CALIFORNIA
Get the support you need to develop new technologies and jumpstart and grow your clean energy business in California. Get the tools to build the solutions that will drive a more equitable and just economy.
The New Energy Nexus team has 20+ years of experience guiding diverse entrepreneurs through the early stages of technology development into commercialization and impact, from building and testing a prototype to workforce development.
Startups supported
Funding awarded (USD)
Women or under represented groups
Review our programs and determine your eligibility. Entrepreneurs from under-represented backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Sign up to receive notification when application windows open and apply for the funds and resources you need to build your solution.
With the right resources and funds to bring your solutions to market, you’ll be part of the clean energy transition and help to build a cleaner, brighter future for all Californians.
Do you have an idea-stage clean energy solution that needs funds and resources to get it to market? Is your research on the verge of a breakthrough, and you just need some funding to advance your concept or prototype? This might be your program.
CalSEED supports early-stage entrepreneurs in delivering clean energy, efficiency, or storage projects while considering equity of access and benefit to serve California’s most vulnerable populations. As a first step in California’s innovation pipeline, the program incubates energy concepts. It readies them for investment and deployment by providing professional development services and direct, non-dilutive grant-based funding up to $700,000.
Do you have a clean energy solution that needs third-party testing at a world-class laboratory? The California Testbed Initiative (CalTestBed) provides more than $8.8 million in testing vouchers for California clean energy researchers and entrepreneurs to conduct third-party testing in more than 70 testbeds across nine University of California campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
California is a world leader in EV and battery technologies and is home to some of the largest lithium reserves in the world. Our new report maps jobs across North America’s lithium and battery supply chain and outlines policies and investment opportunities that could be a global model for shared prosperity.
“The [CalSEED] award not only provided the much needed funding to support our technology development but also provided resources to help us to establish business strategies and plans. Based on the progress we made through this CalSEED funding, we further obtain additional funding from the California Energy Commission and the US Department of Energy to continue our development of thermal energy storage control solutions to support building carbonization. The CalSEED program is critical to our success!”
Yanda Zhang, CEO of ZYD Energy
“New Energy Nexus, through its CalSEED program, has been critical to my path as an entrepreneur. While the financial support is vital and appreciated, the mentorship has been a game changer. The New Energy Nexus ecosystem has provided a rich environment for us to thrive in. In the four years since Enzinc received our first award, we’ve grown into a dynamic business with twenty engineers, industry advisors from some of the world’s largest clean energy companies, and a group of committed institutional investors. It’s the most effective program we’ve been in.”
Michael Burz, Co-Founder and President of Enzinc
