Global Forum

The 2024 Cleantech Open Global Forum arrived in San Jose on October 28-31, co-located with the VERGE 24 event. This marquee gathering showcased the 92 graduating CTO startups plus the CTO pitch competitions - both US Finalists and Global Ideas Finalists. The Best of the Best early-stage innovators!

U.S. National Winners
Winner: hydroGel. – Transforming the biopharma and food industries with breakthrough purification solutions that enhance efficiency and impact.
Runner-Up and People’s Choice: Arculus Solutions – Pioneering safe, cost-effective hydrogen transport by reimagining natural gas pipelines.

Global Ideas Pitch Competition Winners
Winner and People's Choice: CLHYNN (France) – Revolutionizing green hydrogen by integrating the fuel cell with its source, enabling transformative applications.
Runner-Up: Pathogen Reduction Solutions, Ltd (UK) – Providing innovative solutions for safer indoor air by effectively inactivating airborne pathogens.

Forum Highlights
The Global Forum took place at VERGE 24, a leading climate tech conference. The four-day event showcased solutions from current cohort companies and Cleantech Open alumni in the VERGE Startup Pavilion, with opportunities to attend the Global Ideas and National Finals pitches and the CTO Awards Ceremony Luncheon.
Opening Address: Joel Makower, Chairman and Co-founder of the Trellis Group, the parent of VERGE, kicked off the ceremony with an inspiring keynote on cleantech’s role in addressing urgent climate challenges.
Alumni Panel Discussion: Moderated by Ken Hayes, Executive Director of Cleantech Open, the discussion featured successful alumni: Mark Anderson, Founder & CEO, Icarus RT, Inc. (CTO Alum 2020) Kristina McMillan, Founder, Argyle Earth (CTO Alum 2022)
Keynote Inspirationalists: Lastly, Cleantech Open welcomed keynote speakers Robert Ferry and Anshuman Bapna. Robert Ferry, co-founder of the Land Art Generator Initiative, delivered an inspiring presentation on "How Art and Design Drive Technological Change," highlighting the vital role of creativity in making cleantech solutions both accessible and impactful.
Anshuman Bapna, Co-founder and CEO of Terra.do, tackled the pressing issue of the critical talent gap hindering climate solution deployment. He outlined strategies to bridge this gap by building a strong, skilled talent pipeline to support and accelerate growth across the climate economy - a valuable resource for entrepreneurs scaling up their companies.
Learn more at the 2024 Global Forum event site and the participating cohort startups in the 2024 Companies Overview.
Cleantech Open extends gratitude to its 2024 Sponsors, including National Sponsors Wells Fargo, Breakthrough Energy Fellows, the IN2 Innovation Incubator, NREL, and CalSEED for enabling this year’s accelerator program and Global Forum.

Check out the 2024 Global Forum HERE.

Check out the 2023 Global Forum HERE.

Check out the 2022 Global Forum HERE.

Check out the 2021 Global Forum HERE.