At LACI, uplifting cleantech startups is at the core of our mission to build an inclusive green economy. Through our industry-leading Unlocking Innovation programs, we empower startups to accelerate the commercialization of clean technologies, secure funding and financing, access new customers and markets, test and pilot their solutions, and unlock their full business potential.
We’re thrilled to introduce the incredible founders and startups joining LACI’s ecosystem of portfolio companies through its Incubation program–currently in its 9th cycle! This recruitment cycle has been nothing short of inspiring, with a robust pipeline of LACI startups and groundbreaking technologies paving the way for a more inclusive and sustainable future.
Diversity and company stage of development shine as hallmarks of this group of companies. Our 9th Incubation Cohort boasts an inclusive composition of founders, with 40% of the 15 startups having women founders, 40% BIPOC-founded, and 27% with LGBTQ+ founders. We’ve sourced companies from across the United States and California to help them build and grow their presence in this critical market that represents one of the country’s largest business opportunities, while also supporting home-grown companies from the Los Angeles region.
I am also excited to have multiple founders who have joined the program mid-raise, focused on leveraging the LACI Incubation program by hitting the ground running. For startups further along in their development, the Incubation Program provides comprehensive support, including one-on-one coaching, funding connections and investment services, pilot opportunities, and access to state-of-the-art facilities. During this two-year program, participants first complete a 4-month curriculum focused on scaling their company through impact, financial literacy, and investor readiness, and then pivot toward focusing on customer acquisition through pilots.
This recruitment cycle also highlights key trends in climate-focused innovation. In this most recent Incubation cohort, clean energy leads the way with 60% of companies focused on this area, followed by zero-emissions transportation (27%) and circular economy solutions (13%). We have also seen an uptick in applications from companies specializing in a diverse set of technology foci–ranging from AI technologies for edge computing, to EV OEMs, to solar thermal concentrator modules, to firetech–reflecting a broader shift in the cleantech market and associated subsectors that indicates sectoral maturation and rapid advancement of enabling technologies. Each year, we review no less than 150+ applications from companies interested in joining LACI’s incubation program, which has been a fantastic source of in-house insight into evolutions in cleantech and associated subsectors over time.
By offering a suite of programs that are designed to guide startups through each stage of growth, LACI companies can progress from one program to the next, graduating to more advanced support as they scale their solutions. In this Incubation cohort, we have companies that have joined the program after starting with one of our earliest-stage program offerings, including Kiosk Mobile Utilities (formerly known as CHRGsystem), Thermal Smart Aerogel, and Aris Hydronics. This founder-focused, structured pathway ensures the strength of LACI’s programs is not only fostering innovation, but also creating a lasting ecosystem of support to help startups evolve from early-stage innovators to impactful, commercialized businesses.
Please join us in welcoming 15 new portfolio companies to LACI’s deeply connected community of changemakers. We are excited to support these visionary leaders as they develop bold solutions to today’s most pressing environmental challenges and work toward building a brighter, more sustainable future. Stay tuned for their inspiring progress and achievements!
Interested in learning more about how you can support our portfolio companies? Reach out to our Director of Incubation Services, Molly Crete, at molly@laincubator.org to hear more!
Incubation Cohort 9:
Aris Hydronics
Website: http://www.arishydronics.com
Aris Hydronics is a revolution in green HVAC providing hot water, heating and cooling with one low cost replacement for all your gas burning appliances.
Atrium Energy
Website: https://save.energy
Atrium Energy brings 30-40% OpEx savings and emissions reductions to small & medium commercial real estate portfolios (over 3 million US buildings) through innovative energy and water solutions. Our AI-based collaborative platform unlocks this large market for vetted local solution providers who implement these solutions.
BlueUrbn
Website: https://www.blueurbn.com/
BlueUrbn is a marketplace with tools leveraging AI and physics to streamline the process of discovering high ROI energy optimization projects, finding financing and policy incentives, and connecting with vetted vendors.
ChargeWonder
Website: https://www.chargewonder.com/
ChargeWonder optimizes the ads that EV drivers see across surfaces — apps, charger displays, vehicle infotainment systems —while they’re “captive” at charging stations for 30-90 minutes, sitting just steps away from retail and restaurant experiences. We’re on a mission to help charge point operators earn the ancillary revenue needed to achieve breakeven or positive ROI on their station installation, which they often cannot achieve from charging fees alone, and encourage these operators to keep opening more (profitable) stations.
Kiosk Mobile Utilities (formerly known as CHRGsystem)
Website: www.hello-kiosk.com/
Sustainable film production supplier providing zero-emissions transportation and charging, renewable power, responsible resource management, and emissions data reporting at an affordable price.
Cryo X Co
Website: www.cryox.co
Cryo X Co makes self-cooling paint which reduces surface temperatures 15 ℉ below air temperatures in direct sunlight, without electricity. Designed for automotive and industrial use, CryoPaint helps customers save energy, improve performance, and combat extreme heat.
Dashboard.Earth
Website: https://www.dashboard.earth/
Dashboard.Earth is a transformative platform empowering individuals to take impactful, local climate actions. Through our app, users connect with city-specific climate goals and earn rewards for measurable outcomes.
Lola Vision Systems
Website: https://lolavisionsystems.com/
Lola Vision Systems (LVS) is a cutting-edge semiconductor company developing high-performance AI chiplets specifically designed for autonomous systems, targeting critical industries like automotive, aerospace, and defense. Our innovative technology aims to revolutionize the way we power and control intelligent vehicles and systems.
Pando Electric
Website: pandoelectric.com
Pando Electric provides multifamily EV charging and energy management solution. Our in-house designed hardware, adaptive load management software, and the Open Grid ecosystem make it the best solution for buildings.
SkyThermal
Website: www.skythermal.com
SkyThermal is dedicated to rapidly decarbonizing industrial heat through the development and deployment of enclosed tracking solar thermal concentrators.
Strut
Website: https://strut.fun/
Strut builds electric cars and trucks that fully charge in under 10 hours on any outlet, optimized for day-to-day trips of 10 miles or less—yet with enough range to go much farther when needed. We believe that “Local EVs” represent the most important emerging vehicle category.
Thermal Smart Aerogel
Website: thermal-smart.com
Thermal Smart Aerogel Inc. specializes in utilizing aerogel insulation technology to create advanced fire-control solutions that mitigate the risks of battery thermal runaway. Committed to safety, environmental responsibility, and operational efficiency, we aim to safeguard the logistics chain, surrounding communities, and emergency response teams from battery-related fire hazards.
Uplift
Website: https://upliftsolar.com
Solar Pavers are a much needed complement to rooftop solar for buildings that want solar, or have to have solar due to the California solar mandate. Now patios, walkways, and plazas can be cost-effectively turned into energy-generation for buildings and homes. Based on our issued patents, our pavers capture more energy and are easy/safe to install compared to regular solar panels on a roof.
WHISPER Energy
Website: www.whisperenergy.io
WHISPER Energy is a wireless, battery-free sensor platform that uses machine learning to reduce energy consumption and waste by 30% or more. Our sensor platform is crucial to advancing the circular economy, clean energy, and zero emissions by economically providing real-time data and optimizing energy use, leading to greater efficiency and reduced emissions.
WattsUp
Website: https://wattsupev.io/
WattsUp addresses the #1 obstacle to EV adoption by reducing charger downtime with our predictive maintenance software solution. We utilize proprietary machine learning algorithms to provide predictive insights about charger health, and then leverage these insights to proactively allocate resources, pair technicians to chargers, increase first time fix rates, and automate the charger operations workflow, dramatically reducing charger downtime.
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