The Clean Energy Fellowship Program
Transitioning Entrepreneurs into the Clean Energy Economy
Leading Clean Energy Ventures: Executive Certificate Program
In Partnership with Boston University School of Management
Registration for the 2012 LCEV Program is now open! Apply or register for an info session.
The Council is pleased to be partnering with the Boston University School of Management to offer a Certificate program in "Leading Clean Energy Ventures". The course, which evolved out of the Council's signature Fellowship program, features both in-person and remote learning opportunities as well as a capstone project. Click here for more information.
Highlights
Leading Clean Energy Ventures Featured in MassHighTech
Training Clean Energy Capitalists - Peter Rothstein (NECEC) & Paul McManus (BU) op-ed at Xconomy
Clean Energy's Got Talent - Melissa Rick (NECEC) blogs about Leading Clean Energy Ventures
Program Overview
In the face of tremendous challenges posed by climate change, energy security, and diminishing fossil fuel supply, the need to transform our energy infrastructure is both a national and global imperative. The clean energy sector is poised to be the center of major entrepreneurial focus and tremendous job growth, but will require the leadership of executives well-versed in clean energy.
The Leading Clean Energy Ventures Certificate program will propel experienced executives into the new energy landscape by examining the social, technological, economic, and policy issues in this rapidly developing industry. Participants will examine the finite details of clean energy with industry experts and undertake practical capstone projects within prominent clean energy companies and new venture creation opportunities. Central to this program is a focus on innovation, technology commercialization, venture formation, and job creation within the emerging clean energy economy.
Boston University School of Management Executive Leadership Center (ELC) and the New England Clean Energy Council (NECEC) have formed a partnership to address a simple but acute problem: the lack of repeat entrepreneurs and seasoned executives in the clean energy sector. The objective of the program is to encourage and prepare experienced entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to enter the clean technology sector, leading new venture formation, job creation and growth of the clean energy industry.
Click here for more information.
History of the Fellowship
The Clean Energy Fellowship Program is an innovative entrepreneurial development program designed to rapidly transition experienced entrepreneurs and executives into the region’s clean energy sector. The Fellowship Program addresses a simple but acute problem: a lack of repeat entrepreneurs in the sector — a critical ingredient in venture formation, funding, and growth. There are a number of experienced entrepreneurs and executives from other sectors such as telecom, IT, life sciences, etc., with strong interest in transitioning into the clean energy sector. The Clean Energy Fellowship Program was conceived and offered by the New England Clean Energy Council to offer them an intensive, half-time, semester-length, clean energy program to accelerate their transition into the sector.
The original Clean Energy Fellowship Programs combined seminars, lectures, case studies, lab visits, and capstone projects. These business planning projects were based on leading-edge emerging technologies for corporate, university and DOE labs, and done in close collaboration with leading VC’s and entrepreneurs from the clean energy sector. The sessions and projects involved a part-time commitment for all Fellows (20 hours per week) over 3+ months. Classes were held in the Boston area two days a week. A wide range of institutions, organizations, and companies at the forefront of clean energy have participated. These include MIT, UMass, Harvard, local venture capital firms, DOE national labs such as NREL, established clean energy companies, policy-making bodies, investment banks and energy project financiers, and energy infrastructure and engineering companies.
The 2008 Founding Fellowship Program included a small, highly-experienced cohort of entrepreneurs transitioning into the clean energy sector. The 2009 Fellowship included a larger group of both entrepreneurs and executives. The 2009 Clean Energy Fellowship Program was made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Through the generous sponsorship of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the 2009 Fellowship session was open to participants from New York, and throughout the New England region. Thanks to our sponsors, the program was again offered tuition-free. Read more about the Clean Energy Fellowship Program in The Economist,The Boston Globe and Mass High Tech, or hear more about it on Marketplace.
The next Fellowship will begin in early 2012. If you have questions about the Clean Energy Fellowship, please email Melissa Rick: mrick@cleanenergycouncil.org.