Insights on Google’s accelerator program for climate startups

Matt explains that Google is committed to improving the lives of as many people as possible by leveraging the power of technology, highlighting the company’s efforts to tackle climate change. To support high-potential climate tech startups, Google has launched its third climate tech accelerator, which is a 10-week digital program for climate and sustainability startups, specifically those that are using or have the potential to use artificial intelligence or machine learning in their technology. These companies should be in the Seed to Series A stage and have at least five employees. The program is currently focused on North American startups, but there is a separate program for European startups.

The accelerator includes programming in user experience, product design, tech, cloud, machine learning, growth, sales, marketing, and leadership. It is equity free and does not require startups to give any ownership in their company to participate. Google offers expert mentorship, internal routing to connect startups with helpful teams, and $200,000 in Google Cloud Credits. The program culminates in a virtual demo day to present to partners and investors.

Applications are open until January 19, 2023, and link can be found below.

The impact of Google’s previous climate accelerators & lessons learned

Google’s accelerator program has graduated 22 companies so far, which have collectively raised $120 million since participating in the program over the past 18 months. These companies have had a 100% survival rate and a combined portfolio valuation of over $200 million. Some examples of successful companies from the program include Charge Net Stations, which developed fast-charging stations for electric vehicles and partnered with taco chain Taco Bell to install their first charging station, and ChargerHelp, which provides maintenance for electric vehicle charging stations and formed a partnership with Tesla.

Google is placing a strong emphasis on mentorship in its accelerator program, believing that providing bespoke custom mentorship to startups leads to the best outcomes. The company is also looking to make its tech week more immersive and tailored for the engineering teams of participating startups, as well as finding ways to build community through in-person events and shared experiences. These efforts are in response to feedback from startup founders, who prioritize in-person interaction and community building. In the past, Google has hosted events such as Demo Day watch parties (inspired by OpenIDEO) and invited startups to events like TechCrunch Disrupt. The company is looking for new ways to foster community building among its participating startups.

Insights on CSAA’s open innovation challenge for addressing the climate crisis

Jami shares that CSAA is excited to work with IDEO to address the issue of climate change. As an insurance agency, CSAA wants to respond to the climate crisis with a sense of urgency and lead by example. CSAA sees its customers on some of their worst days, during natural disasters, and wants to invest in solutions that protect vulnerable communities from climate change-related events, particularly wildfires. CSAA is seeking organizations to join them in growing the prize pool for this open innovation challenge, in order to generate more ideas and have a greater impact. The challenge is part of CSAA’s mission to build a community of service rooted in inclusion and belonging. This challenge will be the first of its kind for CSAA.

Why climate change matters to insurance providers

Natural disasters and the impacts of climate change are being increasingly felt every year. Jami explains how the insurance industry is at the forefront of this. The US alone experiences climate change disasters causing $120 billion in damage annually, and that figure is expected to reach $2 trillion by the end of the century. CSAA’s purpose is to help people prevent, prepare for, and recover from life’s uncertainties, and climate change is one of the biggest uncertainties currently being faced.

Predictions for the climate space in 2023

Jami resonates with the message that every person can do climate work in their position and is looking to distill this across CSAA in 2023. There is a lot of momentum heading into the new year, with action at the local level, the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act, and increased transparency around corporate goals and targets. The focus will shift from ambition to action, with a focus on achieving the many climate plans and goals that have been set. She also expects a lot of innovation in the climate space, particularly in the areas of carbage storage solutions, circular economy, and green energy transition. Jami encourages any interested companies or organizations to get in touch with Jason or herself to participate in the innovation challenge and contribute to the progress being made at CSAA.

In 2023, Matt predicts that climate tech will see deeper integration of AI and machine learning, leading to more scalable, responsive, and impactful solutions. He also hopes to see more storytelling and inspiration about the human side of climate change, as it is a key issue that affects people and particularly the poorest among us.

Resources Mentioned

• Google for Startups Accelerator: Climate Change
• IDEO x CSAA Open Innovation Challenge – Partner Interest Form
• CSAA
• IDEO
• Charge Net Stations
• Chargerhelp
• TechCrunch Disrupt

Connect with Matt Ridenour & Jami Goldman

• Connect with Matt on LinkedIn
• Connect with Jami on LinkedIn

Connect with Jason Rissman

• On LinkedIn
• On Twitter

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