With $10M in funding from NYSERDA, PowerBridgeNY’s mission is to turn cleantech innovations from the academic research labs of the six partner institutions into strong, cleantech businesses in New York State. We offer teams up to $150K to conduct 100 customer discovery interviews using the NSF I-Corps/Lean LaunchPad Methodology as well as develop a prototype or conduct in-field testing. The ultimate goal is to move the technology closer to commercialization via a startup (preferable) or license. During the program, we check-in with the teams monthly, host a series of events, subsidize the cost of necessary services, provide industry mentors, and arrange pro bono office hours with experts in law, finance, grant writing, and more.
PowerBridgeNY is two separate proof-of-concept centers (POCC), both funded by NYSERDA, collaborating as one program. One POCC is led by Columbia University and includes Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cornell Tech, and Stony Brook University. The other POCC is led by the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University and includes the City University of New York.