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Training early-stage cleantech startups through our annual business accelerator.
Entrepreneurship & Commercialization
By cultivating a strong climatetech innovation community and cultivating investor connections, the annual five-and-a-half-month accelerator supports organizations developing new technologies critical to modernizing the grid and drawing down atmospheric carbon.
Core Programming
We offer a rich program of customer discovery, foundation business skills training, extensive mentoring, investor matching, and showcasing at both the regional and national levels to prepare startups for commercialization.
Impact
Our innovation programs, Cleantech Open Northeast and Navigate, have helped over 800 startups raise $4B+ and created 6000+ jobs.
CriticalMass builds on the momentum of MassCEC’s legacy Tech-to-Market programs by providing funding,and specialized support services—including access toscaling partners—to support climatetech startups asthey expand from pilot projects to commercial deployments.
ACT is the Support Service Advisor to MassCEC for the Criticalmass program. Our role is to help the companies awarded by MassCEC build strong relationships with their project partners, identify new partners and provide expert guidance.
Support
CriticalMass provides up to $1M in funding, access to a support service advisor & experts in residence, exclusive webinars and events, as well as dedicated matchmaking with deployment partners.
Application Period
We conduct an annual solicitation for organizations interested in joining CriticalMass. During this solicitation process, organizations complete a competitive two-step application review process to determine if they are a good fit for CriticalMass.
Eligibility
CriticalMass is open to all US-based startups with Massachusetts-based projects. A pilot project serving as proof of concept must be completed for eligibility. Applicant organizations that have raised $4-25M in seed funding, have 10-50 employees, and have high ARL are generally strong candidates.
Collaborate with large companies investors to help your startup grow, access guidance on driving successful businesses, & join a diverse network extending across the US, Canada & Europe.
Applications re-open Spring 2025
Become an investor to connect with groundbreaking startups to engage, network, & partner to help grow the climate economy.
InvestorWe help our sponsors establish positive connections and gain visibility with the businesses and innovators building a world-class climate economy hub in the Northeast.
SponsorsIndustry members are invited to join one or more Ecosystem Groups and participate in ad hoc projects to develop public comments or help work through policy challenges.
Through Strategic Partner Networks, Ecosystem Groups bring together leaders quarterly to explore open innovation, emerging technologies, and forces disrupting the clean energy landscape. These groups serve as dedicated platforms for forming strategic clean energy relationships. Within these SPNs, members collaborate to identify new market opportunities, develop key partnerships and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.
Market Development
Networks accessible to industry members help established corporations form partnerships with early-stage companies and clean energy ventures to find opportunities to innovate, collaborate and expand their businesses.
Influencing Policy
Convening ecosystem groups regularly helps industry leaders and innovators better understand market needs and collectively advocate for reforms in Massachusetts that make climate tech more competitive.
Fostering Collaboration
Energy players that operate without engaging with peer networks risk undermining one another’s progress when there is ample opportunity to collaborate. Ecosystem groups create the space to spark these important conversations.
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