In September, Maine kicked off a new program to bring jobs and green tech development to the state through a grant of almost $1 million, the Maine Monitor reported.
The program is called the ClimateTech Incubator, and it's funded with $975,000 from the Governor's Energy Office. Run by the Roux Institute in Portland, it is starting out with a dozen startup companies — though the institute plans to bring in many more innovators over time.
Jon Wallace, an attendee at the program's launch, is a part-time lecturer in engineering at Northeastern. He is participating as both the head of one of the companies being sponsored and as an "entrepreneur in residence" who will coach other participants.
"The energy level is just off the charts," he said of the event, per the Maine Monitor.
Wallace's company is developing a product to calculate how pilots of smaller planes can create less heat-trapping air pollution on their flights. He thinks the ClimateTech Incubator offers a unique opportunity.
"It's hard to find a place with more leading climate scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and investors," he said. "I'm confident … that we're going to really be able to make a difference on … climate change."
Other startups participating in the program include Bluesonde Technologies, which is developing buoys fitted with sensors to test water quality for researchers and companies. Co-founder John Williams told the Maine Monitor that these buoys could also be used to scout locations for offshore wind and aquaculture purposes, in addition to aiding in carbon removal efforts.
Another company in the program, Enodia, is developing an AI-driven analysis tool to find weak points in the grid that are vulnerable to climate disasters such as floods. Those areas can then be targeted for infrastructure upgrades.
Entrepreneurs praised the ClimateTech Incubator for bringing them together to exchange ideas, as well as offering the Roux Institute's office and lab space to help them develop products.
Dan Burgess, director of the Governor's Energy Office, was enthusiastic about the green technologies headed to Maine, the Maine Monitor reported.
"I believe that the challenges presented by climate change are great, but they're exceeded by the opportunity that we have to build an economy here in Maine, and to move Maine forward," he said at the ClimateTech Incubator's launch.
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