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All investor lists > Incubators & Accelerators,Climate
Browse OpenVC's list of accelerators and incubators supporting climate tech startups. Find programs offering capital, mentorship, and network access to help you scale.
Last update: August 23, 2026
List author: Devon Wood
Shortlist investors, submit pitch decks, and get replies
Use code "OpenVC". Conditions apply.
Building a company in the environmental sector is notoriously difficult. Climate Tech startups require significant capital, specialized hardware expertise, and long development timelines. Software companies can iterate their product over a weekend. Physical supply chains and deep tech innovations take years to refine. You need investors who are willing to support long research cycles and complex regulatory approvals.
Finding the right program matters immensely for your survival. Aligning with investors who understand physical prototypes and heavy industry dynamics will save you from partnered misalignment down the road. You need backers with the patience, networks, and technical background to support your growth. Connecting with generalist investors often leads to wasted time explaining basic industry mechanics.
This post provides a curated list of the top 10 climate tech accelerators and incubators. We also provide a practical framework for managing the investor outreach process. You will learn how to organize your pipeline and track interactions efficiently.
Getting accepted into these programs requires strong traction and a clear value proposition. You must prove your technology works and demonstrate a viable path to commercialization. Here are the top organizations backing early-stage climate founders.
HQ: Mountain View, CA (with global remote participation) Focus: General tech with a growing dedicated climate cohort Portfolio: Pachama, Heimdal Link: Y Combinator
Y Combinator is widely known for backing consumer and enterprise software giants. Over the past few years, the firm has heavily expanded its focus to support climate tech founders. The program provides unparalleled signaling power to future investors. Getting accepted into Y Combinator immediately validates your technical approach and business model. They offer standard, founder-friendly deal terms and a massive network of successful alumni. These alumni have navigated the exact same hardware bottlenecks and scaling challenges you are facing right now. For founders needing rapid market validation and access to a massive global investor base, this program remains a top-tier choice.
HQ: Somerville, MA Focus: Clean energy, environmental sectors, hardware resources Portfolio: Over 500 alumni including newly added Q4 startups Link: Greentown Labs
Hardware requires physical space, and prototyping physical products takes specialized equipment. Greentown Labs offers a massive facility in Massachusetts built specifically for physical product development. Climate Tech startups get access to machine shops, wet labs, and testing equipment. The value here goes far beyond a financial investment. You gain access to a community of hundreds of founders building physical products in the clean energy space. They understand the nuances of manufacturing, supply chain delays, and hardware iteration. Corporate partnerships are a major component of this incubator, giving founders a direct path to secure pilot projects.
HQ: Boulder, CO Focus: Deep-tech climate solutions, carbon removal, heavy industry Portfolio: Antora Energy, Summit Nanotech Link: Third Derivative
Third Derivative takes a highly integrated approach to the climate crisis. The accelerator connects startups directly with committed corporate partners and committed venture capital funds. This ecosystem approach helps founders bypass the traditional, slow pilot-project phase. They focus heavily on deep-tech solutions, carbon removal technologies, and heavy industry decarbonization. If your startup requires massive infrastructure changes or deals with complex industrial processes, Third Derivative offers the right environment. Their mentors understand the regulatory hurdles and massive capital requirements needed to deploy these technologies at scale.
HQ: San Francisco, CA & New York, NY Focus: Climate Tech, AgTech, SynBio, advanced materials Portfolio: Carbix, Upside Foods Link: IndieBio
IndieBio focuses on companies using biology to solve global challenges. If your startup operates in the agricultural technology space or synthetic biology, this accelerator is an ideal target. IndieBio provides significant funding upfront, alongside dedicated laboratory space in either San Francisco or New York. Founders receive intensive scientific and business mentorship. The program is famous for helping scientists transition into capable startup CEOs. They help teams refine their technical milestones and build commercialization strategies that appeal to venture capitalists. The portfolio includes category-defining companies in alternative proteins and advanced sustainable materials.
HQ: Boulder, CO (and regional hubs like Alabama) Focus: Grid tech, carbon capture, water treatment Portfolio: Hundreds of early-stage energy founders Link: Techstars
Techstars runs a highly structured, mentor-driven program across multiple global locations. Their dedicated EnergyTech and Sustainability cohorts provide deep industry access. The program is famous for its intensive mentorship model, bringing in experienced executives and investors to challenge your assumptions. Techstars provides a standard investment package and access to a lifelong alumni network. Founders building solutions for grid technology, carbon capture, or water treatment will find highly relevant mentors here. The regional hubs, like the Alabama energy program, often partner with local utility companies to give founders a clear path to early customer acquisition.
HQ: Sunnyvale, CA Focus: Energy, smart grid, sustainable materials Portfolio: Global corporate partner network Link: Plug and Play Tech Center
Corporate partnerships are the lifeblood of many cleantech accelerators and incubators. Plug and Play Tech Center excels at connecting early-stage startups with massive corporate entities. They operate as a global innovation platform. Instead of a traditional cohort model, they focus on facilitating direct pilot projects and proof-of-concept agreements. If your goal is to secure enterprise contracts with energy giants or massive consumer brands, Plug and Play provides the introductions. They invest across multiple stages and offer specialized programs for energy, smart grids, and sustainable materials.
HQ: Snowmass Village, CO Focus: Data-driven solutions for climate challenges, grid decarbonization Portfolio: 36+ investments in the new energy economy Link: VoLo Earth Ventures
VoLo Earth Ventures provides first-in funding and hands-on leadership to companies unlocking the new energy economy. They look for data-driven solutions that address major climate challenges. The firm heavily targets grid decarbonization and scalable environmental technologies. The team brings deep operational experience in energy markets and project finance. This expertise is crucial for founders who need help structuring complex financial models for energy assets. They take an active role in helping portfolio companies secure follow-on capital and navigate the shifting landscape of climate regulations.
HQ: Golden, CO Focus: Power electronics, energy storage, circular manufacturing Portfolio: Clean energy innovators backed by NREL Link: Shell GameChanger Accelerator (GCxN)
The Shell GameChanger Accelerator is powered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This partnership provides startups with unparalleled access to world-class testing facilities and scientific validation. The program targets companies working on power electronics, advanced energy storage, and circular manufacturing. Getting accepted into GCxN signals to the market that your technology is scientifically sound. The program provides non-dilutive funding to help founders de-risk their core technology. This is an excellent option for founders who need rigorous technical validation before approaching traditional venture capital firms.
HQ: New York, NY Focus: Cleantech, urban infrastructure, green economy Portfolio: Startups focused on city-level climate adaptation Link: Urban Future Lab
Cities are the frontline for climate adaptation and infrastructure upgrades. The Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon is New York City's premier cleantech incubator. They run the ACRE program, which supports founders building solutions for the green economy and urban environments. Startups in this incubator gain access to a deep network of policy makers, utility operators, and real estate developers. If your product requires navigating municipal regulations or integrating into existing city infrastructure, Urban Future Lab provides the necessary guidance. They have a strong track record of helping companies secure government grants and early municipal contracts.
HQ: Chicago, IL (Virtual-first) Focus: Circular economy, renewables, food systems Portfolio: Early-stage environmental tech founders Link: gener8tor
The gener8tor Sustainability accelerator is a highly selective program that invests in early-stage environmental tech founders. The program operates with a virtual-first model, making it accessible to founders outside major tech hubs. They focus heavily on the circular economy, renewable energy systems, and sustainable food production. gener8tor provides a concierge-style accelerator experience. They limit cohort sizes to ensure every founder receives dedicated attention from the managing directors. The program emphasizes investor readiness, helping founders build robust data rooms and refine their pitches before engaging with a broader network of venture capitalists.
Finding the right investors requires continuous research. You must look beyond generic lists to find highly specific capital partners who understand your exact market niche. Broad investor lists often lead to wasted outreach and low conversion rates. You need to target firms that actively deploy capital into your specific sub-sector.
These additional investor lists from OpenVC are great places to continue your search:
Fundraising for a climate startup requires serious organization. You need to identify the right targets, track your conversations, and know exactly how investors are interacting with your materials. Relying on messy spreadsheets will inevitably lead to dropped follow-ups and missed opportunities.
Here is how OpenVC helps founders run a tighter, more structured process:
Browse the Investor Database: You can filter thousands of verified investors using the OpenVC Investor Database. Search by stage, check size, and specific industries like cleantech. This eliminates the guesswork and helps you build a highly relevant shortlist of targets.
Manage your pipeline with the Fundraising CRM: Once you have your shortlist, you can move those investors into the OpenVC Fundraising CRM. This tool allows you to manage your outreach and follow-ups centrally. You can assign tasks to your co-founders, log meeting notes, and keep your entire raise organized in one dedicated workspace.
Share your materials using Pitch Deck Tracking: When you are ready to reach out, use our Pitch Deck Tracking tool. You can send unique links to your target climate tech incubators and venture firms. The platform gives you AI feedback before you hit send. You also get real-time analytics showing exactly which slides investors read and how much time they spent on your deck.
Securing funding in the environmental sector demands a tight process and a highly targeted list of partners. You are asking investors to back complex technologies with long horizons. You must present your company with professionalism and rigorous organization.
Stop tracking investor replies in broken spreadsheets. Find the right capital partners and run your raise with structure.
Start for free on OpenVC today.
Save investors, manage outreach, and run your fundraising in one platform.
OpenVC is a free startup fundraising platform that helps founders find the right investors and manage their entire raise. Search 20,000+ verified investors, including venture capitalists, angel investors, family offices, accelerators, and more. Build your target list, send your pitch deck, and track your pipeline all in one place.
Founders raise with OpenVC because it is designed to cut through the noise and get founders in front of the right investors, fast. With built-in tools for CRM, analytics, and warm intros, it helps you stay organized and improve your chances of getting a reply.
OpenVC is for early-stage startup founders who want to raise capital efficiently. Find investors from dozens of industries including SaaS, AI, fintech, biotech, and more. Whether you’re pre-seed, seed, or Series A, OpenVC helps you find and pitch aligned investors without paying intro fees, aimlessly cold-emailing, or scraping databases.
To start pitching investors on OpenVC, create a free account and submit your pitch deck directly through our startup funding platform. Investors receive a unique link to view your deck, and you get analytics on who opens it and how long they spend on it. No cold emails, no guesswork. For more info, check out our complete guide to fundraising on OpenVC.
Absolutely, OpenVC is designed for early-stage fundraising. You’ll find thousands of angel investors, pre-seed VCs, accelerators, incubators, and family offices who are actively backing startups across sectors and geographies. Use OpenVC’s filters to narrow your search and find the right investors for your startup.
Some examples of startups that successfully secured funding through OpenVC include Mobly (2.5M seed), Paxum ($1.2M seed), and Laennec AI ($400k pre-seed). OpenVC startups have gone on to raise more than $1 billion from top venture capital firms like YC, Sequoia, Google Ventures, and M12.
OpenVC was created by Stephane Nasser and Lucas Roquilly—two founders building tools to make startup fundraising more transparent and accessible. We launched OpenVC to help founders find investors, get replies, and raise smarter. The platform is bootstrapped, community-driven, and built with a lot of heart.
To find investors for a startup, begin by narrowing down the types of investors that align with your stage, industry, and traction, whether that’s angels, pre-seed VCs, or incubators. Startup investors typically look for fit across market, timing, and founder expertise, so it’s important to be targeted rather than spray-and-pray. Networking through warm intros, pitch events, and alumni networks can help, but these opportunities are slow and inconsistent.
If you’re wondering where to find investors for your startup more efficiently, OpenVC gives you access to a database of 20,000+ startup investors you can filter by stage, sector, geography, and more. It’s fast, free, and built specifically to help founders find investors streamline their raise.
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