Techstars Sustainability Accelerator
Now, More Than Ever, We Need Technology to Help Solve Our Food, Water, and Climate Challenges
With time running short in this critical decade for our planet, we at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) recognize how imperative it is to find innovative methods and technologies to rapidly scale our solutions for nature. With this in mind, we are putting our call out to innovators, entrepreneurs, creatives, and technologists from all areas of the globe representing diverse backgrounds and ideas, who are looking to help save the world.
For the third year, we are seeking all for-profit tech start-ups aiming to help solve our food, water, and climate challenges for our next Techstars Sustainability Accelerator in Partnership with TNC that kicks off this fall in Boulder, Colorado. Ten startups will be selected for the accelerator program and will each receive seed funding up to $120k, plus exposure to TNC's global footprint of programs, projects and partners, and Techstars’ extensive network of 10,000+ mentors. Applications are open now through May 12th.
We invite all of you to please help us find these entrepreneurs and share this call for applicants to your networks. If you are an entrepreneur or innovator with a commercially viable technology solving the top threats to nature (listed below), please apply or reach out and talk to our team.
Interested in the 2021 Sustainability Accelerator?
Techstars Sustainability Accelerator in partnership with The Nature Conservancy
Application period: February 22nd, 2021 – May 12th, 2021
Accelerator runs: September 13th, 2021 – December 9th, 2021
Location: Boulder, CO
We Are Looking For Companies Solving These Problems:
We are focused on investing in companies that can make a material contribution to building a world where people and nature thrive. By solving the top threats to nature, we can also improve the lives of millions of people.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate Change Mitigation
- Carbon Sequestration, Carbon Measurement and Market Validation, Precision Forestry, Sustainable Timber, Reforestation
- Carbon risk analysis, scenario planning tools & cross-sector innovation
Climate Change Adaptation
- Advance nature-based solutions to lessen climate impacts (drought/flooding) (examples of nature-based solutions include: wetland conservation, open space protection, dam removal, groundwater infiltration, living shorelines) with technologies such as innovative insurance and finance models, remote sensing, and spatial planning.
HEALTHY OCEANS, FRESHWATER & LAND
Protect Land and Water
Technology that unlocks conservation investment in land and ocean protection, coastal restoration, expand community-led conservation, protect oceans, protect water at its source, build ‘zero-deforestation’ supply chains
Energy and Infrastructure
Technology to improve energy siting, land-use planning and development, renewable energy planning, mitigation mapping, build a model of sustainable energy development, and inform smart infrastructure decision-making
Indigenous People and Local Communities
Technology that facilitates community-based natural resource management, multi-stakeholder engagement, sustainable economic development for local communities and indigenous peoples
Increase climate change-resilience
Knowledge-sharing & policy advocacy
Sustainable Agriculture
Soil health and nutrients, zero-deforestation supply chains, sustainable yield increases, precision irrigation and fertilization, nutrient runoff monitoring, sustainable grazing, carbon capture, microclimate sensing
Rethink agricultural practices
Sustainable Fisheries
Catch monitoring, bycatch exclusion, supply chain transparency, vessel tracking, automated stock assessment, improve fishery health
Technology to support sustainable aquaculture such as monitoring systems, ecologically restorative business models, siting technologies, feed innovations,off-shore / open-ocean systems
Water Security
Water Funds and Markets; Watershed-scale sensing, flow measurements, sensor connectivity, usage mapping technology, aggregating water data, groundwater recharge, fintech companies that assist in the arbitrage of water use/allocation
CROSS-CUTTING TECHNOLOGY
Technologies that catalyze transformational change to achieve a world where people and nature thrive (see adjacent figure).
Planetary Telemetry
Tools that increase our understanding of/ monitor/ improve - ecosystem services, pollution, and natural resource use (Remote Sensing, GIS, Sensors/Hardware)
Tools that aggregate/ analyze/ visualize/ digitize data
Influence Decision Makers
Tools that better inform Natural Resource Managers (farmers/fisherman/industry etc)
Influence policymakers and business leaders
Innovative finance and funding mechanisms that
incentivize decisions to improve planetary health
Interested in applying? We're here to help!
If you are interested in applying to the 2021 Accelerator, reach out with questions.