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Launch Your First Climate Tech Startup

Change the world for the better by building the business of your dreams.

Your Startup Idea Could Change the World

But You Know 99% of Startups Fail

Get the guidance, tools, and support you need to take your idea to IMPACT with Icademy For Climate.

One-to-one Guidance

You’ll be paired with a startup field guide—an experienced impact entrepreneur—who will help you chart your path and guide you throughout your journey.

Fight the Climate Crisis Together

Join a movement of ClimateTech founders and startup experts who believe that we can improve the world by scaling innovative and socially conscious businesses.

Something different...

Accelerator
Bootcamp
Startup studio

Icademy was created to respond to the shortcomings of traditional programs:

Icademy For Climate

Legacy Accelerators

Impact Focused

Join a community of founders and experts focused on one thing: solving the climate crisis through for-profit, socially conscious business.

Profit Focused

Join a broken system designed to churn out growth-at-all-costs startups to maximize returns for investors.

Flexible Schedule

Choose when you start, how fast you go, and when you graduate.

Fixed Schedule

Fixed, intensive schedule that isn't flexible to your needs.

Personalized

Learn at your own pace with a focus on your goals and your vision for the future.

One-size-fits-all

No matter what stage you're at or what your goals are, you're thrown into the same program.

Membership

Pay only for what you need with no long-term commitments. Pause or cancel anytime.

Equity

Give away 8-50% of your company's equity for a few months of help.

Ongoing Support

Build meaningful, long-term relationships with impact-focused founders and experts.

Time Restricted Support

Assistance is available only within specific time frames or under restricted conditions.

Collaborative

Become part of a community that endeavors to elevate all its members to make the world a better place to live.

Competitive

If you're one of the 1-2% of applicants accepted into an accelerator, you'll compete with your peers for access to mentors and resources.

 

Icademy For Climate Programs

Vol. 1: Find

Don't just find an idea, find the perfect startup idea for you.
Graduate when you've validated it.

Your Superpower

Become a thought leader by gaining clarity on the unique set of skills that you bring to the world.

Your Purpose

Create a lasting impact and sustainable business that aligns perfectly with your values and vision.

The Problem

Wake up every day energized and motivated by falling in love with a problem that people will pay you to solve.

Your Solution

Craft an innovative and viable business plan that brings your unique vision for the world into reality.

Vol. 2: Test

Take months or even years off of your startup's journey by quickly testing your business plan with real customers.

Graduate when your customers beg you to start building.

Applications starting late 2023.

Vol. 3: Build

Make a tangible impact on the climate crisis, build a dedicated team, and delight your customers while finding product-market fit.

Quit your job when you can pay yourself.

Coming early 2024.

Vol. 4: Grow

Scale your startup's impact on your community and the planet, expand to new markets, and build new products.

Sell your business or maximize your impact: the choice is yours.

Coming 2025.

Meet the Climate Heros

"I joined Icademy because it is a lot different than other accelerators… It’s about continual support and community. It's not just building a pitch deck, it's much more than that. It's about building a sustainable company."

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Narayan Iyer, Founder of Boro

"Icademy has exceeded my expectations because of the accessibility and flexibility. It's amazing to say, 'Here's a problem that I have,' and we can go and get an answer to it, or we can do a workshop on it. To have that kind of tailored mentoring is amazing."

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Alex Lewis-Jones, Founder of OtherWay

"We ended up needing more time to complete our customer discovery calls. In a typical 12-week program, we would be way behind. It's been so valuable that Icademy supports us to go at the pace we need!"

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Laura Katayama, Cofounder of Thanks a Ton

Excited to Start Your Journey?

Take your first step to solving the climate crisis and building the business you've always dreamed about by meeting with an Icademy Field Guide.

Have questions?

What if I don't know anything about creating a company?

That's OK! Icademy was designed to teach you everything you need to know to start an impactful & successful company. You'll learn startup best practices through online micro-courses and live workshops with ClimateTech experts. You'll also be paired with a Field Guide--an experienced entrepreneur who will personally guide you along your journey. And if you need extra help or support, you can rely on our network of ClimateTech founders and experts to get anything you need.

Can I join Icademy For Climate if I have a full-time job?

Yes, and we encourage you to do so! Here's the truth... Most startups fail because they run out of time. The founders either run out of money before they can find product-market fit, or they burn themselves out (or both). Icademy supports you in finding an impactful and scalable solution to a real problem quickly and efficiently. All of the beginning steps of creating a startup can be done while you have a full-time or part-time job, and there are actually many advantages to doing so. Connect with one of our Field Guides to learn more about how you can create your company while keeping your full-time job.

How long does it take to build a company?

Like most startup questions, the answer to this is "it depends." With Icademy, you'll learn how to build a sustainable business--that is, one that is designed to succeed and have an outsized impact on the climate crisis in the long term. In order to do this, you'll first ensure that you've found a problem that you're passionate about and that customers are willing to pay you to solve. Then you'll come up with an innovative solution that uses your unique Superpower, and you'll test it with real customers.

Some founders can get revenue in the door and work on their startup full-time in as little as a couple of months. Most founders will need to pivot a few times to find the optimal solution, which can take anywhere from three months to a few years. Most successful founders aim to be working on their startup for seven to ten years.

What is the weekly time commitment?

Icademy is designed to be flexible to your schedule. In the Vol. 1: Find program, you'll meet with your Founders' Circle every two weeks for one hour and with another member of the Icademy community for 30 mins every week, and the rest is up to you. Typically, founders spend about an hour a week with the program and 3-10 hours per week executing on their startup. In some weeks, you may spend the majority of your time learning a new best practice, or you may spend all of your time conducting customer discovery interviews or a Minimal Viable Test.

Unlike traditional accelerator programs or bootcamps, Icademy doesn't require you to go through a set program each week, so you can proceed at your own pace. Your Founders' Circle peers and Field Guide will keep you accountable to your goals and keep you moving forward. And if something comes up, you can pause, cancel, or resume your membership anytime.

Can I join Icademy For Climate if I don't have a startup idea yet?

Yes! We like to think of startup ideas like stars in the sky. There are millions of them. The trick isn't just finding an idea, but finding the idea that you're passionate about, that has a large enough market, that you have the skills to solve, and for which the timing is perfect.

We're not going to lie, this is hard work. But with Icademy, you get personalized guidance on how to find and evaluate ideas that fit all these criteria, so that you vastly increase your chances of building a successful and impactful company that fits with your unique vision and lifestyle.

Do you have a question not listed here? Check out our expanded FAQ or meet with a field guide today.

Ideas From Icademy

Still have questions?

Speak with a Field Guide to see how Icademy can help you chart your course.