What is the Onward Accelerator? 

“The Onward Accelerator looks for early-stage climate tech startups that are in the pre-seed to seed range. We provide them with the investment that gives them the run-room to be successful.”

-Max Gray, Accelerator Program Director, Onward

The Onward Accelerator identifies, nurtures, and invests in startup companies that are exploring innovative technologies that will help drive us toward a sustainable energy future. Since 2020, Onward has invested more than $3.2 million in companies chosen to participate in the accelerator program.

Our cohorts typically consist of seven to twelve startups. This deliberate sizing allows us to prioritize and provide extensive, personalized mentorship to each of our founders.

As a truly global accelerator program, our cohorts are plugged into an ecosystem of world-class talent, expertise, and resources with the shared goal of bringing brilliant new ideas and innovative climate technologies to life. The program has run three cohorts, and 18 companies have graduated so far.

“Many people can have a great idea. These are people who have implemented it.”  

-Mary Miltimore, Accelerator Program Manager, Onward

 

See yourself with Onward

We’re looking for pre-seed to early seed companies with new ideas that solve an acknowledged pain point in the energy ecosystem; ideas that can help accelerate our move toward a sustainable energy future.

You might be a geologist, geophysicist, engineer, data scientist, or experienced entrepreneur poised to make your mark in the energy sector. Perhaps you have an idea that could open up entirely new energy systems for the future or maybe you’ve been working on improving efficiency within existing energy systems like hydrocarbon or renewable energy extraction, capture, and storage.

If you’re ready to take your concept to the next level with focused support and mentorship, apply to be part of our next cohort below. Not quite ready to apply? You're welcome to subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates. 

Subscribe Now

Apply to join the Onward Accelerator Program.

The Onward Accelerator program provides hands-on mentorship, training and workshop sessions from experts with years of experience across diverse industries, business disciplines and geographies. Our accelerator program will plug you into a global ecosystem of world-class talent, expertise and resources hyper-focused on bringing new ideas and technologies to life. 

The application will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. If you don't know or have an answer, it's okay to put "I don't know" as well as put estimates if you don't have exact numbers available.

The Process

1. Application

We review applications on a rolling basis from January - April 2024. All applicants will be notified of our selection by approximately May 2024.

2. Interview

If you meet our application criteria, you may be invited to an interview with the  Onward Accelerator team.

3. Committee Review

Following our screening process, your application may then progress to our review committee. 

4. Approval & Acceptance

If you pass the committee review, applicants may be invited to be a part of our upcoming accelerator cohort. 

“Onward has made us formidable.”

-Lewis Matthews, Co-founder, Project Geminae