Browning the Green Space

Had a wonderful time in Denver last week at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory International Growth Forum #IGF. I represented Browning the Green Space (BGS) at the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) Channel Partner Meeting and promoted our #ACCEL program at the Accelerator/Incubator Open House alongside our partners at Greentown Labs (Sam Crum, Victor Martinez, and Marita Genebashvili). It was great to catch-up with entrepreneurs (including a few #ACCEL alums and a couple of Majira Project alums), investors, ecosystem partners, and government officials that I knew as well as meet others in the ecosystem. I was able to take selfies with a few of them who are listed here: Esmé Park, of Prime Coalition & Trellis Climate, Paris Smalls, PhD, of Eden GeoPower, Lacey Reddix & Pilanda Watkins-Curry, Ph.D., of Olokun Minerals, Jose LaSalle of florrent, and Francesco Maria Benedetti of Osmoses, Tejus Mane of AtmoSpark Technologies Inc., Grant Gunnison of Zero Homes, Wynston Reed of Clean Energy Ventures, Shiv Bhakta ☀️ of Active Surfaces, Susan L. Stewart of Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, Ramsay Huntley of Factor, Juliana Garaizar of Malaika Ventures and Energy Tech Nexus, Parker Malone of Equinor Ventures, Satpal Kaur, RIBA I, RIBA II, CPHD, & Patrick Beattie of VentureWell #30Years #UnlockingValue #BGSMatters #GrowingSeason #Investment #Innovation

Last Wednesday, March 12th, Browning Green Space (BGS) partnered with Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) and Back House Policies (BHP) to host a dynamic and impactful conference at the prestigious Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The event, titled "Building Collaborative Neighborhood-Private Sector Partnerships," provided a valuable platform for attendees to forge new connections, cultivate collaborative relationships, and explore innovative strategies for driving sustainable development, fostering economic growth, and enhancing the overall quality of life within our neighborhoods. The conference featured a diverse range of speakers and panelists from organizations like the Office of Energy Transformation and Environmental Justice and Equity at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED), Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), Justice Climate Fund (JCF), Massachusetts Federal Funds & Infrastructure Office (FFIO), ACT | The Alliance for Climate Transition, Social Finance, Sunwealth and Amalgamated Bank.  They shared their expertise and insights on topics such as community engagement, public-private partnerships, affordable housing, economic development, and environmental sustainability. Attendees had the opportunity to both engage in thought-provoking discussions and network with like-minded professionals who are passionate about creating thriving and inclusive communities. Through this collaborative conference, BGS and ACE aimed to inspire and empower individuals and organizations to work together to address the complex challenges facing our neighborhoods and create a more equitable and sustainable future for all.  We need to leverage one another more than ever right now, so it is important to not only strengthen old bonds but also create new ones.  In the words of the old African Proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.”  We are extremely grateful for the “togetherness” shown during the event by our attendees as well as our speakers, panelists, and organizers listed below. Melissa Lavinson, Dwaign Tyndal, Brooke M. Thomson, Theresa Bedeau, Quentin Palfrey, Maria Belen Power, Kerry Bowie, Joe Curtatone, Jon Abe, Kirstin Hill, Ashley Stolba, Mark E. Walsh, LaQuinte Campbell, MSOL, PMP, Keith Kinch, Alisha Soslow Harrington, and Tristan Thomas. #BGSMatters, #economicdevelopment, #neighborhooddevelopment, #collaboration, #publicprivatepartnerships, #leverage

📆 Next MassCEC SIPS Virtual Employer Info Session -Thursday 3/13 at 5 PM. If you are a clean energy employer in MA and are thinking of hiring a summer intern, join BGS on zoom this Thursday to learn more about the MassCEC Student Internship Program (SIPS) Success Initiative! **We currently have over 70 eligible and talented students in our pipeline who are eager to work in clean energy this summer** Register here for the info session: bit.ly/SIPS-info-Mar13 Please reach out to Tatiana Soto at “tatiana@browningthegreenspace.org” with any questions.

From Classroom 👨🏾🎓 to Clean Energy Innovation⚡️☀️: A Huge Shoutout to Shiv Bhakta ☀️ We couldn't be prouder of Shiv Bhakta, an ACCEL program alum, for making strides in the clean energy industry! What started as an idea in an MIT class has now grown into ➡️ Active Surfaces ⬅️— a company revolutionizing the way solar energy is deployed. Founded alongside Richard Swartwout, this venture began as a business plan and has since transformed into a real-world innovation that’s gaining momentum. And now, it's been featured in The Boston Globe! But this is just the beginning. As Shiv puts it, “Impact is measured by scale,” which means there's more to come (stay tuned)! Active Surfaces is on a mission to deploy more solar modules, bring more clean energy solutions to communities, and push the boundaries of innovation. We encourage you to read more about Active Surfaces's solar modules here. At Browning The Green Space, we’re proud to celebrate this milestone as our alumni continue to innovate in the clean energy sector. #ACCELGraduate #CleanEnergy #Entrepreneurship #SolarInnovation #SustainableFuture #GoGreen #BrowningTheGreenSpace #ActiveSurfaves #Congratulations

Join us in welcoming Tatiana Soto to the team as our new Program Manager at BGS!  Tatiana Soto is an entrepreneur and educator with many years of experience in strategy, capacity building, and innovation. Before joining BGS she served as the Director of Career Success at BASTA, Director of Recruitment Innovation at Teach for America, and Manager of Strategic Operations and Dean of Operations at Veritas Prep Public Schools. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and is currently pursuing an MBA at UMASS Amherst. She's passionate about wellness, food justice, and community wealth building to create positive social and environmental change for communities of color. We are very lucky to have her. Welcome aboard! #CleanEnergy #DiversityInEnergy #Sustainability #ClimateEquity #EnergyJustice #BrowningTheGreenSpace #NewHire #StrongerTogether #BlackExcellence #SolarPower #Entrepreneur #Welcome

Ready to meet the startups selected for this year of #ACCEL? The eight startups selected have been announced! Meet them at the kickoff event at Greentown on March 6: https://lnkd.in/eGk3JHvp

Exciting Updates at BGS: New Leadership, New Beginnings! Big things are happening at Browning the Green Space! We’re thrilled to announce Keith Kinch as our new Interim Director of Operations at BGS! Keith has over a decade of experience in driving impactful initiatives, including managing a portfolio of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies for American cities. His work has generated employment opportunities, yielded a decrease in carbon emissions, and reduced dependency on fossil fuels. In his free time, Keith enjoys being a "soccer dad" and watching Japanese anime. We are incredibly fortunate to have him join us! Let's give him a warm welcome to the team. #CleanEnergy #DiversityInEnergy #Sustainability #ClimateEquity #EnergyJustice #BrowningTheGreenSpace #NewHire #ClimateChange #Climatetech #Innovation #BlackInBusiness #Sustainability #FedTech #BGS #PavingTheWay #SolarPower #NewTeamMember

Exciting News: New Board Member at BGS!  We’re thrilled to welcome Omar Blayton to the Board of Directors at Browning the Green Space! Omar brings extensive expertise in clean energy and venture capital, and a deep commitment to advancing innovation and growth in the clean energy sector. As a board member of SEBANE and Sunwealth, his leadership and insights will play a crucial role in advancing BGS's commitment to fulfilling its mission of browning the green space! Please join us in celebrating this exciting addition to our board! We look forward to the incredible work ahead. #BrowningTheGreenSpace #CleanEnergyLeadership #BoardAnnouncement #SustainableFuture #ClimateTech #Innovation #CleanEnergy #BoardMember #RenewableEnergy #DiversityInEnergy #GreenLeadership #EnergyEquity #SustainabilityMatters #FutureOfEnergy #ClimateAction #ImpactInvestment #EnergyInnovation #InclusiveEnergy #CleantechLeadership #SustainableGrowth #EmpowermentThroughEnergy #EquityInEnergy #GreenTech

Join us on March 6th as we celebrate the launch of Year 3 of ACCEL, our climatetech accelerator program in partnership with Greentown Labs dedicated to supporting BIPOC-led startups. This event is an opportunity to connect with emerging innovators who are developing climate solutions across sectors like agriculture, transportation, electricity, and manufacturing. Building on the success of the first two program years, ACCEL Year 3 continues our commitment to breaking down barriers for underrepresented groups in climatetech. During the accelerator, these founders secured funding, launched pilots, and gained access to additional growth opportunities. The event will also feature a panel discussion on raising capital for underrepresented startups, featuring:  Jose LaSalle, CEO & Co-founder of florrent (ACCEL Year 1 alum)  Jennifer Le Blond, Managing Director of Emerging Climatetech at MassCEC  Daniel Acheampong, General Partner & Co-founder of Visible Hands VC  Kerry Bowie, Co-founder, Executive Director, and President of Browning the Green Space, as the panel's moderator. Come celebrate, network, and build community with us as we welcome the Year 3 cohort and continue our mission to create a more diverse climatetech ecosystem! Register here: https://lu.ma/poev7htr #Climatetech #BIPOCFounders #EquityInInnovation #ACCEL #BrowningTheGreenSpace #Opportunity #cleanenergy #renewableenergy #solarenergy #solarpower #greenenergy #solar #energy #solarpanels #gogreen #sustainability #gosolar #climatechange #renewables #ecofriendly #solarpanel #BIPOC #sustainableenergy #renewable #savetheplanet #sustainable

📣Attention Students!📣 Are you passionate about climatetech and eager to break into the investment space? Join the BGS VC Onramp Internship Program for Summer 2025! The goal of the BGS VC Onramp Program is to build a strong pipeline of investors of color with deep technical expertise and valuable industry connections. Through this program, you will gain: • Hands-on experience in climate investing • Exclusive networking opportunities with industry leaders • Career-defining mentorship and guidance from Browning the Green Space (BGS) and others • A competitive edge to land your first full-time role in the field Students selected for the VC Onramp program will participate in climate investing workshops and networking events over the summer.  Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eu2HHXy4 #ClimateTech #VentureCapital #InternshipOpportunity #DiversityInVC #Sustainability #CareerGrowth #ClimateInvesting #BrowningTheGreenSpace #VCOnRamp #InvestmentCareers #CleanEnergy #ClimateInnovation #GreenInvesting #TechForGood #DiversityInTech #STEMLeadership #ClimateAction #FutureVCs #Networking #MentorshipMatters #Internship2025 #EquityInVC #ImpactInvesting #BreakIntoVC #ClimateSolutions #SustainableFuture #VentureFellows