Zero Wins Healthy Buildings Challenge
Zero was thrilled to join four other building-focused startups, chosen from 99 applicants, as the cohort companies for the Healthy Buildings Challenge. The Challenge is a Greentown Launch program with French multinational Saint-Gobain and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center that is focused on advancing building tech solutions that innovate for the health of both building occupants and the climate. The Healthy Buildings Challenge was created to support startups bringing innovative tech to the built environment that are at the prototype stage and beyond.
As part of its participation in the Challenge, Zero worked with CertainTeed, Saint-Gobain's US brand, to integrate its technology into the residential solar rooftop landscape, setting up a pilot with a cohort of solar installers in the greater Boston area, with more to come later this year.
"Working with the CertainTeed team over the past several months has been extremely helpful in pulling forward our pilot and demonstration phase. We're very excited to be working with a number of their partners to demonstrate the value we can bring and accelerate deployments in the residential solar space," said Zero's Founder & CEO, Grant Gunnison. "Without the support from organizations like Greentown and MassCEC, developing relationships with large corporates like CertainTeed can take 12-18 months, but are critical to early stage startups seeking ways to demonstrate their technology. We are very grateful to have been able to take part in this program and to put together a demonstration project with their team."
We are very grateful to have been able to take part in this program and to put together a demonstration project with their team.
About the Program
Between their construction and operation, buildings in the United States account for almost half of the country’s energy usage. At the same time, a recent UC Berkeley study found that nearly half of office building occupants describe themselves as uncomfortable with their building’s temperature—to say nothing of its other characteristics. People spend an average of 90 percent of their time indoors, meaning that building characteristics such as lighting, temperature, air quality, and noise can have a significant impact on health.
A healthy building optimizes for both environmental impact and the wellbeing of its occupants. To meet ambitious climate goals and improve building occupant comfort, innovation will play a critical role. The U.S. Green Building Council states that “through sustainable design, construction and operations, green buildings are reducing carbon emissions, energy and waste; conserving water; prioritizing safer materials; and lowering our exposure to toxins.”
Saint-Gobain, MassCEC, and Greentown Labs recognize the significant role that healthy buildings will play in improving the sustainability of our built environment. The Healthy Buildings Challenge program, which concluded in 2022, supported startups with innovative technologies at the prototype stage and beyond that advance building sustainability and wellbeing for building occupants.
The Challenge winners:
AeroShield (Boston, MA) develops super-insulating, transparent inserts for windows, bringing state-of-the-art thermal comfort and energy savings into buildings at an affordable price.
Alkemy Environmental (Somerville, MA) recycles industrial waste streams into structural-grade lightweight concrete aggregates.
Enerbrain (Torino, Italy) develops a Plug&Play IoT solution ready for the market that monitors and controls heating, cooling, and ventilation systems in buildings to make them smarter, healthier, and more sustainable thanks to AI and IoT technologies.
InventWood (College Park, MD) creates advanced wood material innovations, including strong yet light 'super wood' I-joists that can replace steel I-beams in buildings.
Zero (Cambridge, MA) an electrification marketplace, built on scalable rapid-assessment technology, that enables hassle-free home retrofits to improve comfort and eliminate emissions.
Final Showcase
To see Zero's pitch from the program showcase, watch the video below:
