A collaborative home for climate tech in downtown Seattle

Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the launch of the Seattle Climate Innovation Hub (SCIH), the first downtown space dedicated to investing in and designing technology to combat climate change. Developed through a partnership between the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development (OED), the University of Washington’s CoMotion Labs startup incubator, global climate community 9Zero, and VertueLab—a nonprofit funder and accelerator—this collaborative hub will serve as a nexus for innovators and early-stage entrepreneurs focused on tackling the climate crisis and expanding the region’s green technology sector while supporting downtown Seattle’s revitalization.

“Seattle’s infrastructure, skilled workforce in aerospace and technology, progressive climate policies, and strategic location make it the perfect place for climate tech and clean energy companies to grow,” said Mayor Harrell in a statement. “Our new Seattle Climate Innovation Hub is a signal and call to businesses and entrepreneurs around the world that if you’re in the business of combating climate change and developing clean energy technologies, we want you here in Seattle. Downtown runs on people and establishing this hub in our city core is intentional. The opportunities and synergy from the Climate Innovation Hub will not only help fuel our downtown revitalization efforts, but also reinforces that downtown Seattle is a center of creativity innovation and is open for business.”

Climate tech is a cluster of technologies or services that decarbonize the global economy and build resilience into infrastructure. It includes clean energy, battery storage, hydrogen, carbon capture, agricultural tech. The SCIH will foster the development and deployment of technologies and services designed to decarbonize the key industry sectors in the economy, from grid management solutions to advancements in electric vehicle charging and sustainable transportation fuels, to innovation in agriculture and construction and exploring ways to make everyday energy consumption more efficient.

Through a $200k seed investment from OED and $85k from the Washington Department of Commerce, the SCIH will offer a business and technology incubator, a gathering space for funders and investors, and co-working space, all co-located in UW-owned real estate in downtown Seattle.

“The University of Washington is a driver of innovation that helps address the most pressing challenges we face as a society,” said François Baneyx, UW Vice Provost for Innovation and CoMotion director. “This partnership will build on CoMotion Labs’ strengths in startup creation, incubation, and development to connect burgeoning clean-tech companies with industry experts and strategic resources that will enable their success.”

CoMotion Labs will begin recruiting the first cohort of its new Climate Tech Incubator in the coming months, with the program set to launch this spring at the SCIH. This eight-month program will provide startups with tailored mentorship, access to a network of climate tech professionals, and the tools needed to accelerate growth and create meaningful impact in addressing climate challenges.

GeekWire and Puget Sound Business Journal reported on the launch, and Baneyx coauthored a related Seattle Times op-ed.