Somerville – October 29, 2026 -- Greentown Labs Boston has opened applications for the second year of its First Valley Fellowship, which gives selected Massachusetts climate and energy founders $50,000 in non-dilutive funding and six months of support to move from proof of concept to first prototype. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) funds the stipends, and the Barr Foundation also supports the program.
Each Fellow receives $25,000 in living support and $25,000 for R&D
The $50,000 award splits evenly between a living stipend and R&D support. Fellows also get six months of no-cost membership and workspace at Greentown Boston for up to two co-founders, plus access to more than $1 million in in-kind resources. These include free and discounted software, legal services, business support and specialized facilities.
Each Fellow is matched with mentors in go-to-market strategy, customer discovery, technical development, finance, legal/IP and product design. Greentown also provides investor readiness and fundraising support. Participation and application are free, and Greentown takes no equity.
Inaugural cohort of five startups produced three new Greentown members
The first cohort started in May 2026 with six founders from five startups: CemCycle, Evidion Energy, Solas Capture, Aelun and Thalon Materials. Fellows received more than 60 hours of mentoring to refine business models and engage potential customers.
Four of the five Fellows surveyed reported greater readiness to fundraise. Three of the five startups have since become full Greentown members, including Evidion Energy, which completed its university spin-out. Evidion CTO Trent Weiss said the company is now preparing to fundraise after completing customer discovery and building its techno-economic and financial models. "We would not be in the position we're in today without this program," he said.
Program targets the stage between proof of concept and prototype
Greentown calls this phase the "First Valley of Death," in which founders must reduce technology risk, validate demand and prepare to fundraise while still securing funding, prototyping space and go-to-market support. Since 2011, Greentown has focused on the "Second Valley of Death," the capital-intensive step from working prototype to first commercial pilot and early revenue. The Fellowship is meant to bridge university and accelerator programs to Greentown.
Eligibility is limited to Massachusetts startups at TRL 2-4 that have raised $1 million or less
Applicants must be pre-seed or pre-funding startups at Technology Readiness Level 2-4 and plan to fundraise within 6-12 months. Fellows must live in Massachusetts and run their research or business there for the full program. Eligible technologies must address one of five areas:
- Energy & Power
- Manufacturing & Processing
- Infrastructure & Construction
- Transportation & Logistics
- Food, Water, & Land
Priority goes to founders who plan to work in person at Greentown Boston nearly every week. Graduate students, postdocs, research scientists, solo founders and early-stage teams are encouraged to apply.
Applications are due by February 19, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Fellowship runs from May through October 2027 at Greentown Boston in Somerville.