New partnership to accelerate climate tech for sustainable building

Holcim and Greentown Labs, the largest incubator of climate tech startups in North America, partner to accelerate open innovation for the decarbonisation of the built environment. 

The “Terawatt” partnership with Greentown, with incubators in Somerville, Mass. and Houston, Texas, gives Holcim prime access to promising startups focused on innovative and sustainable building solutions. Through it, Holcim aims to become an early adopter of cutting-edge technologies to decarbonise building. 

It will participate in targeted engagements with innovative startups and attend exclusive building-sector pitch days. Holcim also joins Greentown’s Industry Leadership Council, which provides strategic guidance to Greentown, including on reducing tech-to-market lead times. 

In a statement, Nollaig Forrest, chief sustainability officer, Holcim: “With our open innovation ecosystem, we partner with hundreds of startups worldwide to accelerate the shift to sustainable building. By partnering with Greentown Labs, we aim to empower the best and brightest startups active in the built environment to scale up their impact. The combination of Holcim MAQER Ventures, our venture capital program, with Greentown’s stellar roster of successful climate tech startups, will serve as a catalyst to reinvent how the world builds for a regenerative future.” 

In a statement, Kevin Knobloch, CEO of Greentown Labs said: "Greentown Labs is thrilled to be partnering with Holcim, a global leader in sustainable building solutions to decarbonise the built environment to bolster cutting-edge climate-tech innovations in this critical sector. We look forward to seeing Holcim engage with our building tech startups, sharing its unmatched expertise in low-carbon building innovations and helping advance our entrepreneurs' solutions." 

Greentown mobilises climate solutions by providing climate tech startups with the resources, knowledge, connections, and equipment they need to thrive. Home to over 200 startups, and having supported over 525 since being founded in 2011, Greentown’s two incubators offer lab space, shared office space, machine shops, electronics labs, tool shops, software and business resources, and a large network of stakeholders. 

Holcim’s open innovation ecosystem spans hundreds of startups with which it partners through MAQER Ventures, its corporate venture capital program. With advanced research in 15 areas from ultra-high-strength concrete to 3D printing, Holcim’s innovative solutions cover the entire lifecycle of the built environment. They range from low-carbon ECOPact concrete and ECOPlanet cement to advanced roofing, insulation, and facade systems that make buildings more sustainable in use.