Elemental Excelerator
Climate tech accelerator and fund investing in companies addressing climate change in water, food, and energy.
Elemental plays the long game better than almost anyone in climate tech, and they've got the receipts to prove it - 160+ companies, $11.5B in follow-on funding, and now $100M in federal backing. Dawn Lippert has built something genuinely different here: a nonprofit that doesn't just write checks but actually helps companies navigate the brutal 'scale gap' between demo and deployment. The community impact focus isn't just marketing speak - they really do embed equity frameworks and local partnerships into everything. But here's the thing founders need to know: this isn't your typical VC relationship. They're genuinely mission-driven, which means they'll push you on community benefits and local hiring just as hard as they push on metrics. Their 15-year track record speaks for itself, and having federal backing means they can be patient when others can't.
- —Best for: Companies ready to deploy first commercial projects with strong community benefits
- —Watch out for: Heavy emphasis on equity and community engagement requirements
- —Known for: Patient capital, wraparound services, and bridging the climate tech scale gap
Elemental Impact invests in climate technologies that scale commercial-stage solutions for deep community impact, particularly bridging the 'scale gap' between early-stage innovation and widespread deployment. They focus on technologies that create local jobs, reduce emissions, and build economic resilience in underserved communities through patient capital and comprehensive project support.
Series A to commercial deployment stage, primarily investing in energy, transportation, agriculture, water, industry, and nature-based solutions. Focus is on companies ready to deploy first-of-a-kind or early commercial projects with $1-3M equity investments plus follow-on project funding.
Founded the organization 15 years ago and evolved it from Energy Excelerator to Elemental Impact. Known for her community-first approach and strong belief that the best climate solutions are the most inclusive. Has built relationships with major funders including Emerson Collective and secured $100M in federal GGRF funding.
Leads investment strategy and portfolio management. Frequently quoted on the scale gap challenges facing climate tech companies and the need for patient capital to bridge funding disparities between early and late stage deployments.
Oversees operations and platform expansion as the organization scales from nonprofit investor to comprehensive impact platform. Part of the leadership team managing the transformation to Elemental Impact and expanding services beyond equity investments.
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