Evergreen Climate Innovations

03/27/2026

We’re excited to see Evergreen portfolio company Cache Energy featured in The Wall Street Journal today! They are on the cutting edge of creating a cheap, safe and reliable form of seasonal long duration energy storage.

Congratulations to Arpit and team on the feature!

Read the full article here: https://hubs.li/Q048FJ9q0

03/25/2026

Did you know that the black pigment in your delivery boxes, your t-shirt, and your car comes from fossil fuels?

It's called carbon black. Over 15 million metric tons are produced every year, generating nearly 70 million metric tons of CO2, one of the most overlooked emissions sources in global supply chains.

We invested in Living Ink because they've built a real alternative. We're excited to share in depth why we invested in such an innovative solution!

Their Algae Black pigment upcycles waste algae into a drop-in replacement for carbon black. No changes to manufacturing lines and no performance tradeoffs, and major players like Nike and Patagonia are already using it.

Read more about Living Ink here:

At Evergreen Climate Innovations, our mission is to catalyze high-potential startups that deliver climate impact. While producing and using more low-carbon power is a big part of the story and gets a lot of attention, there are incredible opportunities to decarbonize massive, hidden corners of our g...

03/16/2026

This past weekend, Evergreen’s CEO, Michelle Carr, took the stage at SXSW Midwest House for "Chicago Day" to discuss why the Midwest is the global center of water innovation.

In a panel moderated by Ella McCann, Michelle joined leaders from Current, Great Lakes RENEW, and gener8tor to dive into a critical truth: freshwater is a strategic asset for manufacturing, energy systems, and the data centers of the future.

Thank you to World Business Chicago and Midwest House for hosting such a vital conversation. The future of the Blue Economy is being built where water, industry, and innovation meet, right here in the Midwest!

03/11/2026

Evergreen CEO, Michelle Carr, is heading to SXSW 2026 this weekend!

She'll be on stage Saturday at Midwest House for "Freshwater > Seawater: How the Midwest is Winning the Blue Economy," alongside:
💧 Ella McCann (Moderator), Head of Partner Activation, The Executives' Club of Chicago
💧 Alaina Harkness, CEO, Current
💧 Samantha Schwartz, Community & Ecosystem Development Manager, gener8tor's CleanTech Accelerator

If you're in Austin, we hope you can join! See the full schedule and registration here: https://hubs.li/Q046qmfY0

03/04/2026

Evergreen Managing Director, Ian Adams, recently spent a productive week on Capitol Hill meeting with key partners and representatives. His primary focus was advocating for robust funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) and strengthening entrepreneurial support programs, initiatives that are central to Evergreen’s mission of accelerating climate solutions.

During the trip, Ian had the opportunity to connect with staff from the offices of Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, among others. By the end of the week, he joined a cohort of incubators, accelerators, startups, and entrepreneurial support organizations in nearly 50 meetings to champion the future of clean energy innovation.

Thank you to our NCCEI partners who joined us to advocate for advanced energy entrepreneurs and the incubators that support them!
Austin Technology Incubator
BRITE Energy Innovators
Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)
Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator
UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm

02/27/2026

Sixteen years ago, Amy Francetic founded what is now Evergreen Climate Innovations on the belief that early-stage climate founders in the Midwest deserved patient capital and real support.

After leading the organization as its founding CEO, Amy stayed on as a board member, serving the last five of her ten years on the board as Chair. The result is an organization that has backed 50+ world-changing companies and helped put the Midwest on the climate innovation map.

We are so grateful for her vision, her leadership, and her continued presence that will be in our community as Board Chair Emeritus!

Read the full announcement here: https://hubs.li/Q04502Pk0

02/26/2026

Meet Alison Taylor, Evergreen's newest board member!

Alison is a Senior Fellow at Duke University and brings a career that spans environmental law, more than a decade as VP & Chief Sustainability Officer at Siemens, and the role of Chief Sustainability Officer at ADM — where she led global sustainability strategy aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

She's an environmental lawyer by training, a Capitol Hill veteran, and currently serves on the boards of The Nature Conservancy–Illinois and the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation.

Alison's depth across corporate sustainability, policy, and environmental stewardship makes her a great addition to our board.

Read the announcement: https://hubs.li/Q044QKPD0

02/26/2026

Meet James Mazurek, Evergreen's newest board member –

James leads Accenture's Americas Utilities Strategy team and has helped secure over $2 billion in federal funding for clean infrastructure clients. He's also Accenture's Executive Sponsor to the World Economic Forum's data center and AI energy demand track, and he began his career as a Combat Engineering officer in the U.S. Army.

James brings the kind of energy sector expertise and policy insight that will help us build the bridge between great climate ideas and real-world scale.

Welcome to the Evergreen community, James. We're glad to have you here!

Read the announcement: https://hubs.li/Q044QJpq0

02/25/2026

Exciting news from Evergreen! 🌱

We're proud to welcome Tom O'Neill as our new Board Chair, and to introduce two remarkable new board members: James Mazurek and Alison Taylor.

Together, they bring deep experience across energy policy, corporate sustainability, and capital deployment. Their dynamic backgrounds are the exact combination we need as we accelerate climate innovation across the Greater Midwest.

A heartfelt thank you to Amy Francetic, whose founding vision shaped everything Evergreen is today. Amy will continue as Board Chair Emeritus, and her voice remains central to our community.

Read the full announcement: https://hubs.li/Q044J4T-0

02/18/2026

Evergreen Climate Innovations' Spring Investment Cycle is open through Monday, March 2nd!

Evergreen's 501vc® Investment Fund invests $250k in early-stage climate tech startups in the Greater Midwest region of the United States. Over the past decade, our portfolio companies have attracted $630M in follow-on funding — $61 for every $1 we invest — and 81% are now generating revenue.

Eligible companies must fit the following criteria:
• Focus: Climate tech across mitigation, adaptation, and other environmental challenges
• Stage: Pre-Seed and Seed
• Geography: Based in the Greater Midwest region of the United States (IA, IL, IN, WI, MI, MN, KS, MO, OH, TN, KY, ND, SD, CO, NE, and western PA)

If you, or a company you know is interested, apply here! https://hubs.li/Q043twsl0

02/11/2026

Evergreen Climate Innovations' Spring Investment Cycle is open through Monday, March 2nd!

Evergreen's 501vc® Investment Fund invests $250k in early-stage climate tech startups in the Greater Midwest region of the United States. Over the past decade, our portfolio companies have attracted $630M in follow-on funding — $61 for every $1 we invest — and 81% are now generating revenue.

Eligible companies must fit the following criteria:
• Focus: Climate tech across mitigation, adaptation, and other environmental challenges
• Stage: Pre-Seed and Seed
• Geography: Based in the Greater Midwest region of the United States (IA, IL, IN, WI, MI, MN, KS, MO, OH, TN, KY, ND, SD, CO, NE, and western PA)

If you, or a company you know is interested, apply here! https://hubs.li/Q042Gg0z0