Two Decades of Impact: Cleantech Open Northeast Celebrates Winning Startups in 2025
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
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Tuesday, September 30, 2025
$72,500 in Prizes Awarded to Cleantech Startups from Rhode Island, Canada (Quebec), New Jersey, and Massachusetts
Somerville, MA – September 30, 2025 – In the runup to New York Climate Week, hundreds of people in the cleantech innovation ecosystem convened at Newlab in Brooklyn, NY, for the 2025 Cleantech Open Northeast Regional Finals. 39 climatetech startups competed for $72,500 in prizes and an opportunity to advance to the National Semi-Finals at the Cleantech Open Global Forum in San Jose, CA, at the end of October. This year’s cohort is navigating new challenges as the landscape is shifting. They are alert, agile, and prepared to do whatever it takes to understand the market, adapt as needed and make an impact.
Joe Curtatone, President of ACT, said, "This year’s Cleantech Open Northeast cohort is a powerful signal of what’s possible when innovation meets purpose. These founders are more than entrepreneurs; they are problem-solvers, community builders, and climate leaders. At ACT, we see our role as helping these startups scale their impact, connect with the policy and business ecosystems they need to thrive, and turn their bold ideas into lasting solutions. In a time of mounting climate and economic uncertainty, this cohort gives me hope—not just for what they will build over the next six months, but for the better future they are helping all of us realize."
“The entrepreneurs in this year’s cohort learned many new skills to help them commercialize their companies. Entrepreneurship is a team sport, and each connection they make could be critical to propelling their business forward. It’s important to keep an open mind while staying on your goals,” said Beth Zonis, Senior Director of Cleantech Open Northeast at ACT. “Cleantech Innovation is crucial to combating climate change and growing the green economy. It’s an honor to enable the next generation of cleantech innovators poised to launch their companies and improve the world.”
“The Cleantech Open Northeast Finals represent a significant milestone for some of our region’s most promising clean energy and climatetech startups. This accelerator delivers essential support to a diverse array of entrepreneurs, empowering them to drive their innovative solutions forward,” said Dr. Emily Reichert, CEO of Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. “By connecting these innovators with resources, mentorship, and industry experts, they foster a vibrant ecosystem that propels groundbreaking climate solutions into the marketplace. Initiatives like Cleantech Open Northeast are instrumental to ensuring a stronger economy for all.”
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “I applaud the startups and entrepreneurs bringing cutting-edge innovation to scale through their participation in the Cleantech Open Northeast Regional Finals. These companies are building a bridge between today’s challenges and tomorrow’s possibilities by embracing modern technologies to help manage consumer energy needs, ensure grid reliability, and make buildings and transportation more sustainable.”
The 2025 cohort represents ten cleantech categories: Energy Distribution & Storage, Energy Generation, Chemicals & Advanced Materials, Energy Efficiency, Green Building, Transportation, Agriculture, Waste, Information & Communication Technologies, and Water. They are from seven states and five countries in addition to the US Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York; Maine, Rhode Island, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Singapore, and the UK.
The speakers were Farès Kammourieh of Newlab, Joseph Curtatone of ACT | The Alliance for Climate Transition, Michael Holman of HRTO, and Steve Bravo of NYSERDA. They spoke about the challenges and opportunities for cleantech entrepreneurs getting started today and provided advice regarding how to navigate and succeed in uncertain times. Newlab offers lab space for startups that are developing prototypes. ACT builds community and offers graduating startups a seat at the policy table, advocating on policy to grow the climate economy at the state level in the northeast. While the current Cleantech Landscape is uncertain, the startups are uniquely positioned since they should be agile enough to navigate change. Globally, there are opportunities in Canada, Europe, China, and the developing world. Closer to home, states such as Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Maine support Cleantech Open Northeast and offer programs to enable startups to get traction. Specifically, NYERDA sponsors many programs in New York that are designed to help climate startups advance as they commercialize, grow, and scale
The final judges were Tom Blum of New York Angels and Clean Energy Venture Group, Allison Hinckley of Overture Ventures, David Miller of Clean Energy Ventures, Ethan Sohn of Toyota Ventures, Seth Udelson of Ecosystem Integrity Fund, and Sonam Velani of Streetlife Ventures. John Jaddou of Orbia Ventures and Jonathan Klavens of the Klavens Law Group, Co-Chairs of the Judging Committee, led the judging process.
Volunteers make a huge difference. This year, the Lifetime Service Award went to Linda Plano of Plano and Simple. Linda is one of the founders of Cleantech Open (in 2005). Every year since then, Linda has advised the startups on their investor pitches. Many Cleantech Open entrepreneurs credit Linda as being the key to their winning Cleantech Open prizes and securing funding to progress their ventures.
Four volunteer mentors are matched to each startup team – to serve as an advisory board to their startup, guiding them through the Cleantech Open curriculum. Many mentors continue to work with their startups after the accelerator has concluded. Mentors of the Year were recognized in several categories: Lead Mentor, Rookie Lead Mentor, Specialist Mentor, and Rookie Mentor. Lead Mentors of the Year are Rick Eno of Massachusetts, Lead Mentor to Materium; and Miles Flamenbaum of New York, Lead Mentor to Cero Global. Rookie Lead Mentors of the Year are Carolyn Day of Massachusetts, Lead Mentor to Lumiaq; Anne Wolfson of New York, Lead Mentor to PFASolve; and Alison Harris of Maine, Lead Mentor to Compocity. Specialist Mentors of the Year are David Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mentor to Wavon Ceramics; Ben Vaughan of Massachusetts, Mentor to Biomific; and Richard Day of New York, Mentor to Homewise AI. Rookie Mentors of the Year are Joe Nangle of New York, Mentor to Averra; and Arielle Cohen of Pennsylvania, Mentor to Materium.
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The Winners
Regional Winners
Each of the regional Winners won a $10,000 cash prize. The Regional Winners are National Semi-Finalists.
Regional Finalists
The Regional Finalists also pitched on stage at the Northeast Finals. They are National Semi-Finalists.
Additional National Semi-Finalists
The Runners Up are National Semi-Finalists.
Specialty Prize Winners
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Northeast Regional Winners
EvoNatura (RI)
Northeast Regional Winner, People’s Choice, National Semi-Finalist
Plastic pollution is a global crisis, with 460 million tons produced annually and only 9% ever recycled. While bioplastics are a promising alternative, most require specific industrial composting facilities to biodegrade, which limits their effectiveness. EvoNatura's proprietary microbe-based additive enables bioplastics to break down naturally in real-world conditions, eliminating waste at its source. This next-generation technology gives manufacturers a competitive advantage, providing a sustainable solution for a cleaner planet.
Gamotech (Quebec, Canada)
Northeast Regional Winner, National Semi-Finalist
Gamotech provides solutions to electrify mobile works, improving working conditions of operators in construction without polluting.
PolyGone (NJ)
Northeast Regional Winner, People’s Choice, Water Prize Winner, National Semi-Finalist
PolyGone Systems is a cleantech company tackling aquatic microplastic pollution. We’ve developed an affordable, portable, and eco-friendly filtration system that captures microplastics under 1mm in rivers, lakes, and wastewater. With 1 industrial pilot and 3 monitoring pilots, PolyGone targets key emission points to intercept microplastics and protect our waterways.
Teragen Energy Corporation (MA)
Northeast Regional Winner, National Semi-Finalist
Decoupled power and energy with 100s+ hour energy storage—high efficiency, zero emissions, no Li, no fossil fuels.
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Northeast Regional Finalists
Northeast Regional Finalist, National Semi-Finalist
Industrial Hemp Lumber (IHL) is a Tree-Free alternative to traditional forest service products. IHL is a uniform, straight, building material without the natural defects associated with wood. IHL is self-extinguishing, rot resistant, and insect resistant engineered structural member. IHL will save construction time, reduce waste, and produce a high-performance home. IHL will seamlessly integrate with standard construction materials and can be manipulated with traditional wood tools.
Tensor Planet (NJ)
Northeast Regional Finalist, National Semi-Finalist
I'm Ganes Kesari, founder & CEO of Tensor Planet. After exiting my first 250-member AI firm, I launched Tensor Planet to deliver “uptime as a service” for heavy-duty trucks in waste, construction, and agriculture. Using AI to analyze telematics, audio, and vibration data, we predict downtimes, saving $15K+ per truck annually. With 4 pilot requests, we're poised to lead the $21B heavy truck maintenance market.
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Additional National Semi-Finalists
HYDGEN (Quebec, Canada and Singapore)
Northeast Regional Runner Up, National Semi-Finalist
HYDGEN’s AEM electrolyzers make green hydrogen cost-competitive with grey, enabling industries to decarbonize with on-site production.
SMPnet (UK)
Northeast Regional Runner Up, National Semi-Finalist
Power grids struggle with renewable integration, congestion, and real-time stability. SMPnet’s Omega suite provides real-time monitoring, adaptive optimisation, and dynamic control, enabling millisecond-level response to grid fluctuations. By enhancing grid flexibility, preventing overloads, and reducing curtailment, we help utilities unlock capacity, lower costs, and accelerate the clean energy transition—without expensive infrastructure upgrades.
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Specialty Prize Winners
Bluesonde (ME)
Ag/Food/Land Use Prize Winner
Bluesonde develops innovative water monitoring technologies that are built for climate impact. Our small form-factor, easy to operate hardware offers the lowest total cost of ownership and enables smaller teams to operate larger sensing arrays without the need for large vessel support. We provide scalable, real-time monitoring solutions that provide seamless data integration through our web-based dashboard.
PolyGone (NJ)
Northeast Regional Winner, People’s Choice, Water Prize Winner, National Semi-Finalist
PolyGone Systems is a cleantech company tackling aquatic microplastic pollution. We’ve developed an affordable, portable, and eco-friendly filtration system that captures microplastics under 1mm in rivers, lakes, and wastewater. With 1 industrial pilot and 3 monitoring pilots, PolyGone targets key emission points to intercept microplastics and protect our waterways.
Scaled Carbon (ME)
Carbon Sequestration/CCUS Prize Winner
Scaled Carbon's breakthrough MRV tech allows us to sell high-quality carbon credits for ocean-based carbon removal using enhanced weathering, a scalable method that turns CO₂ into stable ocean bicarbonates.
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Read about all of the members of the 2025 Cleantech Open Northeast cohort
See the Finals website
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About Cleantech Open Northeast:
Cleantech Open Northeast is the Northeast region of Cleantech Open and is managed by ACT | The Alliance for Climate Transition, the regional affiliate. Cleantech Open is the world’s oldest and largest cleantech accelerator and is dedicated to providing entrepreneurs and technologists with the resources needed to launch a successful cleantech company. Its mission is to find, fund, and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental, and economic challenges. Cleantech Open provides the infrastructure, expertise, and strategic relationships that turn clever ideas into successful global cleantech companies. Fueled by a network of more than 2,000 volunteers, Cleantech Open unites the public and private sectors in a shared vision for making America’s cleantech sector a thriving economic engine. Since 2005, Cleantech Open Northeast has trained 681 early-stage clean technology startups through its annual business accelerator. Over 30 have had a successful exit. Cleantech Open Northeast alumni have raised more than $2 billion, created more than 7,800 clean economy jobs, and generated more than $700 million in annual revenue.
About ACT:
ACT (The Alliance for Climate Transition) leads the just, equitable, and rapid transition to a clean energy future and a diverse climate economy. ACT members span the broad spectrum of the clean energy industry, including clean transportation, energy efficiency, wind, solar, energy storage, microgrids, fuel cells, and advanced and “smart” technologies. ACT is dedicated to growing the climate economy across the region.
ACT includes The Alliance for Climate Transition, a nonprofit business member organization, and ACT Institute, a nonprofit focused on industry research, innovation, policy development, and strategic communications. ACT’s innovation program includes Cleantech Open Northeast, the Northeast affiliate of the national cleantech accelerator Cleantech Open, and Cleantech Navigate, which provides cleantech startups with curated connections to, , customers, corporate partners, and investors, and is the Program Advisor to MassCEC for their new CriticalMass program. ACT brings together business leaders and key stakeholders to engage in influential policy discussions and business initiatives while building connections that propel the clean energy industry forward. http://joinact.org
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If you are interested in being involved with Cleantech Open Northeast or learning more about ACT, please contact our VP of Communications - Natasha Perez at nperez@joinact.org.
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