PLATFORM for Product Launch

PLATFORM for Product Launch

PLATFORM for Product Launch integrates data-driven market intelligence, minimum viable product development and validation methods, rapid prototyping capabilities, and collaboration between industry and the technical community. With support from the Department of Energy and private sector partners, Pecan Street is leveraging this platform to create expanded funding and market entry opportunities for clean energy hardware innovations.

PLATFORM for Product Launch (Pecan Street Leveraged Assets for Technology Feasibility Review, Optimization and Marketing) links third-party validation of emerging technologies with subsequent investment decisions. This model streamlines the process of obtaining investment based on technology validation and provide potential funders with concrete data on which to base investment decisions. Product validation reports will include environmental impact metrics to facilitate increased application of impact investing and foundation Program-Related Investment capital to American innovation in clean energy technologies.

Company Benefits

PLATFORM leverages Pecan Street’s product development, testing and demonstration assets to validate a new approach to clean energy. Companies will find the following benefits:

1. Use Pecan Street’s unique resources, including rapid prototyping, performance testing and troubleshooting, production consulting, and national testbeds to reduce development time;
2. We work with participating companies’ technologies and make sure their products are commercially-viable based upon current industry requirements;
3. Unlock access to non-traditional start-up funding sources, such as impact investing and mission-driven donors, by providing validated technology performance reports that include environmental performance metrics; and
4. Receive introductions to cleantech funders and real-time coaching through investor pitching and customer sales process.

To read more about the benefits of joining PLATFORM download this PDF infosheet.

Investor Benefits

Pecan Street’s product development model will ensure expensive investments in intellectual property protection, product certification, manufacturing, and supply chain development are avoided early in the product development process and are only funded in later phases, once solid market validation is achieved. The unique resources of this project team create a model for collaboration and product development that links product development with market validation and financing to lower the cost of commercializing energy innovations and accelerate market adoption. Furthermore, Pecan Street’s established consortia model for connecting the technical/academic community, which is often focused on inventions, with industry stakeholders and early feedback loops from target customers is critical in converting those inventions into successful products.

Program-Related Investments

Through running two cohorts of PLATFORM for Product Launch, Pecan Street has seen first-hand how tough the fundraising process is for hardware-driven cleantech companies. In early 2020, Pecan Street released a step-by-step guide to implementing a Program-Related Investment (PRI) strategy. PRIs are a powerful but untapped tool that enables foundations to make investments into startups beyond their traditional grantmaking. Download the free toolkit here.

Apply Now

Pecan Street is no longer accepting applications for the second cohort of PLATFORM.

Advisory Council

The PLATFORM is guided by an Innovation Advisory Council created specifically for this program. The council includes the following experts in venture funding, company incubation, hardware and software technology and other clean energy issues.

• Christophe Defert, Centrica Innovations Director – Ventures
• Tilak Gopalarathnam, LG Electronics, director of technology partnerships
• Kirk Coburn, Shell Ventures
• Isaac Barchas, Research Bridge Partners, president & CEO
• Melissa Uhl, Elemental Excelerator, chief of staff
• Bomee Jung, NYC Housing Authority, VP of sustainability
• Gregory Lopez, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, climate program director
• Benjamin Gaddy, Clean Energy Trust, director of technology development
• Katie McClain, Energize Ventures, director of market development
• Paul Watson, Climate Impact Capital, venture partner

PLATFORM for Product Launch is managed by Pecan Street Inc., with implementation support from:

• Research Bridge Partners – Ryan Field, director of operations
• Austin Technology Incubator – Mitch Jacobson, director
• Austin Energy – Karl Popham, director of emerging technologies

For more information about PLATFORM, email info@pecanstreet.org or call 512- 782-9213.