MassVentures

The Catalyst and DICES Grant Program, administered jointly by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and MassVentures, is currently accepting applications for its fall cohort. Recent grantees are doing amazing work to further climate technologies, including Yan Wang at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, whose team is focused on a closed loop process for solid panel waste. As solar energy usage rapidly grows and the first generation of solar panels reach their end-of-life, the urgent need for effective solar recycling emerges. This necessity is amplified by the burgeoning quantities of waste solar panels, spotlighting the crucial role of responsible and sustainable management to lessen environmental impacts and maximize resource efficiency. Solar panel recycling mainly involves two steps: disassembly and purification. Currently, mechanical processes dominate the recycling industry because of their simplicity and low-cost. Many solar panel recycling facilities solely recycle aluminum frames, copper wiring, junction boxes and glass covers through mechanical means, which can recycle 80wt.% of solar panels. Then, the rest, including solar cells, are shredded or incinerated. The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) team has developed an innovative hydrometallurgical recycling process to recycle the key component, solar cells, from manufacturing scarps and waste solar panels. After milling, the team has been able to recover Ag powder, Cu wire and high purity SiO2. The proposed technique offers a new pathway towards making renewable energy sources more sustainable and economically feasible.  Are you working on clean energy technologies? The Catalyst and DICES Program provides grants of up to $75,000 to Massachusetts-based researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of their clean energy technologies. Application deadline is September 30th. Learn more and apply at https://lnkd.in/ex_a3S2Z. Charlie Hipwood Priya Yadav Vinit Nijhawan (he/him) Stacy Swider Myron Kassaraba Sienna Leis Whitney Leslie Yan Wang #cleanenergy #climatetech

Join us tomorrow for an informational webinar to learn more about the Founders School! During this hour, we will be providing a preview of the Founders School pre-accelerator program and answering your questions about being a part of our initial cohort.    Whether you have questions about the application process, or want to get involved as a program mentor, coach or contributor, we invite you to join us for this interactive discussion. Tuesday, August 27 at 4:00 ET. Register at https://lnkd.in/eXV9ewg5. Charlie Hipwood Sienna Leis Priya Yadav Vinit Nijhawan (he/him) Stacy Swider Myron Kassaraba Whitney Leslie

Catalyst and DICES are two amazing programs for TRL 2-4 technologies! Our grantees have gone on to do incredibly well by establishing companies or by raising significant subsequent rounds of non dilutive and equity funding. We are looking for that next cohort who will follow in their footsteps! Apply before September 30th! Leslie Nash Marianna Miller Beth Zonis Jacqueline (Jackie) Firsty Trish Fleming Jon Weaver Chris Ilsley Kayla Goodale

Applications are now open for the Catalyst & DICES Grant Program, administered jointly by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and MassVentures. The program provides grants of up to $75,000 to researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of their climate technologies. All awardees also gain access to a vast network of partners, expert local market and policy insights, and mentoring from MassCEC and MassVentures, while all finalists receive complimentary pitch coaching and business mentoring. An informational webinar will be held September 4th 12:00pm ET. Register at https://lnkd.in/g8AkTan4 Application deadline is September 30th. Learn more and apply at https://lnkd.in/ex_a3S2Z Charlie Hipwood Priya Yadav Vinit Nijhawan (he/him) Stacy Swider Myron Kassaraba Sienna Leis Whitney Leslie Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) #cleanenergy #climatetech #innovation

Great opportunity to learn more about Generative AI. Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds, P.C. is hosting a free webinar this Thursday, August 22nd. Hear from a panel of experts who will actively discuss AI technology, including how open-source AI models are being engineered/generated, legal risks involved with leveraging generative AI systems, the advantages of scalable, domain-driven AI models, and many more important topics. Learn more and register for this event 👇

Ready to ignite your product innovation and design skills? 🌟 The Product & Design Track at #SBW2024 is your gateway to unleashing unparalleled creativity and impact on September 9th - 13th at Suffolk University (or virtually). Designed for #product managers, #designers, and builders of #software and #hardware in scaling #startups, this track is set to elevate your game. Check out the Product & Design action - and grab your FREE ticket - right here: https://lnkd.in/eJR2_qQr Learn from top-notch speakers including: 🔥 Ali Mahmoud, Principal, Glasswing Ventures 🔥 Dan Perrera, Head of Product Design, Goldcast 🔥 Emily Barden, Senior People Manager, Attensi 🔥 Shahid Azim, CEO & General Partner, C10 Labs 🔥 Shreyas Renganathan, Senior Electrical Engineer, Siemens Healthineers 🔥 Stacy Swider, VP Investments, MassVentures 🔥 Tristan Dwyer, Senior Product Designer, Microsoft

Microbes are everywhere: humans, animals, and soil. They work in concert to help with the production of food and medicines and support environmental health. Concerto Biosciences, an MIT Broad Institute spinout, examines the microbial world with unmatched experimental depth to discover breakthrough microbe-based products. Cofounders Cheri Ackerman, Jared Kehe and Bernardo Cervantes lead a dynamic team that is pioneering new approaches to microbiome health and bringing groundbreaking microbial products to the market. With its core platform, Concerto discovers and develops microbial ensembles using patented kChip technology. A singularly powerful and versatile technology, kChip leverages miniaturization and random self-assembly to construct and measure millions of defined microbial combinations simultaneously. The Concerto team analyzes the behavior of every community to learn which microbes, nutrients, and/or metabolites drive the functions required for the best product candidates. Concerto has in-house drug discovery programs and has co-discovery partners in biotech to unleash a new era of microbial research and a treasure trove of microbe-based products. In its first endeavor, Concerto constructed more than 6 million communities of skin-dwelling microbes to discover an eczema-alleviating “ensemble” of bacteria that pacifies pathogenic S. aureus. Concerto has since initiated discovery projects in a diversity of areas including women’s health, agriculture, and food. Because microbes affect human health and the world around us, Concerto is poised to drive innovation in both life sciences and climatetech. In June, they received FDA Investigational New Drug clearance to initiate a Phase 1, first-in-human trial of Ensemble No.2 (ENS-002), an investigational live biotherapeutic product (LBP) to treat atopic dermatitis (eczema). Concerto has come a long way in a few short years. MassVentures is thrilled to support their journey and looks forward to seeing what they create in their next “movement”. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/g5CYV8bK. Charlie Hipwood Vinit Nijhawan (he/him) Priya Yadav Stacy Swider Myron Kassaraba Sienna Leis Whitney Leslie

Are you looking to to join the MassVentures network as a part of our inaugural pre-accelerator program - The Founders School. Don’t miss out on our upcoming webinar tomorrow, where we’ll dive deep into what we are looking for in the first cohort. Tuesday, August 13th at 12pm ET. Register here: https://lnkd.in/exD-hptw If you are an early-stage founder seeking guidance in building your business in Massachusetts and succeeding as you kick off your early investment rounds, we want to meet you! All are welcome. Charlie Hipwood Sienna Leis Priya Yadav Vinit Nijhawan (he/him) Myron Kassaraba Stacy Swider Whitney Leslie

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Internship Program is now open for enrollment. This is a great program for #startups and students alike. Learn more about how to get involved below.

Congratulations florrent! We're excited to work with you towards a sustainable future and look forward to this next chapter.