MetLife and UC Berkeley Seek Startups for 2024 Cohort of Cleantech Accelerator Program

February 29, 2024 at 09:00 AM EST

Selected startups are matched with interdisciplinary teams of UC Berkeley graduate students to advance their innovations, with the support of MetLife employees

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) and the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, are pleased to announce that the application window for the 2024 startup cohort of the Cleantech to Market (C2M) accelerator program is open until March 10. Startups from across the country will be chosen to represent the most promising climate tech innovations and paired with interdisciplinary graduate student teams to receive free commercialization support. At the end of the semester, the student teams present recommendations and compete for MetLife Climate Solutions Awards, which are intended to further support the growth of the winning solutions.

This will be the third year MetLife is involved with the C2M accelerator program. As part of MetLife’s support, employee volunteers lend their business development and management expertise to help students advance the business plans and strategies of their assigned startups. The program is directly aligned with MetLife’s initiative to contribute $5 million to drive climate-related partnerships and solutions.

“At MetLife, we recognize that working toward a resilient environment requires collective action from multiple stakeholders,” said MetLife Vice President, Global Sustainability and Climate Lead, Josh Wiener. “By partnering with the Haas School of Business on the C2M accelerator program, we’re helping bring together MetLife employees, startups and students to advance innovative climate solutions.”

MetLife has a longstanding history of embracing technology and cultivating a culture of innovation. The C2M accelerator program embodies this spirit and gives MetLife employees insight into technology advancements across industries, including low-carbon energy, green chemistry, and water technologies.

"MetLife’s involvement in C2M has expanded our support for current and future climate tech leaders participating in the program,” said Brian Steel, director of the C2M program since 2012. “We look forward to welcoming this year's cohort of students and startups and connecting them with the skills and expertise of MetLife employees later this year.”

Founded by students in 2008, C2M has paired more than 200 researchers and entrepreneurs with graduate student teams. The majority of technologies C2M teams have supported have become startups, which have collectively raised more than $500 million in disclosed funding and employ approximately 400 people.

To learn more about MetLife’s commitment to sustainability, visit MetLife.com/Sustainability. For more information about the C2M accelerator program, and the application for startups, visit haas.berkeley.edu/c2m/.

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help individual and institutional customers build a more confident future. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 markets globally and holds leading positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.