Tampa Bay Innovation Center to help startups develop climate-related solutions for big companies

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It’s not easy being green, but the Tampa Bay Innovation Center hopes to change that with a small group of startup companies focused on climate and sustainability.

TBIC will start a new 12-week accelerator program in January where companies will pair up with the small entrepreneurs to mentor them and help bring their green ideas to life. 

"We have companies and corporate champions working with us in this program, like PODS Moving and Storage, and Duke Energy, Ark Invest, and others that are looking at their own operations and saying, ‘What impact is our business have on our climate? And is that a negative impact? And if so, where can we make improvements?’" said Ken Evans, the managing director of the accelerator program. 

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Pinellas County government is also partnering with TBIC for the workshop. Innovation center leaders said they’re narrowing down from 250 startups, and the goal is to help about eight to 15 startup companies fine tune their climate-related solutions to everyday problems facing companies today.

"Just knowing where we are and what's going on and looking at the interest in climate tech and sustainability, we think this is going to be an ongoing capability for the innovation center and something that we can continue to offer year after year helping companies that are building in the space," said Evans. "A lot of very, very interesting ideas around recycling, around new markets for biogas, new markets for turning agricultural and restaurant waste into renewables."

Large companies are exploring ways to reduce its carbon footprint and make its business more sustainable, and Evans said startups are coming up with sensors for stormwater systems or to monitor rain and flooding.

"If you're a transit related company like PODS, they obviously have trucks on the road, they have storage facilities. There's lots of moving parts, all of which could be opportunities for improvement as well as reducing the carbon footprint of that business," said Evans. "Duke Energy is a utility company. Obviously, there's lots of opportunities there, not just with the renewables and solar energy and wind energy and things like that, but also in looking at how they're currently generating and distributing power."

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Evans said the workshop gives startups the chance to build traction not only in the Tampa Bay area or Florida, but also around the country. 

"It's very, very encouraging to see that any of these companies that have an impact are going to have an impact far beyond Tampa Bay, because these are industry-wide solutions," Evans said.

TBIC said its vetting startup companies from North and South America, and once the program begins then the startups will be matched with experts from partner companies.