Request for Applications: AI Climate Accelerator Program (2025)

There is no shortage of ideas on how AI can accelerate climate and nature goals. But bringing products to market remains a key barrier to climate tech innovation. So, their 2025 accelerator focuses on helping founder find product- market fit (PMF).

Focus Areas

• You are advancing climate and nature goals in five impact areas:
  • Nature conservation and restoration
  • Policy and governance
  • Decarbonization and energy transition
  • Climate resilience and adaptation
  • Circular economy and resource management

Funding Information

• They don’t take equity. They provide small non-dilutive grants, setting a new generation of global founders up for success.
• Stipends of about $10,000 USD will be available for each participating team. Think of this as a contribution to the time you will dedicate to the accelerator.
• Teams will enter in a contractual agreement with Climate Collective to articulate specific participation-based milestones that are required in order to unlock tranches of stipend payments.

What to expect?

• They’ve built a dynamic and flexible 12-week program designed to accelerate your startup.
• Each week, you’ll be expected to show up with all your heart and energy for:
  • Activities relevant to the week’s topic or theme:
    • 60-90 minute remote group sessions with a coach
    • 1:1 async and remote check-ins with a coach
    • Homework and activities between weeks
  • Activities that support your general progress:
    • 1:1 remote check-ins with a mentor
    • 60-minute virtual Q&As with guest speakers
    • WhatsApp cohort
    • community group
• You’ll leave the accelerator with:
  • Knowledge
    • Templates and primers to share
    • back to your team and investors
    • Best-in-class techniques to find
    • product-market fit
    • Unique global perspectives on
    • AI, climate, and nature
    • Policy, hiring, and funding lessons from leading climate AI companies
  • Impact
    • A clear path to achieve your revenue and growth goals
    • A pathway to more customers that truly love your product
    • A strong funnel with strong KPIs and right-sized unit economics
    • Hard and soft founder skills to build your business
  • Networks
    • Introductions to investors and funders to help raise your next round
    • Access to a cohort-specific Whatsapp community
    • Access to a community of mentors and experts
    • Presence at dedicated networking events at major activations like NY Climate Week

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible Countries: Applicants in All Countries can apply
• You are applying AI tools and approaches across any of four dimensions:
  • Prediction and monitoring
  • Optimization and efficiency
  • Automation and action
  • Knowledge and insights
• Your project is anywhere from the idea stage to having secured series-A funding.
  • Idea stage
    • You have operational experience
    • You might be an engineer or product person at a company and are ready to go out on your own.
    • You might not have a team, product, or funding.
    • Not yet incorporated.
  • Pre-seed
    • You have a small team and an early product
    • You have raised less than $1M
    • You might not have revenue or ongoing users
    • You have had customer conversations and users at some point.
  • Seed
    • You have a team of 10+
    • You have raised more than $1M with >$500K revenue
    • You have a product with bare or weak product-market fit
    • Your KPIs aim to secure series A funding
  • Series A
    • You have raised over $2-10M
    • You have $500k-$2M in annual revenue
    • You have grown to around 20+ employees
    • You have market fit and you are optimizing for scale
• They will support startups whose team members:
  • Complement each other with skills and attributes that make the sum greater than the parts.
  • Bring subject matter expertise and familiarity with the audience and problem.
  • Demonstrate a willingness to learn and adapt based on evidence.

For more information, visit Climate Collective.