Calling all rising Green Innovators

Bord na Móna’s Accelerate Green programme, delivered in collaboration with Resolve Partners, aims to foster the growth of a larger community of sustainability-oriented businesses and expand the reach of their environmentally friendly solutions, both nationally and globally.

Applications for participation in Bord na Móna’s Accelerate Green programme for 2024 are currently being accepted until November 10th, 2023. This opportunity is open to sustainability focused STEM based companies, from SMEs in the scaling stage seeking investment to companies with innovative green solutions.

Accelerate Green is scheduled to officially commence in January 2024 and is designed as a transformative accelerator programme. Its primary goal is to provide Irish business owners in the climate action and sustainability sector with the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully grow their businesses, not only in Ireland but also on a global scale. In collaboration with Resolve Partners, Accelerate Green will guide successful applicants through a series of expert-led learning modules. These modules will be conducted by industry leaders, entrepreneurs, potential investors, and accomplished representatives from the Irish business community.

The businesses chosen to participate in Accelerate Green will be prepared for investor pitching and will benefit from valuable networking opportunities, mentoring, and avenues for business development. They will have the chance to engage with experienced senior leaders across Bord na Móna's various business interests. Additionally, participants will gain valuable insights into Bord na Móna's commercial expertise and its journey from a traditional peat harvesting company to a leader in climate solutions and renewable energy development.

The numbers… 

Since its inception in 2022, Accelerate Green has seen twenty-five Irish businesses from various regions across the country complete the programme. These businesses are now on a continuous journey to effectively deliver innovative products and services with a strong focus on sustainability. Notable examples among the programme's alumni include Positive Carbon, based in Roscommon, which has developed an inventive system for reducing food waste; Borrisoleigh Bottling, a cartoned water business located in County Tipperary; and EpiSensor, a company based in Limerick specialising in energy management and demand response solutions.

Following their participation in the programme, many of these alumni have achieved substantial and sustainable progress in their respective ventures. Recent research conducted by Bord na Móna indicates that all participants from the 2022 cohort reported a positive and tangible impact on the success of their businesses. An impressive 80% of alumni experienced significant growth in the size of their companies within the 12 months following the programme. 60% expanded their operations within Ireland, while an even greater number (80%) extended their operations internationally. Furthermore, all participants found the networking opportunities provided by the programme to be highly beneficial, leveraging these connections in various ways to enhance their businesses.

Across all the companies that participated in Accelerate Green since 2022, 80% have increased their workforce, resulting in the creation of 85 jobs since completing the programme. On average, the alumni have experienced an impressive revenue growth of 150%.

How the Accelerate Green Programme is different… 

Accelerate Green is a unique and transformative programme involving environmental, community, and commercial entities. As part of this programme, participants engage in a peer-to-peer learning environment to strengthen their business strategies. Bord na Móna chooses each participant cohort following a rigorous selection process to ensure it finds rising business leaders who will benefit most from crucial support to facilitate the scaling of their sustainability focused offerings.

Bord na Móna's Accelerate Green, delivered in collaboration with Resolve Partners, offers companies the opportunity to gain fresh perspectives and insights from industry leaders, ultimately propelling their businesses forward. In partnering with Resolve Partners, we aim to deliver this comprehensive programme drawing on their extensive knowledge and hugely successful and impactful approach.

Bord na Móna’s mission… 

Bord na Móna has experienced transformative change as a business in recent years, transitioning from traditional peat harvesting to delivering climate action and renewable energy solutions today. The company’s Brown to Green strategy has informed this transition and continues to guide its growth as a sustainability focused, climate solutions business that is supporting Ireland in achieving its 2030 carbon emissions targets and net zero goal by 2050. The Accelerate Green programme is part of Bord na Móna's wider commitment to support the achievement of a climate-neutral Ireland by 2050. The company hopes that through the programme’s ongoing support of Irish companies that are actively developing products and services rooted in green innovation, it can support the continued growth and resilience of our national network of green innovators.

“A key element of Bord na Móna’s mission is to lead the way and help the country re-imagine how it engages with climate action and Accelerate Green is an important element of this. This year, we have committed €5 million to the continued rollout of this important programme and we are delighted to see the impact it has already made on our growing alumni since we first launched in 2022, with many reporting experiences of thriving business operations not only here in Ireland but internationally too.

“Accelerate Green is a tremendous opportunity for Ireland’s rising green innovators to learn, grow and scale their business. The modules and mentoring we offer as part of the programme are tailor-made to help participants develop a thorough understanding of how to build a sustainable and resilient business model — an invaluable asset for all early-stage companies, and particularly those with the shared purpose of supporting a more sustainable future for Ireland through pioneering green innovations. I would highly recommend all businesses keen to make a difference in the sustainability sector to apply.” – Tom Donnellan, Chief Executive, Bord na Móna 

What did the class of 2023 have to say… 

“I thoroughly enjoyed the programme. One of the key benefits is the small, close-knit cohort of business participants and that the status, problems and developments are clearly understood. There's a deep level of understanding of both the stage that participating companies are at and the potential opportunities in store for us. I found that being in a strategic frame of mind for two days [of workshops] created a different flow of thinking for me — I had a few eureka moments!” - Mike Keane, CEO of Hibra 

“The cohort knowledge share was excellent. We were lucky to have a very engaged and engaging group. The two-day overnight format is definitely a winner. One day, although less time consuming from a work/company perspective, would not be as impactful.” – John O’Connell, CEO, CW Applied 

“The one-to-ones with the mentors were really excellent and it was great to get their time.”- Denise Kelly, CEO, Hub360 

If this sounds like the right fit for your company’s sustainability mission please visit https://accelerategreen.ie/ for further information on how to apply for the Accelerate Green programme in 2024.