Atlanta just landed a new startup accelerator.
Cox Enterprises and gener8tor, a global venture firm and startup accelerator, announced today the launch of the Cox Cleantech Accelerator. The bi-annual 12-week program will support five of the most promising cleantech startups in each cohort. Startups will receive a $100,000 investment, tailored coaching, mentorship from Cox business leaders. They will also receive support in product development, customer acquisition, and fundraising.
The accelerator is designed to help startups founders building in renewable energy, food and land use, sustainable transportation, waste reduction, and the built environment.
The accelerator will also collaborate with Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub, which launched last year to make the state a leading cleantech ecosystem.
“Since 2007, Cox has invested over $2B in sustainable technologies and initiatives reducing waste, creating lasting environmental progress and producing renewable resources for the low-carbon and circular economy. We are committed to leaving the world in a better place for the next generation, and we believe that cleantech innovation is required to create a sustainable future,” Morgan Phillips, Cox Enterprises Atlanta Ventures lead, told Hypepotamus.
Gener8tor, headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, has over 75 startup programs running across the US, including several across the Southeast.
“Launching the Cox Cleantech Accelerator in Atlanta leverages the city’s unique advantages for cleantech innovation, including its world-class universities, Fortune 1000 corporations, and growing manufacturing base. As one of the most active early-stage investors in cleantech, this program brings gener8tor’s proven model of small, hands-on cohorts to a market poised to lead in cleantech innovation,” said Ryan Jeffery, Senior Managing Director over the Sustainability practice at gener8tor. “Our partnership with Cox Enterprises and the Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub aims to support diverse founders tackling pressing climate challenges, offering a concierge approach in an ideal ecosystem for cleantech entrepreneurs.”
Want In On The Accelerator Action?
The accelerator will be run by newly-appointed Managing Director Miguel Grainer.
Grainer is no stranger to Atlanta’s cleantech scene as he led the efforts to launch ATDC’s Sustainability Vertical in 2022. Applications are now open for the inaugural cohort and will begin in February 2025. So we had to ask him one question: What is one piece of advice you would share with startups interested in applying that could help them stand out?
His answer: “Lean into our regional strengths, but solve a global scale problem. There are so many advantages to building a cleantech startup in Atlanta including access to some of the largest enterprise customers in the world. Solutions that help big businesses decarbonize efficiently can scale quickly, but they have to really understand the problem, the context, and the economics of the end user.”
Atlanta’s Cleantech Landscape
From sustainable battery plants to unique alternative energy startups, the Southeast is home to a growing number of cleantech-focused innovations. The region is home to the Joules Accelerator in Charlotte, Techstars WaterTech & Sustainability accelerator in Tuscaloosa, and Techstars EnergyTech program in Birmingham.
Atlanta specifically has been a hub for startups looking to build our sustainable future. Local startups like covetool, Nexus Circular, and Urjanet caught national attention with impressive venture rounds or acquisition deals over the last several years.
“As we look towards the future of Atlanta’s startup scene, we believe that concentrating support and capital around certain industries can help Atlanta grow. We believe that Atlanta has all the right ingredients to be a top cleantech venture hub. With recent infrastructure and manufacturing investments, strong policy support, a growing pool of engineering and tech talent, and a highly engaged corporate base, there is so much momentum for cleantech in Atlanta right now,” added Phillips of Cox Enterprises.
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Featured photo from Unsplash
