received a voucher from the DOE Office of Technology Transitions to support and accelerate clean energy technology adoption. (article)
• Osmoses won a SBIR Targeted Technologies(START) grant from MassVentures. (article)

Ourobio (2021)

• Ourobio, co-producing PHA and bio-based pigments from low-value organic waste bioproducts, was featured in an article by Bio-Sourced. (article)

Prezerv Technologies (2023)

• Prezerv Technologies was chosen as a finalist to the Roads of the Future Accelerator by CRH Ventures. (article)
• Prezerv Technologies was selected into the 2024 U.S. Green Building Council California Net Zero Accelerator Cohort. (article)

Princeton NuEnergy (2016)

• Princeton NuEnergy was listed in a statistical ranking by TIME and Statista on America's top 250 sustainability-focused companies. (article)
• Princeton NuEnergy raised an additional $10.3 million in a series A funding round. (article)
• Princeton NuEnergy was recognized as an Innovate100 Leader. (article)
• Princeton NuEnergy closed series A by raising a total of $30 million dollars. (article)

QD Solar (2020)

• QD Solar was acquired by SunDensity. (article)

re:Charge (2022)

• re:Charge works with the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) of New York State to deploy wireless electric bike charging stations around Amsterdam, NY. (article)

RenewCO2 (2020)

• RenewCO2 co-founders Anders Laursen and Karin Calvinho are recognized as New Jersey INNOVATE100 leaders. (article)

Rivalia Chemical Co. (2023)

• Rivalia Chemical Co. is featured in the MIT Technology Review in January 2024. (article)

rStream Recycling (2021)

• rStream Recyling was selected into the Activate Cohort 2024. (article)

SpaceSense (2023)

• SpaceSense has merged with xFarm Technologies. (article)

SparkCharge (2021)

• Princeton NuEnergy was listed in a statistical ranking by TIME and Statista on America's top 250 sustainability-focused companies. (article)

TechnoCarbon (2021)

• TechnoCarbon has been integrated into the Capenergies competitiveness cluster, a dynamic network comprising 530 key players in the Energy Transition. (article)
• TechnoCarbon was named a finalist in the prestigious JEC Booster Startup Competition. (article)

Verde Technologies (2022)

• Verde Technologies won the final phase of the US Department of Energy's Perovskite Startup Prize- a $500,000 cash prize and an additional $100,000 of in-kind technical support. (article)
• Verde Technologies successfully adapted its cutting-edge perovskite solar coating processes to existing commercial roll-to-roll manufacturing lines. (article)
• Verde Technologies attracted investment from industry veterans and venture funds, including former GE Power CEO Steve Bolze (article).

Voltpost (2021)

• Voltpost is a finalist in the SXSW 2024 Innovation Awards for their EV charging platform. (article)
• Voltpost was one of the 15 teams selected to be a part of the Uptake Alliance inaugural startup cohort. (article)
• Voltpost was selected to join the 5th cohort of Scale for ClimateTech. (article)
• Voltpost's lamppost EV charger is commercially available in US metro areas. (article)
• Voltpost secured a $100K grant to deploy lamppost EV chargers in Michigan.(article)

Zero Homes (2021)

• Zero Homes participated in the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (LEEP) Demo Day 2024. (article)
• Zero Homes was recommended and introduced in an article by Canary Media for how easy they can help electrify your home. (article)