Welcoming LACI’s New Portfolio Companies: Incubation Cohort 8 and Founders Business Accelerator Cohort 10

At LACI, we provide industry-leading support to groundbreaking local businesses and innovative startups, in keeping with our commitment to making a tangible environmental, social, and economic impact in Los Angeles and beyond. By empowering our portfolio companies, including our newest Incubation and Founders Business Accelerator cohorts, we are working to create a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable future. Joining our powerful and deeply connected community are 13 game-changing cleantech startups in Incubation Cohort 8, and 17 LA-based small businesses in Founders Business Accelerator (FBA) Cohort 10.

Please join us in welcoming LACI’s newest portfolio companies!

 

Incubation Cohort 8

The LACI Incubation program is a two-year cleantech program offering hands-on incubation services–including expert coaching, investment support, go-to-market strategies, customer acquisition through pilots, and eligibility to our innovative Impact and Debt Funds–for cleantech startups to grow in Los Angeles. To date, LACI has helped over 411 companies grow and raise more than $1B in capital through the mentorship, business tools, and valuable introductions to investors we provide. With environmental, social, and economic impact at the core of our work, we are proud to welcome 20 diverse and innovative founders–85% of whom are BIPOC, 30% women, and 5% LGBTQ+–focused on game-changing solutions for zero emissions transportation, clean energy, and sustainable cities.

During the first four months of the program, founders attend intensive curriculum workshops, one-on-one coaching sessions, and roundtable discussions as a cohort to prepare for commercialization and investor readiness. After the initial curriculum, the focus shifts toward achieving objectives outlined in a custom business roadmap of fundraising, product development, market access, team growth, pilot deployment, and partnerships. 

For more information on the Incubation program, please visit the LACI Startups Programs page.

Zero Emissions Transportation

Carvajal Motorsports

Founder & CEO: Antonio Carvajal

Carvajal Motorsports is pioneering the use of basalt fiber to create the world’s lightest electric vehicles, setting new standards for sustainability and performance. By harnessing basalt’s exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, their designs reduce environmental impact while offering exceptional range and cargo capacity for commercial EVs. Their versatile technologies feature unique electric drivetrains, aerodynamic designs, optimized space for drivers/passengers, and eco-friendly, impact-resistant materials. This innovation has attracted significant interest in various product categories, including compact electric passenger trains, electric utility vehicles, high-performance electric carbon-fiber supercars, and electric carbon-fiber motorcycles, all presenting substantial revenue and profitability potential.

ChargeWheel

Co-Founders: Muhammad “H” Huzaifa (CEO), Peter Won (CTO Hardware), JB Badar (CTO Software)

ChargeWheel has designed a battery-backed solution to upgrade grid power levels at EV charging sites.  Battery + Software acts as a buffer, mitigates expensive power upgrades, and ensures a consistent energy supply.  They have combined their battery technology with a fast EV charger, which enables ChargeWheel to install a fast charger anywhere within 48 hours, assuming a standard 240 AC connection is available.  

Emissionless

Founder: Max Yergan

Emissionless is a sustainable logistics company rebuilding trucking from the ground up by using data and algorithms to better plan, schedule, and coordinate freight movements. They are developing the operating system for electric freight carriers, providing tools and resources to help drivers save time and manage their business. They are also enabling the transition away from grueling long-haul trucking routes where drivers live out of their trucks for weeks on end to a relay system that helps get them home to their family every night. This approach also enables electrification of virtually any route, and is 50% faster than conventional long-haul approaches as it eliminates 13-hour-long roadside rest stops which inhibit the free flow of freight.

Moon Five Technologies

Founder & CEO: Stephan Ng

Moon Five is looking to decarbonize the multi-family home space through incentive aligned solutions. Their first product is an EV charging solution that uses an ISP-like deployment strategy, modular hardware, and network independent firmware to provide a reliable and repairable solution for renters. Moon Five Technologies has developed an electric vehicle charging ecosystem, built for apartment residents by apartment renters, aimed at increasing long-term charger reliability and grid stability.

Clean Energy

BASEstud.io

Founder & CEO: Heidi Adams

BASEstud.io is advancing intelligent community lighting by prioritizing people over cars. While maintaining car safety standards, the focus is now on human safety. Street lighting significantly contributes to CO2 emissions and lacks climate resilience, putting communities at risk. Additionally, blue/white LED lighting causes light pollution, harming people, plants, animals, and insects. BASEstud.io’s patented iLumaform design replaces traditional street lights with multi-purpose Street Stations, offering climate resilience, community responsiveness, and cost-effectiveness. These stations are designed to withstand climate change, generate renewable energy, and cater to community needs, making essential upgrades feasible and revenue-generating.

Pure Energy Stream

Co-Founders: Alvaro Santiago Flores (CEO), Mark Ware (CTO) & Juan Ortiz 

Pure Energy Stream created EcoMAXIM as an innovative technology to maximize the quality and efficiency of electricity for the consumer, which will reduce the economic and environmental impact of this vital resource. EcoMAXIM is a whole-facility integrated energy management system that recycles electricity, balances and optimizes Voltage, protects against harmful power surges and harmonics, and extends the useful life of all energized equipment. Unlike traditional power conditioners, EcoMAXIM contains patented components that reduce real kiloWatt consumption for significant cost savings. Additionally, CO2 emissions are significantly reduced.

Sustainable Cities

Eorte Brand

Co-Founders: Joey Pham (CEO) & Angelica Navarro (COO)

Eorte’s closed-loop process turns bed sheet waste into high-quality, hand-crafted, eco-friendly hospitality uniforms, setting new benchmarks for the uniform industry. With their innovative End of Life (EOL)/Fiber Sensor Strip (FSS) system, garments are sorted automatically into their respective category within seconds. 

Eorte Brand is an alumni of the FBA program.

Hamilton Perkins Collection

Founder & CEO: Hamilton Perkins

Hamilton Perkins Collection makes award winning, unique bags from sustainable materials, including pineapple leaf fiber, plastic bottles, clothing, and billboard vinyl. They have been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, and The Washington Post. Customers include Ellen, Affirm, and Hewlett-Packard. At HPC, each bag is unique. No two bags are alike. The brand upcycles trash into bags and accessories that have little to no sourcing costs. What it’s worth: Affordably priced bags and accessories generating 60% gross margin and 20% net margin. Why invest or buy: HPC bags are attractive and environmentally friendly to a wide range of customers which will generate good to great investor returns. 

Hamilton Perkins Collection is an alumni of the FBA program.

Nice LLC

Founder & CEO: Lauryn Morris

Nice is a Los-Angeles-based circular startup focused on scaling the electric conversion of used ICE vehicles. It is developing scaled processes to remanufacture and convert large batches of passenger cars into affordable EVs for consumers. Unlike competitors who focus on bespoke EV conversions for the wealthy or costly proprietary technologies, Nice leverages existing technologies and distributed manufacturing to convert internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to EVs efficiently. By utilizing an existing supply chain, salvaging components, and embracing sharing economies, Nice significantly increases conversion speed and broadens consumer accessibility, aiming to transform the market with a scalable, sustainable approach.

Oom Earth

Co-Founders: Emily Chae (COO) & Amy Lee (CEO)

Through OOM, consumers can purchase products as usual from any retailer and return empty bottles to OOM via collection points in LA or through an upcoming at-home pickup service. They receive cash rewards for each return, which can be cashed out via Venmo or donated to charity through OOM’s app. The bottles are sanitized to food-grade standards and reused by brands. OOM’s system can clean over 60 different bottle shapes and sizes, supporting most CPG brands. This model offers a 90% consumer retention rate for brands, allowing them to allocate marketing funds more efficiently. OOM’s platform aims to promote reusable packaging adoption with minimal effort for consumers and brands, providing a mobile app for returns and rewards, a brand dashboard for consumption data, and physical washing and collection services.

Ouros Industries

Founder & CEO: Jae Allen

Ouros Industries is a software startup dedicated to digitizing and automating the textile waste supply chain, aiming to foster a sustainable and circular fashion industry. Their flagship product, FabricFeed, is a digital tool that simplifies textile waste data collection for fashion brands, empowering them to make strategic, sustainable decisions.

Rechargify

Co-Founders: Sami Kibria (CEO) & Kyle Sullivan (COO)

Rechargify is building an EV power network, leveraging proprietary smart chargers that enhance on-site energy for larger, faster installs. Their vision is to make fast charging free for consumers by monetizing real time demand signals in wholesale electricity markets.

Reverse Energy Solutions

Co–Founders: Daniel Tu (CEO) & Vickie Wen (CFO)

Reverse Energy Solutions is revolutionizing the solar panel recycling industry with custom-designed mobile processing machinery that cuts logistics costs by 90%. Their “Mobile Dismantle Factory” is housed in a modified 53-foot container and unfolds into an efficient outdoor dismantling station for solar panels.

 

Founders Business Accelerator Cohort 10

LACI’s Founders Business Accelerator (FBA) increases the economic, community, and environmental impact of small businesses and micro-enterprises throughout Los Angeles. During this free six-month program, founders receive personalized training and support from LACI’s Executives-In-Residence and other industry experts, helping them strengthen their business plan, access crucial resources, and accelerate their growth.

We are thrilled to welcome a diverse, passionate group of founders to Cohort 10, featuring 64% women founders, 77% BIPOC founders, and broad representation from various City of Los Angeles council districts. With our primary referral source this cycle being social media, we welcome you to check out LACI’s social media pages (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook) for posts and live broadcasts featuring our brilliant founders.

For more information on the FBA program, please visit the LACI Founders Business Accelerator page.

City Greens Farm

Founder: Jennifer Levy

City Greens Farm works to promote sustainability, environmental stewardship, and to grow and distribute healthy food, while providing students access to advanced technology and progressive curriculum in an educational urban farm. 

Jumie Ceramics
Founder: Linda Jumie

Jumie Ceramics is a curated collection of functional ceramic ware meticulously and thoughtfully handcrafted to make a meaningful and memorable statement in your everyday moments.

Adapt Living

Founder: Alvaro Toledo

Adapt Living makes elegant, energy-efficient, and experience-driven modular homes and spaces.

The World Is Small

Founder: Andrew Chayra

The World Is Small aims to create community through fashion by uplifting local voices in the community to create new and innovative clothing using local vendors at an affordable price point.

Nova Skii Hair Experience

Founders: Clois Stone & Tanya McConico

Nova Skii Hair Experience is a Black-, women-, and veteran-owned hair salon located in the City of Gardena. They service all hair types as well as offer booth rentals.

Chargerzilla

Founders: Sajith Kumar & Julia Krylova

An innovative EV charging station search and booking platform that enables residential and commercial property owners to rent out their charging facilities to EV owners. Additionally, the platform offers access to a network of public, private, fast, and Tesla chargers spanning the United States and Canada.

Quik Charg

Founders: Kristopher Turner & Robert Kyler

Quick Charg is an innovative service specializing in electric vehicle (EV) charging, particularly designed for retirement communities and adult care facilities.

Single Lady Estates

Founder: Bobbie Wasserman

Single Lady Estates empowers women throughout their entire homeownership journey – buying, selling and life in between.

Aris Hydronics

Founders: Helene Cornell & Robert Benjamin

Aris Hydronics was founded to make our homes better by cutting building emissions and lowering energy burdens. They electrify homes to be safe, comfortable and future proof with state of the art hydronic technology and air to water heat pumps.

D’Cuja

Founders: Bailey Jennings & Danyelle Chota

D’Cuja cocktail mixers are all natural, non-alcoholic cocktail mixers that come in single-serving 8oz cans, free from artificial flavoring and dyes, unlike their competitors. D’Cuja bridges the gap between the non-alcoholic and alcoholic space by providing a drink that everyone can cheers with.

Cadre Landscape Inc.

Founder: Julio Lopez

Cadre Landscape Inc. offers commercial landscape design, installation, maintenance, and plant-health services for Class A properties and corporate clients.

Vehicular Energy and Media

Founders: Paul Cornejo & Knoko Chapple

Vechicular Energy and Media is an energy brand committed to evolving the electric vehicle charging infrastructure bridging the gaps between community sustainability and convenience.

Carbon Stealth

Founder: Sean Flores

Carbon Stealth facilitates a peer-to-peer platform to eliminate food waste while creating soil amendment for the agriculture market worldwide.

A Gluten Free Cottage Bakery

Founder: LaTonya Whitfield-Horn

A Gluten Free Gourmet Cookie experience. Hand crafted, baked fresh in small batches, and presented in signature gift boxes with a hand tied bow. Gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free. 

Neighborhood Empowerment Fund Inc.

Founder: Oscar Aguayo

Neighborhood Empowerment Fund Inc. is a community investment fund focused on educating stakeholders on how to invest in local projects and small businesses requiring capital for expansion. Founder Oscar Aguayo structures deals between community members and business owners with a strong emphasis on educational components to foster informed investment decisions.

Drop

Founder: Dante Wooten

Founded on the belief that transportation should never be a barrier to success and wellbeing, Drop is committed to providing last mile transportation services to communities that inherently experience transportation inequalities. They are revolutionizing urban mobility with electric powered rickshaws & one mission: reduce traffic, carbon emissions and daily commute cost.

Yordly

Founder: Igor Shvartser

Yordly offers a user-friendly, data-driven B2B SaaS platform that empowers corporate sustainability teams, making it quick and easy to manage high-quality data and generate actionable insights to ensure the success of both their company and the planet.