Greentown Go Build 2023 with Saint-Gobain Announces Startup Cohort

The accelerator will advance six startups' climatetech solutions and foster potential development, investment, and commercial partnerships with Saint-Gobain

SOMERVILLE, Mass. and HOUSTON, Jan. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Greentown Labs, the largest climatetech incubator in North America, and Saint-Gobain, a multinational manufacturer and distributor of materials and services for the construction and industrial markets, announce six startup participants for Greentown Go Build 2023 — a Greentown Go program focused on accelerating startup-corporate partnerships to advance circularity and decarbonize the built environment.

Innovation in the building sector is critical to achieving decarbonization, as the sector is responsible for 40 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions. To change this, we need innovations that reinvent how buildings and their materials are planned, built, sourced, and managed. That's why Greentown and Saint-Gobain partnered to launch Go Build 2023, which specifically sought innovations to extend product life cycles, find alternative raw materials, and enable technologies for waste revalorization.

After a highly competitive selection and deliberation process that saw more than 100 applicants from 27 countries, a cohort of six cutting-edge startup participants was selected:

• Active Surfaces (Salem, Mass., U.S.) develops an ultra-lightweight, flexible solar technology for the built environment.
• Carbon Upcycling Technologies (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) is a circular-decarbonization solution for hard-to-abate industries–-utilizing low-purity industrial CO2 and industrial byproducts to decarbonize cement.
• Endeavor Composites, Inc. (Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.) intercepts landfill-destined post-industrial fibers and sustainably repurposes them into semi-finished goods for the composite industry.
• Hempitecture (Ketchum, Idaho, U.S.) manufactures and distributes biobased building materials, including a low-embodied-carbon insulation.
• Puro Renewables (Miami Beach, Fla., U.S.) upcycles carbon-negative biowaste for use in reducing the amount of fossil-fuel-based resin and carbon footprint in typical plastic products.
• ZS2 Technologies (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) creates magnesium-based advanced building products that can store up to one-fifth of their weight in CO2 via a proprietary carbon-capture technology.

Selected startups will work closely with Saint-Gobain over six months to explore potential collaborations, including investment opportunities, development partnerships, and commercial partnerships. Throughout the program, startups will benefit from mentorship, networking opportunities, educational workshops, and partnership-focused programming to support collaboration. Participants will also receive desk space and membership at Greentown for the duration of the program.

Saint-Gobain is a longtime, dedicated partner of Greentown and its startup community. The company has made many science-based climate commitments, including reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, eliminating its production of waste that isn't recovered, and excising non-recyclable raw materials. This is the third Greentown Go program partnership between Greentown and Saint-Gobain, following successful buildings-focused accelerators in 2019 and 2021—results from those programs can be found here and here.

"At Saint-Gobain, our commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050 is rooted in a long history of reducing our environmental impact and it's also a true demonstration of our purpose, Making the World a Better Home," said Basma Kharrat, vice president, external venturing, Saint-Gobain. "We look forward to working collaboratively with the Go Build finalists to help move sustainable practices forward while learning about current trends and future opportunities for a more sustainable built environment."

Greentown Labs runs Greentown Go programs across five tracks: Go Make (manufacturing), Go Move (transportation), Go Energize (energy and electricity), Go Build (buildings), and Go Grow (food and agriculture). These startup-corporate partnerships programs challenge the status quo within each key greenhouse-gas-emitting sector as they accelerate partnerships between industry giants and innovators.

"Fostering mutually beneficial partnerships between corporates and startups is an essential piece of the work we do at Greentown Labs to help deploy new climatetech solutions and accelerate our collective decarbonization efforts," said Greentown Labs CEO and President Kevin Knobloch. "Saint-Gobain is an exemplary partner in the Greentown Labs community, and we can't wait to see the fruitful relationships and engagements that will undoubtedly result from this program."

The Go Build 2023 cohort will participate in continuous mentoring and three workshops with Saint-Gobain, culminating in a showcase event in spring 2024 at Greentown's Boston location. To learn more, visit the Go Build 2023 website.

About Greentown Labs

Greentown Labs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit catalyzing climate solutions through entrepreneurship, partnership, and collaboration. As the largest climatetech startup incubator in North America, Greentown brings together startups, corporates, investors, policymakers, and many others with a focus on scaling climate technologies. Driven by the mission of providing startups the community, connections, and resources they need to thrive, Greentown offers lab space, shared office space, machine shops, electronics labs, tool shops, software and business resources, and a large network of corporate customers, investors, and more. With incubators in Somerville, Mass. and Houston, Texas, Greentown is home to more than 200 startups and has supported more than 500 since the incubator's founding in 2011. These startups have collectively created more than 11,000 jobs and raised more than $5.7 billion in funding. For more information, visit www.greentownlabs.com

>> Additional Reading: Saint-Gobain to Install Heat Recovery Technology at its Gypsum Plant in Vancouver, British Columbia, Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Energy Consumption

About Saint-Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group's commitment is guided by its purpose, "MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME".

€51.2 billion in sales in 2022
168,000 employees, locations in 75 countries
Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050

For more information about Saint-Gobain, visit www.saint-gobain.com and follow us on X @saintgobain

SOURCE Greentown Labs