Massachusetts Clean Energy Accelerators

Accelerators aim to “accelerate” the life cycle of young innovative companies. Start-up accelerators support early-stage companies by providing access to mentors, investors, corporate partners, and customers through organized events and workshops. Start-ups typically enter accelerators on a competitive basis for a fixed period of time as a cohort of companies. Companies will work through specific pain points and milestones, such as the customer discovery process and pitch development. The programs typically run for 3-6 months and culminate in a public pitch event or demo day where start-ups have the opportunity to win cash or in-kind prizes.

If you are a clean energy start-up looking for an accelerator program, review the accelerators featured on this page to find the best fit for your clean energy business. For additional resources, review MassCEC's webpage on Incubators and Business Resources for start-up companies. 

If you are an accelerator that supports clean energy start-ups, visit the Accelerator Funding Webpage to learn about MassCEC's funding program for accelerator operations, management, and clean energy scholarships. 

Cleantech Open Northeast (Boston/Northeast Region) – Cleantech Open Northeast is the regional branch of the US-wide Cleantech Open Start-up accelerator program, with the mission to find, fund, and foster entrepreneurs with ideas to solve our greatest environmental and energy challenges. Its annual program uses mentoring, training and coaching to connect cleantech start-ups with the resources that will accelerate its successes, as well as a national platform for media and public visibility. Cleantech Open Northeast has over 400 alumni companies.  

MassChallenge (Boston/Global) - MassChallenge is a not-for-profit organization that runs an annual accelerator program and start-up competition, documenting and organizing key resources, and organizing training and networking events. MassChallenge aims to promote innovation, collaboration and commercialization, address the seed-stage investment gap, provide educational opportunities for entrepreneurs, and showcase entrepreneurship assets and infrastructure locally and nationally. Accelerator programs are run in Boston, London, Jerusalem, Lausanne and Mexico City. Globally, MassChallenge has over 2,400 alumni start-ups.

Venture Well (Hadley, MA) - VentureWell is a higher education network that cultivates revolutionary ideas and promising inventions. VentureWell helps to cultivate skills and creativity to bring new ideas to the market, often it is first to validate, support and guide an idea with potential.

The ASPIRE program (Hadley, MA) - Accelerating Start-up Partnership and Investment Readiness) provides training and support to early stage science and technology start-up companies. Produced in partnership with incubators, ASPIRE is a series of experimental, concise, sector-specific workshops that prepare high-potential, emerging companies for investment and critical partnerships.

Valley Venture Mentors (Springfield, MA) - Valley Venture Mentors is building, supporting, and maintaining a community to launch an entrepreneurial renaissance. VVM offers a way to connect start-ups with the right business executive mentors in the industry in an effort to help these start-up entrepreneurs move their companies forward.