LACI Convenes Climate Leaders in NYC, Unveils New Climate Innovation Hub

Amid the buzz around Climate Week NYC, something powerful unfolded in Brooklyn. We were excited to unveil BATWorks, the new climate innovation hub launched in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). Hosting a total of 7 events throughout the week, LACI brought climate leaders, investors, policymakers, and entrepreneurs who were eager to share their drive to accelerate innovation and scale real climate solutions. 

One of the most anticipated events of the week was a sneak peek into the future of BATWorks , which is set to become one of the largest climate hubs in the world. LACI’s own Alex Mitchell, Andrew Kimball from NYCEDC, and Timothy Rowe from Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), shared not just the vision, but the momentum already underway to build a home for pilots, partnerships, and cleantech startups in the heart of NYC. Climate Week NYC proved to be an amazing landscape for the launch of this new hub and our first step into New York’s climate ecosystem.

Our Unlocking Innovation team kicked the week off with an insightful panel discussion, which highlighted the increasingly critical role debt plays in bridging the gap for emerging technologies. Panelists included finance and investor experts from NY Green Bank and Overture Ventures, The Schmidt Family Foundation (a LACI Cleantech Debt Fund grantor), and Debt Fund recipient, it’s electric. One thing was made clear: a full capital stack is more important than ever before! This event allowed us to activate new relationships with New York investors, marking the introduction of our unique model and initiatives in New York City.

The following Sunday, our Government and International Relations team held a convening for the National Coalition of Clean Energy Incubators (NCCEI), a leading coalition of incubators from across the United States promoting advanced energy innovation and providing support for entrepreneurs. The panel discussion proved to be very motivating to the participants, as they discussed the key role incubators play in driving advanced energy innovation forward despite current headwinds. The convening also gave members an opportunity to ideate how BATWorks can become a resource for these incubators and the startups they support. We hope to see more incubators and founders fill the BATWorks halls as it develops and truly make it a place for climate leaders to collaborate and engage in meaningful action.

Down at Pier 57, our Market Transformation team brought together energy stakeholders and Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) members, focusing the conversation on the road ahead to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. In attendance, representatives from Southern California Edison and Schneider Electric explored solutions for a clean, resilient grid in time for the Games. It’s our hope that conversations like these will help inform ways to deploy sustainable solutions in other cities like New York. BATWorks is a step toward those solutions. 

Through our partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation we hosted an event to highlight our City Climate Innovation Challenge, a unique initiative helping cities pilot and scale solutions to urgent issues like zero-emission delivery. With pilot cities already active from NYC to Portland, this event gathered public and private sector leaders to envision how we can grow this effort, reach more cities, and meet the climate moment with speed and scale. Earlier this year, the Rockefeller Foundation granted us funding for the Challenge and it has since enabled us to support pilot projects in NYC, Washington, DC and Oakland, CA and Portland, OR. We look forward to continuing this work at BATWorks’ pilot space in the coming years.

By the end of the week, one thing was clear: the energy at BATWorks wasn’t just from the conversations—it was from the shared commitment to action.

If you’d like to be a part of the action and enjoy discussions like those we moderated at New York City Climate Week, we are hiring 2 new roles in NYC that will continue to help shape the BATWorks community and space. 

The Ecosystem and Events Coordinator will help shape the new BATWorks community and build events that activate the space.

The Pilots Associate will drive pilot programming, developing and executing catalytic pilots that scale cleantech. This key role will push our City Climate Innovation Challenge forward.

If you know someone who is interested in being a part of cleantech solutions, share these job postings with them!