Category: Portfolio Companies

Announcing a new cohort of LACI portfolio companies

The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) recently welcomed its seventh Incubation Program cohort, and eighth cohort of its Innovators program — both full of diverse, game-changing startups that are transforming the landscape of zero emissions transportation, clean energy, and sustainable cities and circular economy.

In the face of an escalating climate crisis, the work of our startups has gained paramount importance. That’s why LACI’s mission is as critical as ever: to empower emerging entrepreneurs and alumni companies through critical early-stage business development, cultivating a new wave of leaders in the 21st-century cleantech sector. These pioneers in technology are hard at work tackling urgent environmental issues like resource depletion, pollution, climate change, and waste management. The startups in these current LACI cohorts are focused on microgrid tech, alternative sustainable materials, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, ecologically conscious heating/cooling systems, and new EV models to help combat greenhouse gas pollution.

Cleantech startups not only play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by curbing harmful emissions into the ecosystem, but also actively contribute to the growth of the green economy by creating green jobs, fostering economic development, and nurturing a global ecosystem of sustainability.

Please join us in welcoming LACI’s newest program members!

Innovators Cohort 8

This year, the Innovators program broke a LACI record in diversity, welcoming 67% BIPOC founders and 38% women founders. The one-year Innovators Program offers a lighter-touch, high-impact concierge style ecosystem access opportunity. Innovators Cohort 8 consists of 24 founders with an even distribution of Clean Energy, Circular Economy and Transportation Electrification startups to the LACI portfolio.

  • A La Care
    • A La Care offers chic, eco-friendly foodware for LA-based food businesses, targeting owners who prioritize aesthetics and Instagram-friendly products. Their goal is to replace Styrofoam and single-use plastics at local events, food trucks, and restaurants. Traditional plastics dominate due to cost and functionality, but A La Care focuses on design innovation without tech risks. Their products, made from bamboo and sugarcane bagasse using molded fiber technology, are ready to scale rapidly, making us market-ready upon funding. Their stylish prototypes aim to overcome sustainable packaging barriers, establishing them as a market leader in a promising, untapped market.
  • BOLD Swim
    • BOLD Swim is a swimwear brand that uses technical fabrics in their collection, along with resource efficiency-minded production techniques by designing for versatile use and waste management. The signature fabric is Amni Soul Eco which is a highly durable and versatile fabric that is also biodegradable biomass (end of life) and eco-friendly.
  • CarKenny
    • CarKenny is a community-focused Mobility-as-a-Service platform that offers users a single app for planning, booking, and paying for sustainable transportation. CarKenny’s core mission revolves around reducing the number of cars on the road in favor of shared and eco-friendly transportation alternatives. They place a strong emphasis on collaborating with community-based organizations to ensure that traditionally underserved and marginalized communities gain access to clean mobility solutions, particularly in areas currently lacking adequate transit options. Furthermore, CarKenny actively partners with transportation providers to ensure that their assets are strategically positioned to meet the specific needs of these communities.
  • CHRGsystem
    • CHRGsystem simplifies Los Angeles film production decarbonization with unique hardware and software. It integrates clean energy via CHRGconnx, reducing diesel generator reliance. CHRGsystem’s software optimizes supply logistics, cuts emissions, and enhances efficiency for a greener, cost-effective industry. It also promotes EV adoption, making LA a global leader in sustainable filmmaking.
  • Harsh Electronics
    • Gas vehicles currently dominate personal transportation, but the future depends on widespread EV adoption, particularly in cities. As urban areas commit to phasing out gas vehicles, the need for EV charging infrastructure is undeniable. Outdated transformer technology hampers this growth, especially in densely populated and lower-income urban regions. Harsh Electronics addresses this challenge with TransformerX, a compact, cost-effective solid-state transformer. Harsh Electronics empowers utilities to expand EV charging networks, propelling the urban EV revolution.
  • High Note Technologies
    • High Note has introduced a mobile app that transforms the parking and EV charging experience. Users can easily locate and reserve parking slots and EV charging spots in areas lacking commercial infrastructure. High Note achieves this by providing a platform for public and private parking space owners to list their units, generating additional revenue streams.
  • LA Mushroom Lab
    • LA Mushroom Labs is introducing an innovative mushroom-based coffee cup, a sustainable alternative to traditional single-use cups. Crafted from used coffee grounds and infused with the power of mushroom mycelium, this cup offers a breakthrough solution for eco-conscious coffee lovers. Each cup is carefully grown using locally sourced coffee grounds, transforming waste into a durable and compostable material. Our mushroom-based coffee cup is not only waterproof and insulating, but it also helps reduce plastic and styrofoam waste. Embrace a greener coffee experience with a cup that’s as earth-friendly as the brew it holds.
  • Looks For Lease Inc.
    • Looks for Lease is creating an innovative ‘Circular Inventory Tracking System’ that facilitates the logistics of a dynamic environmentally conscious Wardrobe Rental experience by combining Stylish Size inclusive fashion, an extensive recycling program and perfecting fit through body measurement integration. By keeping Wardrobe within a rental infrastructure, it maximizes the use of textiles, reduces landfill waste and production of excessive goods.
  • Owlet Bikes Inc.
    • Owlet Bikes offers city commuters an immersive visual and sensory experience, enhancing their journey with convenient mobility and storage solutions. Their product is an elegantly designed, sustainable, and affordable designer e-bike. It’s compact, yet not foldable, fast, yet quiet, providing a comfortable and experiential ride.
  • Pencil
    • The Pencil software product, born after the pivot from Atop in April 2023, identifies financial incentives for the energy transition and organizes them into a structured dataset accessible via web app and API. Following extensive customer interviews, particularly with policy experts in various technology sectors, it became clear that they struggle to keep up with the evolving policy landscape and requested a solution to streamline financial incentive tracking. To address this issue, Pencil is currently focused on EVs and EV infrastructure in California, exploring the use of AI and LLMs for expansion. Incentives are substantial, potentially reducing total project costs by 10-30%, though accurate data is hard to come by.
  • Shape
    • Shape revolutionizes waste practices at fast-service restaurants like Chipotle. Our solution blends hardware and software to streamline trash disposal, monetize recycling and composting, and encourage eco-conscious choices. The hardware redesigns trash bin openings, simplifying waste sorting for recycling, composting, or landfill. Clean materials are sent to recycling and composting agencies, generating profits. The software features a mobile app serving as a digital marketplace, incentivizing waste reduction and eco-friendly shopping through reward points within the Shape network.
  • Thermal Smart Aerogel
    • Thermal Smart Aerogel provides advanced, aerogel-based thermal and fire barrier solutions, expertly designed to mitigate thermal runaway in batteries, enhancing the safety and efficiency of clean energy and logistics industries. Applications for the technology include use on refrigerator trucks and other logistics/shipping equipment.
  • Turtle
    • Turtle is a forward-thinking platform designed to enhance bicycle parking and rental services within urban environments. It is dedicated to establishing an extensive network of affordable bike infrastructure that serves as a very secure parking solution for micro-mobility enthusiasts. Turtle offers businesses and individuals a trusted marketplace for renting bikes, ensuring secure and convenient access to sustainable transportation options. This initiative fosters a greener and more accessible urban bicycle landscape.
  • Venaera
    • Venaera’s proprietary air-source heat pump is modular, allowing rapid and easy refurbishment, upgrade, up to 70% cost savings, and avoided environmental impact; smart, with external facing sensors and software to optimize operation, as well as internal sensors to predict component failure and preemptively service units to maintain reliability.
  • Werlpower
    • Werlpower, a new green energy startup, innovatively generates cost-effective carbon-free electricity. They utilize the kinetic energy in outfall from Wastewater Treatment Plants to power modified wind turbine generators. WWTPs, operating 24/7, offer a reliable source of hydropower. Werlpower focuses on treated water about to be released into rivers or oceans, containing untapped energy. Overcoming low head challenges during water release, Werlpower holds a patented process to efficiently harness this energy.

Incubation Cohort 7

LACI received 89 applications in total for Cohort 7 of LACI’s Incubation program this year – a record breaking turnout! We selected 12 startups, and welcomed 83% companies with one or more  BIPOC founder and 43% women founders. LACI’s Incubation Program helps cleantech companies to become more competitive, resilient, environmentally sustainable, and scalable!

Admission into LACI’s Incubation Program unlocks a two-year program for startups in Southern California, offering four months of acceleration through workshops and peer learning, diverse funding opportunities and access to LACI’s state of the art campus, joining a cleantech ecosystem of over 375 cleantech portfolio companies and alumni. 

As we continue to look to the future, applications for Incubation Cohort 8 are opening soon – more info can be found on the Incubation and Innovators page.

  • AirVitalize
    • Airvitalize has developed a patent-pending technology that cleans outdoor air by pulling it in, ionizing particulates, and releasing purified air. It can purify a city block daily using minimal electricity, comparable to simply the energy of charging your phone three times. The design evolved through two pivots to align with market needs. The tech has been extensively prototyped and lab-tested, proving its effectiveness. Currently emerging from RevIthaca’s Rapid Prototyping Hardware Accelerator, we anticipate a beta launch this fall.
  • Biliti Electric
    • Biliti offers a 10kWh+ modular, manually swappable battery, addressing energy access and fast charging challenges in busy urban mobility scenarios. Use cases like last-mile delivery, ride-hailing, and micro-mobility demand constant vehicle uptime, making lengthy charging breaks impractical. Traditional fast chargers are costly and often require significant infrastructure upgrades. In contrast, Biliti’s solution enables quick setup of stationary and mobile swapping stations, eliminating the need for extra real estate and costly grid enhancements. This approach is especially valuable in emerging markets. Biliti Electric manufactures highly efficient last-mile and passenger vehicles, boasting a 30% improved drivetrain efficiency and a superior payload ratio in their vehicle class.
  • Blip Energy
    • Blip introduces a cost-effective energy storage solution, seamlessly adaptable for any home. Their innovation answers the global demand for affordable, dependable energy storage while expanding smart grid accessibility. Utilizing second-life battery cells, they reduce hardware costs significantly. Prioritizing hard-to-reach households, Blip addresses backup power, promoting smart energy storage adoption. At scale, their grid services stabilize demand, prevent outages, and cut emissions.
  • Duet
    • Duet is a data-driven, fully integrated, and turnkey software platform for mobility fleet operators to optimize operation efficiency, service to emission ratio and fleet economics. The platform includes our proprietary optimization algorithms and predictive ML model for trip allocation, and a suite of web or mobile based applications for each of the main stakeholders involved in the services to manage, monitor and analyze the services.
  • it’s electric
    • Cities want EVs on the road as quickly as possible, but don’t offer a way to charge for the millions of drivers who park their cars on the street. While major EV charging companies focus on regional growth with limited interest in curbside charging, disadvantaged communities in dense urban neighborhoods are being excluded from the electric transportation revolution. It’s Electric will solve this by installing and maintaining a network of curbside charging posts across all city neighborhoods, with a focus on deployment in disadvantaged communities. It’s Electric will rapidly scale by using existing, privately-owned distribution; sharing revenue with adjacent properties to expand participation in the new EV economy. It’s Electric’s rugged charging hardware features a minimal footprint and proprietary plug-and-play interface, able to survive on the toughest city streets.
  • Mack Research
    • Our product is a clean wind energy facade system for buildings. The device produces energy that is stored in the building through oscillation of leaf-like external sails through fluid wind flow.
  • Planette
    • Planette’s SaaS platform, tailored for the Renewable Energy sector, allows for advanced site selection and location strategy optimization (over an energy facility portfolio), energy policy monitoring, and (1- to 30-year) energy production/demand/pricing forecasting. The platform allows users to optimize energy production, minimize losses due to climate hazards, and maximize profits over the lifetime of a RE project.
  • SALUBATA
    • Salubata offers a revolutionary line of modular and customizable shoes that are made from upcycled plastic bottles. Our innovative footwear combines style, comfort, and sustainability. The modular design allows customers to easily interchange components like soles, uppers, and accessories, enabling endless style possibilities and reducing waste. We are committed to creating durable, high-quality shoes that not only look good but also contribute to reducing plastic pollution. By using recycled materials and promoting circularity, our products are a step towards a more sustainable future.
  • Symmetry Wood
    • Symmetry Wood offers a sustainable alternative to precious woods called Pyrus™, crafted from food waste. Pyrus™ exhibits impressive hardness and density, rivaling hickory and African Ebony, thanks to its bacterial cellulose (BC) fiber structure. It’s also less prone to cracking in humid conditions, as it lacks tree-derived wood compounds like lignin and hemicellulose. Symmetry’s innovative process replicates wood components, avoiding common wood issues. Pyrus™ is produced additively, drastically reducing waste and eliminating the need for logging forests, enabling diverse product customization.
  • TAINR
    • TAINR is an innovative smart refill kiosk that transforms the traditional grocery store bulk aisle. It offers a hygienic, package-free shopping experience for dry goods while utilizing AI, sensors, and RFID technology for efficiency. This solution benefits both customers and retailers, providing real-time inventory data and sales insights, reducing restocking time, and curbing product losses. TAINR promotes a circular economy, addressing plastic waste concerns while improving sustainability in retail. Moreover, it addresses grocery store inefficiencies, labor shortages, and data collection issues, optimizing supply chains and promoting smart container reusability.
  • Zen Technologies Inc.
    • Zen is a mobile application rideshare platform that is redefining micro-mobility by providing short-duration rides through Low speed electric vehicles. Zen Shuttles set out on a mission to bring peace to the university communities. Zen Shuttles exist to provide students with a safe, fast and reliable way to get around campus and to provide peace of mind to parents that their students will be safe. Say goodbye to traditional forms of transportation and #JustZen!
  • Sundial Foods
    • Sundial has built a manufacturing process for using a proprietary single-step heat and pressure process to texturize delicious, complex plant-based meat alternatives. Our goal is to give people the wonderful experience of eating chicken — including “bone-in” wings, boneless wings, and chicken breast — in a nutritious and eco-friendly way. Because of the nature of the Sundial process, all of our products are totally plant-based and clean label, with no binders, additives or processing agents.

 

FBA Winter2023 Cohort

The LACI Founders Business Accelerator (FBA) boosts the growth and impact of small businesses and micro-enterprises in Los Angeles. This free six-month virtual program provides participants with a strategy for success in the evolving business landscape. Participant companies receive training and personalized support from LACI’s seasoned Executives-In-Residence and industry experts, helping them strengthen their business plan, access crucial resources, and accelerate their success.

  • Nearby Consulting
    • Collaborating with emerging social impact organizations to advance economic empowerment.
  • Prize Coffee
    • Providing contactless Nitro Cold Brew Coffee & Kombucha Kiosks for businesses and residential buildings.
  • Watt Ave.
    • Wattblok is a peer-to-peer EV charging app that connects EV drivers with nearby home-charging stations.
  • First Gen Tours
    • First Gen Tours is an Augmented Reality startup focused on equalizing the college touring for first generation students.
  • American Pet Apparel
    • American Pet Apparel creates functional and sustainable dog apparel that is thoughtfully designed to address a dog’s physiology and adaptation.
  • Uprisers
    • Streetwear brand rooted in telling stories of the underrepresented.
  • EORTE
    • We are a circular, sustainable clothing brand based in LA that generates new clothing from textile wastes, with a focus on hotel waste linens.v
  • Tunelink.me
    • We are a platform for delivering Latin music, assisting record labels in significantly reducing the distribution costs for their artists’ music.
  • Holloway R&D
    • Holloway R&D is a human-centered research and design consulting firm specializing in early-stage software development. We partner with clients – startup founders, Fortune 500 leaders, and public sector innovators.
  • Guau Guau Treats
    • Guau Guau Treats is a wife and husband owned dog treat business based in Los Angeles. Our goal is to provide pet owners with a healthy and delicious alternative to traditional dog treats.
  • Common Canvas
    • Common Canvas is a unique outdoor and indoor nail salon located in Los Angeles.
  • Hamilton Perkins Collection
    • Hamilton Perkins Collection is an independent brand that designs and produces unique and award-winning bags and accessories made from upcycled materials.
  • Mas Amor Boutique
    • Mas Amor Boutique is an online women’s boutique dedicated to spreading love and making women feel beautiful, confident, and capable of achieving anything.
  • One Mauve
    • One Mauve, is a leading software platform specializing in on-demand peer-to-peer mentorship programs. We help universities create robust pipeline systems for underrepresented students, with a specific focus on Black, Latinx, Native American, and first-generation individuals.
  • Proclaim
    • We are a socially and environmentally conscious brand, dedicated to crafting inclusive women’s wardrobe essentials that embrace diverse shapes, sizes, and skinones, while championing a positive impact on our planet.

LACI Small Business Founders Holiday Gift Guide 2022

LACI Founders Holiday Gift Guide 2022

Enjoy these unique products and services!

Bluedot

Get ready to go for a ride! Bluedot is offering $10 off in your next EV charging. Download Bluedot App and get Bluedot card to enjoy discounted charging, exclusive cash back rates and more just for EV drivers like you!

Common Stock Food

Free delivery on all orders within the greater Los Angeles area

Lusha Inc.

Black Friday 30%, Holiday Sale 20%

Plantitas Verdes

Offering discounted gift cards redeemable for a repotting service or plant consultation

L.A. Grind Coffee and Tea Bar

Enjoy 25% off L.A. Grind website 

OurWattsBookshop

Shop Watts’ very first independent bookstore and support the donation of new books to our local schools.

Running Wild, LLC

Yuca’s Restaurant

Mention LACI to receive a 12% discount on YUCA’S Catering – like YUCA’S Family-style Meal for $55, which includes 8 tacos, guacamole & chips, chipotle or tomatillo salsa.

House of Mosaic Candles 

Committed to promoting self-care through aromatherapy one candle at a time. Offering candle making workshops, fundraisers, wholesale and white-label opportunities. Save 15% on the entire site, excluding sale items, with promo code “LACI”.

Magick Goods Vegan Cookies

Create a unique cookie flavor for family or friends. Our vegan catering options also include ice cream sandwiches, banana pudding, and other nostalgic desserts.

Violet Botanical Skincare

Enjoy 10% off bath and body gift sets. Free gift with purchase, plus free shipping.

Demitasse Coffee Roasters

Free shipping on everything!

ReWilder

Rag Reserve

A tree is planted with every product purchased.

Amorus

Spice up your night with CHAT SPARKS – the tantalizing and playful card game to get everyone talking about pleasure! Sixty-nine intriguing, surprising, and inclusive questions about sexiness. 20% off with code LACI 

Circular Fashion LA

Receive a set of 6 vintage cloth dinner napkins in beautiful, coordinating prints each month and never use paper napkins again! Enjoy a 3-month ReDesign Gift Subscription for $150 (normally $225). Monthly “Joy of Dining Sustainably” Gift Subscription for $18/mo (normally $25/mo).

Shared Harvest Foundation

40% off 1 private/group COVID testing
50% off 2 private/group COVID testing

Trims & Trends

$5 off your first visit and 10% discount in products (restrictions apply)

Handmade by Vluvv

Running various Black Friday weekend deals. Up to 20% off selected styles or gift with purchase

L&F Project Management

Cafecita Coffee

$5 off for LACI friends and family! Use code LACI at checkout.

Korean Convenience

A free mobile app to assist individuals with food allergies and intolerances to find ready-made Korean food easier.

The Wellness Connection

The Wellness Connection is fostering community healing through herbs and holistic wellness. Save 20% on your entire online order with promo code “LACI20”.

Rent-a-Romper

A Rent-a-Romper gift box is perfect for a new parent anytime of year. Our curated items make mom feel special, and a gift card with a membership to Rent-a-Romper takes one thing off their to-do list!

Xicali Products

Helping overachievers reduce anxiety and migraines and sleep better naturally with our handmade CBD remedies. Enjoy 20% off with promo code “laci”

Zuhuri Beauty

LACI Welcomes 34 Startups & Businesses to their Founder Programs

LACI PROUDLY WELCOMES 34 STARTUPS & SMALL BUSINESSES TO THEIR SUITE OF INCUBATION & FOUNDER PROGRAMS

Throughout the Summer and Fall of 2022, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) welcomed 9 startups innovating clean technologies to our light-touch Innovators Program,  9 startups to our 2-year intensive Incubation Program, and 1 company deploying a larger scale impact-focused pilot to our Market Access Program. Beyond the lens of cleantech we also opened our doors to a Cohort of 15 entrepreneurs joining our Founders Business Accelerator Program. These small business founders  have cared for our local communities through their offerings in dining, entertainment, health and wellness services, and so much more.

LACI’s annual Market Landscape Report, analyzes the market and various sectors to identify top priorities in accelerating the commercialization of cleantech and reductions in real and perceived barriers to adoption. Guided by this intelligence, LACI’s recruitment efforts are focused on Zero Emissions Transportation, Clean Energy, and Sustainable Cities. As a result,  we are better able to identify and support startup businesses incubating these technologies and help them develop, test, pilot and bring these key offerings to market and thereby promote environmental, health, and economic opportunities and benefits for communities throughout our market and across the nation.

LACI’s Market Access report identifies three core areas of cleantech from which we recruit and develop founders innovating solutions in these sectors.

We’re eager to advance incoming startups like Veloce Energy that are providing modular energy storage, installation systems, and integration software to electrify everything from vehicles, commercial buildings, and homes. And others like LACI’s Market Access portfolio company Microgrid Labs that makes it easier for medium and heavy duty electric vehicle fleet operators to perform assessments and aggregate electrification plans with their creative platform management solution. We’re also excited for Coralite to demonstrate their waste reduction solution for recycling foam into various applications throughout the automotive & construction industries.

We encourage circularity and help our startup and small business participants focus on impactful outcomes through a progression of programs that help founders scale their businesses and develop proprietary technologies as they advance through these programs. We also provide guidance to help our portfolio companies pivot when new opportunities arise. Take Shred Cycle for example, who participated in our 6-month Founders Business Accelerator Program (FBA). When Shred Cycle’s founder realized her original passion project of recycling skateboard wheels could better serve her mission and the community with an entirely new business model of upcycling polyurethane waste, thereby reducing the impact that industry has on the City of Los Angeles, aided by her Executive In Residence, she made the shift with great success. Companies like those in our FBA Cohort 7, some of who have been in business for 2 years while others are regarded as community legends with operating history of some 20 years, will re-imagine and re-invigorate their businesses and the communities they serve by focusing on sustainable and environmentally conscious business practices that create new jobs, reduce waste, and stimulate economic wealth across our region – especially among historically under-resourced communities.

LACI is proud to amplify these stories, lift-up and empower 34 women founders and 36 founders from traditionally underrepresented groups who are joining the LACI Family this year!

We’re happy to introduce the full roster of 19 startups companies entering LACI’s founder programs across our three sector areas of focus:


APPLY FOR LACI’S INCUBATION PROGRAM TODAY!

CLEAN ENERGY

Global Energy Credit

Hardware solution to unlock the great potential of residential buildings in providing affordable, clean, and equitable energy for residents by making the electric meters intelligent, without costly upgrades.

Mack Designs

Developing a  vertical wall concept device which is comprised of a series of wind  induced oscillating geometries. As the devices flutter in the wind, they produce electricity on a micro scale on the interior encasement of the system.

Wayside Energy

Wayside Energy is creating a recyclable, modular, and rigid single piece injection molded battery pack system with a unique geothermal cooling system that is industry leading in price, reliability, safety, and performance while being cheap and simple to manufacture.

Compo Energy

A new source of renewable energy from a combination of compost and solar heat. The project provides an alternative solution to current waste landfill operation which is not environmentally safe, and does not benefit the surrounding communities.

ZERO EMISSIONS MOBILITY

Veloce Energy

Veloce is creating a platform of technologies to make it easier, faster and cheaper to electrify everything: vehicles, commercial buildings, homes.

Microgrid Labs

Microgrid Labs is launching a pilot with LACI to provide their EVopt planning Software as a Service solution to a network of medium and heavy duty electric vehicle (EV) fleet operators. This pilot will demonstrate  the advantage of our self-service platform for performing EV fleet assessments and the ability to aggregate electrification plans.

BASEstud.io

BASEstud.io is designing Beyond Smart Lighting Infrastructure to provide communities with access, equality, safety and sustainability – core needs for a well-balanced city.

Emissionless Technologies

Emissionless Technologies is an all-electric freight carrier, operating a fleet of electric semi-trucks through a network of supercharging hubs. The X Logistics solution overcomes range limitations  using the Transfer Hub model and connected fleets to keep freight moving, reducing inefficiencies endemic to conventional distribution networks.

Wild Technologies Inc.

Wild Technologies has designed the easiest to manufacture and customize battery pack for the marine industry.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Kit Switch

Kit Switch is a  modular building interiors startup creating a line of plug-and-play kitchens for multifamily housing developments.

Relyion Energy Inc.

Relyion Energy is enabling longer and sustainable use of Li-ion batteries.

VARIANT3D

VARIANT3D is 3D printing on demand for fully customizable textiles using sustainable or recycled inputs.

Shred Cycle Inc.

Shred Cycle Inc. is making sustainability easy and accessible to action sports enthusiasts by upcycling polyurethane waste, from skateboarding wheels and manufacturing  waste, back into useful outdoor products.

Coralite

Coralite is an innovative performance material company –  the Coralite material is made from 100% recycled foam, is fully circular, and has little to no waste in its production.

Galora, Inc.

Galora is the Airbnb of homegrown food. Neighbors can buy, sell or trade what they grow, bake, or make. Every year, 11.5 billion pounds of U.S. homegrown food is  wasted.

ThermoShade

ThermoShade is a “passive cooling” panel that can be retrofitted onto outdoor structures, creating a space that feels up to 20°F cooler than the outside air temperature with zero electricity and zero water.

LACI’s network of cleantech companies continues to grow in membership and as individual startups advance their solutions and demonstrate tremendous success in-market after completing LACI’s founder programs. To date, LACI has helped 340 portfolio companies raise $697M in funding, generated $323M in revenue, and created 2,565 jobs throughout the Los Angeles region, with a long-term economic impact of more than $573M.  Of the Incubation startups from LACI’s rebooted cohort model, EV charging station services provider ChargerHelp! currently employs 32 people and services 20,000 charging stations across 11 states. EV charging as a service provider SparkCharge recently raised $1M from SharkTank’s Mark Cuban. And, Maxwell Vehicles is working with a group of partners and startups to deploy the nation’s first-ever Zero Emission Delivery Zone with the goal of lowering emissions and decreasing traffic.

DIVERSITY METRICS
LACI’s mission of building an inclusive green economy is powered by a diverse range of staff, partners, program participants, and cleantech innovators, many of which are from historically underrepresented populations. As highlighted in a recent Yahoo! Finance story, LACI is leading efforts to create an inclusive green economy in Los Angeles. With a focus on supporting underrepresented founders. Our commitment to recruiting and supporting women, BIPOC, LGTBQ+ founders and other historically underrepresented groups is demonstrated by the diversity of founders represented in our recent cohorts as indicated below:

 

FBA COHORT 7
Founders Business Accelerator welcomed 15 small businesses into the program this fall.

  • Sectors: Founders in this cohort include those in entertainment, retail, wellness, circular economy and food services.
  • Location: City of Los Angeles
  • Diversity: Among 26 founders – 81% women, 96% BIPOC, 15% LGBTQ+
  • This is our most diverse cohort yet with founders who identify as Latinx (30%), Black (32%), Middle Eastern (3%), Indigenous (9%), East Asian (3%), South Asian (6%), South East Asian (3%).


INNOVATORS COHORT 7
We welcomed 9 new startups to this cohort in September. To learn more about these inventive founders and their offerings, please view this Startups Overview Deck.

  • Tech Sector: 44% Clean Energy focused, 33% Zero Emissions Transportation focused, and 22% Circular Economy focused.
  • Location: 3 based in the City of Los Angeles (Global Energy Credit, Emissionless Technologies, Galora)
  • Diversity: Among 15 founders – 6 women (40%), 3 BIPOC (20%)

 

INCUBATION COHORT 5
We welcomed 9 new startups to this cohort in October. To learn more about these dynamic founders and their cleantech solutions, please view this Startups Overview Deck.

  • Tech Sector: 33% Clean Energy focused, 11% Zero Emissions Transportation focused, and 55% Circular Economy focused
  • Location: 3 based in the City of Los Angeles, 2 based in Southern California, and 4 based in Northern California
  • Diversity:  Among 22 founders – 4 women (18%), 5 BIPOC (23%), 2 LGBTQ+ (9%)


MARKET ACCESS COHORT 4

Welcome Microgrid Labs!

The Market Access Program welcomes its newest founders, Narayanan Sankar and Namit Singh, of Microgrid Labs. Microgrid Labs offers Software as a Service for optimal planning, design and operation of electric fleets that provide a low-cost, accurate and scalable solution that can evolve with fleet demands and ease the transition to electric fleets. They have demonstrated cost and time savings with their EVopt SaaS platform across 10 projects throughout the country,  including planning for a fleet of 800 EV school buses.

 

Microgrid Labs’ EVopt planning SaaS Solution Model

 

Microgrid Labs’ Market Access Pilot
During their time in the Market Access Program, Microgrid Labs will deploy a pilot that provides their EVopt planning SaaS solution to a network of fleet operators, demonstrating the advantage of a self-service platform for performing fleet assessments and the ability to aggregate fleet electrification plans. This will generate valuable insights on the shifting of demand on grid load access for multiple fleets.

 

Now Accepting Pilot Partners
Microgrid Labs is now accepting pilot partners in Los Angeles to serve multiple EV fleets including modes of last-mile delivery, light and medium duty, school bus and drayage fleets.

To learn more about how to be a pilot partner for this innovative solution in LA please contact pipeline@laci.org.

LACI is currently recruiting for our Incubation Cohort 6 and we will open the application process for our Market Access Cohort 5 on November 27. For more information, and to join our family of successful startups and small business founders


APPLY FOR LACI’S INCUBATION PROGRAM TODAY!

LACI startup ChargeNet Stations to install EV chargers at San Francisco Taco Bell

A company that runs 216 Taco Bell restaurants is installing an electric-vehicle charging station at one of its San Francisco locations, and could install more across the US. The chargers are managed by software from ChargeNet and built by Tritium, and they’re being installed in the restaurant’s parking lot.

LACI Startup Chargeway selected by NADA to get car dealers educated so they can help shoppers buy EVs

Today, the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA) announced it has chosen Chargeway to help its member dealerships explain EV charging, showing how shoppers can travel in electric vehicles by using charging stations along their routes. NADA and Chargeway previewed the news exclusively for Car and Driver.

LACI startup Chargeway selected by National Auto Dealers Association to simplify EV sales for dealers

  • By partnering with Chargeway, NADA is showing genuine leadership by solving many of the problems EV dealers face with better tools and training, which will enable EV buyers to get clear, correct answers to their charging questions.
  • Because the 16,000+ NADA member dealers represent nearly all the major automotive brands, their adoption of Chargeway will create a de facto “standard dictionary” of EV charging terms. “Green” plugs, “Level 6” chargers, etc., that will make it easier for EV dealers and buyers to communicate, regardless of brand.
  • “When it comes to EVs, this is the language we’ll be using from now on.”
  • “Dealers who want to get this right will want to get Chargeway.”

Portland, OR (Oct 15, 2021) – Chargeway, the Oregon-based software startup best known for developing a simple, intuitive color-coded visual language for charging EVs with “electric fuel,” has been chosen by the National Auto Dealers Association (NADA) as an Affinity Partner, allowing NADA member dealers to capitalize on Chargeway’s straightforward, universal language for explaining EV charging and give prospective EV buyers the ability to visualize how a vehicle can fit seamlessly into their lives, today.

“Almost every major automaker has announced plans to go ‘all electric’ or ‘mostly electric’ within the next decade,” explains Chargeway Founder, Matt Teske. “But auto dealers still don’t have all the tools they need to sell cars that run on electricity to buyers unfamiliar with thinking of electricity as a fuel. That’s why we’ve focused our efforts at Chargeway towards developing tools to not only educate the auto dealers themselves, but to help them inspire ‘Range Confidence’ in their customers and, ultimately, sell more vehicles. In that way, our interests are totally aligned with the NADA and its members.”

“America’s franchised auto dealers are all-in on EVs. In fact, dealers are essential to widespread EV adoption, particularly among mass-market buyers,” says Mike Stanton, NADA President and CEO. “Closing the consumer education gap between early EV adopters and the next generation of mainstream EV buyers is critical to achieving our shared goal of getting millions more EVs on the road. We looked at a number of different training tools and consumer apps and found that Chargeway best answered the questions that our dealers were asking about EV charging, such as how long it takes, how home charging works, what incentives are available, and even how temperature and speed can affect an EV road trip. Chargeway pulls all that information in one place, so dealers using Chargeway will have a fantastic tool to properly educate those consumers who are ready to make the switch to electric.”

The first of Chargeway’s dealer-focused tools was the Chargeway Showroom Beacon – a six-foot tall, interactive touchscreen kiosk that launched as part of a pilot program in Portland, Oregon. Together with the Oregon Auto Dealers Association (OADA), Portland General Electric (PGE) and Pacific Power, Chargeway placed seven Chargeway Showroom Beacons in key auto dealerships throughout Oregon in order to prove out the concept. The results were impressive: fourteen months later, EV sales in dealerships with a Chargeway beacon had increased by 200 to 1000% compared to comparable Portland area dealers with similar inventories of EVs but no Beacon.

“The pilot showed us what we already knew, intuitively: that EV customers were more than happy to buy their vehicles from their local dealers, as long as those dealers could confidently and correctly answer their questions,” explains Teske. “You could say the same thing about a pickup truck buyer who has questions about towing. They don’t want guessing or generalization, just straightforward, correct answers tailored to their specific needs. Chargeway is the tool that provides those answers for EVs.”

That initial pilot program showed that the Showroom Beacon was a great tool for salespeople to answer questions about EVs in the physical dealership, but it was the company’s Web Beacon that attracted the attention of the NADA.

“Giving EV shoppers a clear, up-to-date image of what the electric infrastructure looks like in their area right now in a format that’s easy to visualize is absolutely critical to instilling confidence in a customer who is purchasing his or her first EV,” Stanton added. “The prospect of having Chargeway, and its universal language for explaining how charging really works, widely available in tens of thousands of retail locations across the country should be incredibly exciting to anyone who wants to see more EVs on the road as soon as possible.”

“We update the station data every twenty-four hours,” adds Teske. “That goes along with the concept of ‘Range Confidence’, too. We’re showing people– and the dealership is showing people exactly where they can find electric fuel for their electric cars.”

The Chargeway Web Beacon plugin for dealers is available now for the most common dealership web platforms (Dealer.com, Dealer On, Dealer Inspire, DealerFire and Sincro). The Chargeway mobile app for EV drivers is currently available for download on both the App Store and Google Play for iOS and Android mobile devices, respectively.

About Chargeway

Chargeway is a communication and software tool that unites all the stakeholders in the electric vehicle industry on a common platform. Designed to improve the “electric fuel” experience using colors and numbers to identify plug options and charging speeds, Chargeway creates a simple, visual identity for electric car charging options that offers auto dealers and public utilities, as well as consumers, an easier way to visualize how electric cars can meet and exceed everyone’s transportation needs. For more information on Chargeway’s platform, visit www.chargeway.net or download the Chargeway EV driver app on iOS or Android.

About NADA

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), founded in 1917, represents more than 16,000 light-vehicle and commercial-truck dealerships with 32,500 domestic and international franchises. New vehicle franchised dealers are directly responsible for more than one million U.S. jobs.

LACI Welcomes Next Cohort of Cleantech Startups Into Incubation Program

Today, 13 startups join Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator’s (LACI) second cohort of its flagship Incubation Program, which helps founders grow their company and impact in Greater Los Angeles and beyond. From utilizing software analytics to reduce traffic congestion to diverting over 5 tons of waste from landfills using a rental clothing membership model, Incubation Cohort 2 founders are showing up with passion, grit, and inspiring leadership to enhance LACI’s commitment to building an inclusive green economy.

“LACI is committed to helping our startups improve their environmental, social, and economic impact—that’s why we are excited to welcome our new cohort of companies,” said Matt Petersen, LACI President and CEO. “Our startup Impact Framework measures and financially rewards founder diversity, hiring employees from disadvantaged communities, and reducing GHG emissions.”

In line with LACI’s mission to create an inclusive green economy, Incubation Cohort 2 represents 38 percent female founders, 38 percent underrepresented founders, and 8 percent veteran founders, a general increase from Incubation Cohort 1 metrics. 

Startups applied to LACI’s program following a recruitment push that articulated LACI’s specific technical priorities for the year.  Sector-wise 46 percent are focused on zero emissions mobility, 23 percent on clean energy, and 31 percent on circular economy.

LACI companies are stepping up to create an inclusive green economy for the people of Los Angeles. For example, as the city and the rest of the state move towards 100 percent clean energy, there is much needed work to be done to decrease costs of solar and battery energy storage and advance data processing capabilities to create greater grid resilience. Widespread deployment of smart microgrids are the way of the future and LACI Incubation Cohort 2 startups have already begun the work. IQHi, Inc. incorporates data analytics tools to gain operational data thus improving battery technology development time and OpenEGrid applies emerging technologies to legacy Energy Systems to create ‘Smart Grids.’

By progressing the work of IQHi Inc. and OpenEGrid for example, LACI will provide a stepping stone for one of the solutions in addressing current complications in distributed energy resources (DERs) and addressing the ambitious climate and energy goals California has in place already. 

For the next two years, Cohort 2 startups will engage in an intensive 6 months of curriculum covering essential topics to prepare founders and teams for operational growth, product development, investor preparedness, pilot readiness, and strategies for going to market. Additionally, each startup team is matched with an Executive in Residence (EIR) who will support in setting a roadmap and holding teams accountable for achieving those milestones. Cohort 2 startups will build a network not only with their fellow Cohort members, but also with the greater LACI community to enable a collaborative and supportive environment for achieving growth towards a greener planet. 

Throughout the first year of our revamped Incubation Program, we’re proud to say that Cohort 1 startups are paving the way for what LACI can do to support cleantech founders, empower impact, deploy these innovative technologies all across the world. Since joining LACI, collectively Cohort 1 startups have raised over $7.5 million including Sparkcharge’s $1 million deal from SharkTank’s Mark Cuban. LACI’s workforce development program helped initiate ChargerHelp!’s pilot by training their first 10 hires and providing maintenance to 46 electric vehicle stations in Southern California and the company just raised $2.75 million from investors. In addition, Maxwell Vehicles is one of many partners and startups helping to excel deployment of the nation’s first-ever Zero Emission Delivery Zone, furthering LACI’s mission by lowering emissions and decreasing traffic.

We’re thrilled to support another Cohort of 13 innovative startups for the next two years. Read more about Cohort 2 startups below. 

ChargeNet Stations: LACI’s Innovators Cohort 5 startup, ChargeNet is a SaaS company helping fast food restaurants and property owners track consumer data and renewable energy to charge electric vehicles quicker and cheaper. 

Chargeway: Chargeway created a software platform, mobile app, and communication tool to help consumers understand how electric vehicles are charged, as well as helping the automotive industry sell EVs for easier adoption. 

ElectricFish:  ElectricFish builds, deploys, and operates distributed energy resources integrated with 350kW Electric Vehicle chargers to bring clean, and robust sources of power to communities.

Gemini Electric Mobility Co.: Gemini Electric Mobility Co. is a sustainable mobility platform that provides affordable Electric Vehicles and convenient access to charging, for all, today. By starting with those who drive the most and have the biggest impact, we’re accelerating electric mobility adoption and getting closer to a pollution-free skyline!

GreenTek Packaging: LACI’s Innovator Cohort 5 startup, GreenTek Packaging creates compostable plasticware made from industrial hemp and corn byproducts.

IQHi, Inc.: IQHi builds advanced data analytics tool sets to help gaining in-depth insights from energy storage system operational data for better products and shorter developing time for their clients.

LAMAR, IoT: LACI’s Innovator Cohort 5 startup, LAMAR, IoT is developing new sustainable supply chain solutions to reduce costs, inefficiencies, and mitigate waste towards a zero emissions planet. 

OpenEGrid: Analytics platform to apply the emerging technologies in Big Data, Analytics, and Cloud Computing to legacy Energy Systems in order to significantly improve interoperability across Distributed Energy Resources in what is now emerging as the ‘Smart Grid’.

PLUS: Portable zero emission electric vehicles for round trips under 12 miles.

Rent-a-Romper: A rental clothing company for babies and toddlers because kids (out)grow so fast. Rent-a-Romper set out to build a community-shared closet, filled with great baby and children’s clothing, so that you don’t have to spend time shopping and looking for deals.  

Sensagrate: Sensagrate (which stands for sensor integrated technology) is developing an industry-defining, infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication platform that provides data to support intelligent decision making for both human-driven and autonomous vehicles to foster safer interaction as they navigate our roadways. 

Verity Packaging, Inc.: Verity is on a mission to eliminate waste from the beauty and personal care industry by making a circular economy approachable and affordable for retailers, brands, and consumers. We make reusable containers and offer a turnkey take-back service to collect, sanitize, and put containers back to use.

LACI Announces First Year of Investments from $5 Million Early Stage Impact Investment Fund

Exactly one year ago, LACI announced the LACI Impact Fund (LIF) for early-stage cleantech startups, as part of a relaunch of its cohort-based startup program. The $5 million LIF considers investment in LACI portfolio companies that are in good standing, have an active round of investment with a lead investor, and have demonstrated strong commitment to impact. The LIF provides our startups with an opportunity to have access to capital that aligns with LACI’s social impact priorities. In 2020, LACI invested in 6 companies, with a number of companies in its pipeline for future investments.

LACI-incubated startups are eligible to apply to the LIF if they: A) have an open and active round with a specified lead; B) secure a sufficient score based on their commitment to environmental, social and economic impact. Startups selected for this year’s incubation cohort will be eligible for investments as well. The application deadline is this Friday, January 15. Startups selected for LACI’s incubation program and for the LACI Impact Fund must focus on one of LACI’s Technological Priorities: Zero Emissions Transportation, Clean Energy and Circular Economy.

“Through the LACI Impact Fund, we are delighted to invest in our startup companies that are working day in and out to create an inclusive green economy,” said Matt Petersen, Managing Director of the Fund and CEO of LACI, reflecting on the investments to date.

The launch of the LIF included investments in Seatrec and FreeWire. Subsequently, 6 companies received funding from the Impact Fund in 2020, and continue to scale their products into markets across the country and world. All LACI Impact Fund companies are listed below:

  • Ampaire
    Founders: Kevin Noertker & Cory Combs
    Company Mission: Ampaire is designing and developing high performance zero-emission aircraft to help improve efficiency and reduce aviation’s impact on climate change.
  • Envoy
    Founders: Aric Ohana & Ori Sagie
    Company Mission: Envoy is committed to providing affordable, convenient and sustainable shared mobility to communities by offering Mobility as an Amenity™ where you live, work, or stay.
  • FreeWire
    Founder: Arcady Sosinov
    Company Mission: FreeWire Technologies provides clean, quiet mobile power and fast charging that’s easy to deploy, wherever and whenever you need it.
  • Nature Coatings
    Founder: Jane Palmer
    Company Mission: Nature Coatings transforms wood waste into high performing black pigments.
  • Pick My Solar
    Founders: Max Aram & Chris Blevins
    Company Mission: Pick My Solar is the first managed marketplace for the residential solar and energy storage market.
  • Repurpose
    Founder:
    Lauren Gropper
    Company Mission: Repurpose is a line of sustainable tableware that looks out for the health of you, your family, and the planet.
  • Seatrec
    Founder: Yi Chao
    Company Mission: Seatrec designs and manufactures energy harvesting solutions that generate electricity from naturally occurring temperature differences in ocean waters.
  • Xeal
    Founders: Xander Isaacson & Nikhil Bhardwaj
    Company Mission: Xeal accelerates electric vehicle adoption by making charging stations work anywhere for anyone.

The LACI Impact Fund will continue investing in new cleantech innovation throughout 2021. To find out more about the LACI Incubation Program or the Impact Fund, please visit LACI’s Incubation Program. Applications for the 2nd Incubation Cohort program are open until January 15th, 2021. 

Circuit Provides New Rochelle’s ‘Drive’ To a Smart & Sustainable City

The City of New Rochelle is in the middle of a remarkable once-in-a-generation redevelopment of its Downtown Corridor across 12 million square feet to build thousands of new units of housing and create an environment where New Rochelle can lead on culture, community, and innovation.  But like any new building, our redevelopment is also prioritizing the amenities and quality-of-life that come along with it, including doubling down on our transportation and technology strategy that New Rochelle is integrating into the very fabric of our transformation into a smart city, a key component to encourage and promote future growth. And one of the city’s “smartest” investments to date has been its new free, on-demand, electric shuttle service Circuit New Rochelle (NR).

Accelerating a Reliable, Clean Energy Future

This past summer California experienced extreme heat due to the climate crisis, exacerbating and challenging the electric grid to maintain reliable electric service. The result of raging wildfires and prolonged heat waves combined with other grid planning factors led to power outages and rotating blackouts that had not occurred since the 2001 energy crisis.  Severe weather conditions, like the summer heat wave, create new challenges in keeping the lights on, exacerbating grid weaknesses, and disproportionately putting vulnerable communities at risk. 

In response to the climate crisis which is impacting California at a pace ahead of scientific models, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced his commitment to explore accelerating the state’s decarbonization goals, including the goal of a clean energy grid by 2045. At a press conference in fire-stricken Butte County, Newsom stated, “I think 2045 is too late” to get to a clean energy grid. 

These distressing conditions can serve as a catalyst to develop an electric system that can better withstand the consequences of climate change, while accelerating our move to clean energy as well as transportation electrification. As such, the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) supports the Governor’s commitment to accelerate the transition to a clean energy grid that was established by groundbreaking legislation in SB 100 and his recent Executive Order to accelerate the deployment of electric transportation. 

These market signals from California policy makers, along with a Biden Administration that is supportive of an ambitious and equitable clean energy revolution, call for innovation from our state’s entrepreneurs. At LACI, we are demonstrating how these clean technologies will enable this improved, resilient grid through startups, partnerships, and pilots.

Exactly one month before California experienced its first of two rotating blackouts, LACI launched a small-scale electric vehicle (EV) community car-share pilot that is illustrating resiliency on the electric grid. LACI, in partnership with community partner Pacoima Beautiful, Envoy – a LACI startup – and Nissan deployed EVs to a community center in the San Fernando Gardens housing development, while keeping the needs of the community front and center. At the core, the pilot provides affordable and accessible clean transportation options, which are critical to the low-income community that is also burdened by poor air quality and can lack access to transportation. 

To ensure resiliency, we incorporated an off-grid, solar-powered electric vehicle supply equipment with battery backup that can serve as an emergency source of power for portable devices in the event of a power outage.  As the public and private sectors work together to create a clean, reliable electricity grid, we need to think creatively about how we can incorporate these types of solutions across every neighborhood.

Along with off-grid and local clean energy solutions, a modern, reliable grid will also need to solve for utility scale technologies. California has done an incredible job of accelerating the adoption of solar energy with approximately 28,000 megawatts installed since 2005. As Governor Newsom moves to accelerate solar and clean energy ahead of 2045, the fast deployment of various forms of storage is necessary. Alumina Energy, another LACI startup, provides distributed and utility energy storage solutions that turn renewables into 24-hour dispatchable resources that are cost-competitive or lower than fossil fuels. Alumina’s technology is a packed bed thermal energy storage that has a 30+ years life cycle – making it cost-effective and a long-term solution. This type of distributed and utility-scale technology becomes even more critical when we think about the diverse set of solutions we’ll need to properly respond to the disruptive and different types of extreme weather events. 


(Pictured: the launch of Pacoima Electro-Share with
Pacoima Beautiful and Envoy in the early summer of 2020)

Lastly, when we think of grid resiliency, we also need to consider the energy-transportation nexus. California is a leader when it comes to clean transportation. The state has a goal for there to be 5 million EVs on California roads by 2030 and recently, the Governor signed an executive order to phase out the sale of new gas-powered passenger cars and trucks by 2035 and a transition to 100% zero-emission heavy duty short-haul drayage trucks by 2035 and other heavy-duty vehicles by 2045. 

LACI and the Transportation Electrification Partnership (TEP) are working towards a target of 30% of all passenger cars in LA County to be electric by the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As we work with our partners to advance progress towards these goals, we are supporting the discovery of new technologies that are needed to enable greater use of EVs and the efficient dispatch of energy, as needed, to support the grid. AMPLY Power and NeoCharge are two LACI startups that demonstrate this insight. AMPLY Power offers customized charging solutions to commercial fleet operators that optimize grid conditions to maximize savings. NeoCharge optimizes EV charging solutions in a manner that makes charging more cost-competitive for apartments and condos, while also supporting the needs of the grid. Additional work is needed to ensure these types of vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-building technologies are incentivized to come online to support grid resiliency. 

As California establishes new climate goals, we need to keep in mind that we need to move aggressively and inclusively to meet the needs of a clean and reliable energy grid. These recent heat waves, combined with massive wildfires throughout the state, demonstrate that we need to act now. LACI will continue to drive forth solutions and innovations with the public and private sectors to ensure an equitable, clean, and reliable energy future.