Today's interview is with Austin Evarts, Director of the ACRE Incubator at NYU Tandon School of Engineering’s Urban Future Lab.
What Is The Urban Future Lab?
Can You Give A Broad Overview Of The Urban Future Lab?
Austin Evarts - The Urban Future Lab (UFL) at NYU Tandon School of Engineering is New York’s premier climatetech innovation hub, supporting startups that address the most pressing climate challenges. We provide entrepreneurs with the mentorship, industry connections, and capital pathways they need to scale groundbreaking solutions in clean energy, adaptation, and sustainable infrastructure.
Can You Share More About Your Mission?
What Is The Core Mission Of Urban Future Lab, And How Has It Evolved Since Its Inception?
Austin Evarts - Our mission is to commercialize climate solutions that create lasting impact. Since launching in 2009, UFL has supported over 170 startups, which have raised $2.9 billion and created 4,700 jobs. Initially focused on mitigation, we’ve now expanded to adaptation—ensuring vulnerable communities benefit from the solutions needed to withstand climate impacts.
Key Programs
Can You Provide An Overview Of The Key Programs UFL Offers To Support Climatetech startups?
Austin Evarts - We run several programs, with our ACRE Incubator at the core. ACRE provides 2-3 years of tailored support to early-stage climatetech companies, offering fundraising guidance, customer pilot support, investor introductions, mentorship, and workforce support. We also run the Urban Future Prize Competition, which includes the Climate Adaptation Prize, a first-of-its-kind award spotlighting adaptation startups.
That said, it's inspiring to see innovations across our other programs, including: the C2V Initiative, our carbontech accelerator program, the Offshorewind Innovation Hub, and Innovate UK Global Incubator Programme, which is designed to support UK-based startups with market penetration in the US.
Startup Selection
How Does UFL Identify And Select Startups For Its Programs?
Austin Evarts - Specifically for the ACRE Incubator, we source high-potential startups through a global call for applications, with our Urban Future Prize Competition serving as the main pipeline. We evaluate companies based on their team strength, scalability, impact, and market potential, prioritizing startups with solutions that serve vulnerable communities and have strong business fundamentals.
Success Metrics
What Metrics Does UFL Use To Measure The Success Of Its Programs And The Startups It Supports?
Austin Evarts - Capital raised, revenue, jobs created, climate impact, and community benefits.
Climate Adaptation
How Does UFL Integrate Climate Adaptation And Resilience Into Its Programmatic Focus?
Austin Evarts - We expanded ACRE to support adaptation startups alongside mitigation, recognizing that both are essential in tackling the climate crisis. With the Climate Adaptation Prize, we’re helping adaptation founders navigate funding gaps, pilot opportunities, and regulatory hurdles while ensuring their solutions benefit communities on the frontlines of climate change.
The startups we see in adaptation aren’t just tech companies - they’re infrastructure, workforce, and financial resilience companies, reflecting the urgent need for holistic climate solutions.
With the launch of the Climate Adaptation Prize, we saw a surge of innovation in areas like water resilience, sea-level rise mitigation, climate risk insurance, wildfire resilience, and supply chain security. This proves that adaptation and resilience is an emerging market, and entrepreneurs are stepping up to address these challenges.
Success Stories
Can You Share Success Stories Of Notable Alumni From UFL's Programs?
Austin Evarts - Yes, absolutely. Air Company and Nine Dot Energy come to mind. Since joining the ACRE incubator in 2019, UFL has been instrumental in nurturing Air Company’s growth by facilitating crucial investments, fostering valuable connections, offering access to essential lab facilities, and providing strategic guidance. Air Company also partnered with Miguel Modestino, Director of NYU Tandon's Sustainable Engineering Initiative (SEI), to explore new applications for its AIRMADE™ technology, which mimics photosynthesis to convert CO2 into SAF. In November 2023, their project received NASA’s prestigious Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award.
Founded in 2015, we also helped NineDot Energy grow from a company that had no external funding to a company that now has access to over $375 million, UFL has helped NineDot Energy in key aspects of growth including hiring, introductions, business development and strategy. Backed by Carlyle, CIT, SMBC and the NY Green Bank, NineDot Energy is committed to providing clean energy solutions to the New York area and beyond. They build community-scale energy systems that support a more resilient electric grid, deliver economic savings, and reduce carbon emissions.
Other notable startups that have been through our programs are Dandelion Energy, Opus One Solutions, SEALED, SWTCH, Remora, and more. See our full portfolio here.
Into The Future
What Message Would You Give Our Readers About The Most Important Things To Focus On In The Months Leading Up To 2030? What Are The Things That Should Be A Significant Focus For People And Decision-Makers In This Space?
Austin Evarts - The climate crisis is here, and adaptation is no longer optional - it’s essential for economic stability and community resilience. We need:
- Investment: Funding for adaptation must match mitigation to close the finance gap.
- Equity: Solutions must be developed with and for vulnerable communities.
- Action: Governments and businesses need to align incentives so adaptation is built into infrastructure, policy, and financial systems.
Adaptation isn’t just a policy issue - it’s a market opportunity, and investors are waking up to that fact. We’re seeing startups tackle climate risks head-on, but unlocking capital is the key to scaling their impact.
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