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Retrofit Accelerator

Retrofit Accelerator with Imperial College London

For Built Environment Tech Innovators

About the programme

Undaunted, in collaboration with Imperial Enterprise, is proud to announce its first cohort of the Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator, a brand-new initiative supporting climate innovation in the retrofit market in London. The accelerator is designed to support 20+ SMEs, startups and scale-ups in the clean tech sector, with a focus on developing cutting-edge solutions for the built environment. A pathway designed for growth and commercial success for a diverse range of climate startups in the built environment, with a special focus on decarbonising buildings in London. The programme’s key objectives are to unlock the barriers to market entry and set the foundation for a successful commercial scale up.

Highlights from the accelerator

How the Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator is enabling startups in London's built environment

Catch a glimpse of the recently concluded Challenge Identification Workshop.


What to expect from the programme

Climate innovation SMEs

The Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator offers support to high-potential innovative climate tech SMEs and businesses whose technologies can provide a significant impact in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The London-based businesses bring innovative clean tech solutions that are ready for implementation.

The accelerator brings innovations from the built environment retrofit sector in physical and digital technologies, but not limited to:

  • building materials
  • building systems
  • energy solutions
  • digital products

Meet Anzen's co-founder, Preethi Jayakumar, about their challenges and inspiration to join the accelerator.

The Cohorts

Cohort 1

  • Airex Technologies - Smart air bricks providing passive ventilation
  • Anzen Innovations Limited - Smart wall with integrated ventilation & heating system
  • Building Atlas Ltd - Building Atlas helps owners of real estate portfolios find the best path to retrofitting their non-residential buildings in order to avoid stranding risk and to increase asset value.
  • Cosysense - Cosysense improves buildings' air conditioner comfort and efficiency, reducing costs and emissions at a fraction of realised savings.
  • Cresco Biotech Ltd - Biocomposite panelling materials using industrial waste and biomanufacturing
  • Isometric Outcomes - Bathroom dehumidification and heat recovery
  • LightFi - IoT sensor manufacturers & HVAC control specialists for commercial buildings
  • RIISE - AI / data platform to evaluate and optimise building energy performance
  • Verv Energy - Smart monitors to allow energy monitoring of exiting HVAC and household appliances
  • Vox Aeris - Agglomeration based air filtration with recyclable filters
  • VundaHaus Ltd - Prefabricated insulation kits to retrofit existing homes

Cohort 2

  1. BioTwin - Plant-based, carbon-neutral wall stud
  2. Carbon Cell - Carbon negative, compostable, insulation, fabricated from waste
  3. Cyanoskin - Living CO2 absorbent paint
  4. ecoDriver Ltd. - Energy Management Software & Services blending technology and engagement to help organisations Understand, Act and Transform their sustainability journey.
  5. Ecofye - CO2 emissions data monitoring (including scope 3)
  6. Firstplanit - Digital platform to help select sustainable building materials
  7. Home Energy Foundry - Supply chain management for retrofitting homes
  8. Material Index Ltd. - Reuse of construction materials
  9. Map Mortar - Digital twin modelling and simulation for retrofit planning
  10. Pairio Ltd - Assessment of building energy efficiency to inform retrofit decision
  11. Q-Bot - Robot that can install insulation under suspended timber floors in homes
  12. SmartShift Energy - Smart fusebox to help homeowners reduce energy consumption
  13. UpGreen Ltd. - Energy upgrade planning for SMEs

Benefits for the cohort

Select participants from the cohort will have the opportunity to access:

  • R&D advice
  • internships
  • technical workspace
  • a network of key industry stakeholders
  • demonstration trials and deployment of low-carbon building innovations

Encouraging diverse portfolios

We recognise the under-representation of women, minority ethnic groups, disabled persons, neurodivergent persons, and the LGBTQI+ community in our startup portfolios. To bridge this gap, Undaunted encourages participation from people of all races, religions, national origins, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and ages, as well as veterans and individuals with disabilities. Undaunted values equity, diversity, and inclusion to improve representation across all its programmes and partnerships.

 


Stakeholders and partners

The transformative initiative doesn’t exist in isolation. We invite stakeholders to lend their expertise to SMEs and businesses in the built environment. The cohort will be guided through their knowledge to unblock the implementation of climate change solutions in London’s built environment. We are also looking for visionary partners who are willing to use a building project as a frame for the actions of the cohort, and to demonstrate first-of-a-kind innovations.

If you are interested in becoming a stakeholder or partner, you can register your interest in the programme via [email protected].

The partners behind the Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator

Powered by Imperial College London, via Undaunted and Enterprise, the Better Futures Retrofit Accelerator is part of the Greater London Authority's Better Futures programme, co-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Imperial College London - Enterprise

Imperial's Enterprise Division has created an entire ecosystem to support startups from the earliest seeds of an idea, via initiatives such as the Climate Entrepreneurs Club and Imperial Enterprise Lab, right through to fostering a flourishing innovation community at its campus in London’s White City Innovation District, where promising young businesses can access incubation support and scale up.

Undaunted

Grown in Imperial’s Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, Undaunted has climate expertise, science and passion for the planet in its DNA. Its thriving innovation ecosystem aims to make London and the UK a great place to start and scale intelligent, sustainable solutions to the climate challenge at pace. Close to 150 exciting climate businesses have graduated from Undaunted’s accelerator programme, The Greenhouse, going on to raise more than $1 billion in investment since 2012 and creating over 1,500 jobs in 30 countries.

Better Futures

Better Futures is a collaborative initiative among leading organisations, led by the Greater London Authority, supporting cleantech SMEs across London to enable innovation, growth, job creation, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to achieve net zero. After a recent £2.3m cash injection from the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), Better Futures is set to embark on its third phase. Imperial's Retrofit Accelerator programme is part of Better Futures 3.0.

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