Cleantech ESO's Take Your Mark
Navigating Georgia's cleantech entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) can be complicated, however, knowing the "lanes" of the key players streamlines the process.
Hey there,
In strong ecosystems, innovators are never two conversations away from the person that can drive their idea, product, or business forward.
If you feel like you are never two conversations away from that person as a cleantech innovator in Georgia, this post will get you much closer to that target.
Today, we diving deeper into the “lanes” that the myriad support organizations play in as they help cleantech innovators to tap into the rich array of resources available their efforts. We will cover:
Their core objective
Specific strengths of the cleantech innovation support organizations
The tactics they use
Before we dive deep, here is some suggested outside reading (long-form) from experts in our ecosystem.
Cleantech Books with Georgia-based Authors
“Quitter’s Day” has passed, so now that you are locked into to that “read more” resolution here some good-reads from GA cleantech leaders to meet your content fix:
Freeing Energy (Bill Nussey) — The freshest takes often come from industry outsiders, Bill’s book is a must read for those interested in distributed energy resources, and also for those that come at cleantech from outside the energy industry. Bill is no longer an outsider, his deep research and synthesis have cemented his place as a de facto leader in this space.
Energy 2040 (Deepak Divan and Suresh Sharma) — The authors posit that decarbonization is a beneficial “side-impact” of exponential innovations (e.g., renewables/storage) in the energy sector, which is a necessary reframe. The real economy, not over zealous optimism or pessimism, can drive an equitable and beneficial energy transition.
Build Like it is the End of the World (Sandeep Ahuja and Patrick Chopson) — A deep-dive for those with interest in how to reduce embodied and operational carbon in the built environment and also expertise in architecture, design, and building ops. The built environment is one cleantech sector with world-class depth in Georgia.
Deep Dive
Navigate Georgia’s cleantech support ecosystem with the speed of gold medal sprinter
People ask us all the time to help them figure out how to get the most from the vast resources for cleantech innovators in Georgia. Here is a pithy synthesis of those conversations with focus on ESOs.
Quick Description: Georgia’s pre-eminent professional society for technologists.
Lane(s): Build the track, knock down hurdles and fill empty lanes when necessary
Specific-actions: New innovation support programs
Quick Description: Georgia’s pre-eminent professional society for professionals in technology
Lane(s): Professional development and networking
Specific-actions: Events, Resource fuides
Quick Description: Infrastructure meets innovators accelerating safe, clean, sustainable mobility
Lane(s): Mobility, Infrastructure for pilots and demonstration, Thought-leadership
Specific-actions: Pilot partnerships, Resource guides, Best-practice guides
Quick Description: World-class water R&D facilities
Lane(s): Water, Infrastructure for test, pilot and demonstration
Specific-actions: Pilot partnerships, Lab facilities for testing, training
Quick Description: Georgia’s technology company incubator
Lane(s): Education, Mentorship, Connectivity, Office space
Specific-actions: Sustainability Catalyst program
Quick Description: First-of-its-kind, small cohort, cleantech accelerator
Lane(s): Investment Accelerator
Specific-actions: Cohort-specific programming, Start-up investment
Quick Description: IoT technology development sandbox
Lane(s): Multi-sector IoT, Office Space, Pilot Partnerships
Specific-actions: Infrastructure for test, pilot and demonstration
Quick Description: Collective-action group for corporate-led decarbonization
Lane(s): Pilot Partnerships, Connectivity
Specific-actions: Procurement consortiums, Events
Quick Description: SE region’s hub for Wells Fargo and NREL’s national program delivered by GT’s ScaleUp Lab
Lane(s): Energy in Built Environment, Agriculture
Specific-actions: Non-dilutive funding opportunities, Mentorship
Quick Description: Catalyst for cleantech business growth in and beyond it 29-county area of focus
Lane(s): Connectivity, Promotion, Opportunity Creation
Specific-actions: Events, Advocacy
Wait, we missed something didn’t we? Of course, we did. Where are the investors, the university programs, the corporate innovation centers, etc? Rest assured, these important ecosystem contributors will get their due in future newsletters - stay tuned.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
It is never to late to start engaging with the community; get these events on your calendar.
ATL Cleantech Connect — Jan 22 — A quarterly social to engage members of the Greater Atlanta cleantech community, focusing this month on the water-energy nexus.
2025 Georgia Cleantech Innovation Outlook — Jan 23 — A lunch-and-learn style virtual meeting digging in on 5 trends and their impact on Georgia cleantech innovators
Greenwashing, Greenhushing and Greenwishing: The Opportunities and Challenges of Marketing and Reporting on Sustainability — Jan 29 — A panel discussion on complexities of greenwashing, its implications for businesses and their stakeholders
Cleantech Hustle Hour — Feb 19 — Start-up only monthly meetup to build camaraderie amongst those who know what the cleantech hustle is all about.
Southeast Energy Conference — Feb 28 - Mar 1 — Student-organized conference connecting corporates, students and community around energy issues
Did we miss an event? Do you have an upcoming event that you want included? Please let us know!
Wrap up
Unlike a sprinter, I am sure that you did not even break a sweat in reading this piece.
Here's what you learned today:
- What to engage GA’s cleantech ESOs on
- How these organization act in the community
If you need to be two conversations away from the person that will help your business move forward, these organizations are the ones that will help you. We are happy to help make connections if you need.
PS...If you enjoyed Build Cleantech Faster in Georgia, please consider subscribing or referring this edition to a friend or colleague.