The Carbon to Value Initiative (C2V Initiative)—a unique collaboration among the Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Greentown Labs, and Fraunhofer USA announced the fifth year of its world-class carbontech accelerator program and an expansion of its Carbontech Leadership Council (CLC).
Global energy demand is rising, but emissions must fall to meet net-zero goals. Carbontech offers a critical set of solutions—reducing emissions through carbon reuse and enabling durable carbon removal. These technologies are essential to deploy at the gigaton scale to stay within 2°C of warming, but widespread support is required to help them scale. The C2V Initiative exists to meet this need: unlocking the trillion-dollar opportunity of carbontech by accelerating the most promising innovations and connecting them with the ecosystem they need to thrive—and fast.
For its fifth cohort, the C2V Initiative invites applications from startups at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4-7 developing breakthrough carbontech innovations. Eligible solutions may fall into—but are not limited to—the following categories:
- Carbon Conversion to Added-Value Products:
- CO2 to fuels (e.g. SAF/e-fuels, methanol, LPG, RNG)
- CO2 to chemicals (e.g. C2-C4+)
- CO2 to materials (e.g. carbonates, fertilizers, advanced carbon materials)
- Carbon-rich waste (e.g. waste biomass, municipal and industrial waste) to value (e.g. via gasification, fermentation, pyrolysis)
- Carbon Capture:
- Point-source capture (e.g. from energy or process emissions)
- Direct air capture (DAC) and direct ocean capture (DOC)
- Gas-separation technologies (e.g. purification, biogas upgrading)
- Carbon Sequestration and Removal:
- Marine CDR/blue carbon (e.g. ocean alkalinization, biomass sinking)
- Biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) (e.g. waste biomass, biochar, biomass burial)
- Enhanced mineralization/rock weathering
- Enabling Technologies:
- Hardware for measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) (e.g. remote sensing, IOT/sensors, continuous emissions monitoring, isotopic tracing)
- Hardware that improves carbon capture or conversion processes
This list is non-exhaustive; details on what technologies are included and excluded can be found in the request for applications.
The accelerator will provide each selected startup with a $10,000 stipend, customized programming, and facilitated engagement with the CLC—an invitation-only group of corporate, nonprofit, and government leaders actively shaping the future of carbontech. CLC members provide invaluable mentorship and strategic connections to support commercialization efforts, mitigate risk, and identify paths to market.
Year 5 of the initiative is proud to welcome new CLC members from L’Oréal and TotalEnergies, who join returning leaders from Carbon180, Caterpillar Inc., the Consulate General of Canada in New York, CO₂ Value Europe, Energy Impact Partners, Evonik, Fluor, Johnson Matthey, Shell, Veolia, W.L. Gore & Associates, and XPRIZE.
Since its launch in 2020, the C2V Initiative has received more than 500 applications and supported 35 leading carbontech startups. To date, participating companies have raised over $580 million in follow-on funding, launched multiple pilot projects, secured joint ventures and purchase orders, and helped define the emerging carbontech economy. Detailed outcomes from the most recent year of the C2V Initiative can be found here.
“The Carbon to Value Initiative is at the heart of a global effort to scale carbontech as a viable, gigaton-scale solution to climate change,” said Frederic Clerc, Director of the C2V Initiative and Interim Managing Director of Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. “We’re proud to expand our community and support the next generation of innovators accelerating decarbonization.”
“NYU Tandon’s Urban Future Lab is an extension of the innovative research spearheaded by our Sustainable Engineering Initiative,” said Linda Ng Boyle, Vice Dean for Research at NYU Tandon. “This fifth cohort is an example of C2V’s success and our commitment to a more sustainable future. We are excited to welcome L’Oréal and TotalEnergies to the growing list of CLC members and look forward to working with all of them.”
“The Carbon to Value Initiative has emerged as a premier platform for carbontech commercialization,” said Georgina Campbell Flatter, CEO of Greentown. “This program’s ability to convene innovators, industry leaders, and mission-driven partners makes it a cornerstone of the growing carbontech ecosystem. We’re proud to deepen our role in co-leading this effort and continue shaping a resilient, low-carbon future.”
“As part of Fraunhofer USA’s applied research mission, we are excited to help startups bring their CO₂-utilization technologies from lab to market,” said Dr. Thomas Schuelke, President of Fraunhofer USA. “Year 5 builds on a strong foundation of science-based innovation and industry collaboration.”
Applications for the Year 5 cohort are due by Aug. 29, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Selected startups will participate in a six-month program beginning in December 2025, with in-person events in Boston, New York, and Houston, alongside virtual programming. Learn more and apply at www.c2vinitiative.com.
