The Carbon to Value Initiative Year 5

The Carbon to Value Initiative (C2V) is a unique partnership among the Urban Future Lab at New York University-Tandon, Greentown Labs, and Fraunhofer USA. The C2V Initiative is supported by members of the Carbontech Leadership Council (CLC).

Year 5 of the C2V Initiative’s global partnership accelerator program brings exclusive access to industry leaders and nonprofit experts who are shaping the carbontech marketplace of tomorrow. Startups selected to participate in the program will have the opportunity to engage with the CLC, an invitation-only group of executive leaders across diverse industry sectors driving the future of carbontech. Startups will gain market insights and explore collaboration opportunities with CLC members to unlock this trillion-dollar market. Specifically, startups will have the opportunity to hear firsthand from CLC members about their carbontech strategies, present to them directly, and benefit from expert advice and industry knowledge from within the participating corporations. Cohort startups will also gain access to the C2V Initiative’s extended network of startup alumni, investors, government funders, and ecosystem supporters, allowing them to overcome their specific barriers and significantly raise their visibility profile in the carbon-management industry.

Please review the Request for Applications and Applicant FAQ for more information, and feel free to reach out to Dominick Protomastro, dprotomastro@greentownlabs.com with any questions.

You will find more easy to access details below.

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Program Benefits for Startups:

• Participation in a six-month accelerator program, including customized programming to help startups bridge the gap between the technology development challenges of today and the carbontech markets of tomorrow
• Collaboration opportunities and structured, de-risked relationship building with the C2V Initiative’s CLC, a group comprised of industry-leading multinational corporations from diverse industries. Current CLC members include L'Oréal, Carbon180, Caterpillar, CO2 Value Europe, Consulate General of Canada in New York, Energy Impact Partners, Evonik, Fluor, Gore, Johnson Matthey, Shell, TotalEnergies, Veolia, and XPRIZE
• Access to the C2V Initiative’s rich network, including high-quality, experienced mentors; and resources from the Urban Future Lab, Greentown Labs, and Fraunhofer networks, including membership at one or both of the Greentown and UFL incubators for the duration of the program
• A $10,000 stipend per selected startup to support their participation in the accelerator

Program Scope:

• Carbon Conversion to Added-Value Products, such as CO2 to fuels (e.g. SAF/e-fuels), CO2 to chemicals (e.g. higher carbon products such as C4+), biomass and/or other carbon-rich waste to value (e.g., gasification, fermentation, pyrolysis), carbon mineralization (e.g. to building products, carbonates, fertilizers)
• Carbon Capture, such as point source capture (e.g. from energy and process emissions, etc.), direct air capture (DAC), gas-separation technologies (e.g. purification, biogas upgrading)
• Carbon Sequestration and Removal (CDR), such as biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) (e.g. waste biomass, biochar, biomass sinking and burial), enhanced mineralization and ocean alkalinization, nature-based solutions (e.g. soil, forest, ocean)
• Enabling Technologies, including Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) (e.g. remote sensing, IOT/sensors, predictive MRV, continuous emissions monitoring, blockchain, isotopic tracing) and credit verification (e.g. automated reporting/reporting connectivity, verification protocols, real-time credits, next-gen credits)

Not in scope:

• Enabling technologies that solely focus on carbon marketplaces, registries, financing, and insurance, although critical to the industry, are not in scope for this year
• Previously established direct CO2 uses, such as enhanced oil recovery (EOR), are not in scope

Stage:

• Technological Maturity: TRL 4-7, i.e. validated in a laboratory environment
• Commercial Maturity: actively investigating product-market fit and seeking partnerships. There is no minimum or maximum public/private funding limit

Geography:

• Applicants may apply from anywhere in the world
• Events will take place both in-person in New York City, Boston, Houston, and virtually (see RFA for more info)
• A $10,000 stipend will be given to each selected startup to help cover expenses associated with travel and any other program activities