BOSTON – The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) announced the first awardees of its CriticalMass program. This new initiative provides support to climatetech companies advancing solutions from pilot demonstration to commercial deployment, focusing on startup projects with strong market potential and measurable climate impact.
Supporting the Transition to Commercial Scale
The CriticalMass program aims to help growth-stage companies reach customers and operate at scale by providing capital, technical support, and partnership opportunities.
“CriticalMass helps founders take the final steps to commercial operation,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “These awards support real projects, new customers, and future jobs across the state.”
MassCEC Interim CEO Dr. Jennifer Le Blond added, “It gives growth-stage companies the capital, partners, and technical support they need to reach customers and operate at scale. This program reflects our goal of helping innovators turn deployment projects into durable businesses.”
Partnership and Expert Support
Beyond grant funding, awardees receive support from The Alliance for Climate Transition (ACT). This includes:
- Access to an expert in residence.
- A support service advisor.
- A deployment partner matchmaking system connecting companies with universities, municipalities, and corporate partners.
State Senator Barry Finegold (D-Andover) noted that the initiative “not only provides critical funding but also connects startups with established organizations to deploy new clean energy technologies here in the Commonwealth.“
The CriticalMass Awardees and Projects
Four companies were selected for this inaugural round:
Aeroshield Materials (Waltham, MA) – $1,000,000
- Project: Partnering with WinnCompanies to deploy and validate full-scale, aerogel-insulated window installations.
- Location: Two upcoming affordable housing communities in Boston.
- Key Personnel: Aaron Baskerville-Bridges.
Luminous Robotics (Boston, MA) – $994,369
- Project: Deploying and validating a fleet of advanced LUMI autonomous robots.
- Location: Nexamp Russell Solar PV site in Massachusetts.
- Key Personnel: Bob Boyd.
Embue (Worcester, MA) – $973,880
- Project: Partnering with the Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), WorcLab, and others to deploy a Multifamily Virtual Power Plant (VPP) platform.
- Location: Kenmore Abbey Apartments (Boston), WorcLab (Worcester), and a third site to be determined.
- Key Personnel: Robert Cooper and Aaron Hoffman.
SparkCharge (Somerville, MA) – $1,000,000
- Project: Partnering with Global Partners L.P. to deploy mobile, off-grid DC fast-charging hubs.
- Location: High-traffic retail sites in Worcester, Ayer, and Pittsfield, with a focus on Environmental Justice communities.
- Key Personnel: David Piperno and Gamal Ramadhana Sofiadi.
Program Context and Personnel
CriticalMass builds on MassCEC’s Technology to Market programs, including InnovateMass, AmplifyMass, Catalyst/DICES, and the Innovation Ecosystem Program.
Key staff involved in the initiative include Daniel Hibbs and Maddy Zeliff from MassCEC, and Alistair Pim and Devyn Cohen from ACT.
Source: MassCEC
