Deadline: 16-Jun-23
Applicants are now invited to submit their applications for the Forestry Accelerator Program, a 4-month program for pre-seed and seed stage companies that are commercializing new and improved products, services, and technology in the forest and wood industry.
Companies receive expert advice and tools to build a market validated business case, model, and operating plan through a rigorous commercialization curriculum, coaching, webinars and panels, and connections to industry experts, customers, and suppliers. They partner with ecosVC to provide companies access to their comprehensive commercialization curriculum and years of experience supporting startups and innovation.
The Accelerator is based in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, providing access to industry expertise, customers, suppliers, and a natural laboratory to test and launch a company.
The Forestry Accelerator is run by Do North and Northern Vermont University and facilitate by ecosVC. The Accelerator uses ecosVC’s Lens of the Market curriculum that focuses on working with emerging companies to develop a well-grounded and market-aligned business case, business model, and go-to-market plan. Additionally, companies receive extensive connections to industry leaders, customers, suppliers, pilots, and investors.
The Accelerator includes two in-person multi-day sprints in Vermont, two virtual multi-day sprints, 1:1 coaching, and a series of webinars throughout the program. The 2023 cohort begins in mid-July and wraps up in Vermont on the 1st of November. The Accelerator provides financial support for travel, food, and lodging for two trips to Vermont as well as prize money and access to customers and pilots.
Focus Areas
The Forestry Accelerator focuses on companies looking to develop markets in northern New England and working to solve the following challenges the regional industry faces:
- Products that use chips, dust, resins, and other byproducts and low grade wood.
- Technology that improves forest management, sales, safety, and other operations.
- Products and processes that develop and improve advanced wood heat, fuels, and energy.
Accelerator Benefits
- Connections to Industry Experts
- And key players in the forest and wood products value chain to gain insight and guidance on the forest products market for your company and connections to suppliers and customers.
- A Rigorous Commercialization Curriculum
- Developed by their program partner, ecosVC, that provides companies with expert advice and a process to build a market validated business case, business model, and go-to-market plan.
- A Hybrid Program
- with both virtual and in-person components that provides financial support for participant travel and lodging for two trips to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom to connect in-person with other cohort participants, coaches, and industry players.
Eligibility Criteria
- Looking for companies:
- in Energy Efficiency, Hardware Design, Climate Change, Environmental Management, Product Innovation, Agroforestry, Energy Sector, Clean Energy, Waste To Energy, Energy & Cleantech, Energy Storage, Waste Heat Recovery, Climate Tech, Renewable Energy Tech, Bioenergy, Heat Transfer Systems, Biomass, Carbon Management, Recyclable Packaging
- located in North America
- incorporated or not
- prototype or users stage
- Pre-seed or Seed
- have raised funding or not
- currently raising or not raising funds
- have revenue or not.
For more information, visit Forestry Accelerator Program.