Five teams announced for inaugural “Sustainable Mobility Accelerator”
Three of the companies are based in California, one is from Florida, and the fifth comes from across the Atlantic Ocean.
The Company Lab (CO.LAB) in Chattanooga and gener8tor announced on Wednesday the selection of five start-ups for their inaugural “Sustainable Mobility Accelerator” cohort, and at least one of them is no stranger to East Tennessee.
According to yesterday’s announcement, 145 start-ups from 25 countries applied for the program that kicks off January 18. The five selected teams were identified as global leaders in transforming the future of mobility. One of the five – Florida-based FLUIX Inc. – was a participant in the 2022 inaugural cohort of the “Techstars Industries of the Future Accelerator” in Knoxville. Co-founded by Abhishek (Abhi) Sastri, FLUIX optimizes data center efficiency, reducing energy costs by 40 percent, operational CO2 emissions by 45 percent, and daily water usage by millions of gallons.
Other members of the Winter 2024 Cohort are:
- MarsCharge Inc., a start-up based in Mountain View, CA that delivers ultrafast electric vehicle chargers that reduce costs and enhance the resiliency of the electric grid.
- Coulomb AI, a San Francisco-based battery observability platform to elevate battery safety, reliability and sustainability. It leverages a digital twin technology to help its customers significantly improve their battery performance and lifetime.
- Xtelligent, another California-based start-up that is revolutionizing traffic control through its Xtelligent’s Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS) technology that prioritizes the flow of people and goods. In so doing, the ATCS system achieves a more than 20 percent improvement in network travel time, up to 50 percent improvement in road network reliability/resilience, and up to 20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the state of art at a fraction of the cost.
- Terminus, located in Colchester, England, is an urban data mining company, enabling public authorities and governments to take proactive action to make their cities smarter, safer and more efficient.
“This cohort is not only the first of its kind in Chattanooga, but in the country as well,” said Tasia Malakasis, CO.LAB Chief Executive Officer. “Bringing in such a wide range of mobility start-ups, all that play to the strengths of Chattanooga, position this city to be a leading network for sustainable transportation, data, energy, and movement.”
The 12-week program will provide each team with a $20,000 initial investment, followed by the potential for up to $100,000 post-program. Participants will immerse themselves in a dynamic environment centered around mentorship, collaboration with Chattanooga’s Sustainable Mobility leaders, and access to crucial pilot opportunities.
CO.LAB’s partner – gener8tor – is a global venture firm and accelerator network that supports start-ups, founders, workers, employers, artists and musicians across race, place and gender. gener8tor partners with companies, governments, universities and nonprofits to operate programs in more than 41 communities across 22 states and two countries.
