Looking to start or scale a climate company in Los Angeles?
From LA Cleantech Incubator, Grid110, and Cleantech Open, here is the accelerator and incubator ecosystem that can back your startup with capital, space, and hands-on support.
LA Cleantech Incubator
LACI is the City of LA's official cleantech incubator and the region's deepest single-stop resource, operating the La Kretz Innovation Campus with an advanced prototyping center, lab and event space, and workforce training. Its roughly two-year incubation program for pre-seed and seed startups with a prototype pairs a hybrid curriculum with weekly executive-in-residence advisory, a large mentor network, pilot funding and customer pathways, and in-house capital through its equity impact fund and non-dilutive debt fund, taking only a small warrant stake. Focus is zero-emission transportation, clean energy, and sustainable cities.
Grid110
Grid110 is an LA economic-development nonprofit running equity-free, no-fee cohort programs for greater-LA founders, from an idea-stage bootcamp to a twelve-week residency for teams with a prototype or early traction and a launchpad accelerator for launched companies. Founders get weekly roundtables, one-to-one mentoring, expert sessions, and a strong perks and mentor network, open to any sector and skewed toward women and founders of color.
Cleantech Open: Southwest
Cleantech Open Southwest is the Southern California region of the world's largest cleantech accelerator, running the national annual program for early-stage cleantech startups as a paid, non-equity program unless a company wins seed prizes. Founders get a customer-discovery and business-model curriculum, extensive pro bono mentoring, investor and corporate introductions, national bootcamps, and regional and global showcases across energy, storage, transport, buildings, water, and materials.