Moving forward together – Collaboration as the key to success on our quest to reach climate neutrality.

From Renewable energy to environmental protection, from circular economy to reduced inequalities, with their innovative ideas and approaches, green start-ups are successfully tackling the challenges of climate change. Entering Stage 2 of the Clean Cities ClimAccelerator, 15 inspiring ventures are taking the next step and moving with their well-formulated business models to real customers.

Did you ever wonder what happens to the peels of citrus pressed in juice machines at food outlets? A Piece of Lemon Cake did, and developed a new and planet-friendly alternative to standard insulation materials using the solid waste of the citrus juice industry. Another sign of our changing climate are prolonged dry spells, causing our trees to become increasingly stressed. Treesense developed a sensor that acts as a wearable for our green oxygen providers, offering relief through a predictive maintenance and irrigation system. With Plantika the cat on a hot tin roof is history: Innovative green roof modules make it possible for the first time to green sheet metal and tiled roofs of any slope. And what if your fresh produce didn’t have to travel long distances to reach your kitchen? Upfarming are putting centres of food production in the heart of the cities. Vertical and rotating farms allow communities to grow their own food in tiny spaces, with the lowest possible carbon footprint. A breath of fresh air is the ambition of PurCity and their patented, sustainable and highly efficient self-cleaning air purification system, turning buildings into large scale carbon capture and air purification systems. A new standard in building management will be cloud-connected hardware for real-time monitoring & control of all energy, water and indoor climate systems. Linc is developing edge-computing hardware for advanced monitoring of all building types, grid assets (transformers), or distributed energy resource (renewables, storage).

Transporting cargo in the city will be more green and fun with BAQME, a platform for shared electric cargo bikes. Another great solution for cycling enthusiasts comes with the all-inclusive bike subscription of EDDI Bike, including a bike, service and repairs. And where better to park the increasing number of bicycles than at one of Velovio´s super functional and good looking bike racks. Mooevo aims to change the mobility experience for people and cargo by providing disruptive electric mobility solutions, based on a patented technology that consists of an electric platform coupled to a cargo transportation system. One of the main reasons people don’t carpool is the difficulty of finding someone else with the same schedule and location. Say good-bye to congested streets with Hoop Carpool, an application that connects people who live and work nearby so they can share their daily commute. Solar energy is one of the most important components of sustainable energy supply. commonsun strives to build community PV-systems, providing a platform to ensure that this technology can easily be applied to multi-party buildings, so everyone can profit from the sun. Lumio´s goal is to decentralise renewable consumption by providing an electricity peer to peer market, enabling people to directly buy, exchange and consume solar energy, without the need of having their own solar installation. The innovative tech start-up Peafowl Solar Power developed transparent solar cells, suitable for connected devices that benefit from being self-powered, like indoor sensors, wearables and displays. And with CarbonLaces a new results-based climate finance marketplace is on the rise, creating new services to fight climate change. 

Entrepreneurs and their innovative ideas are playing a vital role in changing our cities for the better, making them   resilient and healthy places to live. They provide essential contributions to reaching our goal of net-zero-emissions, in just a few short years.

The Clean Cities ClimAccelerator is an EU wide acceleration program for startups developing solutions focused on the transformation towards climate neutrality.  While they engage with challenge- and demand owners, they receive continuous support from experts and mentors continuously developing their proof of concept.

The accelerator is run by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Impact Hub Vienna and is backed by EIT Climate-KIC, along with an international consortium of partners such as City Council of Madrid, Ferrovial, Distrito Castellana Norte and Zubilabs & La Pinada in the Spanish ecosystem; and Wien Energie, City Council of Vienna, Vienna Business Agency, Wiener Linien, Wiener Lokalbahnen, Wiener Wohnen and Austria Wirtschafts Service in the Austrian ecosystem. In addition to EnBW as a recent partner in the German environment.