Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $8.5 Million to Advance Climatetech Companies and Innovations

Funding will help 33 projects develop sustainable materials, design better batteries, strengthen coastal resilience, and more.

BOSTON - The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced $8.5 million for 33 climatetech projects that are developing new solutions to clean energy and climate challenges. The funding, awarded through Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), will help researchers and companies move promising technologies into the market. The projects span technologies at different stages of development, from researchers building and testing initial prototypes to companies preparing their technologies for commercial deployment.

"Massachusetts is home to world-class researchers and companies developing the next generation of climate technologies," said Governor Maura Healey. "We're proud to support their work to bring these new technologies to market, create good jobs and grow our climatetech economy."

"We want climatetech companies to start, grow and stay in Massachusetts," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. "These awards will help companies test their technologies, attract private investment and get their products to market."

The awards were made through five of MassCEC's programs: AmplifyMass, Catalyst, Diversity in Climatetech - Early Stage (DICES), InnovateMass, and CriticalMass. MassVentures supports the Catalyst, DICES, and InnovateMass programs, and the Alliance for Climate Transition (ACT) supports CriticalMass.

"Our energy system is changing, and we need new technologies that can help us produce, store, and use energy more efficiently and reliably," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "These companies are working on solutions to real challenges facing our energy system. Helping them move from an idea or prototype to a technology that can be deployed is critical to meeting our growing energy needs and building a stronger, more resilient grid."

"Massachusetts has no shortage of great ideas, but what founders need is capital and support," said MassCEC CEO Ben Downing. "These awards are designed to meet that need, helping companies clear the technical and financial hurdles that come before a technology is ready for market, so that more of them can build here in the state."

"Getting a technology out of the lab and in front of a customer is often the hardest step a startup takes," said MassVentures CEO Charlie Hipwood. "Our partnership with MassCEC is built to get them through it, pairing capital with the validation and connections that help these companies grow and succeed."

"From an industry perspective, programs like CriticalMass are essential because they help bridge one of the biggest barriers facing emerging companies: the ability to demonstrate their technology at commercial scale," said Trish Field, Executive Director of the Alliance for Climate Transition (ACT). "When companies successfully deploy and validate their innovations here in Massachusetts, they are far more likely to grow here, hire here, and establish long-term operations that strengthen our economy and our competitiveness. The Alliance for Climate Transition is proud to support CriticalMass because it connects innovators with the industry partners, customers, and deployment opportunities needed to accelerate commercialization."

AmplifyMass provides matching or added funding to recipients of federal and other competitive awards, helping Massachusetts' researchers and companies bring additional outside investment into the state. Since launching in 2015, the program has awarded over $25.7 million to 158 academic research projects and startups, resulting in over $316.5 million in leveraged funding.

AmplifyMass Awardees:

• Wild Microbes Company - Cambridge, MA

  • $200,000 to advance its technology that uses naturally occurring microbes to produce sustainable alternatives to animal-derived and petroleum-based ingredients used in food, consumer products, and manufacturing.

• Fleet Robotics - Charlestown, MA

  • $150,000 to further develop its autonomous robots that clean ship hulls while vessels are in service, helping prevent the buildup of marine organisms and therefore improving fuel efficiency.

• University of Massachusetts Lowell (Dr. Ameli) - Lowell, MA

  • $100,000 to advance sustainable building materials by scaling a plant-based foam insulation technology from lab-scale samples to pilot-scale panels, validating performance and commercialization of a low-carbon alternative to petroleum-based insulation products manufactured in Massachusetts.

• Anvil Capture Systems, Inc. - Somerville, MA

  • $200,000 to advance its proprietary carbon dioxide removal technology by testing a wider range of mineral feedstocks to support its commercialization and potential for permanent carbon storage solutions.

• Orien Energy, Inc. - Somerville, MA

  • $150,000 to advance its technology that converts waste heat from industrial drying processes into steam for reuse in the drying process to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

• Respire Energy, Inc. - Somerville, MA

  • $200,000 to further develop its novel battery technology that improves power capacity, safety, and cost compared to traditional long-duration energy storage for utility-scale and EV charging applications.

• Upstream Carbon, Inc. - Jamaica Plain, MA

  • $200,000 to develop a platform that helps municipalities and landowners make informed land-use decisions by analyzing development potential and conservation value to support climate-resilient community planning.

• Trustees of Boston University (Dr. Coskun) - Boston, MA

  • $179,999 to develop software that enables AI-driven data centers to adjust their energy use based on grid demand, helping improve grid reliability and manage growing electricity needs.

The Catalyst program funds researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of climate technologies, while DICES supports projects led by startup founders who are underrepresented in the climatetech industry or those who face economic barriers to entry. Catalyst launched in 2010, and DICES launched in 2021. The programs have collectively awarded over $14.5 million to 234 companies and research teams, with past recipients raising over $450 million in follow-on investment.

Catalyst/DICES Awardees:

• KIRA Systems Inc. - Boston, MA

  • $75,000 to develop a proprietary energy-efficient electrified water treatment system to address hazardous industrial waste.

• EntoCellular - Medford, MA

  • $75,000 to optimize the production of an insect-based biomass ingredient for reptile food applications with reduced carbon emissions and water usage.

• Latimer Technologies - South Boston, MA

  • $75,000 to develop a proprietary propulsion electric marine drive that delivers better thrust efficiency than conventional systems for marine vehicles.

• Minerali, Inc. - Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA

  • $75,000 to develop a carbon capture technology that utilizes a proprietary electrochemical process to extract and store carbon using seawater or waste brine.

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Dr. Grossman) - Cambridge, MA

  • $75,000 to develop ScrapIntel, a material analyzer that improves confidence in copper grading in scrap yards and recycling facilities.

• EvoNatura - Cambridge, MA

  • $75,000 to develop a technology that embeds naturally occurring microbes into plastics, helping them break down more effectively at the end of their useful life rather than persisting in landfills or being incinerated.

• Boston University (Dr. Werner) - Boston, MA

  • $75,000 to develop a proprietary battery technology that improves energy density, charging speed, and thermal performance over conventional designs.

• SWERV, Inc. - Somerville, MA

  • $75,000 to develop a window-mounted energy recovery ventilator that helps homes achieve ventilation with less energy usage than open windows or exhaust fans.

• Biospheric AI - Belmont, MA

  • $75,000 to develop software that helps utilities plan heat pump adoption by predicting building-level electrification and energy demand.

• Vital Gritworks - Chelmsford, MA

  • $75,000 to develop a system that converts atmospheric carbon dioxide into biomass for hard carbon anodes in batteries.

InnovateMass offers grants and technical support for teams deploying new clean energy technologies or innovative combinations of existing technologies with strong commercialization potential. The program has provided over $30 million to 137 demonstration projects since 2013, leveraging more than $34 million in additional private and public funding.

InnovateMass Awardees:

• Amel Energy - Amherst, MA

  • $331,050 to demonstrate its safer, lower-cost process for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries by replacing toxic chemicals with environmentally friendly materials.

• Coastal Measures - Greenland, NH

  • $250,000 to demonstrate an AI-powered sensor network with the Towns of Plymouth and Marshfield, MA, to help coastal communities predict and prepare for flooding, erosion, and other coastal hazards.

• Flood Dynamics - Cambridge, MA

  • $350,000 to demonstrate its AI-powered flood risk platform to predict compound flooding, identify mitigation strategies, and help communities strengthen climate resilience.

• HKG Energy - Somerville, MA

  • $350,000 to demonstrate its scalable anode material for high-performance batteries, enabling higher energy density, faster charging, and longer-lasting lithium-ion and solid-state batteries.

• Knack Natural Materials - Newton, MA

  • $175,000 to demonstrate its all-natural, high-barrier paper coating for recyclable and compostable food packaging, enabling paper to replace plastic in packaging applications.

• Pascal Technologies - Cambridge, MA

  • $239,012 to demonstrate its solid refrigerant cooling technology, improving refrigeration efficiency while eliminating greenhouse gas refrigerant emissions.

• Predyct, Inc. - Sugar Land, TX

  • $120,650 to demonstrate its wireless blade monitoring system in Plymouth County, MA for early detection of wind turbine blade damage, reducing maintenance costs and improving wind energy generation efficiency.

• Robigo - Cambridge, MA

  • $350,000 to demonstrate its living microbial crop protection technology, protecting soybeans from disease while reducing reliance on chemical pesticides.

• Rock Zero - Cambridge, MA

  • $350,000 to demonstrate its low-cost, zero-waste process for producing battery-grade lithium chemicals from hard rock ore, eliminating the need for high-temperature roasting and acid leaching.

• rStream Recycling - Somerville, MA

  • $349,861 to demonstrate its AI-powered waste sorting system to recover recyclable materials from mixed waste streams and improve recycling rates at large venues.

• Wasted PBC - Millbury, MA

  • $350,000 to demonstrate its urine-to-fertilizer process, converting source-separated urine into a concentrated, stabilized fertilizer while reducing nutrient pollution in wastewater.

• Xflow Energy - Deerfield, MA

  • $239,012 to demonstrate its low-cost vertical-axis wind, reducing the cost of on-site wind power generation for farms and businesses.

CriticalMass provides grant funding and deployment support to climatetech companies advancing innovative solutions from pilot demonstrations to commercial deployments. The program helps companies build strategic partnerships and scale technologies with strong market potential and climate impact. Launched in 2025, the program has awarded $6.9 million to support seven climatetech commercial deployment projects across Massachusetts.

CriticalMass Awardees:

• Allium Engineering - North Billerica, MA

  • $919,580 to demonstrate its stainless-clad rebar with the City of Boston for constructing a corrosion-resistant seawall on Moon Island that extends infrastructure lifetimes in harsh marine environments.

• LuxWall - Ypsilanti, MI

  • $1,000,000 to demonstrate its Transparent Insulation Glass-Only Retrofit technology in partnership with BXP Boston, upgrading existing windows to wall-like insulation performance, which can reduce heating and cooling energy use by up to 60%.

• CF Technologies - Boston, MA

  • $1,000,000 to demonstrate its modular supercritical carbon dioxide process with Leading Cities and the Wareham Pollution Control Facility for converting waste brown grease into biodiesel for municipal power generation and fuel use.

For more information about these programs, visit masscec.com/emerging-climatetech/technology-market.

About the Mass Clean Energy Center

The Mass Clean Energy Center is a state economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy and climatetech sector across the Commonwealth to spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits, increase affordability, and secure long-term economic opportunities for the people of Massachusetts. Since 2010, MassCEC has awarded $990 million in programs and investments and attracted $3 billion in private and public funds.

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