What is Climatetech?

Climatetech encompasses a range of technologies that address the challenges of climate change, including both mitigation and resilience technologies.

• Mitigation technologies can be understood as a subset of cleantech – technologies that reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions across all economic sectors, including electricity, buildings, transportation, food, agriculture, manufacturing, and more.
• Resilience technologies prepare people, communities, and infrastructure for the impacts of climate change, including cooling systems, solutions against fires, floods, other natural disasters, heat-resistant crops, and more.

Two Ecosystems: Boston and New York

The fall 2024 edition of Climate Collider will bring a cohort of Swiss startups to Boston and New York, two leading climatetech hubs in the US:

• Boston | Boston’s climatetech ecosystem is anchored by its renowned research universities, which have spun off numerous groundbreaking clean energy companies. Among these are Form Energy, developing low-cost, long-term battery storage solutions, and Commonwealth Fusion Systems, the leading commercial fusion startup, based in nearby Danvers, Massachusetts. The area also hosts the world’s largest climatetech incubator, Greentown Labs, and a wide range of organizations and initiatives pushing innovation in the field, such as Activate, the Northeast Clean Energy Council, and the MIT Climate and Energy Prize.
• New York | New York has its own climate momentum with various incubators and accelerators in the field, the world’s biggest climate event, Climate Week NYC, as well as new climate-friendly policies. Passed in 2019 as part of the Climate Mobilization Act, Local Law 97 is expected to reduce cumulative emissions from large buildings at least 40% citywide by 2030 through retrofits – a major boost in the drive to decarbonize the city’s building stock. Climate legislation passed in 2022 also accelerates the phase out of dirty fuel oils in buildings and mandates electrical vehicle chargers to be included in many parking lots in the city.

Program Structure and Dates

The program will take place from September 18 to 27, 2024:

Part 1 | Boston Week |  September 16–20, 2024

• Peer learning, training, and expert feedback
• Networking events and immersion into the local climatetech ecosystem

Part 2 | New York Week | September 23–27, 2024

• Participation in Climate Week NYC
• Networking and pitch events

The program will kick off with an event in Switzerland during which Swiss participants will get an introduction to the climatetech market in the US and beyond and the opportunity to connect with each other, program alumni, and global energy experts.

Who Can Apply?

To be eligible to join the Climate Collider cohort, Swiss startups must fulfill the following criteria:

• Climatetech solution from any sector with high market potential and scalability
• Headquartered in Switzerland
• Participating in Innosuisse Start-up Coaching (note that startups can apply in parallel to Climate Collider and Innosuisse’s Initial Coaching program)

Startups joining the Climate Collider cohort must be available for all sessions in the program – please note the dates!

Participating startups are eligible to receive a stipend for their travel to Boston and New York.

How to Apply?

The application process consists of a written application as well as a 30-minute interview. Once you have submitted your written application, we will contact you to schedule an interview.

If you have questions before submitting your application, the interview may also be requested beforehand. Please note that both the written application and the interview must be completed by June 23, 2024. You will be notified by early August if you have been accepted to participate in the program.

In order for your application to be considered, you must be enrolled in Innosuisse Startup Coaching.

• If you are not already enrolled in the Innosuisse Startup Coaching program, please apply as soon as possible, as acceptance may take 4-6 weeks. If you are not approved for Innosuisse Start-up Coaching by June 23, you will not be eligible to join the Climate Collider cohort.
• If you are already enrolled in Innosuisse Startup Coaching with an end date before the start of Climate Collider, you must submit your application before the end of your coaching.

If you are unsure whether you meet the requirements or have any other questions, please reach out to our startup team, Josephine Erni, Innovation Lead at Swissnex in Boston.

We are no longer accepting applications for the fall 2024 edition of Climate Collider.