This Request for Proposal (this “RFP”) is being issued by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (“MassCEC”) in order to seek applicants to MassCEC’s IncubateMass Program (the “Program”). The purpose of the Program is to fund Incubator business development activities to support Cleantech Startups in their commercialization life cycle.
Donor Name: Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (MassCEC)
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Incubator
Deadline: 02/22/2023
Size of the Grant:$175,000
Details:
MassCEC is a publicly-funded agency dedicated to accelerating the success of clean energy technologies, companies, and projects in the Commonwealth—while creating high-quality jobs and long-term economic growth for the people of Massachusetts. Since it began operating in 2009, MassCEC has helped clean energy companies grow, supported municipal clean energy projects and invested in residential and commercial renewable energy installations, creating a robust marketplace for innovative clean technology companies and service providers.
Program Goals
The goals of the IncubateMass Program are to:
- Grow the clean energy innovation ecosystem;
- Promote commercialization of early stage Cleantech Startups;
- Support Incubators in their endeavors to provide the startup community with valuable resources; and
- Continue to attract early-stage Cleantech Startups to Massachusetts.
Incubators provide strategic, valuable, and complementary resources to MassCEC by attracting and incubating growth of early-stage Massachusetts Cleantech Startups, improving their chances for commercialization success. MassCEC funding aims to support Incubator program operations, enabling Incubators to continue providing critical resources in the clean energy ecosystem.
MassCEC seeks to support Incubators that include the following components:
- Shared space or access to other facilities (i.e., academic institutions or research laboratories) that cater to Cleantech Startups; or, if virtual, allow member startups to obtain physical space upon request;
- Relevant programs and services including, but not limited to, business assistance and support services (i.e., educational workshops, networking events) to specifically nurture Cleantech Startups;
- Shared equipment (or a plan to acquire necessary items); and
- Mentoring and coaching from a management team with the necessary experience and expertise to effectively support Cleantech Startups through various commercialization stages.
Funding Information
Total Funding Available: $560,000
The Program, an annual solicitation, will award up to One-Hundred Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars ($175,000) in funding per Incubator grantee.
Use of Funds
Applicants may request funds for Incubator activities. Typical uses of grant funding include, but are not limited to:
- Operations and management expenses;
- Business development services for Cleantech Startups;
- Facilities and infrastructure buildouts;
- Equipment purchases;
- Networking events;
- Educational workshops and programming;
- Growing strategic clusters;
- Cleantech startup recruitment and outreach efforts; and
- Professional development of Incubator staff
Award payments typically fall into one of two categories: Incubator Milestones and Cleantech Startup Milestones.
Incubator Milestones shall not exceed ninety percent (90%) of the total grant request. The percentage of the total grant request for Cleantech Startup Milestones shall be proposed by the Incubator Applicant; however this percentage and the exact Milestones are subject to MassCEC’s discretion and approval.
Examples of Incubator Milestones include, but are not limited to:
- Progress reports with content covering any of the items on the list above;
- Demonstration of new partners acquired/funds raised by the Incubator;
- Recruitment of Cleantech Startups;
- Metrics submissions; and
- Financial statements.
Cleantech Startup Milestones are intended to function as a performance incentive to continue to attract and foster cleantech companies at the Incubator. MassCEC’s expectation is that not every Incubator awardee will be able to hit all milestones every year.
Examples of Cleantech Startup Milestones include but are not limited to the comprehensive list of examples contained here and in the application forms. All proposed Cleantech Startup Milestones are restricted to Cleantech Startup Member Company accomplishments and are subject to MassCEC’s approval:
Member Company raises $1M in grants and investment (source may not include MassCEC grants)
- Member Company secures first paid customer
- Member Company earns first $100,000 in services/sales revenue
- Member Company makes two new full-time hires to be based in Massachusetts (must
- be salaried and excludes founders)
- Member Company secures strategic partnership with a major corporate partner
Eligibility Criteria
An applicant must meet the following criteria:
- Applicants must be Incubators capable of providing business incubation services to Cleantech Startups at a location within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In recognition of the shift to remote work environments many enterprises have undertaken due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, MassCEC will also consider alternative (virtual) approaches to “hosting” startups as long as the applicant is Massachusetts-based and incubated startups have access to physical space in Massachusetts upon request.
- Applicants must have startups that satisfy the definition of Cleantech Startups.
- Applicants are not required to exclusively host Cleantech Startups in their Incubators, but the Incubator must have a partial clean energy focus to its operations and clientele.
- Applicants are encouraged to tailor their funding request to the needs of their regional economy.
- Applicants should have experienced management teams, a documented track record of providing effective services to Cleantech Startups and a sustainable Incubator model backed by a credible business plan.
- Applicants are encouraged to have a track record of providing effective services to Cleantech Startups (i.e. technology development, fundraising and grant writing, and customer acquisition.
In addition to the eligibility above criteria, “Incubators” are defined as “organizations that: (i) charge monthly program fees or membership dues in exchange for office/desk space and access to program offerings for member companies that typically include mentoring, education/training, and informal learning opportunities; (ii) host events to provide networking and learning opportunities for both member companies and the local community; (iii) generally require member companies to apply to ensure they meet the organization’s criteria or mission; and (iv) generally have graduation policies based on achievement of agreed-upon milestones, growth metrics or time-based stipulations.” Typically, companies join Incubators on a rolling basis and are able to reside in the Incubator for 1-3 years.”
For more information, visit MassCEC.
