Transitioning Entrepreneurs into the Clean Energy Economy
The Foundation, in partnership with the New England Clean Energy Council, is planning for and is committed to a 2010 Clean Energy Fellowship Program. We are in the midst of fund-raising and forming partnerships to enable the Fellowship Program to be offered on a more sustainable basis, and we anticipate announcing details and a 2010 program schedule shortly after the 1st of the year.
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 has been planned 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 Clean Energy Fellowship Program combines seminars, lectures, case studies, lab visits, and capstone projects. These business planning projects are 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 involve a part-time commitment for all Fellows (20 hours per week) over 3+ months. Classes are 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.
If you have questions about the Clean Energy Fellowship, please email fellowship@cleanenergycouncil.org.