ACRE

Name

ACRE

Legal name

Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering

Website

https://ufl.nyc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climatetech Incubator and Accelerator Services

SIC

Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

Keywords

• Climatetech incubator
• Startup acceleration
• Clean energy programs
• Non-profit accelerator
• Carbon technology commercialization

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: ACRE operates as a non-profit entity that charges membership fees for support services without taking equity from startups. The base membership fee is $450/month providing hot-desk access and support services. Additional physical desks cost $450/month each.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ACRE (Accelerator for a Clean and Resilient Economy) is a non-profit climatetech incubator that supports market-ready climate startups through a 2-3 year program providing fundraising assistance, commercial pilots, customer and investor introductions, mentor matching, hiring support, marketing and design services, and physical office space at the Urban Future Lab in Brooklyn. The program takes no equity from member companies and charges a $450/month base membership fee, complemented by ancillary programs (C2V, OWIH, Innovate UK, Clean Start, GROW+TOGETHER) and the annual Urban Future Prize Competition.

Product overview

ACRE (Accelerator for a Clean and Resilient Economy) is New York State's longest-running climatetech incubator, established in 2009 as part of NYU Tandon School of Engineering. It operates as a non-profit that takes 0% equity from member companies. The core offering is the ACRE Incubator program (2-3 year commitment) which provides member support services including fundraising assistance, commercial pilots, customer introductions, hiring support, marketing/design services, and office space. Entry to ACRE is primarily through the annual Urban Future Prize Competition. The organization manages five interconnected programs: the flagship ACRE Incubator, Carbon to Value Initiative (C2V) focused on carbontech commercialization, Offshore Wind Innovation Hub (OWIH) for offshore wind startups, Innovate UK Global Incubator Programme for UK companies entering US market, and Clean Start for professional development in clean energy. Additional programs include GROW+TOGETHER for hardtech manufacturing partnerships. Since 2009, UFL has supported 170+ companies with an 88% survival rate and $2.3 billion raised in funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACRE Incubator The flagship climatetech incubator program and longest-running in New York State. Companies typically dedicate 2-3 years to this transformative experience. ACRE supports companies with fundraising, commercial pilots, customer introductions, hiring, marketing, design, and office space. The program takes no equity from member companies.
• Urban Future Prize Competition Annual competition that identifies the brightest startups with the most promising solutions for addressing climate change. Winners receive non-dilutive cash awards and are accepted into the ACRE incubator. Attracts market-ready startups pioneering advancements in climate finance, buildings, circular economy, transportation, electricity, and manufacturing.
• Carbon to Value Initiative (C2V) Multi-year collaboration to accelerate the carbontech industry, driving the creation of a thriving innovation ecosystem for commercialization of carbontech — technologies that capture and convert CO2 into valuable end products or services. A collaboration among Urban Future Lab, Greentown Labs, and Fraunhofer USA.
• Offshore Wind Innovation Hub (OWIH) An initiative led by Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon and the National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium, in collaboration with NYSERDA and NYCEDC. Works with innovators to scale novel technological solutions for the rapidly growing US offshore wind industry through an 8-month accelerator program.
• Innovate UK Global Incubator Programme Six-month hands-on advisement program that accelerates the market entry of international climate-focused companies from the UK into the United States. Provides access to world-class mentors, tactical cohort curriculum, and connections to funding, partnerships, and customers.
• Clean Start NYU Certificate in Clean Energy program offered in collaboration between the Center for Global Affairs and Urban Future Lab. Designed to help mid-career professionals develop skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the growing field of clean energy through hands-on experiential learning, mentorships, and capstone projects.
• GROW + TOGETHER Accelerator program pioneered by Urban Future Lab and SecondMuse to merge innovative forces of hardtech clean energy startups with the manufacturing industry in the Northeast US. Supported by an EPIC award from DOE's Office of Technology Transitions. Addresses challenges in finding contract manufacturers to transition from prototype to full-scale production.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% member company success rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EquinorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Leads the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub (OWIH) initiative in partnership with bp, Urban Future Lab, and NOWRDC.
• bpcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partners with Equinor on the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub (OWIH) initiative supporting US offshore wind industry growth.
• National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium (NOWRDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborates on the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub to advance offshore wind research and development.
• Greentown LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration on the Carbon to Value (C2V) Initiative to catalyze the carbontech ecosystem.
• Fraunhofer USAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partners with Urban Future Lab and Greentown Labs on the Carbon to Value Initiative for carbontech commercialization.
• Innovate UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020UK government's Global Incubator Programme with Urban Future Lab as US landing pad for UK climatetech startups.
• NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Provided grant funding to establish the Urban Future Lab innovation hub in 2012.
• NYU Tandon School of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Founding partner of ACRE; NYU Polytechnic (later NYU Tandon) established NYC ACRE as NYC's first climatetech incubator with NYSERDA.
• NYSERDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009New York State Energy Research and Development Authority co-founded NYC ACRE as the founding government partner.
• Con EdisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports Urban Future Lab and community energy initiatives in New York.
• ShellminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting climatetech innovation through Urban Future Lab.
• ToyotaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting hydrogen and clean energy initiatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Engine (MIT): The Engine is MIT's tough-tech accelerator focused on climate, computing, biotech, and advanced manufacturing founders spinning out of deep research institutions. It is a direct peer of ACRE in the academic-anchored, deep-tech / climatetech incubator space, though it operates with a venture-style equity model.
• Elemental Excelerator: Elemental Excelerator is a Honolulu-based climatetech impact accelerator and investor that funds and accelerates startups across energy, transportation, water, and circular economy. It is a direct peer of ACRE given the same climate-tech vertical focus, similar non-equity/equity-light structure, and similar stage targeting (market-ready, sub-$5M).
• Activate (formerly Cyclotron Road): Activate is a fellowship and incubator for science- and technology-based entrepreneurs tackling climate and other deep-tech challenges. It is a direct peer of ACRE — both back early-stage, science-driven founders through structured programs with mentorship and capital access, though Activate focuses more on hardtech fellows.
• Creative Destruction Lab: Creative Destruction Lab is a seed-stage accelerator for massively scalable science- and technology-based ventures, including a dedicated climate stream. It is a direct peer of ACRE in the structured, mentor-driven, equity-light model for science-based climate startups.
• Greentown Labs: Greentown Labs is the largest climatetech incubator in North America, based in Somerville, MA. It is a direct peer of ACRE — both are climatetech-focused incubators, both serve startups across the clean-energy value chain, and they actively collaborate on the Carbon to Value Initiative.

Regional players

• Newlab: Newlab is a Brooklyn-based innovation hub supporting startups working on applied technology across climate, mobility, and advanced manufacturing. It is a regional peer of ACRE — same NYC geography, overlapping climate-tech portfolio, though Newlab is more of an innovation hub than an accelerator and takes equity.

Broad incumbents

• MaRS Discovery District: MaRS Discovery District is a Toronto-based innovation hub supporting climate, health, fintech, and other impact-driven startups. It is a broad incumbent peer of ACRE — analogous university-anchored, multi-program innovation hub model serving climatetech and other verticals.
• Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the world's largest startup accelerator, sector-agnostic, with a climate-tech cohort and program focus. It is a broad incumbent peer of ACRE — same accelerator model, but YC takes 7% equity and operates at vastly larger scale and stage range.
• Techstars: Techstars is a global network of equity-taking startup accelerators. It is a broad incumbent peer of ACRE in the startup-acceleration category, though it is sector-agnostic rather than climatetech-specialized.

Emerging players

• MIT Solve: MIT Solve is a marketplace for social-impact innovation, with active climate and sustainability challenge streams that fund and accelerate selected startups. It is an emerging peer of ACRE in the mission-driven, equity-light climate startup acceleration space, though more challenge-based than cohort-based.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/nyu-tandon-school-of-engineering
• Xx.com/nycacre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments25 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACRE