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Learn more about business policies, industry trends, and insights straight from our vibrant ecosystem while staying up to date on climatetech entrepreneurship.


Urban Future Lab News
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NASDAQ x Urban Future Lab: Scaling Climate Tech Solutions for Real-World Applications in an Evolving Regulatory Environment
December 11, 2024 | NASDAQ
In this episode of NASDAQ Trade Talks hosted by Global Markets Reporter Jill Malandrino, Frederic Clerc (Interim Managing Director at the Urban Future Lab by NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Director at C2V Initiative) discussed the future of climatetech and how we can scale solutions for real-world impact alongside Martin Keighly (CEO at CarbonFree, a C2V Initiative alumni), and Bill Lese (Braemar Energy Ventures).
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Inside New York's Longest-Running Climatetech Incubator
October 31, 2024 | New Perspective
As climatetech companies work to grow, they’re up against two big challenges: meeting market demands and securing the funding to make it happen. New Perspective sat down with Frederic Clerc (Interim Managing Director) and Jeannette Williams (COO) from Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering to dig into what it takes to succeed in this fast-changing space.
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The Urban Future Prize Competition awards top prizes to Faura and Helix Earth Technologies
October 25, 2024 | NYU Tandon
NYU Tandon School of Engineering's Urban Future Lab named the winners of its 2024 Future Resilience and Future Solutions prizes, at its 8th annual Urban Future Summit on October 24, 2024 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. Through the generous support of The New York Community Trust, MUFG Bank, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), the Urban Future Lab continues to catalyze groundbreaking solutions for the climate crisis and this year, they’ve expanded their focus to include adaptation as a critical piece of the puzzle.
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UFL Receives IN² Channel Partner Strategic Award
September 12, 2024 | The Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator
With its Strategic Channel Partner award, Urban Future Lab (UFL) at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering rallied the climate tech ecosystem, uniting key players across the entire industry lifecycle at a groundbreaking event.
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The Carbon to Value Initiative Announces Year 4 Startup Cohort for its Carbontech Accelerator Program
September 12, 2024 | PR Newswire
The Carbon to Value Initiative (C2V Initiative)— a multi-year collaboration from NYU Tandon School of Engineering's Urban Future Lab (UFL), Greentown Labs, and Fraunhofer USA to catalyze the carbontech ecosystem—enthusiastically announces nine startup participants for the fourth year of its carbontech accelerator program.
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Innovate UK, the Urban Future Lab, and Greentown Labs announce the Year 5 cohort for their Global Incubator Programme
September 10, 2024 | NYU Tandon
For the fifth year in a row, thanks to their joint initiative, a select group of UK-based startups will convene in Brooklyn for a six-month program aimed at providing them with the support and mentorship needed to fully explore the U.S. market.
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Frederic Clerc, Urban Future Lab’s Interim Managing Director and Director of our Carbon to Value (C2V) Initiative, featured on Decarb Connect’s podcast
September 1, 2024 | Decarb Connect
How Urban Future Lab by NYU Tandon School of Engineering delivers high start-up to scale-up climate tech success results.
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UFL Announced as one of the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator Strategic Award Winners
April 18, 2024 | Business Wire
Our presence at Camp Cleantech in Denver, Colorado will provide entrepreneurs with additional insight and clarity into the landmark climate legislation of IRA and the intricacies of Justice40.
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Lab in Downtown Brooklyn supports tech industry in New York City
April 3, 2024 | Pix11
As part of NYU Tandon School of Engineering, we are also on the frontlines of how academia-and-startup collaboration can supercharge innovation. One example is our partnership with AIR COMPANY in a NASA-supported bid to make sustainable rocket fuel for Earth & Mars.
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DOE Awards $3M to Incubators and Accelerators in Support of Clean Energy Tech Startups
April 2, 2024 | Office of Technology Transitions
Made possible through government support, our new accelerator with Second Muse emerges the innovative forces of hardtech clean energy startups with the manufacturing industry in the Northeast US by mandating joint applications from startups and manufacturers, ensuring both parties collaborate from the outset.
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UFL Featured in Mayor's Green Economy Action Plan to Make NYC a Leader in 'Green-Collar' Jobs
February 28, 2024 | City of New York
Earlier this year, we were featured in the NYC Mayor’s Green Economy Action Plan as one of the most prominent leaders in the city’s climate innovation ecosystem.
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A 'Concrete' Solution to Climate Change
December 7, 2023 | Here & Now
The Urban Future Lab featured on NPR’s Here and Now on scaling climate technologies and new economic opportunities to reduce the carbon that’s already in the atmosphere.
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NYC’s Non-Profit Cleantech Lab Boasts 88% Success Rate
November 16, 2023 | The Energy Mix
An overview of our diverse programs, founder-first culture, and a look into the world of some of the startups incubated at the lab.
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Flipping The Switch On The Climate Emergency
October 24, 2023 | Forbes
Pat Sapinsley shares her insights into addressing the climate emergency and the societal, political, and financial barriers that come with deploying climatetech solutions.
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The Urban Future Prize competition awards two prizes
October 13, 2023 | NYU Tandon
Learn more about Urban Future Prize Competition 2023 Winners and newest ACRE incubator members: Bomee Jung, Co-Founder and CEO of Cadence OneFive and Zach Stein, Co-Founder of Carbon Collective.
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NYCEDC Launches Climate Innovation Pilot Program at Brooklyn Army Terminal
September 7, 2023 | NYCEDC
At UFL, we have several battery storage solutions, solar solutions, radiator solutions, efficient building controls, window retrofits, EV charging and more — all ready for just such an enlightened customer.
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Carbon To Value Initiative Selects Eight Startups For Third Carbontech Accelerator Program
June 23, 2023 | Carbon Herald
The six-month carbontech accelerator aims to support the startups’ commercialization efforts and de-risk their innovations.
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Introducing Brooklyn’s new Offshore Wind Innovation Hub and its director
March 17, 2023 | NYU Tandon
One of our big milestones in 2023 is establishing OWIH, the lab’s newest program, which is focused on building an offshore wind industry in New York and beyond.
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My Climate Journey | Episode 168: Pat Sapinsley, Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon
July 21, 2021 | MCJ Collective
An overview of Urban Future Lab and the gap it's filling in the climatetech startup space and our work to advocate for climate policies.
UFL Startup Spotlights
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SWTCH Unveils EV Charging Solution for Multifamily and Commercial Properties
March 14, 2025 | The Buzz EV News
SWTCH Cortex merges cloud intelligence, onsite computing and wireless connectivity to provide charging for multifamily and commercial buildings.
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Capture6 Raises $27.5M In Funding For Its CDR And Clean Water Technology
March 12, 2025 | Carbon Herald
Water-positive carbon dioxide removal (CDR) company Capture6 announced that it has successfully raised $27.5M in Series A and project funding.
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Helix Earth Wins 2025 SXSW Pitch in the Smart Cities, Transportation & Sustainability Category
March 10, 2025 | Business Wire
Helix Earth Technologies, a Houston-based hardware company at the forefront of clean tech solutions has been named the winner of the 17th annual SXSW Pitch, in the Smart Cities, Transportation & Sustainability category.
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Frontier buyers sign first electrochemical DAC deal with Phlair
February 27, 2025 | Frontier
Frontier has facilitated offtake agreements with Phlair, a company developing an electrochemical approach to direct air capture (DAC) that’s energy efficient and designed to work with intermittent renewable energy sources like solar.
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After the L.A. Fires, Insurtech Firm Faura Finds More Demand
February 25, 2025 | Commercial Observer
Investors seem to expect it if a $3.5 million seed round for the insurance technology company is any indication.
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‘Air to Water’ Innovative Tech Comes to Texas Amid Water Crisis
February 17, 2025 | KXAN
With a growing population and an increase in droughts, Texas is more desperate for water than ever before. New technology may provide a possible solution, and it comes from the air around us.
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MacroCycle Raises $6.5M to Commercialize Plastic Upcycling Technology with 80% Less Energy
February 6, 2025 | Clean Energy Ventures
MacroCycle Technologies, a developer of a novel PET & polyester textile waste upcycling technology, announced the close of a $6.5M seed financing round.
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NineDot Energy Announces $65 Million Equipment Financing
January 22, 2025 | Business Wire
NineDot Energy®, the leading developer of community-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the New York City metro area, today announced the closing of a $65 million equipment financing transaction led by First Citizens Bank, a leader in renewable energy finance.
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Top Four Clean Mobility Startups Shaping 2025
January 8, 2025 | Forbes
Dollaride is a mobility company that brings clean and accessible transportation to underserved communities, addressing the issue of transit deserts, urban areas with limited public transportation options. CEO Su Sanni explains: “We lease EVs and charging stations to fleet operators at affordable rates, ensuring both sustainability and economic viability.”
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How Vida Gabriel Is Making Carbon-capture Technology Even Greener
October 31, 2023 | Canadian Business
Gabriel co-founded TerraFixing, a company that develops technology for capturing CO2 efficiently in cold climates and a C2V Initiative Y3 Cohort Member.
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Revel and Dollaride Partner to Bring Electric Commuter Vans to Brooklyn
October 9, 2023 | BK Reader
As part of the partnership, Revel is providing UFL member Dollaride’s commuter vehicles with discounted rates and fast charging spaces.
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Osmoses Gets $11M Seed to Bring its Molecule-Scale Membranes to the Hydrogen Market
October 3, 2023 | TechCrunch
C2V Y2 Cohort Member Osmoses, a technology company transforming the way industrial separations are performed today, raised $11M in their most recent seed round from world class investors.
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Amperon Nets $20M Series B for Grid Forecasts
October 3, 2023 | Axios
Amperon, one of our incredible innovators at the Urban Future Lab, received recent funding led by Energize Capital to transition from being primarily an electricity demand forecasting platform to a comprehensive data analytics solution.
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LimeLoop’s Sleek Reusable Mailers Seek to Replace Cardboard Boxes
September 22, 2023 | TechCrunch
Urban Future Prize Competition 2022 Winner and UFL Member, LimeLoop zero into the circularity of their system.
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Announcing the 2023 Recipients of Google's Black and Latino Founders Funds
July 13, 2023 | Google
Google selected Benchmark Labs, an OWIH Y1 Cohort Member, for its Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund, providing cash awards, support, and resources.
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Air Company Makes 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators 2023
July 3, 2023 | Fast Company
A well deserved recognition of one of our portfolio members for their outstanding work in the climatetech industry while fostering a collaborative environment for its employees.
Past UFL Events
Urban Future Summit 2024
In 2024, we had our eighth Urban Future Summit celebrating the incredible finalists for the Future Resilience and Future Solutions prize tracks. Through the generous support of The New York Community Trust, MUFG, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), and NYU Tandon School of Engineering, the Urban Future Lab continues to catalyze groundbreaking solutions for the climate crisis and this year, we’ve expanded our focus to include adaptation as a critical piece of the puzzle.
Urban Future Summit 2023
Annually, as part of the Urban Future Competition, the Urban Future Lab hosts an event for climate entrepreneurs, technologists, government officials, business leaders, investors, and innovators in New York City. This year, on October 12th, the Urban Future Summit featured pitches from finalists of the 2023 Urban Future Prize Competition; an industry panel discussion; and showcased the successes of past participants of the Prize Competition. Lastly, we highlighted the commitment of our sponsors as leaders who take constructive measures to improve and benefit our planet.
Watch last year’s Summit here, as well as past year’s events here.
C2V Kickoff Event 2023
On May 24, 2023, Year 3 of the Carbon to Value Initiative kicked off in Boston! The event commenced with inspiring addresses from C2V Director Fred Clerc and Greentown interim CEO Kevin Taylor, setting the stage for an extraordinary showcase of cutting-edge carbon tech solutions. After an extensive evaluation of 161 applications, 12 carefully selected finalists from all over the world took the stage to present their promising carbon tech innovations in CO2 capture and conversion.
C2V Kickoff Event 2024
After a thorough evaluation of all of this year's 120+ applications for Year 4 of the C2V Initiative, we’re thrilled to present the Year 4 Cohort, representing a wide variety of promising carbontech innovations to capture and convert CO2 into valuable products and services!
The Carbon to Value (C2V) Initiative is a multi-year collaboration between The Urban Future Lab (UFL), Greentown Labs, and Fraunhofer USA.
Year 4 of the C2V Initiative builds on its first three successful years, which saw nearly 400 applications and supported 26 selected startups, including companies like AIR COMPANY, Carbfix, Carbon Upcycling, CarbonFree, Cemvita, Dioxycle, Lydian, Mars Materials, Planetary, and more.

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