The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in February launched a new website that provides early-stage, clean-energy entrepreneurs with individual, secure business assessments and resources to help them grow their companies.
Officials said the success of clean tech companies is vital to advancing the state’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy to build a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers.
The website, www.StartupGPS.org, features an interactive survey enabling entrepreneurs to supply information that will be used to assess their team skills, product development, marketing and internal operations. Upon completion of the survey, users receive a report showing core business development areas that are the most complete and which ones need attention.
Technologies developed by new and emerging clean energy companies will help New York meet the Clean Energy Standard to have 50 percent of electricity used in the state come from renewable sources by 2030, officials said.
“New York State is attracting more and more clean tech entrepreneurs,” said John B. Rhodes, president and CEO, NYSERDA. “StartupGPS.org is another state resource to help these innovative companies create jobs here as we continue to build a robust clean energy economy.”
Along with the survey report, companies are guided toward the most helpful resources in the StartupGPS.org library of more than 300 documents, templates, articles and presentations organized by topic. Website visitors do not need to complete the survey to access the library. Reports with the private, secure results of the business assessments are stored by the website so each company can track its progress. The reports can be deleted at the company’s request at any time.
NYSERDA will lead a one-hour chat on Twitter at noon on March 15, where clean energy entrepreneurs can ask questions about StartupGPS in real-time via the social media platform. The Twitter chat will be hosted by Launch NY (@Launch_NY), a Buffalo-based venture development organization, and can be followed using the hashtag #LaunchHour. Twitter chats at #LaunchHour host an average of more than 50 unique participants, mostly from upstate New York, and have reached up to two million viewers.
The website is being managed by NECEC Institute whose mission is to accelerate the region’s clean energy economy to global leadership by building an active community of stakeholders and a cluster of clean-energy companies.
“StartupGPS will be a valuable tool to help entrepreneurs plot their course as they build a successful business in the clean energy economy,” said NECEC Institute President Peter Rothstein. “We look forward to a continued partnership with NYSERDA to provide clean energy innovation and entrepreneurial support in the Northeast.”
Reforming the Energy Vision is a strategy to lead on climate change and grow New York’s economy. REV is building a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers by stimulating investment in clean technologies like solar, wind, and energy efficiency and generating 50 percent of the state’s electricity needs from renewable energy by 2030.
State officials said REV has driven 730 percent growth in the statewide solar market, enabled over 105,000 low-income households to permanently cut their energy bills with energy efficiency, and created thousands of jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and other clean tech sectors.