Name: Upstatement
Price range: $

The Climate Circle offers world-class coaching, legal counsel, warm connections to industry leaders, and a peer group of Harvard founders who are all working on innovative solutions to tackle climate change.

With 97 Harvard-led ventures incubated to date, the Climate Circle is cultivating the next generation of climate entrepreneurs. They're tackling global challenges from decarbonizing real estate to scaling solar energy technology.

Meet the 2024 Climate Circle Cohort

Crop Diagnostix

Building the future of predictive agriculture with patented, AI-powered gene expression technology.

Solara

Providing on-demand solar irrigation to Indian farmers, increasing their access to affordable, reliable, and clean irrigation.

MicroAvionics

Developing a propulsion mechanism that can fly in near-space, a region that is inaccessible to aircraft and satellites.

Micro Avianics team wearing goggles in the engineering room

Mission matters. And that’s one of the nice things about the Climate Circle. You have to have passion. Passion comes from the mission. And I think that’s why climate startups have a special edge.

Mark Tracy, MPA 2011 Cofounder, Earthacre

Program Details

Climate Circle ventures receive the following support:
- 1:1 entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur climate connections
- Access to pro-bono legal matching tailored to climate ventures
- Advising from Harvard i-lab venture advisors
- Tailored plans from Harvard’s talent recruiting experts, and PR consultants
- Access to bookable office hours with accounting, sales, marketing, legal and other specialists, as well as investors and seasoned entrepreneurs
- 1:1 coaching for negotiations
- Access to venture-building workshops and content
- Concierge introductions to climate-focused Harvard connections, climate investors with Harvard connections if relevant, and Harvard alums willing to put in pro bono time to climate ventures.
Student and alumni founders from all 13 Harvard schools are welcome to apply to the Climate Circle. Applications from Harvard faculty and staff are considered on a discretionary basis.

The Climate Circle is open to both for-profit and nonprofit ventures with committed founders, clear traction, and growing momentum. Many ventures at the time of application have either current customers, established intellectual property, or written agreements with key stakeholders.

Because the program is entirely virtual, Climate Circle ventures span the globe: from Indonesia to Uganda, South Africa to the Midwestern U.S., Austria to Boston.
Attendance at the virtual orientation session is mandatory. Other offerings are 1:1 and tailored to the founder and occur at the founder’s convenience. Founders may participate in as many or as few offerings as are helpful to their venture’s trajectory and needs. Some group sessions are offered, however the focus is on sharing resources with founders that are personally tailored and highest impact for time invested.
We are no longer accepting applications. The application will open in the fall for the 2025 cohort.