Accelerating market ready solutions.
The Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon is a non-profit innovation hub for best-in-class climatetech startups with a focus on clean energy and sustainable urban infrastructure solutions.
The Urban Future Lab is scaling up and commercializing climate solutions.
As an integral part of NYU Tandon’s Sustainable Engineering Initiative, we are home to programs focused on market solutions, education for the green economy, and entrepreneurial opportunities for students.
By nurturing and empowering innovators, we are:
01. Catalyzing change
Actively driving the transition towards a low-carbon economy.
02. Generating growth
Driving the market adoption of sustainable technologies.
03. Scaling solutions
Helping cities become more resilient, efficient, and livable.
Our mission.
Through our 5 programs, we support innovators on their journey to scaling up and commercializing climate solutions.
We are proud to champion the brightest minds in climatetech innovation, providing them with the necessary support and resources to scale up their transformative solutions while leveraging New York City’s built environment and access to climate finance.
Making a difference through ecosystem impacts and trackable metrics.
170+
startups supported
$3.9B+
in venture capital, project finance, and grants
5,000+
jobs created
93%
company survival rate
66
events
17
exits
Founder-first Culture
Urban Future Lab for founders.
ACRE (Accelerator for a Clean and Resilient Economy) is our flagship program and the longest-running climatetech incubator in New York City. On average, companies dedicate 2-3 years to this transformative experience.
Founders also gain access to UFL support and services through our five specialized programs: Carbon to Value Initiative, Offshore Wind Innovation Hub, Innovate UK Global Incubator Programme, and Clean Start.
Meet our Founders
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Air Company
ACRE Company | C2V Company
Air Company is the world's most sustainable alcohol company, using proprietary technology to transform carbon dioxide from the air into the purest alcohol on the planet.
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Amperon
ACRE Company | Urban Future Prize Winner
Amperon builds real-time electricity demand forecasts for energy suppliers and utilities using smart meter data and AI.
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Dollaride
ACRE Company | Urban Future Prize Winner
Dollaride provides an innovative technology platform that connects people living in transportation deserts to private ride-sharing networks called “dollar vans.”
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NineDot Energy
ACRE Company
Based in New York City, NineDot Energy® is a community energy solutions developer making the urban grid cleaner, more resilient, more equitable, and less costly.
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Olokun Minerals
ACRE Company | Urban Future Prize Winner
Olokun Minerals is developing a new, cleaner way to filter out valuable metals and minerals from brines.
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Carbfix
C2V Company
Carbfix provides a natural and permanent carbon storage solution by turning CO₂ into stone underground.
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RCAM Technologies
OWIH Company
RCAM Technologies uses 3D printing technologies with concrete to manufacture low-cost renewable energy support structures, anchors, and subsea pumped hydro energy storage systems that couple with offshore wind.
Partnership Programs
Urban Future Lab for partners.
UFL sits at the epicenter of New York’s vibrant climatetech ecosystem and beyond. We work with corporates, sponsors, local and international governments, non-profits, investors, VC’s, and local suppliers in order to bridge the gap between climate funding and innovation. Through this vast network, we are able to connect our member companies with the industry’s best as we support them through their journey to deployment.
Sponsors & Partners
What founders are saying
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Air Company
“The Urban Future Lab has been extremely helpful to the Air Company as we build our business in NYS. The funds we have raised have been with the help of the Urban Future Lab; their introduction led us to our lead funder, Carbon Direct. In a city where it is very hard to find lab space, the Urban Future Lab has been able to accommodate our needs by partnering with the Multifunctional Material Systems Lab at NYU.”
– Stafford W. Sheehan, Phd, Co-founder and CTO, Air Co
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Dollaride
“The Urban Future Lab has been instrumental in my company's progress and success, by directly connecting me to resources, investors, talent and government agencies. They have played an active role in building my startup's capacity to pursue and deliver on transportation and clean energy-related projects.”
– Su Sanni, Founder and CEO, Dollaride
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NineDot Energy
“NineDot’s experience at the Urban Future Lab has been excellent. They are indeed the epicenter of the ecosystem of climatetech in New York. It was through spending time in the incubator and spending time with the staff of the incubator that we made contacts with the people we needed to know.“
- David Arfin, CEO, NineDot Energy
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Olokun Minerals
“We at Olokun Minerals have enjoyed the support we have received from UFL. Through this collaboration, we have received funding to continue our technology development, connected with our first intern through the NYU collaboration, and connected with brine producers and investors.”
- Lacey Reddix, Founder and CEO, Olokun Minerals
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Carbfix
“We clearly understand the market much better as well as the regulatory framework. Now we know where to seek information and have access to fantastic people both within the program and other companies that participated in the program.”
– Carbfix
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RCAM Technologies
“Our participation in the Urban Future Lab's Offshore Wind Innovation Hub has been instrumental in propelling RCAM towards an exciting potential expansion into New York. The Hub has provided access to critical resources, expertise, and key industry contacts for this expansion and for continued development of our offshore wind products. RCAM is fortunate to have this opportunity and appreciate the time and effort that both Equinor and the Hub invested in us.”
- RCAM Technologies
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