SAN ANTONIO, April 10, 2018 –– EPIcenter today introduced the first two companies selected to participate in its New Energy Incubator and Accelerator, a program to provide resources to emerging businesses focused on the advancement of new energy innovation and technology. As clients in the first cohort, San Antonio-based Go Smart Solar and Morton Gestalt will be guided with a proven model of mentoring and coaching by a team of subject matter experts who will address the unique issues facing each client. EPIcenter CEO Kimberly Britton also announced that BB&T has signed on as the first financial supporter of the New Energy Incubator.
“One of the first ways EPIcenter is putting its ‘mission in motion’ is with this incubator and accelerator to support start-up companies in the new energy space,” CEO Kimberly Britton said. “By focusing entirely on new energy, EPIcenter will help grow this segment of our economy, creating jobs and new opportunities in the region.”
Founded three years ago by Robert Miggins and Jason Pittman, Go Smart Solar seeks to help commercial and community clients overcome the obstacles to adopting solar by providing end-to-end support, from engineering to permitting, procurement, installation and long-term operation and monitoring. Go Smart Solar supports commercial projects and is also working to make solar available to users without access to rooftops such as renters, nonprofits, and low-income households.
“We are excited to be included in the first cohort of EPIcenter’s New Energy Incubator and Accelerator both because of the access to mentors and relationships across the country that EPIcenter will provide, but also because we believe in the mission and vision of EPIcenter and want to be a part of that success,” said Jason Pittman, President of Go Smart Solar.
In the project Talking Walls, Anna Morton of the San Antonio-based engineering firm Morton Gestalt, is building a smart platform to measure the amount of energy buildings actually consume compared to the models typically used in building design. The application will automate data collection and use a simplified model comparison to identify ways to improve building performance.
"We see this application as a critical step forward to improving energy efficiency and building design,” said Morton. “EPIcenter will provide the resources and knowledge base to support our prototype and beta version development, ultimately transforming the way buildings are designed in our region and beyond.”
“EPI” stands for “Energy, Partnerships, and Innovation.” EPIcenter will transform an historic, century-old power plant on the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River into a dynamic, world-class center for new energy innovation, education and community engagement. Once complete, EPIcenter will provide a home for emerging businesses focused on the advancement of new energy innovation and technology, but will also host existing businesses in the space.
The Incubator will be housed at strategic partner Geekdom until construction is complete on the former power plant. The length of time each client is in pre-incubation, incubation or acceleration can vary, but our general timetable is 2 – 4 months for pre-incubation, 6 – 24 months for incubation, and 2 – 6 months for acceleration. EPIcenter is now accepting applications for the Incubator’s second cohort, which are due May 20. The application is available online.
In addition, EPIcenter is preparing for its upcoming Summit called “Disaster Disabled | Resilience Reinvented.” The Summit will be held on May 3, 2018, at the Pearl Stable in San Antonio, TX. The half-day Summit will bring business leaders together with industry executives, utility leaders, and business continuity experts to explore best practices, lessons learned, and the technologies available to enable business resilience in the face of disaster. The Summit will feature a slate of speakers from across the country from varied backgrounds and fields of expertise, and will include keynotes, moderated panels, and short talks. Other topics for the summit include grid resilience, the protection of IT assets, and how regional governments and companies are hardwiring resilience.
