Carbon to Value
Year 6

Innovation Scope

For its sixth accelerator cohort, the C2V Initiative and its Carbontech Leadership Council (CLC) are welcoming applications from startups at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4-7 that are developing carbontech solutions. More specifically, the program collaborators are interested in carbontech innovations related to the following categories: 

Carbon Conversion to Value-Added Products:

• CO2 and other carbon-rich streams to fuels (e.g. SAF/e-fuels, methanol, LPG, RNG)

• CO2 and other carbon-rich streams to chemicals (e.g. C2-C4+ chemicals, intermediates, polymers)

• CO2 and other carbon-rich streams to materials (e.g. carbonates, fertilizers, advanced carbon materials)

• Carbon-rich waste (e.g. waste biomass, municipal, industrial waste, industrial residues) to value (e.g. via gasification, fermentation, pyrolysis)

• AI/ML-enabled approaches that accelerate carbon conversion technologies, including catalyst, materials, reactor, process, separations, energy integration, or scale-up optimization, etc.

Carbon Capture:

• Point-source capture (e.g. from energy or process emissions)

• Direct air capture (DAC) and direct ocean capture (DOC)

• Gas-separation technologies (e.g. purification, biogas upgrading)

• AI/ML-enabled approaches that improve carbon capture, gas separation, purification, or upgrading technologies, including materials discovery, sorbent, solvent, membrane, contactor, process, system design, automation, performance monitoring, or controls optimization

Carbon Sequestration and Removal:

• Marine CDR / blue carbon (e.g. ocean alkalinization, biomass sinking)

• Biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) (e.g. waste biomass, biochar, biomass burial)

• Enhanced mineralization/rock weathering

• AI/ML-enabled approaches that support carbon sequestration, removal, or durable storage pathways, including process optimization, project design, monitoring, system modeling, performance prediction, or deployment risk reduction where directly connected to a physical carbon removal or storage pathway

Not in scope:

• Previously established direct CO2 uses, such as enhanced oil recovery (EOR), are not in scope

• Enabling technologies that solely focus on software, carbon marketplaces, carbon credits, registries, financing, or insurance, although critical to the industry, are not in scope for this year

• Hardware for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) (e.g. remote sensing, IOT/sensors, continuous emissions monitoring, isotopic tracing)

• Standalone software platforms are not in scope unless they directly support the development, optimization, scale-up, or deployment of an eligible carbontech technology

Stage:

• Technological maturity: TRL 4-7, i.e., validated in a laboratory environment

  Commercial maturity: actively investigating product-market fit and seeking partnerships

  There is no minimum or maximum public/private funding limit

Geography:

• Applicants may apply from anywhere in the world

• Events will take place in-person in Boston, New York, Houston, and virtually (see detailed schedule below)

  • Attendance is mandatory for in-person events, regardless of startup location. Failure to participate could result in removal from the program

• Up to a $10,000 discretionary stipend per selected startup to support their participation in the accelerator

These categories are not exhaustive, and overlap is possible. Startups with a novel carbontech innovation are encouraged to apply even if their technology is not listed above. Refer to the Request for Applications for more details.

Applicants to the sixth cohort of the C2V Initiative will be evaluated on several factors, including novelty and feasibility, potential climate benefits, potential impact on the overall carbontech market, and the startup’s preparedness to fully leverage the benefits of the program.

Interested in applying?

Applications for Year 6 are now open. For more information, check out our Applicant FAQs and the Request for Applications.

Year 6 Timeline

About the Program

The Carbon to Value (C2V) Initiative—a unique partnership among Urban Future Lab at New York University-Tandon, Greentown Labs, and Fraunhofer USA, is unlocking a new carbontech economy, bringing innovative solutions to scale as rapidly as possible through the creation of a robust, powerful, and collaborative new ecosystem.

Building on its first five successful years supported by NYSERDA, which saw over 630 applications and supported 45 selected startups (Cohorts 1-5) that have raised over $700M in follow-on funding, leading to partnership engagements and 600+ business relationships, technology advancement, and industry growth, Year 6 of the C2V Initiative returns with an in-depth corporate advisor program and new pivotal CLC members spanning a wide breadth of the carbontech ecosystem. 

Startups selected to participate in the program will have the opportunity to engage with the Carbontech Leadership Council, an invitation-only group of executive leaders across diverse industry sectors driving the future of carbontech. Startups will gain market insights and explore collaboration opportunities with CLC members to unlock this trillion-dollar market. Specifically, startups will have the opportunity to hear firsthand from CLC members about their carbontech strategies, to present to them directly, and to access experts and industry knowledge from within the participating corporations. Cohort startups will also gain access to the C2V Initiative’s extended network of startup alumni, investors, government funders and ecosystem supporters, allowing them to overcome their specific barriers and significantly raise their visibility profile in the carbon management industry. 

We welcome all applications from founders and teams of all backgrounds, regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or whether or not they have a disability.