Driving Climate Solutions: Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator Announces its Second Cohort

Undaunted, in collaboration with Imperial Enterprise, is proud to announce its second cohort of the Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator. This is an initiative supporting climate innovation in the retrofit market in London. The accelerator is designed to support startups and early-stage scale-ups in the clean tech sector, with a focus on developing cutting-edge solutions for the built environment. These businesses and SMEs are London-based and classified within the Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services (LCEGS) sector. This unique programme connects early-stage startups with resources, mentorship and visibility that can help them move beyond the piloting phase.

The following businesses are set to begin their journey as part of the second cohort:

BioTwin – Plant-based, carbon-neutral wall stud
Carbon Cell – Carbon negative, compostable, insulation, fabricated from waste
Cyanoskin – Living CO2 absorbent paint
ecoDriver Ltd. – Energy Management Software & Services blending technology and engagement to help organisations Understand, Act and Transform their sustainability journey.
Ecofye – CO2 emissions data monitoring (including scope 3)
Firstplanit – Digital platform to help select sustainable building materials
Material Index Ltd. – Reuse of construction materials
Map Mortar – Digital twin modelling and simulation for retrofit planning
Pairio Ltd – Assessment of building energy efficiency to inform retrofit decision
Q-Bot – Robot that can install insulation under suspended timber floors in homes
SmartShift Energy – Saving people money on their electricity bills by providing access to wholesale pricing and shifting their usage to off-peak times.
Vulcan – Supply chain management for retrofitting homes
UpGreen Ltd. – Energy upgrade planning for SMEs

What’s next?

An upcoming event within the accelerator’s framework is the Challenge Identification Workshop that brings together climate tech SMEs with industry stakeholders under one roof on May 21, 2024. The goal of the workshop is to enable innovators by providing them expertise on how to identify and unblock some of the barriers to the adoption of their technologies. The workshop allows founders to pitch in front of an exciting group of developers, local authority, constructors, designers, and energy consultants working on making a relevant impact in London’s built environment.

Undaunted actively encourages the sustained participation of diverse startup portfolios from underrepresented communities, including women, minority ethnic groups, disabled persons, neurodivergent persons, and the LGBTQI+ community. Selected participants in the Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator will gain access to a wide range of resources, including R&D advice, internships, technical workspace, and networking opportunities with industry stakeholders.

Highlighting the need for public-private partnerships in driving innovation, Alyssa Gilbert, Director of Innovation at the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London, said “We are going to see some individual activity for the cohort participants during the course of the programme. They will get an opportunity to access Advanced Hackspace where they will be developing prototypes. They are going to have access to researchers at Imperial College London. The Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator gives innovators an ecosystem to support their business models and their path to technical advancement while also engaging with the industry. We have this combination of collaborative work and individual progress – both of which will expect to bring great returns.”

The accelerator creates a pathway to growth for a diverse range of products and services designed by climate startups bringing unique solutions to the climate crisis across the built environment sector, with a particular focus on decarbonising buildings.

For more information on the accelerator visit – https://www.imperial.ac.uk/climate-change-innovation/retrofit-accelerator/

Follow updates of the programme on LinkedIn here

Powered by Imperial College London, via Undaunted and Enterprise, the Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator is part of the Greater London Authority’s Better Futures programme, co-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.