Seed Clean Transportation Funders

AlphaLab is a nationally recognized startup accelerator based in Pittsburgh, supporting early-stage companies across software, hardware, life sciences, and robotics. Founded in 2008 and powered by Innovation Works, AlphaLab provides founders with capital, mentorship, and a structured program to accelerate growth. The platform operates multiple specialized tracks, including AlphaLab (software), AlphaLab Gear (hardware), AlphaLab Health (life sciences), and Robotics Factory, offering tailored support depending on the company’s sector. AlphaLab has played a key role in building Pittsburgh into a leading innovation hub, helping startups move from idea to scalable venture.

Congruent Ventures is a climate-focused venture capital firm that partners with early-stage entrepreneurs building transformative climate technology companies. With decades of climate tech investing experience, the firm supports founders who are innovating across atoms, bits, or business models to create solutions that do more with less. The firm focuses exclusively on North America-based teams and provides capital from formation stage through Series A, continuing to support portfolio companies as they scale. Congruent Ventures invests across multiple climate-related categories including mobility and urbanization, energy transition, and other decarbonization technologies, as demonstrated by their diverse portfolio and their 50 by 2050 initiative highlighting pioneering carbon reduction technologies.

New Energy Nexus is an international non-profit organization that supports clean energy entrepreneurs through funds, accelerators, and networks across the globe. With over two decades of experience, the organization has supported 1,700+ businesses and startups, engaged 11,500+ entrepreneurs, and mobilized $5.44 billion in funding. Operating in 48+ countries across multiple continents including the US, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Australia, Nigeria, Pakistan, UAE, and others, New Energy Nexus has distributed $107 million in grants, investments, loans, and vouchers. The organization takes a comprehensive approach to supporting clean energy ventures through four key pillars: Launch (bootcamps, hackathons, educational courses), Accelerate (accelerators, incubators, commercial partnerships), Fund (impact funds, grant programs, voucher programs, loan programs), and Connect (activities linking entrepreneurs with corporations, education institutions, civil society, and financial organizations). New Energy Nexus backs diverse entrepreneurs with the capital, skills, and global networks needed to build and scale climate solutions across sectors including renewable energy, energy efficiency, transportation, energy access, agriculture, and industrial applications.

Third Derivative is a global climate tech ecosystem founded by RMI and New Energy Nexus in December 2020. The organization builds an inclusive, collaborative platform that rapidly finds, funds, and scales climate tech innovation while transforming markets. Through a vast network of deep experts, corporate partners, and investors, Third Derivative accelerates the commercialization path for climate tech startups tackling emissions challenges across all sectors. The organization launched with 46 companies, the largest cohort of climate tech companies in the world at the time. Third Derivative bridges finance and resource gaps through its flexible, highly curated accelerator programs that enable startups to focus on their unique needs and opportunities, helping them go to market faster with breakthrough innovations.